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COUNTRY HERITAGE GARDENS COOKERY TRAVEL CRAFT ▯

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Life at nature’s pace

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September 2021

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Wildlife abounds in an untamed garden Colourful recipes from the season’s fruit bowl

EXCLUSIVE Knit a cuddly cat-shaped cushion

Traditional games beneath towering Highland peaks

www.landscapemagazine.co.uk

MELLOW DAYS UNFOLD

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES ìItís the best home improvement we have ever made.

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Life at nature’s pace

Dear reader...

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UMMER IS MELLOWING, beginning its slow, almost imperceptible meander into autumn. As the early morning light casts a golden net across the garden, the rich colours of late-summer flowers glow like precious gems.

While the birds have been nesting and raising their young, I have kept my gardening to a limited number of tasks: weeding, watering, deadheading. But the time has come to tackle the hedge and tree which overhang the patio. On sunny days, its shade is welcome, but a trim would mean the border beneath its boughs would continue to flourish.

Beginning around the trunk, I cut back a few of the lower branches, raising the canopy and allowing extra light to filter to the ground. Growth has been thick and lush this summer; mostly, I think, because of the preceding wet winter and spring.

Tucked between the base of two branches, I spot a tiny dwelling: a wren’s nest.

I had hoped to find it, as I had often spied this diminutive bird darting in and out of the tree, its perky little tail pointing skyward. I marvel at its shape: a perfect dome; stout but soft; built with layers of leaves and grass. There are tufts of moss and downy feathers too, and the entrance so small I can barely see inside.

The fledglings are long gone, the nest no longer needed, but I leave it there so I can return and admire it again: a little memento of the changing seasons.

Rachel Hawkins Editor

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Contents September 2021

98

64 28 In the garden

In the kitchen

Craft

12

Untamed haven full of wildlife

52

Pepper dishes turn up the heat

44

Enduring displays of papery blooms

24

The garden in September

60

Succulent sweets of the sea

86

Chairs carved from the forest

28

Borders glimmering with crocosmia

64

Treats from the fruit bowl

98

New uses for keepsake corks

36

Gentle colour in a showy display

70

Regional & Seasonal: Island Fish, Isles of Scilly

102 Characterful cat cushion to knit 104 Floating petals in simple artwork 124 Readers share their creative talents

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86 72 106

118 Countryside

History and heritage

Regulars

116 The countryside in September

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Readers’ letters

8

Our LandScape

41

In the garden

50

Subscription offer

62

In the kitchen

96

In the home

118 Lithe and elusive hunter among the Scottish pines

Tranquillity and age-old charm in the rolling Surrey Hills

106 Spectacle and sporting prowess amid dramatic Highland peaks

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Readers’ Letters Sharing your news and views of country life

Star Letter

Bags of treasured memories It has been a tough year for many, and most certainly for our primary school-leavers, who have had the strangest of final years. We were delighted to see the ‘Cherished Gifts’ article in the June edition, and it lit a small spark. We have asked every member of staff to create a bespoke gift bag for each leaver. We asked each Primary 7 pupil to share a few of their favourite things and role models, and then we left it to the imagination of staff. We think our youngsters will be pretty chuffed when they get leaving gifts in these special bags.

Karen Hart, Fife

Butterflies with brilliant wings I have been a regular subscriber for two years and eagerly await the arrival of each new issue. It is so refreshing to read a magazine that combines articles on interesting places, delicious recipes and arts and crafts. Inspired by Jane Hall’s amazing stitched butterflies in the June issue, I have created these Fantasy Butterflies from felt and simple embroidery stitches. They were fun to sew and make me smile. Keep up the good work.

Plants able to climb up ladders Inspired by the ornamental supports feature in the June issue, my wife, Sue, suggested we could do something with an old set of wooden extending ladders that had been languishing unused behind the shed. I cut them in half and bolted them together: the arch was made from recycled roofing battens. It is now a nice feature in the garden and should look even better when the rose and clematis reach the top.

Angie Underwood, Dorset

Andrew Price, Herefordshire

Fresh from the forest Here is a photo of a pot of primulas that I created approximately a month ago. The inspiration for the wood and rope sides to the pot was gleaned from the March magazine article featuring anemones in a small pot tied round with little branches. I had to glue the branches onto the pot in sections, as I realised it would have been impossible to tie them all the way round if they were loose. The primulas have flowered non-stop and do not look like giving up any time soon. They are a lovely sight, even in the rain. Thank you for a great magazine. I find all the LandScape articles very interesting and have also tried several of the recipes with success. Keep up the good work.

Sue Ward, Dorset

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Too good not to have a go Just a little note of thanks for the brilliant rhubarb, rose and almond cake recipe in the April edition. I am not good at baking, but this looked so delicious I gave it a try. It was easy to follow and turned out lovely. I look forward to the next magazine.

Jane Marshall, Berkshire

LandScape, H Bauer Publishing, Media House, Lynch Wood, Peterborough PE2 6EA. Phone 01733 468000 www.landscapemagazine.co.uk

WRITE TO LANDSCAPE We love hearing about how our readers are enjoying the seasons. Write and tell us about a craft project you have been working on, an interesting place you have discovered or an issue about the countryside you want to share. Letters or emails should come with one or two good-sized photos, taken on a digital camera or smartphone. Write to LandScape, Media House, Lynch Wood, Peterborough PE2 6EA or landscape@bauermedia.co.uk.

Editor Rachel Hawkins Associate Editor Karen Youngs Production Editor Deborah Dunham Features Editor Holly Duerden Art Editors Lindsay Lombardi, Sarah Flitcroft Editorial Assistant Nicki Manning Home Economist Liz O’Keefe ADVERTISING – Phone 01733 468000 Commercial Director Iain Grundy Commercial Manager Lawrence Cavill Grant Sales Executives Lucy Baxter, Stuart Day

‘Warrior’ with a soft centre I had a supply of surplus wool given to me before lockdown, which became a nagging challenge as to what to do with it. Not being a great knitter, I decided on pom-poms, made the old-fashioned way, with ringed circles from old cards. I then decorated them with anything to hand from my sewing box. Here is my ‘Warrior Fish’.

MARKETING – Phone 01733 468000 Brand Manager Susan Rogers Product Manager Sophie Lee Direct Marketing Manager Julie Spires Direct Marketing Executive Raheema Rahim Newstrade Marketing Manager Samantha Thompson Head of Newstrade Marketing Leon Benoiton

Belinda Mellor, Derbyshire

PRODUCTION – Call 01733 468000 Print Production Colin Robinson Printed by William Gibbons & Sons Ltd Distributed by Frontline

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Sharing good times with the birds Leftover sweetcorn from the barbecue, hung in the tree, is soon demolished by the hungry birds.

Carole Gasan, Belfast

The many joys of knitting My hobby of knitting toys is so rewarding. I have made many toys for my friends and family, for all occasions. I thought I would share the photo of the koala I knitted recently. I named him Kenny. I hope readers like him. When I have finished a project, I feel quite attached to the characters. I just love LandScape magazine.

Jen Lawrence, West Midlands

Course gets a hobby moving I thoroughly enjoyed being on a virtual Free Motion Embroidery course during March and April: six lovely projects which inspire me to do more.

Sue Shambrook, Wiltshire

STAR LETTER PRIZE This month’s Star Letter winner will win a beautiful Linen Ladder medium washbag and a smaller make-up bag, ideal for travel, with a combined value of £40. The winner will be able to choose either pale blue or petal pink versions. The bags are handmade in England from 100 per cent linen, with a padded waterproof lining, smooth zip fastening and piped trim. For more information, please visit thelinenladder.com

H BAUER PUBLISHING Chief Customer Officer Sam Gallimore MD Sport and Leisure Steve Prentice Editorial Director June Smith-Sheppard Head of Digital Charlie Calton-Watson Chief Financial Officer Bauer Magazine Media Lisa Hayden CEO, Bauer Publishing UK Chris Duncan President, Bauer Media Publishing Rob Munro-Hall

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Our email address for editorial complaints covered by the Editorial Complaints Policy is complaints@bauermedia.co.uk.

No part of the magazine may be reproduced in any form in whole or in part, without the prior permission of H Bauer Publishing. All material published remains the copyright of H Bauer Publishing and we reserve the right to copy or edit any material submitted to the magazine without further consent. The submission of material (manuscripts or images etc) to H Bauer Publishing, whether unsolicited or requested, is taken as permission to publish that material in the magazine, on the associated website, any apps or social media pages affiliated to the magazine, and any editions of the magazine published by our licensees elsewhere in the world. By submitting any material to us you are confirming that the material is your own original work or that you have permission from the copyright owner to use the material and to authorise Bauer to use it as described in this paragraph. You also promise that you have permission from anyone featured or referred to in the submitted material to it being used by H Bauer Publishing. If H Bauer Publishing receives a claim from a copyright owner or a person featured in any material you have sent us, we will inform that person that you have granted us permission to use the relevant material and you will be responsible for paying any amounts due to the copyright owner or featured person and/or for reimbursing H Bauer Publishing for any losses it has suffered as a result. Please note, we accept no responsibility for unsolicited material which is lost or damaged in the post and we do not promise that we will be able to return any material. Finally, whilst we try to ensure accuracy of your material when we publish it, we cannot promise to do so. We do not accept any responsibility for any loss or damage, however caused, resulting from use of the material.

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RIDGES ON THE SHORE The mellow light of autumn bathes the cliffs of Bantham Beach in a golden radiance. Nestled on the Devonshire coast, the beach is situated at the mouth of the meandering River Avon and is part of the designated South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. From the shore, Bigbury Bay and the iconic landmark Burgh Island can be seen on the horizon, accessible at low tide by a tidal passageway that is completely covered when the tide is high, leaving the familiar sea tractor as the only means of access. Sheltered by sandy dunes, the beach features a spectacular mass of rock fragments, ledges and ridges that appear as the tide recedes and are illuminated in ribbons of light by the evening sun. Rock pools and fissures can be found at the southern end which teem with marine life and are popular for crab hunting. While dogs are not allowed on the main beach between May and September, they are permitted on the sandy area beside the estuary all year round, otherwise known as River Beach.

Our LandScape

Photography: Alamy

The best of the season to inspire and admire

Our LandScape The best of the season to inspire and admire

FIT FOR A COMPANION Drawing inspiration from the kaleidoscope of colours that permeate the Dartmoor landscape, Amy Large lovingly handmakes stylish dog accessories that reflect the shades of the season. This bandana is made from high-quality tartan fabric, which is sustainably sourced from local suppliers and is available in a range of sizes.

Absolute Animal Designs offers a variety of bespoke, handmade accessories for furry companions.

Country Red Tartan Bandana from £7.50, www.absoluteanimaldesigns.co.uk

CELESTIAL SEA DWELLER

PURITY IN PLANTS Appearing from July until September, dense clusters of pink, sweetly scented flowers are suspended on slender stems that sway gently in the breeze, reaching a height of approximately 24in (61cm). Soapwort, Saponaria officinalis, is a common perennial plant in the family Caryophyllaceae, traditionally grown and used as a detergent. The scientific name ‘Saponaria’ is derived from the Latin word ‘sapo’, meaning ‘soap’, referring to the saponins in the leaves and roots of the plant that are an effective cleaning agent. Its common names latherwort, lady’s wash bowl and bouncing bet, which is a term for a washerwoman, also allude to these properties. The cleanser can be made from boiling the leaves and the roots, and is so mild that museums often use it to clean particularly delicate fabrics.

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The glossy spill of a Moon jellyfish, Aurelia aurita, washed up on the shore is a common sight on UK beaches. Though they live in the epipelagic zone, or upper open ocean, where there is enough sunlight for algae to photosynthesise, they are commonly found along the coast and in upwelling areas, where strong tides push them onshore. They are easily identifiable by their four circular markings, known as gonads, which are typically mauve.

The saucer-shaped bell, or umbrella, is colourless, fading into transparency at the edges, with short, delicate tentacles. They appear sporadically, but can form large local populations, and have two main stages of lifecycle: polyp and medusa. The latter is the adult, while the former is a stalk, which latches onto a rock and divides into buds that break off to become adults.

WONDER OF THE WATERWAYS On the still waters that cross the River Dee in north-east Wales, a narrowboat chugs along at walking pace, traversing one of the highest navigable aqueducts in the UK. Towering 126ft (38m) high and 1,007ft (307m) long, Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is a feat of civil engineering and one of the most remarkable monuments of the industrial revolution. The word ‘pontcysyllte’ means ‘the bridge that connects’. Designed by Thomas Telford and canal engineer William Jessop, the use of cast and wrought iron enabled the construction of 19 arches and 18 stone piers, which are partly hollow at their summit to keep the structure as light as possible. It was opened in November 1805 and holds approximately 329,954 gallons (1.5 million litres) of water, fed from the Dee at Horseshoe Falls. It is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Waterways, a list compiled in 1946 by writer Robert Aickman, and has been deemed a World Heritage site, putting it on equal footing with the Great Barrier Reef.

TOWN’S JOURNEY Author David Lloyd’s illustrated history of the market town of Ludlow, Shropshire, traces its fascinating development from Anglo-Saxon times to the present day. This informative book explores periods of plague, pestilence, wealth and the ructions of the Civil War, which have shaped the course of Ludlow, now considered one of England’s most beautiful market towns.

The Concise History of Ludlow £14.99, www.merlinunwin.co.uk

Photography: Alamy; Richard Faulks; Shutterstock

RESETTING TIME Up until 1752, Britain and its colonies adhered to the Julian calendar, first implemented by Julius Caesar in 46BC. However, the Alexandrian astronomer Sosigenes had miscalculated the length of a solar year by 11 minutes and 14 seconds, and the cumulative effect of this astronomical error resulted in the dates of the seasons shifting. To correct this, the Gregorian calendar was introduced, bringing Britain in line with most of Western Europe.

Not only was this a perceived threat to English sovereignty, the removal of 11 days to align the calendar resulted in Wednesday, 2 September being followed by Thursday, 14 September, causing rioting and civil unrest. This is alluded to in William Hogarth’s painting of 1755, entitled An Election Entertainment; a banner to the right bears the slogan, “Give us our Eleven Days”.

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UNTAMED GARDEN’S GIFT TO NATURE A 3-acre plot at an organic farm has been turned into a mosaic of habitats to create a wildlife haven which blends seamlessly into the Suffolk countryside

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ATHED IN THE golden light of late September sunshine, a white-shuttered house, with a pillared front porch, appears to sink into a backdrop of majestic old trees, dense shrubs, with red, yellow, plum and chocolate-coloured foliage, and a haze of tall grasses punctuated by drying seed heads. Tendrils of Virginia creeper, the leaves just starting to tinge a vivid scarlet, twine across the building’s facade, trained between a row of distinctive tall, arched windows. By the Crossways blends into the Suffolk countryside, just over a mile from the market town of Saxmundham. The house is sheltered from a network of country lanes by ornamental and native trees, and it is surrounded by a 400-acre organic farm, with traditional hedgerows dividing fields of heritage wheat and pasture, where 3,000 free-range chickens and assorted livestock roam.

Approaching the house along a gravel drive is like entering a secret kingdom full of intriguing plants, birds and animals.

Wildlife haven A charm of brightly coloured goldfinches flutter, flash and feed, tweezing out the tiny seeds from dried teasels, which have been left to flourish freely along the many pathways.

Swallows dip and skim over a natural pond, fringed with grasses, ferns and reeds. A semi-walled kitchen garden is dense with tall corn, golden squash with umbrella leaves, and coronets of blue kale. Red apples hang heavy from branches in the orchard, and there are billowing beds of bright dahlias, echinaceas and zinnias. Tomatoes are ripening in the old greenhouse, where well-worn tools lean against the door.

There are no manicured lawns or sharp edges to be seen here.

Instead, nature has been allowed to scramble over the bones of a once formal garden, repopulating it with wildlife, including woodpeckers, owls and grass snakes.

“It’s a process known as rewilding,” explains owner Miranda Kendall, who shares the house and 3-acre garden with her husband, William, their two daughters and three black Labradors. “But that does not mean that it’s overgrown and unmanaged. A better description would be the mosaic principle, where a patchwork quilt of different habitats is created side by side to encourage beneficial wildlife. We wanted our garden to reflect its surroundings in the middle of our organic farm.” ›

Plate-sized sunflower seedheads are left to provide a feast for the birds, such as this Great tit (top). A ‘hotel’, made using bricks and sticks, provides protection for insects (above).

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Areas of lawn are left to grow long and meadow-like, and weeds are encouraged if they add to the visual tapestry. Miscanthus sinensis is among the grasses overlooked by a Catalpa bignonioides tree.

Woodland area

Vegetable garden

Pool house House Lo Crinkle crankle wall

i Mediterranean style garden

Pond

Miranda Kendall in the family’s wildlife-friendly, naturalistic garden at their organic farm in Suffolk.

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Rattan chairs around a wooden table provide a relaxing spot to enjoy the seclusion of the garden as the scent of rosemary wafts over the stone terrace.

“All who joy would win must share it, happiness was born a twin” Lord Byron, ‘Don Juan’

A decked seating area overhangs the still water of the pond, shaded by lush vegetation.

Rose hips create a splash of seasonal colour against the white trunks of a multistemmed silver birch tree in a circular bed in the drive.

Miranda’s great-great grandmother, Mrs Gerald Paget bought the house at the beginning of the 20th century. She was a rich heiress, who married into the well-connected Paget family, but, unusually for the time, she divorced and moved to Suffolk. She remodelled the house, adding grander features inside and Mediterranean-influenced ideas outdoors, reflecting her love of the South of France, where she spent six months each year. She petitioned parliament to redirect a public road for added privacy, then changed the name from Maple House to By the Crossways. Mrs Paget was a leading suffragist, and she spent summers here writing about the cause. She left her estate to her grandson, Captain Charles Bernard when she died in 1926. It was then inherited by Miranda, his great-niece.

Miranda and William moved to By the Crossways in 2000, but it was not until 2012 that they turned their attention to the garden. “One of my young daughters said one day: ‘Wouldn’t it be good if we had a beautiful garden?’.

We were so busy with the farm that we hadn’t given it any attention, and it was very overgrown,” explains Miranda.

“We looked for a gardener to help us, and we were so lucky to find Brian Skilton, who now works for us full time, with a part-time helper, Victoria. Brian’s vision has shaped everything we have done here.”

Rounding the corner of the wide gravel drive, Brian has created a circular bed of multi-stemmed silver birch trees, which partially screens the house, creating a tantalising glimpse of white shutters, tall windows and chimneys. On the left is a weathered red brick crinkle crankle wall. This sinuous, wavy structure is thought to date to the 19th century. The wall provides warmth and shelter: the perfect

place for a mix of drought-tolerant plants. Here are lime green euphorbia, which have been allowed to spread, and fan-shaped palms, blending with late climbing roses, tall canes of bamboo and pleached fruit trees.

Natural pond Directly in front of the house, a paved terrace is used to host charity events, including large lunch parties, and there is a raised brick bed filled with masses of unruly rosemary. A towering Scots pine tree shoots up into the sky. Lawns stretch down to a 19ft-long (6m) natural pond, where a moored rowing boat bobs on the water. “The grass has a complex and variable mowing regime, which can be horrifying to connoisseurs of fine lawns,” says Miranda. Mown pathways flow through overgrown areas leading from the house to the pond. In 2013, the level of this area was lowered, using ›

CRINKLE CRANKLE WALL A distinctive wavy-lined, mellow red brick wall, the name, crinkle crankle, is derived from an Old English term for zigzag. The first examples of these walls appeared in East Anglia in the 17th century and were designed by Dutch engineers who were draining the Fens. They called them ‘slangenmuur’, meaning ‘snake wall’. A straight-sided wall requires extra supports in the form of footings and buttresses, but a sinuous shape can be made just one brick thick, thus economising on the number of bricks used. The concave areas create a micro-climate, providing warmth from the sun and shelter from the wind. The wall at By the Crossways separates the vegetable garden and swimming pool from the drive and is one of approximately 100 crinkle crankle walls concentrated in Suffolk, although they do appear in other areas of the country.

A ribbon-like, crinkle crankle brick wall in Bramfield, Suffolk. Many were aligned east to west to catch the warming sun for growing fruit.

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“Sweet bird! thy bower is ever green, Thy sky is ever clear; Thou hast no sorrow in thy song, No winter in thy year” John Logan, ‘To the Cuckoo’

diggers to undertake the major task. “It was necessary because there were issues with drainage, and also, before this happened, you could not see the pond from the house,” explains Miranda.

Densely fringed with marginal plants, such as royal fern, marsh marigolds and reed sweet grass, the pond offers a calm oasis, with willow trees trailing their branches in the water.

Massive clumps of lofty grasses, including miscanthus, calamagrostis ‘Karl Foerster’ and deschampsia ‘Goldtau’, filter the autumn light.

A mixed woodland area borders the perimeter between the garden and the farm, blurring the boundaries. Here, birdsong is loud, and the forest floor teems with insect life. A huge beech tree has been left exactly where it fell, along with fallen branches and stumps. “Decaying wood is important as a habitat for birds, such as woodpeckers, and insect life,” says Miranda. “Brian sometimes makes features of the branches and stumps, arranging them into patterns. But we don’t move

Home-grown squash make for a bright table centrepiece, framed by the cube-shaped bay hedge, with red hot pokers against the leaves.

Mexican fleabane, Erigeron karvinskianus, has grown through the paving in a pretty fringe below the table.

things unnecessarily or disturb nature to make things look neater, such as flattening the anthills. We compost all our cuttings and never have bonfires. Brian doesn’t even like me to sweep up the pine needles on the terrace. We do everything we can to welcome wildlife.”

To the west of the house is a loggia; a half glass room attached to the house, with one side open to the garden. This architectural feature, popular in Edwardian times, is one of Miranda’s favourite places to sit at sunset. It faces two clipped cubes of bay, with woodland beyond, and is surrounded by a Mediterranean-style garden, with hummocks of lavender. ›

The west-facing loggia in Miranda’s favourite area of the garden, and maybe her Labrador’s too, with lavender, euphorbias, bay topiary squares, yucca, chocolate phormium, Eryngium giganteum, Cordyline indivisa and swaying swathes of Miscanthus sinensis.

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Crimson, catkin-like Amaranthus caudatus.

MIRANDA’S FAVOURITE PLANTS FOR SEPTEMBER Miscanthus: “We have ornamental grasses throughout the garden, but I particularly like the miscanthus around the natural pond. They move so beautifully in the evening breeze and really catch the light,” says Miranda. The garden contains Miscanthus sinensis ‘Malepartus’, ‘Yakushima Dwarf’ and Miscanthus × giganteus. They form mounds of arching leaves, with feathery flowers on tall stems. Full sun is the preferred planting position. The dead leaves can be cut back from late winter to early spring.

Amaranthus: “The rich red of the amaranthus in the vegetable garden just seems to take over and perfectly matches the autumn sunsets,” says Miranda of the velvety, tassel-shaped flowers of this half-hardy annual. Also known as love-lies-bleeding, this

large-leaved plant needs a sunny site and slightly acidic soil. Amaranthus will tolerate poor soil and dry conditions, and the deep-red flowers last for weeks.

Dahlias: Growing around the orchard and kitchen garden, swathes of dahlias light up the gardens in September. A mix of shapes and sizes create a glorious tangle of tones.

These include the milky hued ‘Café Au Lait’, blush pink ‘Wine Eyed Jill’, and the flecked mauves and tangerines of Rembrandt Mix. “I love them for their colours, and they are wonderful picking flowers for the house,” says Miranda.

Zinnias: Jewel box colours, such as burnt orange, deep red and hot pink, characterise this pretty, late summer or autumn flowering annual, which is

planted en masse in the vegetable garden potager at By the Crossways.

Zinnias can be sown from seed, initially under glass, and then planted out after the last frosts in May. They have single- or double-headed daisy-like flowers. “Zinnias provide such rich colour,” explains Miranda.

‘Purple Prince’ is a taller variety, while ‘Early Wonder’ is an intense shade of orange.

Viburnum: Not every plant in the garden has to be a star, and Miranda likes the way that viburnum provides a background to autumn flowers.

“The leathery leaves give dark context and texture,” she explains.

These shrubs prefer moist, well-drained soil and an annual mulch with some well-rotted compost, and they will grow to a height of approximately 10ft (3m).

Jewel-coloured zinnias in swathes around the vegetable garden (top). A halo of silky tufts of Miscanthus sinensis (above).

A ladder rests against a plum tree beyond a haze of foliage and ripening purple fruit.

These contrast with the exotic spikes of yucca, chocolate phormiums and fountains of soft miscanthus grass, with plenty of perennial seedheads, such as button-shaped phlomis and jagged eryngiums. The area next to the house is about as formal and tamed as the garden gets. “We are in the process of reworking it, replacing some of the woody lavender, which is past its best, and reducing the size of the bay cubes, which are obscuring the views. There is always something bubbling under,” says Miranda.

A privet hedge, trimmed into ‘steps’, frames a charmingly shaggy orchard planted with heritage apple trees, including ‘Redlove Era’, which has pinky-red flesh. There is also the Aldeburgh beach apple, which can be found growing on the beach at the nearby seaside town of the same name, and ‘Saint Edmund’s Pippin’, a russet apple. Some new trees have recently been planted in an ongoing rejuvenation programme.

A garden to share More topiary, in the form of a sculptural leylandii hedge, shelters the kitchen garden, which is Miranda’s husband’s pride and joy. This is a no-dig plot, which means there is minimal disturbance of the soil: an enrichment process which happens when natural organisms are allowed to thrive.

The raised beds contain ‘Patty Pan’ squash, courgettes, marrows, ornamental corn, salad leaves and rainbow ›

Left to right: A leylandii hedge sheltering the kitchen garden is trimmed into sculptural fan shapes above a bed of amaranthus and dried sunflowers for the birds to enjoy; borlotti beans for the table; a lean-to greenhouse against a wall; glossy, fiery chilli peppers.

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Pom-pom heads of colourful dahlias in the cutting garden among the dense plantings bordering the house.

A dry garden behind the pool house, with euphorbia, acers and leggy fennel. A circular bird feeder, stocked with windfalls, hangs on the slatted wall.

and blue kale. There are few problems with slugs and snails, as the garden is home to so many hedgehogs and birds, and enough produce is planted to accommodate the appetites of the resident rabbits.

“We have to share with wildlife. Brian plants enough to counter the losses from rabbits and deer,” says Miranda. Fresh produce and flowers are used in the house, with any excess supplying the nearby Maple Farm Shop.

The pool house was constructed in 2005, using eco-friendly techniques. Sheltered by the crinkle crankle wall, the pool overlooks a grove, which includes several silvery leafed trees, Elaeagnus angustifolia ‘Quicksilver’, planted by Brian as an alternative to olive trees. “The soil is heavy, disturbed clay and gets very waterlogged in winter; olives just would not survive in that situation,” he explains. Dense shrubs and euphorbia help to create the calm green outlook.

Behind the pool house, a gravel garden, with drought-tolerant plants, has been made. “Every corner of this garden has something interesting for us to look at,” adds Miranda.

Although it may look accidental, it takes constant work and planning to maintain the loose, naturalistic planting style. “The garden gets into a more relaxed and peaceful state as autumn progresses, but I do see it as a whole at all times and in all seasons,” explains Brian. “The initial planting, after re-landscaping, was done almost entirely by how I felt the garden would mature over time. Plant choice and positioning was based largely on a long-term view, but nature will decide the way forward. I don’t believe in battling against nature.”

Miranda looks forward to September, when everything mellows and matures. “In autumn, there is a riot of colour and a tapestry of textures. I love the herbs and the great bonfires of grasses,” she says. “To an extent, I feel that we are upturning conventions and, in doing so, we have created some very special spaces here.”

22

“Lo! sweeten’d with the summer light, The full-juiced apple, waxing over-mellow, Drops in a silent autumn night” Alfred Lord Tennyson, ‘The Lotos-Eaters’

A mixed shrub border, including berberis, Ligustrum ovalifolium, Arundo donax ‘Variegata’, cotoneaster and Paeonia ludlowii, winds around a lawn.

▯

Words: Fiona Cumberpatch ▯ Photography: Marianne Majerus

CONTACT By the Crossways, Kelsale, Saxmundham, Suffolk. Visitors are welcome via the National Garden Scheme at www.ngs.org.uk

Amazing Allium Saver Collection

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Create an explosion of colour with these easy to grow alliums Attractive seed heads A magnet for bees & butterflies Allium Bumper Pack Upright stems add a strong vertical accent to cottage garden borders. These magnificent allium bulbs produce an explosion of colour, followed by architectural seedheads that create a spectacular autumn display. Undemanding and easy to grow, these magnificent allium flowers are also excellent for cutting.

Allium Collection contains: Allium roseum (14 bulbs )- Also known as rosy garlic, produces narrow, grass like leaves, from which stems of loose, pale pink, cup shaped allium flowers appear. Height 60cm (24”). Spread: 10cm (4”).

Allium caeruleum (5 bulbs) - Bright blue globes of starry flowers are carried on stiff upright stems. Height: 60cm (24”). Spread: 8cm (3”).

Allium sphaerocephalon (30 bulbs) - An understated allium with unusual oval shaped, purple green flower heads, that associates beautifully with swaying grasses. Height: 60cm (24”). Spread: 8cm (3”). Size 4/5 Allium ‘Purple Sensation’ (3 bulbs) Globes of starry purple flowers that measure up to 8cm (3”) across. Height: 90cm (36”). Spread: 10cm (4”).

Size 9/10.

Allium ‘Mount Everest’ (3 bulbs) Globes of more than 50 star-shaped blooms during June, just before your summer bedding comes into flower. Size 9/10.

Allium moly (45 bulbs). Neat clumps of grey-green, strap like foliage bearing dense clusters of star-shaped, golden flowers from late spring. Height: 15cm (6”). Spread: 5cm (2”).

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This showy little Allium has already proved itself to be a worthwhile variety. Allium amplectens 'Graceful Beauty' is effortlessly tasteful - its large, starry blooms forming spherical flower heads in spring. Each gleaming white flower is blushed with palest pink providing a lovely contrast with its violet stamens. This hardy bulb is best massed together at the front of borders for a dramatic display or packed into patio containers in a prominent position.

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The garden in... September Kari-Astri Davies is giving heucheras another try and enjoying her blossoming elegant blue gentians

Left to right: Testing a squash for ripeness; Heuchera villosa ‘Autumn bride’, also known as hairy alum root; plump tomatoes in the mix; pottering about in the garden; trumpet pitcher plant sarracenia.

S

EPTEMBER BRINGS A sense of calm and well-being. Late, as ever, the larger tomatoes are finally ripening, while the squash are visibly swelling by the day.

I must remember to pick hedgerow blackberries for a batch of bramble jelly. According to folklore, the Devil spits on blackberries at Michaelmas, on 29 September, abruptly marking the end of the season. Thereafter, I will leave them for the goldfinches’ late winter gleanings.

“When I open’d first mine eye, Upward glancing to the sky, Straightaway from the firmament Was the sapphire brilliance sent” James Montgomery, ‘The Gentianella’

Ideal partner I am not a great fan of heucheras since a mild flirtation with the deep-purple-leaved H. villosa ‘Palace Purple’, when it was considered a ‘must have’ in the late 1980s.

Then, plant breeders got really busy. Startling lime greens, caramels, crazed strawberry, metallics, frizzed and frilled leaves: a psychedelic profusion of heucheras

24

appeared. I could not see anywhere in my garden where they would happily fit.

Recently, I had been looking for something to add to the partially shaded pergola walk, which is home to many Cyclamen hederifolium. A profusion of naked, pale pink flowers currently line the path, followed by mounds of smothering marbled leaves until May, but then there is a gap. I came across Heuchera villosa ‘Autumn Bride’, with its large, lightly scalloped, pale leaves and tall panicles of small white flowers in autumn: a perfect partner.

Like most heucheras, they will probably need division over the next few years as they become woody, but this is not too onerous a task.

Vine weevil can be partial to heucheras, particularly in pots. Years ago, I grew plants for some local plant fairs.

A few heucheras were overwintered in pots outside. One spring day, most of the healthy-looking top growth blew away, unencumbered by roots, which had been consumed by the chubby cream grubs.

Trumpets of blue It is not just heucheras producing fresh autumn flowers.

Although the wood bed planting is oriented towards spring and early summer, there are later-flowering plants to savour. Willow-leaved gentian, Gentiana asclepiadea, is one such delight. I first saw this gentian in the wild, on an early autumn day while walking along a dusty road through a sweet chestnut forest in the limestone hills of Tuscany. The blue trumpets on arching stems were, to me, rather exotic, although it is perfectly hardy.

“Through the trance of silence, Quiet breath!

Lo! for there, among the flowers and grasses, Only the mightier movement sounds and passes” Robert Louis Stevenson, ‘In The Highlands’

Left to right: The graceful willow gentian, Gentiana asclepiadea; planting narcissus bulbs for spring colour next year.

Photography: Alamy; GAP Photos; iStock; Shutterstock

I have two plants in the wood bed; one is at least three weeks earlier up and into flower. Both are almost true blue, but with a hint of mauve. The finely cut, flared trumpets are lightly stippled and striped in black within.

The main clump was getting to goodly proportions, but then, last year, shoots emerged, stunted. On investigation, I found I had planted it in a pocket between two stones, and it could spread no further. It has now been moved and is recovering.

Some gentians are acid soil lovers; this one is happy in moist alkaline soil, although mine are in fairly dry shade.

Pest protection During the spring, I found that vine weevil grubs had been nibbling away at the roots of all the pitcher plants, sarracenia, that had been overwintered in the conservatory. Weakened, new trumpets were not produced, reducing their ability to catch early insects.

As I prepare plants to go inside again, I shall try watering in nematodes to parasitise and kill any grubs that are lurking in the soil.

Narcissus ‘Mother Duck’ and ‘February Gold’, from this spring, have been stored over the summer. I will soon start repotting the bulbs for next spring’s patio display. n

IMMERSIVE PLANTING The idea of being ‘in’ a garden, face to petal and stem with herbaceous perennials, appeals to me. One nurseryman says he watches visitors to the nursery garden either enjoying being immersed in the tall plantings or becoming irritated and batting away at plants overhanging paths.

Grasses form a key part of immersive perennial plantings. Looking gorgeous now, especially when dew- or rain-encrusted, Molinia caerulea arundinacea is a favourite. From a tidy tump of foliage, great arching flowering stems sway and dip in the wind. ‘Les Ponts de Cé’ has particularly generous weeping cascades of darker flowers. It is in a raised bed at the crossing of a path and the edge of a seating area: parting a way gently through the swishing stems is obligatory.

In the Himalayas raised bed, I have added a number of Miscanthus nepalensis, grown from Hardy Plant Society member seed. Dappled light flatters the soft, silky, coffee-coloured flower tassels, and it is tempting to run a hand through them. I admit that if I am in a hurry, I do go in for a bit of a swish and a bat, often hitting myself in the eye with a stray stem. More haste, less speed, as they say.

A path weaves through tall, arching grasses, immersing the passer-by in the garden.

Kari-Astri Davies started gardening in her twenties with pots of roses, geraniums and sweet peas on a parapet five storeys up in central London.

She’s now on her fifth garden, this time in the Wiltshire countryside. Inspiration includes her plant-mad parents, as well as Dan Pearson, Beth Chatto, Keith Wiley and the Rix & Phillips plant books. Kari describes her approach as impulsive, meaning not everything is done by the book.

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Reader offer

ULTIMATE ALLIUMS This stylish mix will add an extra dimension to garden borders, beds and pots

B

OLD AND ARCHITECTURAL, alliums are often used in RHS show gardens, and for good reason. The spherical flower heads of these gorgeous plants almost seem to magically hover above their upright stems from May to June. They also attract bees and other pollinators which cannot resist the nectar-rich blooms. Excellent as cut flowers to create unusual bouquets, the blooms can also be left on the plant to dry; the skeletal seedheads bringing ornamental interest to the garden in late summer and winter.

The Ultimate Allium Mix is a collection of 50 bulbs, which includes: • 10 × ‘Purple Sensation’ • 10 × A. sphaerocephalon • 10 × A. cowanii • 10 x A. oreophilum • 5 × A. cristophii • 5 × A. nigrum

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By post: Photocopy or cut out the order form opposite and post orders to LandScape Reader Offer, PO BOX 2020, Pershore WR10 9BP. Cheques should be made payable to Hayloft.

All plants will be dispatched from September 2021. Offer closes 31 August 2021. *Offer subject to availability.

26

Allium oreophilum.

Allium nigrum.

Allium ‘Purple Sensation’.

BONUS OFFER Bulb Starter This specially formulated creation offers a free-draining mix of Rootgrow, seaweed and vermiculite, ensuring the ideal medium to give bulbs the very best start, along with improved drought resistance.

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ORDER COUPON (ROLS21) HOW TO ORDER Cut out the order form and post to: LandScape Reader Offer, PO BOX 2020, Pershore, WR10 9BP. To order online, visit www.hayloft.co.uk/ROLS. To order by phone, call 01386 426245 and quote ROLS21. All plants will be dispatched from September 2021. Offer closes 31 August 2021.

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TERMS AND CONDITIONS: All plants dispatched from September 2021. Contract for supply is with Hayloft, Manor Farm Nursery, Pensham, Pershore WR10 3HB. *All items are subject to availability: we reserve the right to send suitable substitutes or, for paid-for items, offer a refund. Offer available to UK addresses only. Reader offers cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotions or discounts. Full terms and product details at www.hayloft.co.uk. Online orders will receive an order acknowledgement via email, with approximate delivery date. Offer closes 31 August 2021. If you would like to receive news, offers and updates from us, please let us know how you would prefer to receive these, by ticking the appropriate boxes: Please contact me by post. Please contact me by email. Please contact me by telephone. I would like to receive information and special offers by post from companies selected by Hayloft as likely to be of interest.

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27

FLICKERING PETALS OF AUTUMN’S FIRE The blazing colours of crocosmias gleaming in beds and borders celebrate the transition to a new season

PROPAGATION The simplest way to make more

G

LOWING IN THE long autumn rays of dawn, blazing in the midday sun, and smouldering as the sun is low in the evening sky, crocosmias are the essence of the season’s colours. Whether warm yellows, sharp oranges or vibrant reds, their flowers emulate all the richness of autumn foliage to come. Held in clusters above neat sheaves of grassy leaves, the brilliant blooms hover over the mounds of smaller plants in the border.

Crocosmias are commonly known as montbretias, but the common montbretia, so well adapted to the mild and wet West Country, where it lines the country lanes with its orange blooms in late summer, gives just a hint of what the plants have to offer in gardens.

Crocosmias grow from corms, which, unlike bulbs, do not have an internal structure of rings, but instead are solid food stores, with a growth bud at the top.

They are replaced with a new corm each year, so digging up an old clump of crocosmias will reveal a chain of old corms, almost like a necklace. Although only the top corms may appear alive, even the older, lower corms are capable of sprouting shoots.

Crocosmia pods dry out and crack open to reveal the seeds, which can be shaken out and collected in autumn.

Starting to come into bloom among its swordlike foliage, the funnel-shaped flowers will open in succession.

crocosmias is to dig up the clumps in spring, just as they are coming into growth, and divide them. Crocosmias disappear underground in winter, but the clumps can be located by the remains of the old growth. Leaving the task until new shoots appear will make it difficult to divide the clumps without damaging some of the new growth, but because even old corms can produce shoots, the check to growth is only temporary. Cultivars that produce stolons with shoots, which readily form wide clumps, can be propagated from these long stolons, and they will form corms as they mature. Few people grow crocosmias from seed because of the variability of the offspring, but if seed is collected in autumn, it can be sown in spring: seedlings should emerge in a month, and plants may flower in their second year.

They can be grown from dry corms, planted in spring, but having been stored for extensive periods, these can be slow to sprout. Plants are commonly available in summer, in bloom, and these offer a more reliable method of getting plants.

Each shoot becomes a fan of leaves, each with parallel veins, and if the shoot is strong enough, a branched flower stem emerges from the centre.

The blooms have no fragrance and are typical of the iris family in appearance, with three outer petals, three inner ones and three pollen-bearing stamens in the centre. The petals form a curved tube at the base and open to a flat, star-like flower, or remain almost tubular in others. The petals often have contrasting colours on front and back, and may have markings around the mouth of the flower. While they are not bee magnets in the same way as some other flowers, bees do visit them, and bumblebees often rob the flowers, as they do with runner beans and fuchsias, biting the base to extract the nectar.

Flowering can begin in July: ‘Lucifer’ is the most popular crocosmia of all and is one of the earliest to bloom. Each cultivar remains in bloom for more than a month, and by choosing early and late crocosmias, the display can continue well into September. The stems make good cut flowers, and the seedheads are also attractive, both in the garden and a vase.

Early developments Crocosmias are native to sub-Saharan Africa, with six of the eight species found in south-east Africa. The name means ‘saffron’, or ‘crocus’, referring to the yellow colour of many species. British gardeners tend to associate the fiery colours of crocosmias with hot, sunny borders, but in

30

A necklace of crocosmia corms, which have been dug up ready for dividing.

the wild, they often grow in woodland clearings and usually in moist soil, which is something worth remembering when planting them.

The first to reach the UK were Crocosmia aurea, which arrived before 1847, and Crocosmia pottsii in 1870, which at that time was grown as Gladiolus pottsii.

They were also grown in France, and the most important step in the story of crocosmias took place there in 1879, when Victor Lemoine crossed these two species, naming his new plant Montbretia crocosmiaeflora; now C. × crocosmiiflora, to be forever simply known as montbretia. It was first offered for sale in 1882, and every year until 1900, Lemoine released new, named cultivars, including ‘Gerbe d’Or’ in 1885, which is still available.

Crocosmia paniculata, a tall but small-flowered species, was introduced from South Africa in 1884 and attracted attention because of its deep-crimson The hardy cultivar ‘Gerbe D’Or’, now known as Crocosmia × crocosmiiflora ‘Coleton Fishacre’, has slightly nodding, pumpkin-golden flowers above olive leaves.

Hot-red crocosmia ‘Lucifer’ flare in a wide open border with prairie-style planting, including sedum and ornamental grasses.

“There is something strange about them, at once vivid and secret, like flowers traced in fire” G K Chesterton, Alarms and Discursions Colourful, cheery ‘Harlequin’ has yellow and orange freesia-like blooms, with a red reverse.

flowers. It was quickly crossed with C. aurea. In the early years of the last century, George Davison bred many new cultivars in Norfolk, some of which are still available today, including the one which bears his name. He developed cultivars with pronounced eye zones, and the large and showy ‘Star of the East’, bred in 1910, is his lasting, and magnificent, legacy.

Development in crocosmias lapsed until the 1950s, when the well-known, large-flowered ‘Emily McKenzie’ was introduced. The harsh winter of 1963 demonstrated to Norfolk-based Alan Bloom the hardiness of some of the crocosmias his nursery was supplying, and he began a hybridising programme. Of the hundreds of seedlings, two were finally

named. The best known of these is ‘Lucifer’, which is such a good garden plant that it can be seen in virtually every street in July and August. Fast increase, early flowers and a searing red colour make it indispensable.

In recent years, other breeders have introduced new cultivars. As gardens are reduced in size, plants with an upright habit and bright colours are increasingly popular, and crocosmias fit the bill perfectly. They are well suited to the currently fashionable prairie-style plantings and offer a welcome contrast to the more common blues, pink and lilacs of these schemes.

Ironically, C. aurea, which is the most widespread of the crocosmias in the wild, is found at the lowest elevations and is not the hardiest of the species, but most of the cultivars now available are hardy in average winters.

Because most crocosmias are hybrid in origin, there is considerable variation in height and habit. Most resemble the common montbretia, with narrow fans ›

31

PLANTING PARTNERS Crocosmias are great mixers in the garden. They are perfectly at home with all the yellow daisies of autumn, such as rudbeckias and helianthus, and the yellow shades give welcome relief to the lavenders or Michaelmas daisies. Their upright habit brings colour to plantings of grasses without too much foliage contrast, and their fiery colours also associate well with brightly coloured annuals. They are essential for fiery tropical borders with cannas, dahlias and tithonia. Planting the smaller kinds among the subtle and varied foliage colours of hostas or in front of golden or purple-leaved shrubs, such as yellow philadelphus or deep-hued cotinus, will bring flair to end the summer season and extend into autumn.

Flame-licked borders include dahlia ‘Moonfire’, with its burning orange centre, sunset-striped canna ‘Durban’ and fiery crocosmia ‘Lucifer’ (left).

The warm tones of crocosmia ‘Lucifer’ glow against purple cotinus leaves.

Showy ‘Lucifer’ grows to 4ft (1.2m) tall (far left).

of upright leaves and branched flower stems that arch at the ends, with flowers that face sideways or upwards.

The colour range sounds limited on paper, from yellow, through orange to red, but crocosmias are surprisingly varied because of differences in flower shape, size and their placement on the stems. Many have eye zones of contrasting colour or darker backs to the blooms, so a large number of crocosmias could easily be collected without repetition.

Most are 24-30in (60-75cm) in height when in bloom, but the smallest reach just 18in (45cm), while the tallest grow up to 5ft (1.5m). The form of most is a narrow fan of foliage that broadens as they bloom.

32

The leaves are usually bright green and deeply veined, but in C. masoniorum, they are attractively pleated, and the clumps are broad and arching.

Buying crocosmias Although packs of mixed corms are available in spring, buying and planting named cultivars is recommended. There is considerable difference in both plant and flower size, and buying them in bloom not only ensures they are correctly named, but also that the gardener is buying exactly what is wanted.

Unlike some plants, crocosmias transplant well when planted in flower from pots, and should bloom and establish

perfectly well. Some of the cultivars are neat and form tidy clumps, but the common montbretia and many others also have spreading shoots underground that help the plant make large clumps in just a few years. When buying them, it is worth looking at the shoots in the pots, and if there are any popping through drainage holes or across the surface of the pot, there is a good chance it is a spreader.

Best growing conditions Although crocosmias have a reputation for being slightly tender, most cultivars will easily cope with average winters. They are more likely to succumb to drought in summer if they are planted in dry soil. ›

RECOMMENDED SPECIES AND CULTIVARS

‘Ellenbank Firecrest’ AGM: Showy yellow flowers, with red edges, above bright green leaves. Vigorous and easy to grow. Height 31in (80cm).

Crocosmia masoniorum: This makes large clumps of pleated leaves. ‘Rowallane Yellow’ is bright gold, and ‘Flamenco’ is pure orange.

Height 31in (80cm).

‘Twilight Fairy Crimson’: Compact and richly coloured, with deep-red flowers held on branched stems above bronze foliage. Height 16in (40cm).

‘Limpopo’ AGM: Unusual salmon-orange and yellow flowers, freely produced on branching stems. It has a long flowering season and makes neat clumps. Height 31in (80cm).

‘Saracen’ AGM: The best of the bronze-leaved cultivars. Brick-red flowers, with yellow centres, blending well with the dusky foliage. Compact growth. Height 31in (80cm).

‘Emily McKenzie’: Large orange flowers, with a dark crimson zone. One of the older cultivars, this might not thrive in cold areas.

Height 31in (80cm).

‘Hellfire’ AGM: An early variety, with deep-red, outward-facing flowers on dark purple stems. Clump-forming and vigorous.

Height 35in (90cm).

‘Severn Sunrise’ AGM: The salmon-orange flowers develop an almost pink tinge as they age. Quite late to bloom, but lasting well into autumn. Height 35in (90cm).

‘Paul’s Best Yellow’ AGM: A crisp contrast to hotter shades, this has large, golden yellow flowers in clusters and vibrant green leaves.

Long flowering season. Height 31in (80cm).

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They should be treated in the same way as other herbaceous plants, avoiding any extremes of drought or waterlogging. They like mild winters and moisture all year round, as evidenced by the hedgerows in Cornwall and Cork lined with ‘wild’ montbretia. But they are good garden plants throughout the whole of the UK and Ireland.

They will grow in most soil types, even clay, and in sandy loams; provided they are never allowed to go short of water or organic matter, they will thrive. It is always worth preparing the soil well, adding organic matter and grit to heavy soils and organic matter to sandy soils.

Although they prefer a sunny spot,

crocosmias will grow well in part shade, and they can be mixed with other herbaceous plants and among low shrubs to provide early autumn height and colour.

These plants can also be grown in containers, but they look rather dull until they bloom, so it is recommended to plant them in large pots and surround them with seasonal plants to provide interest.

Robust annuals, such as cosmos or marigolds, are ideal.

The crocosmias can be left in the pot for several years before they need dividing.

John Innes No. 3 compost is recommended for use, and the plant should be watered and fed lavishly for a good display.

Tongues of autumnal burnt orange C. masoniorum ‘Firebird’ with its long, piercing, pleated leaves in a fulsome display.

Care and maintenance Crocosmias are not high-maintenance plants in the garden. Provided they are planted in good soil and have sun for at least half the day, they should thrive for several years before they need attention. If clumps spread too widely, they may need digging up and reducing in size. If they become crowded, flowering may be reduced, but this problem can also be caused by drought or shade.

Annual dressing with a nutritious mulch or general fertiliser in spring will always boost growth. Later in autumn, when the foliage browns, it can be trimmed to ground level, although many find the flower stems attractive in the winter garden. Then, a winter mulch of straw or loose bark may be useful in very cold areas. As the plants grow, the new corms, produced on top of the old, are pushed nearer the surface and may benefit from a little extra protection.

Crocosmias are largely free from pests and diseases. The worst problem is the red spider mite, which sucks the sap from the leaves, but is only a worry in extreme hot and dry conditions; it is most likely to be an issue on clumps growing against sunny walls. Mice and other rodents may nibble the corms, but rabbits and deer largely ignore them. Even slugs and snails usually pass them by on their way to favoured lupins and lettuce.

Their long flowering season, starting in July and continuing well into September, and their wide range of shades, make crocosmias useful in even small areas.

Combining neat habit, brilliance of colour and elegant blooms, they bring an exotic touch to even the dullest border. n ▯

Words: Geoff Stebbings

Photography: Alamy; GAP Photos; Shutterstock

Containers of Crocosmia × crocosmiiflora ‘Red King’ underplanted with panicum, pennisetum and Imperata cylindrica ‘Red Baron’.

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UPLIFTING DISPLAY OF MUTED COLOUR A planter utilising a vintage washstand or bowl elevates an abundant autumnal arrangement

A

CHARMING OLD WASHSTAND was the inspiration for this project and creates a stunning stand-alone outdoor display when filled with autumn blooms. The unusual peach-coloured diascia are teamed with two heucherellas, with their leaves bringing more texture and shape to the arrangement. The planting has a beautiful, washed-out, sepia tone, and the pretty begonia adds a splash of bright pink.

A stunning addition to a patio or decked area, where it can be shown off in pride of place to enjoy all season long, the display is easy to assemble and requires just a few materials. ›

1.

MATERIALS • Enamel bowl and stand, such as an old washstand • Hammer and heavy-duty nail • Drainage crocks • Potting mix • 1 bright pink Begonia (Pendula Group) tuberous begonia • 3 diascia, or twinspur, Aurora Series ‘Aurora Apricot’ • 1 each of heucherella ‘Brass Lantern’ and ‘Honey Rose’

2.

Step 3: The diascias are taken out of their plastic pots and planted on one side of the bowl.

3.

Step 1: The root balls of all the plants are soaked in water for approximately 10 mins until they are wet through. Using the hammer and nail, drainage holes are made in the bottom of the bowl. The holes are covered with drainage crocks to prevent them becoming blocked with potting mix.

Step 2: The bowl is half-filled with potting mix and the surface levelled off.

Step 4: The begonia is planted in the same way, this time at the front of the bowl, allowing the stems to trail over the edge.

5.

Step 5: Finally, the two heucherellas are removed from their plastic pots and planted on either side of the begonia, pushing the root balls down so all the plants are sitting at the same level.

6.

4.

AFTERCARE The potting mix in the bowl should be kept

moist, but not too wet, and the plants fed with a general-purpose fertiliser every two to three weeks in the summer.

Pretty diascia ‘Aurora Apricot’ brings warm early autumn hues to the display.

Step 6: Handfuls of potting mix are added to fill any gaps between the plants, and the surface is pressed down firmly. The bowl is then watered and allowed to drain.

Adapted from SMALL SUMMER GARDENS

BY EMMA HARDY, published by CICO Books, £12.99 Photography by Debbie Patterson © CICO Books. Available online and from all good bookshops

38

Subtly shaded heucherella ‘Honey Rose’ has beautifully veined and wavy-edged leaves for added interest.

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In the garden Seasonal ideas for your outdoor space

GALLERY WALL FOR TOOLS Garden tools that are no longer used do not need to be thrown or stored away to languish out of sight. Old sieves, garden forks and rakes that may be rusted or broken can be turned into architectural features in the garden when they are hung from the side of a potting shed, bringing interest to an otherwise blank space.

Hooks are attached to the wood so that the tools can be moved or changed as desired. When gardening, the hooks can also store newer tools, so that they are within easy reach when needed, though they should be returned indoors once finished with to avoid them weathering or succumbing to rust.

BASKET FULL OF JAGGED EDGES A wire hanging basket that is filled with succulents, sedums and small terracotta pots, interspersed with broken pieces of crockery, makes for an interesting autumn display, adding texture to the garden at eye level. The basket is first lined with a permeable membrane cover and filled with multipurpose compost to just shy of the rim. Terracotta pots filled with a little soil are placed in the basket, with some on their side and others positioned at an angle and pressed firmly into the compost. Selected sedums and succulents are then planted to build up the arrangement. Crocks can be used to fill any gaps or placed between the wire basket and the lining to add texture and interest.

Additional compost can be added if necessary. The display is then well watered and hung from a wall or garden fence to be enjoyed.

A YEAR IN FLOWERS Tracing the year from January to December at her home, Perch Hill in East Sussex, horticulturist Sarah Raven offers an account of a garden crafted over decades.

Sharing insight from years of plant trials, Sarah reveals hundreds of hard-working varieties ideal for each month of the year, including divinely scented tulips, winter-flowering roses and showstopping dahlias, as well as the practical tasks that ensure they are planted, staked and pruned at just the right time.

A Year Full of Flowers RRP £25, www.bloomsbury.com

41

In the garden Seasonal ideas for your outdoor space

TRANSIENT SHADES

PROMISING FLAVOUR A historic shop in the heart of Cambridge sells beautiful plants for the garden or allotment. This selection of five soft fruit bushes includes gooseberry, raspberry, blackcurrant, blueberry and thornless blackberry, which have been carefully selected from the nursery. Each plant has a healthy root ball and can be planted in the ground upon delivery. The soil should be firmed in well and the plant watered thoroughly.

5 Mixed Soft Fruit Bushes £22, www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ FarmersOutlet

42

HIDDEN GEMS Naturalising bulbs in autumn helps to create drifts of jewelled blooms that brighten up lawns during springtime. Choosing bulbs that flower early, before the lawn is disturbed with mowing, such as crocuses or snowdrops, are ideal and should be planted between September and November to ensure they re-root before the first frosts. When planting, a spade is used to cut three sides of an oblong so that a layer of turf can be gently peeled back like a door. The ground is then loosened, using a fork, before the bulbs are spread over the soil and pushed down firmly. The turf is then replaced and firmed down by walking over it to make sure it is level with the rest of the lawn. The whole area is then watered well.

Photography: GAP Photos; Richard Faulks

With all the promise of summer fulfilled, the season bursts into the rich fruitage of autumn. A mellower sunshine basks the garden in a golden glow, reflecting deeper shades from the final flourish of early autumn blooms; their sweet scent fresh and new with every gentle breeze. Sparkling asters are still blossoming in gardens like a kaleidoscope of butterflies breathing on the wind, while floriferous dahlias show off their jewel-coloured hues, and vibrant sunflowers rise to the sun.

Boughs that have grown heavy with ripening fruit all summer long now release their treasures, leaving windfall scattered on the ground. This month reveals a transition to a richer colour palette as fruit and flowers come to the fore, before the leaves explode in their fiery hues. As Mary Howitt reveals in her poem September: ‘There are flowers enough in the summer-time, More flowers than I can remember – But none with the purple, gold, and red That dye the flowers of September’.

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CAPTURED IN BLOOM Preserving flowers by hanging them up to dry out is a simple process which allows their colour and form to be conserved for long-lasting enjoyment

The faded glamour of loose globes of hydrangeas has enduring appeal; here they are paired with compact statices in vintage tins.

A tumble of cool-hued hydrangea petals, tufts of sea lavender and pink-tinged helichrysums are encased within a glass cloche.

HOW TO AIR-DRY FLOWERS Firstly, any excess foliage is removed, and the flower stems are tied together with string around the base, leaving a long, loose end. This is used to attach the bunch to a sturdy hanger, pole or hook. This should be in a dark place, as light causes flowers to fade, and somewhere out of the way so the flowers will not be damaged. After three to four weeks, the flowers and any foliage should be completely dry. Spraying them with unscented hairspray will keep them in optimum condition, and they can then be displayed out of direct light.

An explosion of purples and pinks, including statices, grasses, amaranthus and helichrysums make a simple arrangement in a jar.

46

Flowers form just part of a circular blue and pink-themed dried wreath of entwined stems tied with raffia, creating an unusual effect on a bright, weathered door.

Bunches of flowers and wreaths hanging out to dry on a rusting scrolled metal frame creates a vibrant display in itself.

Flower heads of helichrysums, known as everlasting flowers, glow like jewels in a wire basket.

“Beloved, thou hast brought me many flowers.. take them, as I used to do Thy flowers, and keep them where they shall not pine” Elizabeth Barrett Browning, ÔSonnet 44’

▯

48

Project: Juliette Wade/GAP Photos

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Subscribe and receive a Every issue of LandScape is filled with the very best that Britain has to offer, including delicious recipes, inspirational gardens, step-by-step craft projects and much more.

In addition to having this beautiful magazine delivered directly to their door for free, subscribers this month will also receive a Mosney Mill Bee and Flower gift bundle, which includes oven gloves, a shopping list pad and two plantable seed cards.

They have been designed by Mosney Mill’s artist, Emma Sutton, whose inspiration is taken from the view from her studio window at Mosney Mill in Lancashire, where she observes the animals and birds which feature in her designs.

The British manufactured oven gloves feature bees nestling in a wild flower meadow, set on a soft vanilla-yellow background. This striking design is replicated on the handy magnet-backed shopping list pad. Two plantable seed cards are also included in the bundle, so that subscribers can attract bees to their garden with their own mini meadow in a plant pot and share the joy by sending the other card to a friend.

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Call our order hotline on 01858 438884 and quote offer code GHAA Lines open Mon-Fri 8am-9.30pm, Sat 8am-4pm Terms & Conditions: Subscriptions will start with the next available issue. The minimum term is 12 months (12 issues). You will not receive a renewal reminder when paying by Direct Debit, and payments will continue to be taken unless you tell us otherwise or cancel this at your own bank. This offer closes on 24 August 2021. We reserve the right to replace the gift with one of equal or higher value, or offer a 3-issue extension if the offer is oversubscribed. UK gifts only. This offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. Gifts are only available when you subscribe directly with the publisher (Bauer Media) by phone or on our website (Great Magazines). Cost from landlines for 01 numbers per minute are (approximate) 2p to 10p. Cost from mobiles per minute (approximate) 10p to 40p. Costs vary depending on the geographical location in the UK. You may get free calls to some numbers as part of your call package – please check with your phone provider. Order lines open 8am-9.30pm (Mon-Fri), 8am-4pm (Sat). UK orders only. Overseas? Phone +44 1858 438828. Calls may be monitored or recorded for training purposes. For full terms and conditions, please visit: www.greatmagazines.co.uk/offer-terms-and-conditions.

Mosney Mill gift bundle Dear reader...

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HOPE YOU ARE enjoying this issue of LandScape magazine.

If you are, and you would like to take out a subscription, you will receive 12 issues of LandScape and this delightful gift bundle from Mosney Mill. It would also make the ideal present for friends or family.

There is so much to celebrate in the British countryside, from seasonal cookery to beautiful gardens. Every issue, we bring you people who follow in the footsteps of generations to create inspiring traditional crafts. We focus on the wonder of Britain’s landscape and its plants and animals.

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TURNING UP THE HEAT Full of colour and flavour, sweet, juicy bell peppers and spicy chillies are perfect for autumn dishes and condiments

Meatballs in red pepper sauce Serves 4 1 red pepper and 1 yellow pepper, cored, seeded and chopped 600g pork minced meat 1 egg 2 tsp wholegrain mustard 2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme, plus extra to garnish 4 tbsp breadcrumbs 2 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped 1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped 400g tinned tomatoes 200ml vegetable stock ½ tsp sugar sea salt and black pepper garlic bread, to serve In a large mixing bowl, combine the minced meat, egg, mustard, thyme and breadcrumbs using a fork, then season with salt and pepper. Roll into 20 bite-sized balls and place on a plate.

In a large frying pan, heat half the oil, then fry the meatballs for 6-8 mins until browned. Remove with a slotted spoon and place back onto the plate.

Add the remaining oil to the frying pan and sauté the onion and garlic for 4-5 mins until softened. Add the peppers and cook for 4 mins. Stir in the tomatoes, stock and sugar, and season. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 mins, then add the meatballs back into the pan and cook on a low heat for 5 mins. Sprinkle with the extra thyme and serve with garlic bread.

Photography: Shutterstock

A

LSO KNOWN AS a sweet pepper, due to its mild taste, the bell pepper is a member of the genus capsicum in the nightshade family, which includes the hot chilli pepper as well as the tomato.

Whether cooked or eaten raw in salads, bell peppers are exceptionally rich in vitamins C and A, and potassium, as well as being a source of fibre and iron. As with chilli peppers, they are referred to as paprika when dried and powdered.

Native to Mexico, Central and South America, and imported to Spain in the 15th century, from

where they spread across Europe, bell peppers come in a variety of colours, including green, red, orange, yellow and purple. Yellow and orange peppers are individual varieties rather than stages between green and red, and both have a milder taste. Green peppers are unripe, so are more bitter, and purple peppers are slightly stronger, turning green when cooked.

Bell peppers are at the bottom of the Scoville scale for measuring heat, with the Carolina Reaper chilli at the opposite end, but the world’s hottest pepper is constantly changing due to the introduction of more and more hybrids. ›

53

Pepper & cream cheese terrine Serves 8 5 yellow, red, and green peppers 3 tsp agar flakes 100ml cold water 4 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for greasing 600g cream cheese 120g crème fraîche juice of 1 lemon fresh coriander leaves, to garnish sea salt and black pepper 900g loaf tin eco cling film

In a large saucepan, mix together the agar flakes and cold water, then let stand to soak for 30 mins.

Preheat a grill to hot. Slice the peppers lengthways into 5cm thick strips, removing the stalks and core, and scraping away the white pith inside. Spread out the peppers on a large grilling or baking tray, arranging them in an even layer, then drizzle with the oil and season. Grill, turning occasionally, for 4-5 mins until soft. Set aside to cool.

In the meantime, grease the loaf tin and line with a double layer of cling film, leaving an overhang of 5cm. In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese with the crème fraîche until smooth, then season. In a small saucepan, warm the lemon juice for 2 mins, then stir in the agar mixture. Simmer for 10 mins until the agar flakes have

dissolved. Beat the agar mixture into the cream cheese mixture until completely smooth.

Line the base of the tin with a third of pepper slices, alternating the colours and trimming the peppers to fit. Save the offcuts for a garnish. Spoon half the cream cheese mixture into the tin, spreading it out evenly. Top with approximately half of the remaining pepper slices, cutting them to size to fit as needed. Finish with the remaining cream cheese mixture, followed by the remaining pepper slices. Bring the overhanging cling film over the top to cover, then leave to chill overnight.

To serve, fold back the cling film and turn the terrine out onto a plate. Remove the cling film, and top and surround with the pepper offcuts and coriander.

Sweet chilli & pepper sauce Makes 3 x 350g jars 4 red chillies, finely chopped 1 red pepper, cored and very finely chopped ½ tsp red chilli flakes 250ml white wine vinegar 250ml cold water, plus 2 tbsp 250g caster sugar 3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped 2 tsp root ginger, finely chopped 3 tsp soy sauce

Sterilise the jars by washing them and the lids with hot, soapy water, then filling the jars halfway up with boiling water and placing the lids in a small bowl and covering with boiling water. Let stand for 5 mins, then empty and allow to dry.

In a large saucepan, combine the white wine vinegar, 250ml of water, caster sugar, chillies, red pepper, chilli flakes, garlic, ginger and soy sauce. Bring to the boil, then keep on a rolling boil for 5 mins. In a small pot, mix together the cornflour with the 2 tbsp of cold water until a paste. Stir the mixture into the saucepan, then allow to cool for 5 mins.

Divide the sauce between the sterilised jars and seal with the lids. Keep in a cool, dark place for up to three months and chill and use within a week once opened.

2 tbsp cornflour 3 x 350g lidded jars

55

Fiery potato wedges Serves 4 4 red chillies, sliced 1kg Maris Piper potatoes, cut into wedges 120ml sunflower oil 6 garlic cloves, skin on 1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander sea salt and black pepper large, deep oven tray

Oven baked chilli chicken Serves 4 3 red chillies, seeded and sliced 1 red pepper, cored and chopped 500g baby potatoes 8 chicken thighs, skin on 2 tbsp olive oil 150g smoked bacon, sliced 4 garlic cloves, skin on 150g cherry tomatoes, halved 175ml dry white wine 6 thyme sprigs, plus extra to garnish sea salt and black pepper large oven dish

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Preheat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/gas mark 5. In a large saucepan of cold water, bring the potatoes to the boil, then simmer for 8 mins until just soft. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, season the chicken thighs and heat the oil in a frying pan. When the dish is hot, sear the chicken for 2-3 mins on each side until golden. Transfer the chicken to the oven dish, spreading the pieces out in an even layer.

Add the bacon to the frying pan and fry for 3-4 mins, stirring occasionally. Mix in the garlic and chillies, and season. Sauté for 1-2 mins, then stir in the potatoes, red pepper, tomatoes, white wine and thyme sprigs. Bring to the boil. Transfer to the dish with the chicken, then bake for 25-30 mins until the chicken is cooked through and golden. Serve, garnished with the extra thyme.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6.

In a saucepan, cover the potatoes with cold water and bring to the boil. Cook for 5 mins until just starting to soften, then drain and cover with a lid until needed. Pour the oil into the oven tray and place in the oven for 10 mins.

Add the chillies and garlic cloves to the potatoes, season with salt and pepper, and shake to combine.

Remove the hot tray of oil from the oven and carefully tip the potato mixture into the oil, using a spoon to make sure everything is covered in oil.

Roast for 30-35 mins until golden, and sprinkle with the chopped coriander before serving.

“long strings of dried figs, mountains of big oranges, scarlet large peppers, a large slice of pumpkin, a great mass of colours and vegetable freshness...”

D H Lawrence

Pointed peppers stuffed with quinoa Serves 4 5 red pointed peppers 40g almonds, chopped 2 tbsp olive oil 1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped 3 small carrots, trimmed and finely chopped 125g quinoa 250ml vegetable stock 1 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley juice and zest of 1 lemon 4 spring onions, trimmed and sliced 250g plain yoghurt 10g fresh mint, chopped, plus leaves to garnish 100g pomegranate arils sea salt and black pepper large oven tray Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6. Using 4 of the peppers, place each pepper on its side and cut one side off so it can be filled, leaving the stalk intact. Remove the core and seeds. Core, seed, then chop the remaining pepper and chop the leftover sides from the whole peppers. Place the halved peppers on the oven tray, cut side up.

Heat a large frying pan, and when it is hot, dry fry the almonds for 2 mins until starting to brown, then set them aside. In the same pan, heat 1 tbsp of oil and sauté the garlic, chopped peppers and carrots for 5 mins.

Rinse the quinoa in cold water, then stir it in the pan and pour in the stock. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer on a low heat for 10 mins. Stir in the flat-leaf parsley, lemon juice and spring onions, and season with salt and pepper Fill the peppers with the quinoa mixture. Bake for 10 mins until the peppers and filling are soft.

In a small serving bowl, mix together the yoghurt, lemon zest and mint, and season, then drizzle with the remaining oil.

Transfer the stuffed peppers to a serving plate and garnish with the extra mint leaves. Spoon some of the mint yoghurt on top of the peppers, then sprinkle with almonds and pomegranate seeds. Serve.

Roasted marinated peppers Makes 3 x 200g jars 6 red peppers, cored and halved 120ml olive oil 4 garlic cloves, peeled sea salt and pepper large oven tray

Sterilise the containers by washing the jars and lids in hot, soapy water. Place the tops in a small bowl and cover with boiling water, then fill the jars halfway up with boiling water. Let stand for 5 mins. Tip the boiling water out of the jars and bowl, and allow the jars and lids to steam dry.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6 and place the peppers, skin side up, on the tray. Drizzle with 1 tbsp of the oil and season with sea salt. Roast the peppers for 20-25 mins until soft, adding the whole garlic cloves 5 mins before the end of cooking and turning once.

Peel the skin from the peppers and discard the skins. Slice the peppers and the garlic cloves, then season with pepper. Divide the peppers and garlic between the jars, then fill the jars with the remaining oil, up to the top.

Seal with the lids and leave to chill.

Use within a month.

• Recipes: House of Food; Liz O’Keefe; Stockfood • Photography: House of Food; Stockfood

3 x 200g lidded jars

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Actively increase circulation Relieve tired, heavy legs & fe Reduce puffy feet & ankles Strengthen leg muscles

• Leg Aches & Pains • Swollen feet/ankles • Leg Cramps • Numbness symptoms commonly experienced by people with: • High Blood Pressure • High Cholesterol • Diabetes • Arthritis Also improves the symptoms associated with Varicose Veins

Clinical study shows significant increase in blood flow

of clinically proven Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS) technology which has been used as a medical Researchers from Imperial College London therapy for almost a century. Imperial College London’s and London’s South Bank University vascular surgery department at Charing Cross Hospital †† demonstrated in a clinical study that Revitive London has conducted extensive clinical studies with significantly improves blood flow, Revitive Circulation Booster and advocate its use. by over 50%.

The world-renowned research team at Medical science supports Imperial College London, is continuing Revitive’s EMS technology to lead a 5-year clinical trial program to The Revitive Circulation Booster® has been investigate the positive effects Revitive designed and developed with leading UK is having in a range of patient groups, including universities. Revitive harnesses the power diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Perfect 10/10’s for Revitive on SIMON, BEVERLEY “Have tried taking medication to improve circulation in my left leg, but this knocks them out of the park!”

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I endorse Revitive to anyone suffering from the effects of poor circulation. I recommend it to all my patients. Several family members and friends have been using it to good effect for years, so I have seen for myself just how much the Revitive Circulation Booster can help!

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how age and medical conditions, including arterial and venous disease, have led to an increasing number of patients who suffer from poor circulation. This can lead to swollen ankles, tired legs and reduced mobility. I recommend the Revitive Circulation Booster because it tackles this growing problem by increasing blood circulation in the legs.

LESLIE, DEVON “Noticed an immediate improvement. I feel my varicose veins are no longer as painful & I believe I’ve not had an attack of cramp since using it.”

MARIE, MERSEYSIDE “Since using Revitive daily I’ve benefited from a noticeable reduction in puffiness in both of my feet and lower legs. I would recommend it to anyone.”

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If you or a loved one Struggle suffer with tired, heavy to walk feeling legs and puffy to the shops? feet and ankles it could be the result of poorer circulation in your lower limbs. It can affect the simple things we love doing like gardening, walking the dog or playing with grandchildren. It could also be the result of medical conditions such as arthritis or diabetes, or general immobility associated with age as it can get harder for your body to activate the muscles in your lower limbs.

Whether heavy-feeling legs and puffy feet is an occasional annoyance or is there more often, it can hold you back. The Revitive Circulation Booster is a drug-free medical device which uses clinically-proven EMS technology to get your leg muscles pumping, which actively increases your circulation to reduce tired, heavy legs and puffy feet and ankles.

Very easy to-use, simply place your bare feet on the foot-pads and gradually increase intensity until you feel or see strong but comfortable contractions of the calf muscles. Then just sit back, relax and enjoy Revitive, drug-free professional strength therapy, from the comfort of your own home.

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UNSUITABLE IF YOU ARE: Fitted with a heart pacemaker or AICD; being treated for, or have the symptoms of, an Existing Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT); pregnant. Always read the label. Use only as directed. If you are uncertain about the cause of your symptoms or your symptoms persist, please consult your Doctor. †† TRIAL: With Revitive, calculations showed blood volume 4 times higher than baseline / at rest in healthy people (Varatharajan et al, 2014. The effect of footplate neuromuscular electrical stimulation on venous and arterial hemodynamics, Phlebology, July 4, 20 participants.) NEW Revitive Medic Bundle from £299.96 (£249.96 excl VAT). *Free standard P&P worth £7.99 in England and Wales. Some areas of Scotland, Northern Ireland and other remote postcodes will incur a surcharge cost of £19.99. Next day or express deliveries will cost more, please ask our customer service team for a quote †If returned within 90 days, full refund of purchase price, minus collection fee of £7.99 (some areas of Scotland, Northern Ireland and other remote postcodes will incur a surcharge cost of £19.99). Must be returned in original UNDAMAGED packaging, otherwise charges MAY apply. 1 trial per customer only & trial starts from dispatch date. All quotes used are real however, to protect the identity of our customers, models have been used for the pictures. Copyright © 2021 Actegy Ltd. All rights reserved. Revitive and Circulation Booster are trademarks or registered trademarks of Actegy Ltd. Registered in England no. 4819502. Registered office Actegy Ltd, 1 Westpoint, Western Rd, Bracknell, RG12 1HJ, UK. AW: 17315004 03.20

SWEETNESS IN A SHELL Soft and subtly flavoured, scallops are paired with a fruity sauce warmed by spice

K

NOWN AS THE ‘candy of the sea’, scallops have a delicate, sweet taste, like crab and lobster, combined with a nutty, buttery flavour. They also have a slightly briny essence, but should not taste fishy; if they smell too strong, they may be stale or spoiled.

The texture of a scallop is firmer than crab or lobster, making them chewy while still tender and succulent. Their flesh is sometimes compared to being like a seafood marshmallow.

HOW TO PREPARE SCALLOPS Like mussels, scallops should be bought alive, with shells closed. The shell is held firmly, with the edge against a work surface. A knife is inserted into the top of the shell and twisted to break the hinge, then slid down the flat side. Once open, a spoon is used to dislodge the scallop.

The skirt, or fringe, is then pulled off, as well as the black digestive gland and any other pieces around the meat. The white flesh, and the coral, if not discarded, is rinsed in cold water and left to dry on a clean tea towel. Shucked scallops should be kept covered by a damp tea towel in the fridge for no more than 24 hours.

The soft-bodied invertebrate inside the hinged shell is the edible part of the scallop, which is its adductor muscle. Attached is a vivid orange roe, also called the coral, which is often discarded, but is actually considered a delicacy.

Searing is the best way to bring out a scallop’s subtle flavour. Cooking in butter with a little seasoning is enough, but a touch of garlic, lemon juice or white wine should not mask its taste. Salty, smoky bacon also complements the sweet flesh.

Scallops with ginger & plum sauce Serves 4 30ml white wine vinegar 100ml cold water 1 cinnamon stick 1 star anise 3cm piece root ginger, peeled and chopped 30g brown sugar 2 plums, stoned and chopped 20g butter 1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped 2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped 100g spinach ½ tsp grated nutmeg, plus extra to garnish 12 king scallops, rinsed, plus 4 scallop shells juice of ½ lemon sea salt and black pepper

In a large saucepan, combine the white wine vinegar, water, cinnamon stick and star anise, and bring to the boil. Stir in the ginger and sugar, and simmer for 4-5 mins. Add the plums and simmer for 10 mins until thick and glossy.

In a large frying pan, heat half the butter and sauté the garlic and shallots for 1-2 mins until softened. Add the spinach and cover with a lid. Cook for 2-3 mins until wilted, then season and stir in the nutmeg.

Transfer to a bowl and keep warm.

Using the same frying pan, heat the remaining butter. When the pan is very hot, add the scallops and fry for 2 mins on each side. Turn the heat down and squeeze over the lemon juice, then cook for 2-3 mins until cooked through completely.

Arrange the scallop shells on serving plates, then divide the scallops between them. Spoon the plum sauce onto each shell, then follow with a spoonful of spinach. Garnish with the extra nutmeg and chives.

Serve the shells with the remaining spinach and bread.

1 tbsp chopped chives, to garnish bread, to serve

• Recipe: House of Food; Liz O’Keefe • Photography: House of Food

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In the kitchen Inspiring seasonal ideas and recipes

FEAST FOR SHARING As the mellower days of September unfold, a picnic spread enjoyed outdoors is a relaxing way to savour the season. Based in Leyland, Lancashire, expert caterers and bakers make sweet and savoury platters, grazing boxes and desserts. This picnic box uses as much fresh and local produce as possible for a delicious repast to share.

Picnic Box £30, The Homemade Cake and Platter Company on Facebook

PATTERN FROM THE MEADOW A plain, coloured tea towel can be easily enhanced by adding a pretty motif and decorative edging. A piece of floral leftover fabric from the sewing box is chosen and a flower cut out which is then sewn carefully onto the tea towel. A bird, butterfly or similar shape could be chosen instead, depending on what is to hand.

Alternatively, an iron-on motif could be added. To finish, the edges can be embellished with strips of complementary patterned fabric.

A HARVEST GARLAND British hops are the flowers of the plant Humulus lupulus and can usually be harvested from early September, depending on the varieties grown. The bines are cut, separated and then dried in a hop kiln or oast house to reduce moisture content. They are primarily used for their oils, which acts as a bittering and flavouring agent in beer, but can also be made into pretty festoons and strung from a ceiling to create a cottage-style decoration. Dried hop bines are more brittle, so should be left in a shed or garage for approximately one day to allow the seed cones to absorb a little moisture, making them easier to handle. They work particularly well in an oak-beamed kitchen, complementing the darker wood.

CORNISH INFLUENCES Inspired by the Cornish landscape, Emlyn hand carves unique spoons and utensils that are both practical and decorative. This scoop is made from local sycamore wood from a tree felled in a storm and features a rustic milk paint design to emulate waves on a rocky shoreline. The paint is an ancient formula and is both solvent free and environmentally friendly. The top is tied with a waxed hemp loop to finish.

Long Handle Painted Scoop £26, www.folksy.com/shops/ cornishspoons

REFRESHING FRUITS The distinctive, glossy purple fruits of the blackberry are common along hedgerows at this time of year. As well as being delicious, they are packed with nutrients, including potassium, magnesium and calcium, together with vitamins and powerful antioxidants.

Blackberries are perfect for pies, crumbles and jams, and even make refreshing drinks, such as the blackberry and purple basil lemonade pictured above. For approximately 4 servings: In a large serving jug, stir together 175g of caster sugar and the juice from 6 freshly squeezed lemons until the sugar dissolves. Add 350g of blackberries and 15g of purple basil leaves. Stir well, cover, and chill for at least 4 hrs. After chilling, stir in 1½ litres of cold water. To serve, pour the lemonade into glasses, adding ice cubes if desired.

Photography: Alamy; GAP Interiors; Richard Faulks; Stockfood

VERSATILE VEGETABLE HOLDS IN FLAVOUR A marrow is a courgette which has been left to grow larger before being picked.

Marrows have been grown in the UK for at least 200 years and while much less commonly eaten today than courgettes, the latter did not really begin to feature in British recipes until the 1960s. Marrows have very little flavour themselves, but they make great flavour carriers, working well with chilli, garlic, spices and strong-tasting herbs. They can be baked, steamed, boiled, fried and roasted, as well as stuffed.

The flesh, skin and seeds are all edible, but the membranes around the seeds are stringy, so they are best removed, along with the seeds, using a spoon: the seeds can be cleaned and baked separately to make a tasty snack. When buying marrows, smaller, heavier ones have better taste and consistency than larger ones. They should be stored in a cool, dark place and used within three to four days.

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TEATIME TREATS FROM THE FRUIT BOWL Fresh and tangy, these jewelled desserts and breads are full of juicy flavours for the autumn table

Sweet peach pancakes Serves 6

75g caster sugar

100g strong flour 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste

4 peaches, stoned and cubed

¼ tsp sea salt

2 tbsp butter

6 eggs, plus 1 yolk

200g double cream

400ml milk

icing sugar, for dusting

200g cream cheese

large baking dish

Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas mark 4.

In a large jug, whisk together the flour, vanilla paste, salt, 2 eggs and 350ml of the milk to make the pancake batter. In a separate bowl, combine the cream cheese, 1 tbsp of the caster sugar, the egg yolk and peaches.

Melt a quarter of the butter in a non-stick frying pan, then pour in one sixth of the pancake batter and tip gently from side to side to cover the bottom of the pan. Cook for 2 mins on each side until golden.

Transfer to a plate to keep warm and repeat to make 6 pancakes in total with the remaining batter and using the remaining butter where needed.

Take each pancake and spread with the cream cheese and peach mixture, then roll into a scroll shape and cut into three rounds each. Arrange the pieces, facing upright, in the baking dish.

In a large jug, whisk together the cream, the remaining milk, eggs and caster sugar, then pour in between the pancake rolls. Bake for 25-30 mins until golden and just set. Dust with icing sugar and serve.

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Cherry & peanut crumbles Makes 4 300g cherries, stoned 50ml cold water 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste 65g unsalted butter, softened 90g caster sugar 100g plain flour 30g peanut halves 4 x 100g oven dishes

In a large saucepan, combine the cherries, water, vanilla paste, 30g of the butter and 50g of the sugar, and bring to the boil. Simmer for 10 mins, then transfer to the dishes.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6. In a large bowl, rub the remaining

butter into the remaining sugar and the flour, then mix in the peanuts. Top the cherry mixture in each pot with the peanut topping and place on an oven tray.

Bake for 15 mins until the cherries are bubbling, and the topping is golden.

Apple bread Makes 1kg loaf 250g cooking apples, cored and grated 100g dried apricots, chopped 125ml dark rum 200g chopped mixed nuts 150g caster sugar butter for greasing and to serve ½ tbsp cocoa powder 1 tbsp ground cinnamon 400g strong flour, plus extra for dusting 2 tsp baking powder 1 egg, beaten 20g almond flakes In a large bowl, combine the apple, apricots, rum, nuts and sugar, then cover and leave to soak overnight.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6 and grease an oven tray. Stir the cocoa powder, cinnamon, flour and baking powder into the dough mixture. Mix until completely combined, then mould into a loaf shape on a surface lightly dusted with flour.

Transfer to the prepared tray and bake for 40 mins. Remove from the oven and brush the loaf with the beaten egg and sprinkle with the almond flakes.

Bake for 10 mins, then allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

Serve with butter.

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Chocolate and banana tart Serves 8 150g chilled unsalted butter, cubed, plus extra for greasing 250g strong flour, plus extra for dusting ½ tsp sea salt 75g caster sugar, plus 3 tbsp 1 egg 150ml double cream 250g dark chocolate, broken into pieces 50ml milk 3 banana halves (from 2 bananas which have been peeled and halved lengthways) icing sugar, for dusting 35 x 11cm tart tin baking paper

In a large bowl, combine the butter cubes, flour, salt and 75g of caster sugar, then rub the butter into the flour mixture with the fingertips until completely integrated. Mix in the egg. Knead the mixture using one hand until a dough forms. Wrap in an airtight wrap and leave to chill for 1 hr.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6 and grease the tin. On a surface lightly dusted with flour, roll out the dough to fit the tin. Line the pastry with baking paper and pour in baking beans. Bake for 5 mins, then remove the beans and paper, and bake for a further 5 mins. Allow to cool and turn the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas mark 4.

Pour the cream into a saucepan and add 2 tbsp of the extra caster sugar. Bring to the boil, then add the chocolate, off the heat. Stir until it has melted, then stir in the milk slowly, continuing to stir until smooth.

Spread the chocolate mixture evenly within the pastry case and press in the 3 banana halves, cut side up, then sprinkle the bananas with the remaining caster sugar. Bake for 20-25 mins until the banana starts to brown. Allow to cool in the tin, then leave to chill in the tin for 1 hr. Dust with icing sugar, remove from the tray and cut into pieces before serving.

baking beans

Pear ricotta cake Serves 8 125g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing 125g caster sugar 3 eggs 50g ground almonds zest of 1 lemon 160g plain flour 1 tsp baking powder 200g ricotta 3 ripe pears 50g icing sugar 1 tbsp cold water 20cm springform cake tin

Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/ gas mark 4 and grease the cake tin. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and caster sugar together for 2-3 mins until creamy. Gradually beat in the eggs, one by one, then stir in the ground almonds, lemon zest, flour and baking powder. Mix in the ricotta.

Transfer to the prepared cake tin. Peel, quarter, core and finely slice lengthways 2 of the pears. Arrange the pear slices in a fan shape on top of the cake batter.

Bake for 45-50 mins until golden and firm, then allow to cool in the tin. Slice the remaining pear in the same way as the others, but without peeling, then continue the fan of pear slices on top of the cake with it. In a small bowl, mix together the icing sugar and water to make a thin icing, then drizzle over the cake. Allow to set, then serve.

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Plum bread rose Serves 12 750g plums, stoned and sliced, reserving any juice 75g caster sugar ½ tsp rose essence 500g strong flour, plus extra for dusting 7g fast action dried yeast ½ tsp sea salt 40g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing 165ml warm milk 1 egg icing sugar, for dusting 26cm springform cake tin tin foil

In a large bowl, combine the plums with 25g of the caster sugar and the rose essence, then leave to stand until needed.

In a separate large bowl, combine the flour, yeast, remaining caster sugar and salt, then mix in the butter, warm milk and egg. Knead for 10 mins until the dough is smooth.

Place in a clean large bowl and cover with an airtight top.

Leave to double in size for 1 hr.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6 and grease the cake tin. On a surface lightly dusted with flour, roll the dough into a 45 x 30cm rectangle. Brush with the juice from the cut plums, then arrange the plum slices over the top.

Cut the dough rectangle lengthways into four equal strips.

Roll up one strip of dough into a spiral, then wrap another around that. Wrap the third strip around, followed by the remaining strip, slotting in any plum slices that have come away. Transfer to the prepared tin, making sure that the bread fills the tin by spreading the strips out while still keeping the spiral shape. Leave to rise in the tin, covered loosely with a tea towel, for 30 mins. Bake for 20 mins, then turn the oven to 170°C/150°C fan/gas mark 3½ and cover the bread with tin foil. Bake for 20 mins until cooked through. Allow to cool in the tin, then serve, dusted with icing sugar.

Blueberry & orange cupcakes Makes 12 200g caster sugar 350g unsalted butter, softened 4 eggs 200g self-raising flour 1 tsp baking powder juice of 2 oranges and zest of 1 orange 200g blueberries 15g honey 300g icing sugar 12-hole muffin tray large cupcake cases

Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas mark 4 and line the muffin tin with the cupcake cases.

In a large bowl, beat the caster sugar and 200g of the butter together for 2-3 mins until creamy. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, until fully integrated each time, then fold in the flour and baking powder. Stir in the zest and juice of 1 orange. Divide between the cupcake cases, then divide 150g of the blueberries between the tops. Bake for 25-30 mins until risen and firm. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

In a small saucepan, combine the honey with half the juice of the remaining orange. Bring to the boil, then add the remaining blueberries. Simmer for 2 mins, then allow to cool.

In a food processor, whisk the remaining butter until soft, then whisk in the icing sugar gradually. Stir in the remaining orange juice, then fill a star nozzle piping bag with the icing. Pipe the icing onto the tops of each cupcake. Top with the blueberries from the honey mixture, then spoon the liquid over each of the cupcakes.

• Recipes: House of Food; Liz O’Keefe • Photography: House of Food

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& CATCH OF THE ISLAND

REGIONAL

SEASONAL

B

OUNDED BY SHELTERED sandy beaches to the east and wild, wave-carved bays to the west, pummelled by the unrelenting force of Atlantic surf, the small island of Bryher is one of dramatic contrasts. Measuring a scant half a square mile in size, it is the smallest of the five inhabited islands of the Isles of Scilly: a tiny archipelago of more than 140 islands and islets off the south-western tip of Cornwall. The small, hard-working community residing there are no more than 85 and share the land with a plethora of maritime flora and fauna. Of these inhabitants are the Pender family, who have lived on Bryher for hundreds of years. But it is not the coastal landscape that has kept them here: the encircling waters are teeming with aquatic life, and three generations of Penders are following in the footsteps of their ancestors to make the most of the rich bounty, fishing for fresh lobster, crab and fish to supply across Scilly. And all of this is accomplished from their thriving business, Island Fish, which has family very much at its heart.

“The Penders have fished out of Bryher as far back as we can trace,” explains owner Amanda Pender. “My parents, Mike and Sue, used to sell shellfish from their door. As a little girl, I remember customers asking for lobster, which my dad would

70

bring ashore the following day.” This continued until 2015, when Amanda and her brother, Mark, decided to establish Island Fish, with a view to making the produce more accessible.

“The customer can now order shellfish from the shop or enjoy the freshest meals in our local café.”

Fishing is seasonal, taking place nine months of the year, from April through to the end of December. Weather permitting, Mike and Mark fish daily: Mike on the Emerald Dawn, a boat he built himself, and Mark on the Dorothy Ethel, dropping lobster and crab pots anywhere between Bishop Rock and the Eastern Isles. Handlines are also used to catch mackerel and pollock, which are specifically rigged to target these species only. Both methods of fishing ensure that there is little or no bycatch, with any smaller fish returned to the sea the next day.

“The weather is our biggest challenge. We are located 28 miles out in the middle of the ocean, so there is nothing to protect the islands from the large Atlantic rollers. We have learned to adapt, placing pots in sheltered areas, but there are many days where we ride out the storm with a cup of coffee from the comfort and safety of land,” Amanda reveals. “Fishing is a dangerous job, but it is in our blood.”

Sue’s Bryher crab quiche Serves 4 45g softened butter, plus extra for greasing

140ml evaporated milk

45g lard

3 eggs

of Scilly have fishing in their blood and

170g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

nutmeg, to season

serve up dishes fresh from the sea

4 spring onions, sliced

Generations of a family from the Isles

The shellfish are cooked and hand-picked by Amanda and Sue, with each prepared in a variety of ways, including whole lobster, picked crab, dressed crab and potted crab, as well as salads, sandwiches and home-made soup. Sue also helps in the timber-framed café, which has a mosaic-style floor and is adorned with original artwork painted directly onto the walls.

“We are a family business in every sense of the word,” says Amanda. “My husband, Andrew, also fishes and looks after our fish tanks, while the younger members of the family, Shamus, Arran and Lauren, either fish for us or help out in the café when they can. It is not just for the here and now; we are trying to develop the business for the next generation, if, or when, they decide to settle down on Bryher.”

After the busy summer months, autumn brings a change of pace for Amanda. “September sees a muting of the light and a promise of nature’s bounty,” she explains. “It is the season when crab is at its best, the blackberries are out, the mushrooms are popping up across the campsite and the apples are in abundance.

“Personally, I don’t think you can beat September. It is by far the best time of the year.” n

100g white crab meat

140ml whole milk

cheese, to garnish salt and pepper 16cm flan dish

Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas mark 4 and grease the flan dish.

In a large bowl, rub together the butter, lard, flour and a pinch of salt until fully incorporated. Knead with one hand, adding a few drops of water as necessary to bring the mixture together into a ball of dough.

Dust a clean work surface with flour, then roll out the dough to the size of the tin, allowing a 4cm edge for the sides. Transfer to the tin, and trim if needed.

Arrange the spring onions in the tin, then add the crab meat. In a bowl, whisk together both types of milk with the eggs, then add nutmeg to season.

Pour the liquid mixture into the tin and sprinkle over a little bit of cheese if desired. Season with salt and pepper.

Transfer to the oven and cook for 30-40 mins until golden. Serve hot or cold.

▯

Words: Holly Duerden ▯ Photography: Island Fish

CONTACT Island Fish, Kenython, Bryher, Isles of Scilly, TR23 0PR Tel 01720 423880 www.islandfish.co.uk

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UNSPOILT BEAUTY AMONG ROLLING HILLS

The market town of Godalming, with its timbered buildings and cobbled courtyards, lies beside the waterways of the North Downs, where vines grow on sunlit slopes

A view over the gentle Surrey Hills in autumn from Newlands Corner nature reserve and beauty spot to Albury, with its church tower, in the distance.

The rising sun casts its early morning rays over sleepy narrowboats moored on the River Wey at Godalming.

W

HERE THE RIVER Wey cuts its course through the flood meadows of Godalming, a pair of swans glide silently past a cluster of narrowboats moored along the towpath. The lead spire of the parish church peeks above the swaying branches of weeping willows that line the riverbank, and a nuthatch darts across the path.

The ancient market town of Godalming nestles in the Surrey Hills, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty which covers 163 square miles and forms a section of the North Downs. In 800AD, it was a Saxon settlement, known as Godhelm’s Ing, the home of the followers

of Godhelm, and in 2014, archaeologists unearthed a Saxon burial ground opposite the present church. Almost 400 skeletons are currently being studied to discover more about the lives of the town’s inhabitants at that time.

Today, the town is a picture of genteel tranquillity, with its narrow streets, quaint cobbled courtyards and natural grasslands.

“Godalming is a pretty little town, which has been achieved by it being a bit poorer than nearby Guildford, and so not being able to update all its buildings,” says the curator of the town’s museum, Alison Pattison. “We have a lot of timber-framed and Victorian brick-built buildings surviving, without much 1960s’ infill.”

The garden at Godalming Museum, which has 25,000 items in its collections (far left). Curator Alison Pattison outside the museum’s courtyard entrance (left).

Industrial past Situated just 34 miles south of London, Godalming is often labelled as a commuter town, but its history is surprisingly industrial. Mills, powered by the waterway, were the key to Godalming’s growth. The main trade in medieval times was wool: the town’s emblem is a woolsack, and the coat of arms shows a ram and shears.

In the 17th century, with the invention of framework machinery, knitting took over from weaving. Although many knitters worked from home, factories, which produced mainly stockings, became big employers of local labour. The white building with large windows in Mill Lane, near the railway station, is a former knitting factory, Solly’s Mill. The Godalming Museum has a 19th century machine on show in its knitting gallery; the wooden seat worn shiny and concave by use. It was made by the Nottingham firm of Allen and Solly, which owned the mill. The link with the Midlands was strong, with workers transferring between the two areas. The town’s last knitting factory, Paine’s, closed in 1990.

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There were also paper mills in Godalming as early as the 17th century, when paper was made of pulp from cloth rags. Often, the mills would switch production, according to what made most economic sense. One of these, Catteshall Mill, was variously used for corn milling, wool fulling, leather dressing and papermaking, and is considered to have been one of the three Godalming mills mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. Located off Catteshall Road and closed as a paper mill in 1928, it has now been converted into apartments, including the striking brick tower. An old corn mill,

Canal boats along the River Wey and Godalming Navigations near Farncombe Boathouse, where colourful rowing boats can be hired.

The southernmost lock is at Farncombe.

dating back to the 1700s, can be seen in Mill Lane. Now part of a business complex, the building sits on the Ock, a tributary of the Wey. Leather work and tanning were important trades in the town from medieval times to the 1950s, lending it a particular air that it was keen to play down. “The saying used to be that a blind man knew that he’d got to Godalming on the train without being told, because of the smell,” says Alison. By the late 1800s, there were three large tanneries in the town, two of them near the station. The skins were laid out to dry in the meadows.

Former Charterhouse pupils won the English FA Challenge Cup in 1881, beating the Old Etonians 3-0 at the Kennington Oval, in the last final between amateurs (top). Cricket beneath the imposing school (above).

The quarrying of local Bargate stone was another of the town’s industries, probably from the times of the first settlement. It was quarried by hand until the mid 20th century, by which time it was no longer economical. It is a knobbly, ginger-coloured sandstone that did not have widespread commercial value, but it does lend the local architecture a distinctive look. Notable buildings for which the material was used are the church and nearby Charterhouse School.

Wey Navigations All these industries were facilitated by the waterway, which underwent a programme of alterations to allow better transportation of goods. Today, the River Wey and Godalming Navigations are a 20-mile stretch of waterways connecting Godalming with the River Thames at Weybridge. The Wey originally took a meandering path that did not lend itself to easy transportation, so in the early 1650s, work was undertaken to bypass it with a series of canal links between bends in the river; according to its brainchild, local landowner Sir Richard Weston, this would allow Surrey merchants a highway to London. Twelve locks were constructed to allow for changes in height, while weirs controlled the water levels.

In the first phase, 9 miles of canals connected Guildford with the Thames. ›

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Barges were built that could carry 30 tons; far more than the 1-2 tons conveyed by a horse-drawn wagon. Oak for shipbuilding was carried up to London, while corn came back to the mills. The rebuilding of the City of London after the Great Fire in 1666 boosted the trade in timber.

It was not until 1764 that the project extended to Godalming. This involved another 1½ miles of canal, four locks and two wharves. In the 1800s, there were at least 20 warehouses and other buildings on the 10-acre site at Godalming Wharf, an area now mostly covered by a retail park.

By 1900, barges that could carry 90 tons kept the waterway viable but, eventually, the roads and railways took over. Since the 1960s, the National Trust has been responsible for the River Wey and Godalming Navigations, managing the waterway for leisure and wildlife.

The Godalming Packet Boat Company, with heavy horses pulling the barge Iona, recently ceased operation from the wharf.

The barge is now in Devon, run by the Tiverton Canal Company, but other pleasure boat trips along the Wey can be booked at Dapdune Wharf in Guildford.

Characterful ancient timbered buildings line Church Street in Godalming, with the Pepperpot clock tower behind.

A walk through history Godalming’s most historic quarter is Church Street, now noted for its independent shops and where many of the buildings date back to the 1500s. The most eye-catching timber-framed frontage is at the High Street end, above what is currently a hairdressing salon. It has an unusual semi-circular design, which is thought to be the handiwork of one particular local builder, as a couple of houses in nearby areas display the same pattern. The building has been dated to 1571, the timber being revealed when renovation work was carried out in 1902.

Walking down the street towards the church and the river, it is easy to see why this street is often used as a location for period films.

TITANIC’S LOCAL HERO Jack Phillips, right, who lends his name to the local park in Godalming as well as a pub in the High Street, was born in Farncombe Street in 1887. He worked on several famous ocean liners, including the Lusitania and the Mauritania, before taking up the post of chief wireless telegraphist on the new White Star liner RMS Titanic, in March 1912. A month later, he found himself sending out an SOS message following the Titanic’s collision with an iceberg. Although the captain eventually gave the instruction “every man for himself”, Jack stayed at his position, still urging other ships to help. He lost his life in the disaster at the age of 25, along with more than 1,500 others, but 705 people were rescued from lifeboats by the Carpathia, which had picked up one of the distress calls. Two years later to the day, in April 1914, a memorial stone to Jack, commissioned by the Wireless and Telegraph Company, was unveiled in the commemorative cloister built in his honour in his home town.

The SOS telegram Jack Phillips sent from the Titanic in the early hours as it was sinking and passengers were scrambling to the lifeboats.

The origins of St Peter and St Paul’s Church date back to the 9th century, but carved stones in the south chapel are all that remain from this period. The existing building is mostly 12th century, and the interior includes a medieval painting of St John the Baptist. When the church was restored in the 19th century, a rafter in the spire was found to be a beam from the gallows at a famous hanging on the Lammas Lands across the Wey. In 1818, two men, George Chennell and William Chalcraft, were the last to be publicly executed in the town. They were accused of murdering Chennell’s father and housekeeper. Local legend has it that a large indentation in Overgone Meadow, the site of a pool, was created by the weight of the crowd that gathered to watch the execution.

The church sits in an idyllic setting, with its grounds running almost seamlessly down to the river via the Phillips Memorial Park, which stretches across the town. The bandstand, allotments and bowling green in the foreground are backed by wooded hills.

The churchyard has been allowed to naturalise to promote a habitat for wildlife, such as butterflies and lichen, and in late summer, the grass is mowed for hay.

Framed by weeping willows, the tranquil setting of St Peter and St Paul’s as viewed from the Lammas water meadows.

The visitor can enter the park through the Phillips Memorial Cloister: a brick courtyard, with a large central ‘lily tank’ designed by renowned Arts and Crafts garden designer Gertrude Jekyll. She lived at Munstead, near Godalming, and worked on several houses in the vicinity

Interlaced squares and circles on an overhanging upper storey of a former home in Church Street form unusual timber pargeting.

The 80 sq ft (7sq m) brick Phillips Memorial Cloister, overlooking the raised pond, opposite the stone commemorating the Titanic hero’s selfless actions.

The medieval wall painting of St John the Baptist can be seen high in a lancet window on the south wall of Godalming’s parish church.

with Edwin Lutyens. A large stone plaque within the cloister commemorates local hero Jack Phillips, who was a radio operator on the Titanic.

The cloister was the work of a local architect, Hugh Thackeray Turner. “The town council said it would be nice to have a drinking fountain, but then Jekyll and a committee of extremely feisty women, who were also involved in women’s suffrage, got a grip on the project and it became enormous,” says Alison. The museum’s collection of items belonging to Jekyll include some of her notebooks and gardening equipment. The cloister was restored in 1993 to mark the 150th anniversary of her birth. Turner was also instrumental in preserving the town’s heritage. “He saved various quaint and historic buildings from being demolished, and saved common land around the area,” says Alison.

Walking through the park along the riverbank, past ponds and rewilded areas, leads to Godalming Wharf, and the adjacent Lammas Lands. These are a series of flood meadows covering almost 80 acres (32 hectares), occasionally grazed by cattle in the summer. Archaeological finds on the land date back to the bronze age.

Turning back into the town from here leads into Bridge Street and then the High Street. Today, a violinist is playing ›

77

outside the Victorian Borough Hall, now home to the town council, while further along, the former Liberal Club, dating from 1878, displays some very ornate Victorian brickwork.

The imposing King’s Arms Royal Hotel is one of five coaching inns that once graced the town. Still in business today, it dates back to 1639, although the exterior of red and black brick is later. A plaque on the wall documents the visit of the Russian Tsar Peter the Great, in 1698.

The River Wey floodplain in the early autumn light. Water from the river was used in the tanning industry to wash the hides during the production process, and they were dried on racks on the meadows.

Godalming lies approximately halfway between London and Portsmouth, so many visiting dignitaries stopped off here en route. Records indicate that the Russian party made their presence felt with a lively feast of food and drink.

Another former inn, at 97-103 High Street, was the double-jettied White Hart, which has its origins as an inn in the 16th century, but closed as a pub in 1932. In 1734, General James Oglethorpe caused a stir here when his dinner guests included a

group of Native Americans from the Yamacraw tribe. Oglethorpe, owner of nearby Westbrook Place, had founded the British colony of Georgia two years earlier.

The Red Lion, on the corner with Mill Lane, has a Georgian facade, but is thought to be 16th century. It features some symbols of the Society of Oddfellows on its extension, which was added in the 1830s. It served as the town’s grammar school from 1885 to 1913, and Jack Phillips was one of its pupils.

More timbered buildings can be seen in Crown Court. At number 76 High Street and the neighbouring buildings, the 17th century fashion for decorative Flemish brickwork is evident above the present-day shops; the date 1663 is inscribed on the front. Opposite, a straight run of comparatively austere Victorian buildings were purpose-built as shops in 1836 by the Skinners’ Company, which is a link to the town’s tanning industry. The narrow shop at number 75 is a former

wool merchant’s, and the warehouse doors at the top, where the bales of wool would have been hoisted, can still be seen.

Many of the town’s buildings display Georgian, or later, fronts, though older buildings lurk behind. A prime example, at 109a High Street, is Godalming Museum, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. It is the oldest dated building in the town, and the original beams and smoke-blackened plaster are revealed inside. “The oldest bit of the ›

Jettied and Bargate rubblestone buildings in Crown Court (above). Fancy brickwork is a Flemish influence on this building with striking windows (below).

Beyond the museum and a timbered shop, the pale rose-washed walls of the Pepperpot building, with its Georgian-style pepperpot-shaped turret, pierces the September sky.

A view to Albury from St Martha’s.

Dotted among the trees, the buildings in the village glow gold in the mellow September sunshine.

museum is 1400, and it’s a real privilege to work in it,” says Alison Pattison. The museum, which was a bakery for 400 years, houses a wealth of local artefacts, and it also has a secluded garden café.

Pink Pepperpot Opposite the museum is the pink-painted Pepperpot, the most recognisable building in Godalming, and which features on local souvenirs. Dating from 1814, its nickname stems from the shape of the clock tower.

The building, which has an open arcade for market stalls underneath and a function room above, has been the town hall and museum premises in the past.

Campaigning by local people ensured that Godalming retained its historic buildings. The Pepperpot was saved from the bulldozers in the 1950s, and road-widening schemes were kept to a minimum. Despite its industrial character at the time, commuters were being wooed by developers as long ago as the 1840s. The museum displays a reproduction of an old poster advertising the town as ‘the loveliest spot near London’ for people to live. “As soon as the railway got here, the Chamber of Commerce did a real charm offensive to get commuters here,” says Alison. “Local directories talked about how low the death rate was and how clean the water was, and the town more than doubled in size.”

Feudal manipulation A rewarding way to enjoy the countryside of the Surrey Hills is to hike a section of the North Downs Way. One of the best views is from St Martha’s Church, which

Albury Park Mansion hosted King George III’s post-coronation ball in 1761. The crenulated building now houses luxury flats.

GLOBAL FIRST There is a modest plaque in the Pepperpot, and another on 12 High Street, commemorating the fact that Godalming had the world’s first public electricity supply, installed in September 1881. Three electric An old picture postcard celebrating the street lights, on 22ft (7m) poles, were powered by a introduction of electric street lighting. water wheel at Westbrook Mill as an experiment. A replica can be seen on the traffic island at the junction of High Street, Wharf Street and Bridge Street. Electric street lighting had already appeared in London, Paris and San Francisco. But the town provided electric lighting for its citizens not only in the streets but also in the houses, being offered for sale to members of the public who could afford it. Being hydro-electric, it was an environmentally friendly scheme before the term was coined. One of those who took up the offer was Stephen Tanner, a draper and outfitter. This was one year before Edison’s scheme in New York. However, in 1884, gas lighting proved to be a cheaper option, and the town switched back before returning to electricity in 1903.

can be reached on foot from the railway station at Chilworth.

It is then worth taking a diversion from the trail to explore the next village to the east, Albury, located approximately 6 miles by road from Godalming.

Snaking between wooded hills and lined by farm buildings with undulating roofs, the Tillingbourne Valley on a fine day is the scene of cattle grazing and anglers fishing. A large number of properties are leased from the Albury Estate, owned by the Duke of Northumberland, and sport the dark green livery of the Percy family on their woodwork.

The history of Albury is a story of feudal manipulation. Albury Park Mansion, which has undergone many transformations since its mention in the Domesday Book and is now private apartments, was the landowner’s house at the centre of the settlement, but successive estate owners were keen to rid themselves of close neighbours.

“The village used to cluster round the church,” says Daphne Foulsham, a trustee of Albury Old Saxon Church and resident in the village for 56 years. “There’s just one building left, which was the old pub, and the estate manager lives there now.

The villagers spoiled the view, and the estate owners didn’t want to see them, so, in 1785, the road between Albury and Shere was shut, the George Inn was closed, and the villagers were harassed.

Gradually, they moved a quarter of a mile away to Weston, which is what is now Albury. This began in the 18th century and finished in 1842 when the Old Church was shut.”

Churches and chimneys The parish is noted for its churches. The Old Saxon Church in Albury Park is visited by thousands of people every year.

It has been in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust since 1974, but is still consecrated. Three services are held each year, on Good Friday, Midsummer and at Christmas, and, in between, it also hosts plays and flower festivals.

With its squat Norman tower and 1820 cupola, it nestles in parkland next to the Tillingbourne, in the shadow of the former Albury Park Mansion. Pheasants strut around the churchyard, where burials include the family of Thomas Robert Malthus, the political economist, who wrote his famous essay on population control in 1798 while living in the village, and the 17th century rector William Oughtred, a mathematician, who invented the slide rule. Oughtred is also thought to have been the first to use the ‘×’ symbol as the sign for multiplication.

Much of the church interior is simple and unadorned, with a Saxon chancel and arched Saxon window in the north wall, but there are two more elaborate features.

One is a painting of St Christopher, dated to 1480-1520, that was unveiled in 1884.

“A man was putting up a monument stone, when a lump of plaster fell off, and this face appeared,” says Daphne. “It gave him the fright of his life.”

The other, contrasting aspect is the Drummond Memorial Chapel, commissioned by estate owner, banker and MP Henry Drummond from famed architect Augustus Pugin in 1849. It is an extravagant personalised display in red, blue and gold of heraldic symbols in the Gothic Revivalist style.

Drummond’s legacy has been long lasting. The local pub, the Drummond Inn, bears his name, and he also paid for the red-brick, mid Victorian parish church that replaced the one next to his home.

Also dedicated to St Peter and St Paul, many of its contents, notably the bells, came from the Old Church. It is attractively sited, overlooking the village and the valley, but not everyone is an admirer. “The story goes that Drummond had seen an old church in a village called Thaon in France, told his architect that’s what he wanted, then went on holiday,” says Margaret Clarke, honorary secretary of the Albury History Society. “When he came back, he found that the architect › A mural on the south wall of Albury Old Saxon Church, also known as the Old Church by locals, depicting St Christopher, a child and a ship.

“Many a day have I whiled away Upon hopeful Farley heath, In its antique soil digging for spoil Of possible treasure beneath” Martin Farquhar Tupper, ÔFarley Heath, Near Albury’

Pugin’s rich ornamental designs on the Drummond Chapel roof and wall contrasted with the plainer exterior of the church.

81

had thought it too expensive to build it in nice Caen stone, so he built it in brick instead and made it much smaller. We have been to see the church in Thaon, and it is magnificent.”

Drummond was also instrumental in building the Catholic Apostolic Church in 1840 for believers, like himself, in the Second Coming of Christ. Built in the Gothic style with a rose window by Pugin, it is often mistaken for the parish church.

It can be seen from the road and is maintained, but no longer used. An unusual wooden church is St Michael’s at neighbouring Farley Green, also within Albury parish. It was once a 19th century barn and was converted into a place of worship by owner Clara Courtney-Wells as

Based on Tudor designs, ornate chimneys rise from the rooftops of various buildings in Albury, such as these next to the Old Coach House.

Patterns include crosses, diamonds, and zigzags in raised brickwork.

a memorial to her husband in 1930.

Perhaps Albury’s most distinctive feature is its tall, decorative brick chimneys, which were based on Elizabethan originals and feature on the village sign. Drummond commissioned Pugin to design the 63 chimneys that spiral skywards on Albury Park Mansion, and several other 19th century estate houses, provided for the relocated villagers, were topped with them too. They can be seen on the Old Post Office, the Old Coach House and Not the Old Pharmacy.

The central part of the village, known as The Street, also includes the octagonal brick-built Tudor Pigeon House, which is just visible on estate land and is open on heritage days. It used to house more than 600 birds: as well as providing meat, their droppings were used as fertiliser and in the manufacture of gunpowder in neighbouring Chilworth.

Other historic buildings of note include Albury Mill, which dates to the 1830s and once produced fine flour, but is now divided into separate dwellings. It was one of 28 mills that were once powered by the 11-mile-long River Tillingbourne.

Albury House, also split up now, is partly

17th century and was once the home of Martin Tupper, a Victorian poet, who wrote Proverbial Philosophy, which was translated into 25 languages and whose admirers included Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. He was a vocal opponent of the closure of the Old Church.

Wine tasting While in Albury, a visit to the organic vineyard is a pleasant way to conclude a day out. It is located near the Silent Pool, a flooded chalk pit, noted for the legend of Emma, a woodcutter’s daughter, who drowned trying to escape the attentions of King John, whose hunting ground it was in. The tale was largely the imagination of Martin Tupper in his book Stephan Langton, but is still quoted today.

Started 11 years ago on 20 acres leased from the Albury Estate, the vineyard is run by Nick Wenman. His daughter, Lucy Letley, is marketing manager. “My dad had an interest in wine from a young age, and when he sold his IT business and retired early, he was able to fulfil his dream, and plant vines,” says Lucy.

The south-facing chalky slopes of the Surrey Hills are good for growing grapes. ›

Former chemist’s Not the Old Pharmacy, with a mounting block by the door (top). The wooden church was once a barn at Brook Farm (above).

THE STRANGE TALE OF MARY TOFT A cause célèbre in Godalming in the 18th century, documented in the museum, was the story of Mary Toft, who was born in the town in 1703 and claimed to have given birth to rabbits: 17 in all. The saga began in August 1726, when Mary had a miscarriage, yet still appeared pregnant. In September, a Guildford surgeon was called to attend Mary, who was in labour. In November, after supposedly giving birth to nine rabbits, one a day, the surgeon to George I was sent for, and he witnessed the arrival of six more rabbits. It soon became the talk of the town, and of London too. George I sent another doctor, who, having delivered a rabbit part from Mary, finally became dubious about the phenomenon. Yet another of the king’s physicians turned up, after a tally of 17 rabbits, to expose it as a hoax. Mary admitted this in December after witnesses revealed they had been asked to supply skinned rabbits for her. She was jailed for four months before the case was dropped. William Hogarth caricatured her in engravings, and songs and pamphlets were written about her. She did subsequently have a child, and the vicar wrote in the parish register: “ye first since ye rabbits”. Mary died in 1763.

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“O, the green hills of Surrey, the sweet hills of Surrey, The dear hills of Surrey, I'll love till I die” William Cox Bennett, ‘The Green Hills of Surrey’

The Gothic-style Albury Apostolic Catholic Church, with its large rose window affording views over a bucolic scene in the idyllic Surrey Hills.

The old-world charm of Albury. A carved wooden road sign topped with wrought iron scrolls opposite a village store set in a beautiful timbered building.

The Silent Pool, a spring-fed lake in an old chalk quarry, where a kingfisher might be spotted darting across the still water.

Rows of vines on sunny slopes at Albury Organic Vineyard (above).

Lucy Letley with a bottle of organic Surrey wine (left).

when they are dug up in the spring. Only naturally occurring yeast, found on the grapes, the leaves and in the air, can be used to start fermentation. It means winemakers have less control over the process, so the vineyard’s ‘biodynamic wild ferment’ is currently a limited edition each year. There are plans, though, to increase the output.

At this time of year, approaching harvest in October, the vineyard is at its

most abundant. “It’s green, with big bunches of grapes, and people can clearly see the difference between the varieties,” says Lucy. Visitors can take guided tours or wander round on their own before sitting back to sample some of the wine.

As the Surrey Hills are bathed in the glow of an early autumn evening, a glass of locally produced bubbly offers a perfect end to the day. n ▯

NORTH DOWNS TRAIL The North Downs Way stretches for 153 miles,

from Farnham in Surrey, in the west, to Dover in Kent, in the east. The national trail takes in the Surrey Hills. One 6-mile walk, known as the Purple Ox trail, affords spectacular views of the area, including the village of Albury. The Silent Pool and St Martha’s Hill section takes approximately 3 hours and follows woodland tracks, bridleways and chalk paths. The circular route can be started at the Silent Pool. Approximately halfway along is Newlands Corner, where there is a visitor centre and far-reaching views. At the furthest point is St Martha’s Church, which dates back at least to Norman times. From here, the landscape opens out below to include the villages of Chilworth and Albury.

Further information can be found at www.surreycc.gov.uk/selfguidedwalks

Words: Caroline Rees

CONTACT Godalming Heritage Weekend takes place from 17-19 September. For more information, visit www.thegodalmingtrust.org.uk

Riders pause to admire the panoramic views from Newlands Corner as they follow the North Downs Way.

Photography: Alamy; Caroline Rees; Creative Commons; Geograph; Shutterstock Illustration: Steven Hall

“Vines need sun, don’t like a lot of water and the Champagne varieties that we grow like chalky soil,” says Lucy. These include Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. The bulk of the 20,000 bottles produced each year are sparkling wines.

The family adhere to the principles of organic viticulture. “My dad believed if you produced better quality fruit, it should be better quality wine,” says Lucy.

“Obviously, there are a lot of variables, but it’s a good starting point. It’s more labour-intensive and expensive. But there is a big difference in the quality of the soil: more nutrients, bugs and wild flowers.”

The vineyard is also certified as biodynamic, which Lucy describes as “organic-plus”. No chemicals are allowed, and the growing calendar follows the cycles of the moon. Each winter, manure-filled cow horns are buried on the site and the contents sprayed on the vines

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FURNITURE HEWN FROM THE FOREST

Under a leafy canopy on the Sussex Weald, skilled craftsmen transform tree logs into chairs using fresh green wood

D

EEP IN THE forest, distanced from everyday life, green woodworker Mark Houghton is lost in the ancient alchemy of turning a tree into a chair. Astride a wooden shave horse and using a hand-held drawknife, he skilfully shaves a wooden billet from indigenous ash, grown right here in the surrounding mixed woodland. Seated beneath the deciduous, green-turning-to-gold-leaved trees of early autumn, Mark is immersed in his task. The woodland around him is teeming with wildlife: squirrels and mice gather fallen hazelnuts for winter stores, more brazen than timid deer or muntjac. Birds chatter above, and a hard-working woodpecker drills into softwood trees in search of wood-boring insects.

For more than 1,000 years, freshly cut ‘green’ wood has been fashioned by hand in the forest to create everything from spoons and bowls to furniture, and even dwellings. Today, it is a rare skill, with approximately 600 craftsmen working in pockets of woodland across the country.

At one with nature, and absorbed in his own industry, Mark goes almost unnoticed. He works out in the open, amidst the

In his woodland ‘workshop’, Mark Houghton uses a pedal-operated pole lathe to twist a piece of wood at speed while he gouges one end to make it narrower.

trees whose wood he works. A tarpaulin slung aloft affords shelter if necessary, and a smouldering fire gives as much comfort as it does heat, infusing the air with earthy, warm smoke: this is contentment.

Reconnecting with nature This wooded enclave, Shovelstrode, on the Sussex Weald, is managed and worked by fellow green woodworker Charles Hooper, whose wife, Lisa Aitken, inherited this haven in 2008.

“Once part of the larger Forest of Anderida, the woodland boasts a wealth of ash and hazel, grown to fuel the furnaces of the former thriving Wealden iron industry,” explains Charles.

With a strong desire to reconnect and earn a living off this land, he left a 20-year advertising career and retrained in landscape design. An invitation to take part in the 2010 BBC series Mastercrafts gave him the opportunity to learn green woodworking from scratch in just six weeks.

“It was a life-changing experience that led to the Forest Garden, where we live and teach a more self-sufficient and satisfying way of living,” he says. Courses include green woodworking, beekeeping, clay oven building and bronze casting. Charles had to invigorate the neglected woodland and removed many overcrowded or failing trees, making way for the younger, more vigorous ones. “We retained the central, big old ash trees, testimony to the woodland’s history and the ideal setting for our woodland craft courses,” he says. Tragically, a decade later, these ancient forest stalwarts were struck down by ash dieback disease, Hymenoscyphus fraxineus fungus, which ravaged the English countryside.

Charles had no option but to slay these forest giants, altering the landscape of their woodland. A programme of new tree-planting ensued: native and some fruiting trees, including birch, alder, beech, rowan and hornbeam, alongside more traditional green wood trees, such as hazel, sycamore, oak, chestnut and cherry. The ancient craft of green woodworking continues to be taught and practised, even as the woodland environment evolves and changes its traditional complexion.

Working with green wood Green woodworking is an ancient hand craft, which uses relatively freshly felled, unseasoned, ‘green’ wood. This has a high moisture content, making it softer, more pliable and easier to work than conventional seasoned or processed wood, which is much harder and typically machine-worked, nailed or glued.

Green woodworkers use a raft of specialist hand tools to fashion smaller utensils or larger items, such as chairs.

However, the green woods’ malleability is transient; these formative, desirable qualities are not enduring and vary according to type of tree, size and time felled. “Once cut, the longer you leave the wood, the less green it becomes: as the inherent moisture evaporates, the wood hardens,” explains Charles. “A fallen oak on a shaded woodland floor may be green-worked for up to 10 years, but 2-3m lengths of sawn ash, stacked and protected outdoors under tarpaulin, can only be worked for up to 12 months of felling. If the wood becomes over-dry, it loses its advantageous green properties and is no use for this traditional craft.” ›

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Charles Hooper, left, and fellow green woodworker Mark Houghton fell ash trunks in a considered and managed way from the sustainable Sussex woodland. Very little wood is required to produce an ash chair.

“To dwellers in a wood, almost every species of tree has its voice as well as its feature” Thomas Hardy, Under the Greenwood Tree

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Operating a foot pedal, Mark works on the shave, or shaving, horse, sheltered amid the trees and warmed by a fire.

Left, top to bottom: A range of wood, stored and ready to use; pre-split logs; elm bark, once scored from the tree, coils up when hung to dry. It is soaked in water before being used to weave seat bases.

Left to right: Bow saws for cutting; sharp lathe tools for shaping; wooden mauls for splitting wood along the grain.

The skilled craftsman learns how to capitalise on the change in state between the more workable, pliable green wood and the stronger, resistant and enduring drier wood; harnessing the unique shrinkage properties to bind the chair fast. The components of a chair, for example, are worked when the wood is soft, but once assembled, as the wood dries, shrinks and hardens, it locks tight all the interconnecting joints, negating any need for nails or glue.

Charles prefers to work with Shovelstrode’s previously abundant indigenous ash. “It is firm, yet easy to work,” he explains. “If you select good sections of wood, free from strain or tension, or side branches, you will get a clear straight grain to work with.” Splitting the wood along its natural lines, rather than sawing across, maintains the inherent strength. Charles and Mark make all their chair components in this way. With experience, they have come to understand that green ash wood is fairly consistent in its shrinkage; predictably, approximately 10 per cent horizontally and five per cent vertically to the grain.

This allows for very precise accuracy when templating components and mortise and tenon joints. Ash, worked in this way, can only be used for indoor furniture: if left outdoors, water is reabsorbed, and the joints weaken and rot. Charles recommends working with resilient oak and chestnut wood for outdoor pieces. Each item is unique, and hand-crafted bowls, spoons, spatulas, stools, chairs and other furniture, like the craft, pass through generations and reflect a deep understanding between man and nature.

Green woodworking is also ‘green’ in terms of its environmental impact. At Shovelstrode, all wood is

home-grown, coppiced, cut and collected from its own trees.

Tools and equipment are manual or pedal operated. The carbon footprint is small, with trees grown, felled and worked by hand, in situ at the Forest Garden.

Tools with a history Green woodworking is a centuries-old occupation, the tools of the trade reflecting a bygone era whereby each was designed for a specific job. Charles is emotionally connected to the traditional wood and metal hand tools he works with, describing them as “simple by design, highly efficient and aesthetically beautiful”.

Designed for, and unique to, this craft, they differ from the many multipurpose, motorised tools of today’s woodworking industry. “I use mostly traditional tools, such as a froe, drawknife and spokeshave, made for the job, perfected over many generations and which haven’t been bettered by modern designs,” says Charles. “Working with good tools and equipment brings a real sense of joy and closeness to your work. Using old tools is immensely satisfying, as you feel a connection to the history of the tool and the love and care with which they have been used and maintained over the years.” ›

“Sit then, awhile, here in this wood— So total is the solitude, We safely may delay” Charlotte Brontë, ‘The Wood’

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A LESSON IN MAKING A LADDER-BACKED SIDE CHAIR “Making your own chair should not be hurried,” says Charles.

“This is a slow and satisfying craft, to be savoured and enjoyed.”

When teaching, he devotes five days to chair-frame making and a half day to seat weaving, but as an experienced craftsman, Charles may make three or four chairs in a week.

Rungs and rails To cut the rungs and rails for a ladder-backed side chair, fellow green woodworker and instructor Mark Houghton first selects a good, straight log, which measures 3ft (1m) long and 8in (20cm) in diameter. He places this in a wooden sawhorse and, using a bow saw, he removes 4in (10cm) from each end, sawing three quarters of the way through and knocking off the dried end wood with a rough mallet.

Next, he marks out in pencil, eight equal segments on the log end. Using a froe and wooden maul, he splits the log down the centre on a wooden block, then cleaves and prises apart the green wood until it splits right through. Halving it and halving it again creates eight equal billets. With a side axe, he removes the bark and ‘feather’, and roughs out the billet, knocking off any edges to create a rough circle.

Using a shave horse, Mark shapes each billet into a cylindrical pole with a hand-held drawknife. It is then cut to size with a thin-bladed Japanese saw. A pedal-operated pole lathe swiftly twists the rung wood, and the spinning pole is smoothed with a wood turner’s pole lathe chisel. Mark then makes a precisely measured tenon with a gouge and sizing tool to fit the mortise joint.

All the round rungs and rails are placed in a bundle in a kiln for 36 hours at 80°C to dry, shrink and harden. This allows the receiving damper leg mortise joints to shrink and fit tight around already hardened tenons.

Back slats Next, Mark cuts three chair back slats from a single, 18in (45cm) long, quartered log, by making three tangential splits, 4in (10cm) thick, using a froe and wooden maul.

On a chopping block, he roughly removes the bark and cleans and flattens the slats with an axe before smoothing to

Mark saws three quarters of the way through the ash log in the sawhorse (left); A froe and maul are used to cleave the log (right).

7-9mm thickness with a drawknife on the shave horse.

Using a template, he draws the outline shape of the slats.

After steam bending to create a back curve, he uses a flat chisel and ferret to shape and also create end tenons to fit the chair back mortice.

Chair legs All four chair legs can be cut from a 3ft by 4in (1m x 10cm) log: two 35in (90cm) legs, which will also form the back of the chair, and two shorter 19in (48cm) front legs. Mark splits the log into thirds, down the grain, to create three blanks: two back legs and, halved, two shorter front legs. The corners are trimmed off with an axe. Using the shave horse and drawknife, he makes two identical legs; turning the leg constantly and using a large curtain ring to keep an even leg gauge.

To maintain consistency of shape, the back and front legs are placed in pairs, as are the back slats, into a steaming box for an hour, to soften the wood to enable bending. Two people are needed to remove the paired back legs quickly from the steamer, as they lose flexibility in minutes. They are clamped swiftly into a bending jig, where they are pushed into shape.

“You only get one chance at steam bending green wood,” explains Charles. “If it doesn’t work the first time, you have to re-make the component and steam bend again. When making chair legs two at a time, if one breaks, you will need to make another two legs to keep them consistent after the bending

Left to right: Sitting on the shave horse, Mark creates a smooth, cylindrical pole from a billet, using a drawknife; smoothing with a wood turner’s pole lathe chisel; refining a flattened slat with the drawknife.

Rungs are kiln dried to make them harder and drier than the chair legs, which shrink over time to secure the joint (right).

Two people are needed to swiftly shape the steamed legs in a bending jig (far right).

process. This is imperative for the final assembly.’’

After bending, the legs are air-dried for another hour in the sunshine or in a coolish kiln.

In a drilling jig, a bit and brace are used to create precisely measured sockets for the corresponding rungs and rails in the required positions along the front and back legs.

Assembling the chair All the steamed and shaped components are left to dry naturally overnight before assembly; the rungs and rails are fully kiln dried. To assemble the chair, Mark offers the centre rung into the back leg at 90°, using a mallet to tap it in. A sash clamp is used to wind and firmly secure the rung into the leg.

This makes a loud creaking noise, but it provides a tight, secure fit even before further natural shrinkage. Providing all the measurements are precise and accurate as the green wood fully dries, the joint will become fully locked in.

Mark then methodically fits all the rungs and rails, keeping everything squared up until the chair is fully assembled, with just the seating to complete.

Using a range of sustainably sourced, natural materials from traditional seating suppliers, each chair seat has its own character. From broad, rough and textured wych elm bark to softer rush, willow and easy-to-work-with twisted seagrass, these materials can also be woven around and through the chair frame in a variety of patterns, making the finishing of each chair as individual as the frame-making.

“Learning to make something such as a chair from green, unseasoned wood is a journey back in time to when life was more straightforward,” explains Charles. “If you wanted something back then, you made it. The process of selecting the right timber and honing it into the desired shapes that you need, and then fashioning it into a useful piece of furniture, is immensely satisfying. The time and effort you invest into making it is what makes the finished piece unique and personal. The whole process is meditative, deeply relaxing, and a little bit addictive.” ▯

Words: Jacky Hobbs

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Photography: Michelle Garrett

CONTACT Forest Garden Shovelstrode offers green woodworking workshops for all levels, together with other country crafts. Tel 07957 621672 or visit www.forestgarden.info

Drilling the sockets for the rungs to expand into for a tight fit.

Mark weaves twisted seagrass around the seat of the chair frame.

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In the home

Seasonal decorative touches to bring the outdoors in

BEACON OF LIGHT Working as a marine-biologist-turned-full-time potter, Leela Chakravarti specialises in crafting functional homeware that evokes nostalgia for the ocean and coastline. Her range of stoneware lighthouses are thrown on a pottery wheel before being finished with a home-made glaze. Each one is unique and designed to sit on top of a tea light, acting as a luminary. Once lit, flickers of soft light emanate from the tiny windows and doors, creating a warm glow.

Lighthouse Luminary in Green and Barnacle £44, www.leelachakravarti.com

NATURE’S WEAVE Natural fibre carpets are seeing a surge in popularity due to their sustainable properties. These include sisal, jute, seagrass, abaca and coir. Sisal carpets are fashioned out of fibres extracted from the leaves of the agave plant, a form of cactus, and their neutral colour fits in with most decor. Though it has a decorative weave, the carpet has a rougher texture than wool pile. It is also very absorbent, so can be prone to staining and is better suited to areas of low footfall. However, it is low maintenance, requiring only regular vacuuming. The tough fibres mean that sisal is one of the most durable materials and contains tannins which repel dust mites. It can also act as a natural humidifier, allowing the home to stay cool on particularly warm days. In recent years, manufacturers have used wool and synthetic material to imitate the appearance of sisal, though these do not possess the same durable properties.

BEST BLADES FOR THE JOB All-purpose scissors are designed to cut through paper and do not lend well to fabrics. For textile projects, such as quilting, sewing or appliqué, which require precise, clean and fluid cuts, fabric shears should be used. These have sharp, higher quality blades that are longer and allow for more accurate snips. They should be reserved for fabric only, as other materials could damage the scissors. To preserve their longevity, the scissors should be kept clean with a dry cloth after each use and stored in a safe place until needed.

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OLD FACE IN THE ANNALS OF TIME A pendulum of brass and steel swings back and forth in a steady motion as a mechanical system of gears, levers and springs tick inside an ornamental wooden casing, recording each passing second of the day. As the hour strikes, the grandfather clock chimes a sequence of melodious notes. Otherwise known as longcase clocks, the term ‘grandfather clock’ was adopted from a song written by American songwriter Henry Clay Work and released in 1876. Upon visiting Yorkshire and staying at the George Hotel, Henry enquired about a large pendulum clock that had belonged to the inn’s previous two owners. He was told that after the first owner died, the clock became inaccurate, and after the second passed, it stopped altogether. This inspired his song My Grandfather’s Clock. The advent of the longcase clock, however, dates much further, attributed to the invention of the anchor escapement mechanism by English architect Robert Hooke, which maintains the swing of the pendulum. In 1680, British clockmaker William Clement made the first longcase clock.

Modern versions now use the more accurate deadbeat escapement.

Photography: Alamy; GAP Interiors; living4media; Richard Faulks

RELAXING SANCTUARY Designed and handcrafted in Yorkshire, The All Wooden Company offers beautiful products for the home, with sustainability at the forefront of the business. This bath board is made from locally sourced beech wood and finished using a nourishing oil and wax blend to protect the wood and enrich the natural swirls of the grain.

Measuring approximately 73 x 14cm, the board is large enough for bath essentials and comes with a removable book stand to enjoy a warm and restorative soak.

Bath Board – Poppy £26.99, www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ TheAllWoodenCompany

A SOOTHING AMBIENCE When choosing the preferred paint and colour palette for a room, it is worth considering the psychological benefits associated with different hues. While bright colours, such as red and yellow, may cheer and lift the mood, cool blues and greens are more restful, lowering tension levels and creating a more relaxed atmosphere. Painting furniture in a complementary shade to the wall brings a tonal theme to the space and helps to define its overall design. Here, wooden drawers have been painted olive green to match the pale, nature-inspired wallpaper.

The addition of a lamp with a leafy shade that matches the colours and patterns of the room brings cohesion and ties the different elements together.

97

A PLACE FOR TREASURES A pinboard is the perfect place for displaying precious photos or tickets saved from a trip or day out. A selection of corks, varying in size, are pushed into an old biscuit tin in a random pattern until it is filled. The corks should sit firmly in place without the need for glue. Choosing a tin that is approximately the same height as the corks will prevent them from falling out when the pinboard is hung from the wall or rested on a surface for display. The burgundy colour imparted by the red wine on some of the corks adds interest. Stud earrings that are no longer worn or have lost their partner are ideal for use as pretty pins to hold the memories in place.

CUSHIONED WITH MEMORIES Wine corks provide a nostalgic reminder of cheerful times past and can be used to make a variety of accessories to decorate the home

C

ORKS SAVED FROM celebrations or family gatherings do not need to be thrown away or left to roll at the back of the kitchen drawer. Instead, they can be recycled in a variety of ways to give them a new and useful purpose around the home.

The differences in their colour and size, as well as any motifs printed on their surface, means that corks are tactile to work with and create pleasing textural shapes and effects.

Stud earring posts are the ideal length to hold stamps, photos and old tickets, adding a decorative touch to the pinboard.

MATERIALS •Corks •Old biscuit tins and lids •Old stud earrings •Piece of scrap wood •Sandpaper •Emulsion paint •Hammer and nails •Screw-in hooks and split rings •Serrated knife •Strong glue or hot melt glue gun •Plain cotton fabric •Pencil •Fabric paint •Lolly sticks •Scissors or pinking shears •String or leather cord

A NEAT ROW A piece of scrap wood, sanded and coloured with leftover emulsion that complements the decor of the home, makes a pleasing panel for keys. Lightly sanding the edges of the wood once the paint is dry will give the panel a weathered appearance. Four nails tapped into the wood are spaced far enough apart for the keys to hang down without becoming tangled with the one below. A hook is carefully screwed into the cork and attached to a split ring to create the key fob.

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“For these treasures, and everything that he collected in his lovely house, were... modes by which he could escape” Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray

NATURAL SUPPORTS When serving hot drinks or meals straight from the oven, an insulating trivet provides a stable holder to prevent heat damage to more delicate surfaces.

Rectangular or circular tins, or lids, are used to hold the corks in place. Some corks may need to be halved vertically to ensure a tight fit. If the tin is shallow, glue can be added to keep the corks securely in place.

Choosing corks that are all the same height will ensure a flat surface is created, reducing the risk of hot liquids tipping and causing injury. Any corks that become damaged can be simply removed and a replacement slotted in, keeping the trivet in good condition.

CUTTING CORKS

Corks can be tough to cut due to their dense texture, which makes it difficult to push a knife through safely. They are also prone to crumbling, leaving an uneven cut surface. Heating the corks for approximately 10 mins in a kitchen steamer or a colander set over a pan of boiling water will make it easier for a serrated knife to pass through the material. Extreme care should be taken with the hot corks to prevent scalding and to avoid them slipping or rolling and causing injury while being cut.

100

POLKA DOT JAR COVERS Home-made preserves make thoughtful gifts when topped with a pretty hand-printed ‘hat’. Using a cereal bowl as a guide, a circle is drawn on a piece of cotton fabric. Coating the end of a cork in fabric paint, a repeat pattern is stamped within the line. Colours can be chosen and stalks added, using a lolly stick, to represent the contents of the jar. Once dry, the circle is cut out with pinking shears and the design set using an iron, following the manufacturer’s instructions. The cover is then tied in place with string.

FLORAL ORNAMENTS Rustic floral decorations in autumnal colours can be made using the cylindrical shape of the corks to their best effect. The central cork is dipped in coloured paint and the remaining six stuck around its diameter with glue to create a pretty petalled flower. A hook is screwed into the top and a length of string or leather cord added for hanging. If not using glue, the corks can be simply held together with a length of twine looped around them and knotted tightly at the top, with the ends tied in a loop.

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Photography: Richard Faulks

101

DELIGHTFUL EASY-TO-KNIT PATTERN

KNIT A GINGER CAT CUSHION

This cheeky character deserves a place on the sofa this autumn, with its cute nose and whiskers and contrasting striped body and tail. Simple in shape, the pattern is easy to follow and is the perfect project for evenings at home

MATERIALS • 2 balls of West Yorkshire Spinners RE:TREAT in ‘Tranquil’ and 1 ball in ‘Peace’ • Small amount of beige and brown wool for whiskers and nose • 6mm (UK 4) knitting needles • Stitch holder • Toy stuffing • Tapestry needle

Notes • The cat is approximately 16½in (42cm)

tall and 14½in (37cm) wide.

Abbreviations k – knit p – purl k2tog – knit 2 stitches together (decrease) kfb – knit into front and back of stitch (increase) ssk – slip, slip, knit (decrease), slip 1st, slip the next, then put left needle back into the slipped sts and knit them together rem – remaining rpt – repeat pull through to cast off – cut yarn and thread through remaining stitches, gather together tightly and secure ws – wrong side rs – right side beg – beginning st(s) – stitch(es) stst – stocking stitch (k on rs row, p on ws row) ( ) – work instructions inside the brackets as indicated

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Project: Marisa Bailey

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Photography: Richard Faulks

THE PAT TERN Front and back (make 2 alike) Cast on 40sts in main colour on 6mm needles.

Row 1: (ws): p Row 2: (rs): k1, kfb, k to last 2sts, kfb, k1 (42sts) Row 3 to 8: rpt last 2 rows 3 times (48sts) Change to contrast colour Row 9 to 16: rpt rows 1-2, 4 times (56sts) Change to main colour Row 17 to 24: rpt rows 1-2, 4 times (64sts) Change to contrast colour Row 25 to 32: beg p, stst 8 rows Change to main colour Row 33 to 40: beg p, stst 8 rows Change to contrast colour Row 41 to 48: beg p, stst 8 rows Continue in main colour to the end Row 49 to 61: beg p, stst 13 rows Row 62: k1, k2tog, k to last 3sts, ssk, k1 (62sts) Row 63: p Row 64 to 77: rpt rows 62-63, 7 times (48sts)

First ear Row 78: k20st, place rem sts on holder *Next row: p (20sts) Next row: k1, k2tog, k14, ssk, k1 (18sts) Next row: p Next row: k1, k2tog, k12, ssk, k1 (16sts) Next row: p Next row: k1, k2tog, k10, ssk, k1 (14sts) Next row: p Next row: k1, k2tog, k8, ssk, k1 (12sts) Next row: p Next row: k1, k2tog, k6, ssk, k1 (10sts) Next row: p Next row: k1, k2tog, k4, ssk, k1 (8sts) Next row: p Cast off**.

Second ear With rs facing, rejoin wool to rem 28sts.

Cast off 8sts, k to end (20sts).

Rpt from * to **.

Tail, make 1 Cast on 20sts in contrast colour on 6mm needles Row 1 to 8: beg p, stst 8 rows Change to main colour Row 9 to 16: beg p, stst 8 rows Rpt last 16 rows, 3 times.

Continue in main colour Next row: k1, k2tog, k14, ssk, k1 (18sts) Next row: p Next row: k1, k2tog, k12, ssk, k1 (16sts) Next row: p Next row: k2tog to end (4sts) Pull through to cast off.

Making up Sew sides together, leaving the bottom open for the stuffing. Oversew bottom when stuffed.

Fold tail in half and sew together. Attach to back of cushion with stripes in contrast.

Embroider face, contrasting beige and brown yarn.

Refer to photos as a guide.

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KALEIDOSCOPE OF FLOWERS Pressed petals from the garden are suspended in pretty patterns against a window allowing their silken rays to glow in the light

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HE RICH COLOURS of the season, preserved in the petals of pressed flowers, bring the jewel-like hues of the garden into the home.

Using only a few materials, these simple artworks look striking when hung in front of a window. As mellow light streams through the casing, the colours intensify, mimicking the beauty of stained glass.

To make, a 7in (18cm) embroidery hoop is opened up and an A4 piece of thick tracing paper placed over the inner hoop. Taking care to keep the paper still, the outer ring is pushed over the top, while applying even pressure to the paper in order to stretch and hold it firmly in place, creating a drum-like tension. Adding a few dabs of glue can help to secure the paper in position.

Once the hoop is tightened and the paper firmly held, any excess is trimmed.

Using tweezers and small dabs of glue, the pressed petals and flowers are arranged in a pattern around the hoop, in a random or symmetrical design.

A length of cotton looped over the tightening screw is used to hang the piece from the window to be admired.

• 7in (18cm) embroidery hoop • Tracing paper • Glue • Scissors • Tweezers • Pressed flowers and petals • Cotton

“Little gusts of sunshine blew, strangely bright, and lit up the celandines at the wood’s edge” D H Lawrence, Lady Chatterley’s Lover

Photography: living4media

Care should be taken when stretching the paper to centre it over the hoop, applying enough pressure to gain the correct tension, but not enough to cause it to rip. Thick tracing paper is best, but kitchen paper could also be used. Tweezers make it easier to pick up delicate petals without damaging them.

MATERIALS

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PROWESS AND PRIDE A spectacle of strength, sportsmanship and tradition, Scotland’s Highland Games offer enjoyment for all amid dramatic scenery

Crowds line the arena against a perfect Highland backdrop at The Braemar Gathering. Various games events are held annually, showcasing a variety of skills and competitions.

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HE FANFARE, BUZZ and noise of a Highland Games envelops every soul who attends as bagpipes skirl, kilts whirl, pipers march, cabers are tossed, animals bellow, and the heady mixed scent of Scottish produce, grass, livestock, wool, leather, sweat and tears mingle in the air.

Children play while locals, celebrities and even Royals admire feats of strength, precision, camaraderie and creativity. The colour and vibrancy of a traditional Highland Games, whether set in a city or the rural countryside, is hard to top, whatever the weather.

These boisterous events often open with a thunderous massing of the pipe bands, where the musicians in attendance come together to march, drum and play.

For miles around, everyone must be aware that the games have commenced as rousing Scottish tunes kick off the day.

The games season features more than 60 official events and a host of smaller community ones. The beauty of Highland Games is that they belong to the community, so the format, events and attractions are planned by individual

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villages and towns, and vary from place to place. The season starts in May, with the Gourock and Gordon Castle Highland Games, and runs through to September, wrapping up with The Braemar Gathering and the Blairgowrie, Pitlochry and Invercharron Highland Games, but the history and heritage of these events stretches back over the centuries.

The origins of the games are somewhat unclear: they are so intrinsic in Scots’ heritage that they predate recorded history.

Games of valour and speed are said to date back to at least the 11th century, when King Malcolm III organised a hill race at Creag Choinnich, near Braemar, with the fastest runner receiving the accolade of becoming his personal courier. Hill running is still a popular contest in the games today.

The Ceres Games in Fife are considered to be the oldest continuous Highland Games, dating back to the 14th century. Over time, these community events have sprung up across the country, in castle grounds, in cities, towns, villages, through to small island communities.

Even if the setting is a simple playing field,

the noise, colour, activity and splendour is uplifting and transformative.

From oppression to approval One of the few events that affected these gatherings was the 1746 Act of Proscription, which primarily aimed to disarm the Scots, but also impacted Highland culture and stalled Highland Games. In the wake of the Battle of Culloden, when the government forces quashed the Jacobite fighters, the victors brought in an Act that banned men and boys from wearing Highland dress, such as the kilt, and wearing tartan on great coats and upper coats. Punishments could be severe, including six months’ imprisonment, and even transportation to the colonies for second-time offenders.

History reveals that when victors try to oppress culture, it tends to take on extra significance, value and symbolism for the people and, over time, rises like a phoenix from the flames once more.

When the Act of Proscription was repealed in 1782, Scottish culture began to slowly re-emerge. The perception of Highland Scotland was swept up in a ›

CLANS AND CHIEFTAINS

Local men, the Atholl Highlanders, armed with Lee-Metford rifles, open the games at the Atholl Gathering with a parade.

“Chasing the wild-deer, and following the roe, My heart’s in the Highlands, wherever I go”

Highland gatherings and games are an ideal place to connect with clan history and genealogy. The local chieftain, often the leader of a local clan, opens and closes the games to great fanfare. The relevant clan may host tents or stalls where guests can find out more about the clan, and, for those who share the same surname, it can be an excellent opportunity to dig a little deeper into personal family history.

Key events, with notable chieftains, include the Crieff Highland Games. Not only is it home to the Scottish Heavyweight Championships, it has the Earl of Strathearn, Prince William, as its Royal Chieftain.

The Atholl Gathering is opened by the Duke of Atholl and his famous Atholl Highlanders parading in the castle grounds. This Scottish ceremonial infantry regiment is the only remaining private army in Europe, serving the Duke of Atholl at Blair Castle in Perthshire.

Robert Burns, ‘My Heart’s in the Highlands’

A good Highland Games is never quiet, and the season begins with the Gourock event at Battery Park, featuring pipe band competitions, traditional Scottish heavy athletics and Highland dancing, with competitors from other countries and some as young as five (far left).

Young bagpipe players of the City of St Andrews Pipe Band at the Ceres games in Fife, which first began in 1314 (left).

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