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PeriodLiving BritaiN’s Best-selliNg period HoMes MagaZiNe

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JuNe 2018

l decoratiNg l gardeNs l aNtiques & viNtage l reNovatioN

Cottage charm Beautiful period homes that mix original features with new designs

Summer a taste of

Make your own jams and preserves

ShoP for vintage inSPired kitchen acceSSorieS

ceLebrate 300 yearS of thomaS chiPPendaLe advice for booSting inSULation

Garden party Entertain alfresco with the latest outdoor furniture, fabrics and accessories

diScover david aUStin’S own roSe garden

PLUS...

New rugs plaNt a liviNg wall paviNg ideas loft coNversioNs reNder repair

Illustration Sarah Overs Photograph David Lloyd

Editor’s Letter

elcome to gloriously long, balmy days and entertaining alfresco until dusk, as we drink in the last few weeks of spring and anticipate the arrival of summer. Everything feels so optimistic at this time of year, as we get ready for holidays in the sun, weekend jaunts to Britain’s heritage towns and cities, and days spent pottering in the garden. One of the things I promised myself I’d do this year, is invest in a better outdoor dining set so I can throw a proper summer party for my friends and family, or just cosy up with my husband on some comfy cushions and toast marshmallows after one of our mini barbecues. From page 24, we have all the inspiration you need to create your own patio sanctuary, as style editor Pippa Blenkinsop unveils the best furniture, fabrics and accessories to help you make the most of the season.

Elsewhere this issue, we pay a visit to the stunning private garden of rose grower David Austin (page 126). Now in his nineties, David has had an inspiring career, cultivating one of the most successful horticultural businesses in the UK. His name is synonymous with roses, and his own garden is a real feast for the senses, and a perfect accompaniment to his beautiful Queen Anne-style home. Who better to show the rest of us how it’s done? Continuing the garden theme, from page 115 we look at vertical planting, from living walls of succulents and salad leaves to traditional climbers such as clematis. ‘Growing upwards’ works particularly well in small gardens and tucked-away corners, and this advice will help you add a new dimension to your plot.

Heading indoors, this month we have a practical focus on one of the key issues that most period homeowners must at some point tackle: insulation (page 103). It’s not a glamorous subject, but one that it pays to have a little understanding about if you want your rooms to be as comfortable as possible. I know first hand what it’s like to live in a property where the insulation isn’t up to scratch, with rooms that are boiling hot in summer and freezing in winter. There’s a lot of conflicting advice about insulating old buildings, but one thing everyone agrees on is that if you don’t use the right materials, you can create more problems that you solve, namely condensation, which can lead to damp and rot. So for significant refurbishment works, it’s essential to seek the advice of an experienced expert.

Finally, a little reminder to enter your home or garden into the Period Living Readers’ Homes Awards (see page 41), which we officially launched last month.

There’s a fabulous first prize up for grabs, which includes £2,000 in cash.

We’d love to find out about where you live and share it with other readers, so please do take the time to enter. Enjoy!

Melanie Griffiths Editor, Period Living Period Living 3

PeriodLiving

Future PLC, Units 1 & 2, Sugarbrook Court, Aston Road, Bromsgrove B60 3EX EDITORIAL Editor Melanie Griffiths Content Editor Rachel Crow Chief Content Sub Editor Emily Hawkes Homes Content Editor Karen Darlow Style Editor Pippa Blenkinsop Contributions by Michelle Guy and Sarah Overs Email periodliving@futurenet.com ART Head of Art Billy Peel Senior Art Editor Emily Smith Designer Karen Lawson ADVERTISING Media packs are available on request Print & Digital Sales Director Jackie Sanders 01527 834426 jackie.sanders@futurenet.com Print & Digital Sales Manager Rebecca Vincze 01527 834415 rebecca.vincze@futurenet.com Classified Sales Manager Emma Farrington 01527 834445 emma.farrington@futurenet.com INTERNATIONAL Period Living is available for licensing. Contact the International department to discuss partnership opportunities International Licensing Director Matt Ellis matt.ellis@futurenet.com SubScRIpTIONS Email enquiries contact@myfavouritemagazines.co.uk Orderline and enquiries +44 (0)344 848 2852 Online orders and enquiries www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk Head of Subscriptions Sharon Todd cIRcuLATION Head of Newstrade Tim Mathers pRODucTION Head of Production Mark Constance Production Manager Frances Twentyman Advertising Production Manager Jo Crosby Digital Editions Controller Jason Hudson Digital Production Executive Nicholas Robertson Production Assistant Aimee Bradley-Davies DIGITAL Digital Manager Tom Burbridge Senior Web Editor Lindsey Davis Video Producer Matt Gibbs Email Delivery Manager Alison Nash Web Operations Manager Laura Sturgess mANAGEmENT Chief Operations Officer Aaron Asadi Commercial & Events Director Nick Noble Director of Content & Product Development Michael Holmes Editorial Director Jason Orme Art and Design Director Ross Andrews Commercial Finance Director Dan Jotcham

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61

contents Cover

Photograph Andreas von Einsiedel

Decorating & shopping

11 19 21 22 24 55 75

June journal We round up the latest interiors offerings, news and exhibitions Sherbet shades Create a soft summer feel with a spectrum of ice-cream hues Into the wild From crocodiles to cheetahs, use animal motifs to get the safari look ON THE COVER

Statement rugs Bring comfort and colour to your floor with these decorative designs ON THE COVER Alfresco dining Fresh ideas for outdoor entertaining this summer

30 35 135 140

ON THE COVER

Vintage kitchen Refresh the heart of your home with these pretty accessories Illustrated homeware Mix bright pieces and original prints for a playful feel

162

Features ON THE COVER Thomas Chippendale BBC Antiques Roadshow expert Marc Allum looks at the life and work of one of Britain’s most celebrated furniture designers

Made in Britain Devon-based shepherd’s hut maker Joshua Johansen guides us through his creative process ON THE COVER

Recipes Be inspired to bottle nature’s glorious bounty with these seasonal jams and preserves

75 95

Heritage weekend...

Portmeirion We discover the history, plus where to stay, eat and shop in this picturesque corner of Wales Tram advertising Running until 1952, London’s trams connected the city’s iconic attractions and gave rise to a series of graphic posters Period Living 7

Homes

41 44 56 76 56

65 76

Gardens

Period Living awards Does your home deserve a prize?

Here’s your chance to enter our annual Readers’ Homes Awards ON THE COVER

A blank canvas Set in rural Buckinghamshire, the Jacksons’ 17th-century cottage oozes classic country charm

109 113 115

A river runs through it Bounded by a babbling brook, this pretty thatch has been lovingly updated for modern life

120

Vibrant vintage The Shaws have stamped their modern vintage style on a Surrey semi, factoring in clever storage

123

Making things beautiful Set in the Burgundy countryside, this 19th-century farmhouse is as picturesque as its surroundings

126

Advice & inspiration

91 113

19

95 99 103 107

House journal New products and expert advice for updating a period property ON THE COVER Loft conversions Extend upwards to add value and space to your home ON THE COVER

Home health check Property expert Roger Hunt advises on exterior rendering

145

Birds of a feather Garden shopping inspired by our fluttering friends Garden advice Bring a new dimension to your outdoor space with these vertical garden planting ideas ON THE COVER

Landscaping Create practical and easy-care garden areas great for entertaining with these patio solutions Fencing Our pick of beautiful boundaries for a traditional garden ON THE COVER In the name of the rose We explore the idyllic gardens of the celebrated rose breeder and expert David Austen

Regulars Subscribe Get six issues for just £18, plus a free travel wallet worth £21, when you subscribe to Period Living Stockists Where to find all the suppliers featured in this issue

ON THE COVER Insulation Conserve heat and save energy with these insulation solutions

11

The reclaimer Paul Nash of Architectural Decor shares advice on buying original doorknobs and handles

30

8 Period Living

88

Garden journal A round-up of the latest products for your garden

30

journal JUNE

The latest interiors offerings for a period home, from beautiful wallpapers inspired by nature to magical summer sculpture shows

Art s

l va vi

Crafts r d e & Wood’s annewLewis Voysey collection

showcases intricate natural designs from one of the Arts and Crafts era’s prominent figures. A celebrated architect, C. F. A. Voysey also designed furniture, wallpaper and fabrics. Four of his archive drawings have been expertly recoloured and printed onto fabrics and wide-width wallpaper. This Voysey Park design is £65.52 per m.

stone showcase This June sees the return of ‘on form’, the ninth biennial exhibition of stone sculpture, set in the stunning grounds of Asthall Manor in Burford, Oxfordshire. One of the largest exhibitions of stone sculpture in the UK, the show brings together the works of 40 sculptors, from world-renowned names to up-and-coming artists. 10 June – 8 July, entry £10.

bright lights

Feature Pippa Blenkinsop

Green Double Gourd lamp, £372, with 20-inch shade, £342 Emerald Stag lamp, £384, with 14-inch shade, £294 Green Pineapple lamp, £858, with 22-inch shade, £372

Featuring opulent jewel-toned bases and hot bright shades, Penny Morrison’s new table lamps offer a splash of summer colour. Handcrafted in Spain and Portugal, the ceramic bases are as much works of art as they are functional. With a range of forms, from playful pineapples to striking silhouettes and colourful glazed finishes, they make the perfect pairing with Penny’s vibrant folksy shades.

Period Living 11

sweet dreams This month, the Wrought Iron & Brass Bed Company welcomes a brand new frame to its collection of classic beds.

Taking its shape from the old wrought-iron dormitory styles, but with a shiny silver finish, the nickel Arthur bed is a great option for fans of the modern vintage look. Handmade in Norfolk, it costs from £1,830 for a double.

stylish

collaboration

Fabric and wallpaper designer Clarke & Clarke has teamed up with fashion brand Oasis to launch an exclusive range of furniture, bedlinen, curtains, fabric, wallpaper and accessories. Covered in pretty Amelia fabric, this Odette armchair is the perfect finishing touch to a romantic boudoir, £499.

antique of the month Until the 19th century, the design of perfume bottles was very much governed by the nature of scent itself.

Since scent is very volatile, the bottles had to be airtight and impervious to light, and since scent was very costly, the bottles were made to reflect this.

Until the end of the 19th century, perfume was sold to be mixed and decanted into scent bottles.

However, by the 1900s, perfume and fashion houses began to sell bottles filled with their own scent, making decanting unnecessary.

Liquid perfume dates from around the mid-17th century. At this time, glass was considered unworthy to hold the very expensive perfumes, so precious metals and hardstones were used. Glass was not used until the end of the 18th century, reaching its heyday in the Victorian period. Of note are British double-ended scent bottles, a combination of scent bottle at one end and a smelling-salt bottle or vinaigrette at the other. Vinaigrettes were tiny hinged boxes that opened to reveal a perfume-soaked sponge used to combat offensive odours. The earliest vinaigrettes were usually rectangular, with a small ring attached so it could be worn on a necklace or chatelaine. By the early 1800s, they had grown in size (up to 4cm) and became elaborately decorated.

In the 18th century, perfume bottles were often made of coloured faceted glass; the caps at each end were of silver, silver gilt, or even brass. While these bottles were mass-produced, all pockets were catered for, and some of the most expensive are set with coral or turquoise and have silver cagework overlay.

Novelty shapes are unusual, but double-ended bottles shaped as horns are popular today, as are cameo glass scent bottles.

Other materials included porcelain, the most desirable produced at Meissen in Germany, and at the British factories of Chelsea, Coalport, Derby, Worcester and Wedgwood. Gold and silver were used in the 16th and 17th centuries before being largely supplanted by glass, but did enjoy a small renaissance in late-Victorian Britain.

From top: c.1920s Czechoslovakian red overlay scent perfume bottle, £165, Richard Hoppé Antiques; c.1887 Thomas Webb & Co cameo glass swan’s head scent bottle, the silver screw cap hallmarked for Gorham, Rhode Island, £3,500–£4,000; 1880 George Brace, Howell & Co double-end crystal scent perfume bottle with jewel mounts, Richard Hoppé Antiques 12 Period Living

From top: 1860 Sampson Mordan silver gilt vinaigrette; c.1880 French caged ruby glass scent perfume bottle, £335, Richard Hoppé Antiques; c.1900 Daum Art Nouveau cameo glass scent bottle with dragonfly, etched Daum Nancy mark, £4,000–£5,000

Reader offer PL readers can purchase Judith Miller’s Antiques Encyclopedia (£45, Mitchell Beazley) for the special price of £30, plus free UK P&P. To order your copy, please call 01903 828503 quoting Encyclopedia MB688.*

*Offer subject to availability, please allow seven days for delivery. Images (Czechoslovakian glass, double-ended bottle, vinaigrette, caged bottle) courtesy of Richard Hoppé Antiques; others courtesy of Miller's Antiques Handbook & Price Guide 2018-19 and Woolley & Wallis

Continuing her column celebrating collectibles, antiques expert Judith Miller charts the alluring history of scent bottles

News

i

ession r p m Turn windows into

Make a n

works of art with the latest design from Bloc Blinds, which features a Van Gogh masterpiece.

Designed in collaboration with the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the Almond Blossom design showcases the eponymous impressionist painting of 1890, capturing its glorious expressive brushstrokes. Pictured in Blue, which is carefully colour-matched to the original painting, the design also comes in Black, Cream, Paprika, Yellow and White, and is available on all Bloc Blinds’ systems.

From ÂŁ165.

Period Living 13

News

The Button & Sprung Camelia king-size bed in Slate soft wool, £1,075, is the perfect foil to this Terrazzo Pink wallpaper, £50 per roll from Graham & Brown

Bloomingville Terrazzo pendant lamp, £69, Amara

mini-trend: terrazzo

Terrazzo dinner plate, £28, and large jug, £38, Dassie Artisan

Spektrum porcelain floor tiles, £39.64 per m2, Mandarin Stone

Move over marble, there’s a new surface trend in town! Made up of marble, quartz and glass chips bound in cement and polished, terrazzo has paved floors for centuries, but it has recently captured the imagination of interiors brands across the globe, inspiring everything from wallpaper prints to pendant lamps.

woodland wonders to natu ser re o l If you relish every C

Images (Bracket Mouse and Toadstool Postboxes) courtesy of the artist

opportunity to escape to the countryside to marvel at the scenery of our glorious isle, then you’ll love the new Albion linen collection from Juliet Travers. Covered in beautiful hand-drawn and painted illustrations of British wildlife, from garden birds to shaggy highland cattle, the linens are perfect for injecting rural charm into your home, or even a make-shift garden hideaway. Fabrics are priced £114 per m, or £40 for cushion covers, with designs also available across stationary and wallpaper.

This month, the Yorkshire Sculpture Park (YSP) welcomes you to the fantastical world of The Wish Post – the largest ever solo exhibition of textile artist Mister Finch. Centred around his own YSP fairy tale, The Wish Post showcases 75 hand-sewn sculptures made from vintage fabrics and salvaged materials.

Each sculpture resembles a character from The Wish Post story, in which a magical kingdom of woodland animals collect other creatures’ wishes, breathe them into envelopes and post them in toadstool postboxes.

Yet for one night a year, the animals have the chance for their own dreams to be whisked away by the wind and come true. Expect life-sized badgers in blue jackets, hedgehogs playing brass bells, thimble-tailed rats and dapperly dressed moles. 23 June – 23 September, entry free.

Period Living 15

Don’t miss...

This month, Mill Marsh Park will again host The Contemporary Craft Festival in Bovey Tracey, Devon. Now in its 15th year, the exhibition is a leading destination for craft enthusiasts to discover the latest and most talented contemporary makers across the UK. Expect to be inspired by the work of over 200 carefully selected makers, from glassworkers to furniture makers, plus enjoy workshops, demonstrations, food stalls and more. Running from 8–10 June, visit craftsatboveytracey.co.uk for ticket information.

eastern treasures

See highlights from the Royal Collection’s South Asian archives in the Splendours of the Subcontinent: Four Centuries of South Asian Painting and Manuscripts at The Queen’s Gallery in Buckingham Palace. From 8 June – 14 October, expect exquisite examples of the literary and artistic output of the area historically called India, now covered by India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, from illuminated manuscripts to vivid depictions of the Mughal court.

TALENT SPOT

If you’re partial to a spot of upcycling, these new detail brushes from renowned paint brand Annie Sloan will be right up your street. Perfect for personalising your project, use the mixed set of flat and round brushes, £14.95, for painting delicate designs or dynamic shapes with her Chalk paint.

f

Book she l Explore the

stunning living spaces of London’s hottest design talents in The New Creative Home

by Talib Choudhry. With over 250 pages of visual delight and decor ideas, the book offers a glimpse into the homes of 27 of the capital’s creatives, from fashion designer Matthew Williamson to florist Nikki Tibbles. £19.99, Thames & Hudson.

Hares leaping through a field and foxes trotting off on a midnight ramble are just a few of the magical moments that automata and jewellery maker Esther Smith captures in her work. Trained as a jeweller, it was only later that she turned to automata. ‘I’ve always loved traditional toys with simple mechanisms, but it was only when I moved to Falmouth and saw the work of contemporary makers that I was spurred on to make my own.’ While they depict fleeting encounters, the pieces demand hours of skilled work. All of Esther’s creations begin life in the sketchbook, with promising ideas made into paper maquettes. The next stop is the workshop, where Esther crafts the components in patinated copper, brass and soft finished silver ready to be mounted on reclaimed wood. ‘I use two mechanical methods - metal cranks to give figures a walking motion or animals a leaping motion, while wooden cams give a spinning and undulating motion.’

Brought up in the wilds of Scotland and now living in Cornwall, Esther loves to be immersed in nature.‘I work from my garden studio, which sits under an enormous oak tree where tawny owls often sit in the evening and a plethora of smaller garden birds flitter about through the day - all keeping me inspired!’esthersmithjewellery.co.uk Above: Mystery at Elginshill, £395 Right: Fox Went Out, £225

16 Period Living

Image (top left) Painting from a series of the Gita Govinda, Vishnu and Lakshmi enthroned, c.1800 Royal Collection Trust/(c) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2018

in the detail

Shopping Parker armchair in Zoe Glencross Mottram Meadow fabric in Pink Grapefruit, £940, Sofa.com

Origine Collection Stripe wallpaper in OR4003, £34.95 per roll, Galerie Wallcoverings

Sarah.K green linen napkin, £38 for a set of four, Handpicked by Kate

Emporio Armani Rose Gold watch with Blue strap, £169, Ernest Jones

Coffee machine in Pastel Blue, £299.95, Smeg

Sommar 2018 bowl in Pink, £1.50, Ikea

Feathers garland, £26, Ella James

Sherbet ShadeS

Ular pink seagrass laundry basket with lid, £100, Habitat

Lilac pouffe, £125, Raj Tent Club

Evoke a soft, summer feel inspired by sweet sorbet hues with our selection of on-trend pastel accessories and powder-toned pieces

Concrete geometric candle holder in Yellow, £25, A New Tribe

Kaymet lap tray in Pastel Green and Gold, £130, John Lewis

Home Collection Carter pendant, £70, Debenhams

Feature Sophie Warren-Smith and Emily Hawkes

Paxo pendant in Light Green, £165, Original BTC

Squares kelim cushion, £59, Grace & Grey

Large blue apothecary vase, £25, Marks & Spencer

Pastel boxes, from £1, Tiger Stores Classic poplar wood shutters in a custom paint colour, from £156 per m2, California Shutters

LSA International Polka Champagne saucers, £34 for a set of four, Amara

Period Living 19

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Cheetah salt and pepper set, £9.99, H&M

Mulb err y Magi Home Ani c m £135 cushion, al , Ama ra

Moroccan straw elephant, £40, Raj Tent Club

Handmade flamingo, £450 (cloche not included), Abigail Brown

Feature Emily Hawkes

Three Wise Monkey ornaments, £39.95 for set of three, Rockett St George

Give your home a safari-style accent by combining animal prints and characterful motifs with quirky yet practical pieces

Hand-embroidered Safari rug, £258, Anthropologie

Tribe metal giraffe table lamp, £55, Dunelm

Monkeys linen fabric in Gold, £125 per m, Sebag Textiles at Lorfords

Go ldpa i sid nted e t cra a Au ble, ne g de £2 las nz a 95, s-top

into the wild

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Luso Leopard espadrille sandals, £95, Dune

Alligator scented candle, £24, Oliver Bonas Period Living 21

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22 Period Living

Refresh your room scheme and add comfort underfoot with our pick of the latest designs, from colourful geometrics to handtufted bohemian styles

cut a rug

dining alfresco

SECRET GARDEN For a magical dining experience, position your garden furniture in a secret corner cocooned by tall trees and criss-crossed with festival lights. Made from karri gum wood with sleek tapered legs, John Lewis’ Eden dining set gives a nod to mid-century design. The perfect blend of comfort and style, the seats have a classic rattan design and are roomy enough to add cushions. A six-seater set with table costs £1,549.

24 Period Living

Feature Pippa Blenkinsop

‘We are to walk about your gardens, and gather the strawberries ourselves, and sit under trees; and whatever else you may like to provide, it is to all be out of doors; a table spread in the shade, you know,’ wrote Jane Austen in Emma. ‘Everything as natural and simple as possible.’ Indeed there’s something truly romantic and nostalgic about dining outdoors. Whether it’s breakfasting in the holiday sun, a picnic lunch in the British countryside, or a garden supper on a balmy summer evening, feasting alfresco makes happy moments with friends and family all the more magical and memorable. With warmer weather on the way, now’s the time to prepare, and from English country to simple Swedish style or even Indian exotica, there’s plenty of ideas to choose from. Be inspired by the latest dining sets perfect for a secret garden party, to decorative fabrics that will bring cosiness and colour to your outdoor space.

Outdoor Entertaining

COASTAL COOL If you’re feeling creative, why not construct your own pergola? Drape it with voile for a whimsical setting that’s perfect for a seaside-inspired supper. To style the table, choose accessories in the timeless pairing of indigo and crisp white, which can be brought out year upon year. Try tableware from House of Fraser’s Linea and Gray & Willow ranges to finish the look. From £6 for Linea Seafare dinnerware.

Period Living 25

HOT TROPICS There’s no better end to a warm summer’s day than a relaxed meal with friends and family.

For a laid-back festival vibe, try creating an impromptu table from a few salvaged crates (see page 110 for advice) and layering plenty of colourful fabrics and cushions to create a comfy hang out. Covered in tropical-inspired prints in a palette of paprika, fuchsia, teal and lime, Harlequin’s Zapara collection really captures the holiday mood. From £38 per m.

26 Period Living

Outdoor Entertaining

INDIAN SUMMER Evoke the allure of India with your own marquee.

Ideal for summer celebrations or as a setting for a classy tea party akin to enjoying a refreshing loose-leaf infusion at India’s luxury Oberoi hotel, Raj Tent Club’s marquees are brilliant for outdoor entertaining. Team with white wicker furniture, like the company’s Modern Rattan conservatory set, £750, leather Moroccan pouffes, £125 each, and plenty of rugs and lanterns for a cool, sophisticated feel.

Period Living 27

LAKESIDE SCANDI What could be more romantic then dining on the shores of a Swedish lake? Echo the serenity of this natural setting with the classic silhouettes of Scandinavian furniture teamed with rustic materials and textures.

Danish brand House Doctor has the ideal pieces to achieve the look, including these Walker chairs, £144, linen tablecloths, £96 each, simple ceramics, from £5.75, and rattan accessories, from £54 for a set of three baskets.

28 Period Living

Outdoor Entertaining

COUNTRY CHARM Whether it’s a space to socialise, or to enjoy quiet moments of reflection, a summerhouse is a brilliant way to make the most of your garden – all you need is a lick of paint and some pretty fabrics to bring it to life. Offering a beautiful mix of prints based on her family’s original art, Vanessa Arbuthnott’s Artists linens, £52 per m, are perfect for creating a folksy feel. Opt for pinks, reds and yellows teamed with pea green paint for a cheery summer palette.

Period Living 29

llum looks back at hi s l i a rc A f e an d w or k

quite literally in reference to the style. The urban myths that abound in the antiques trade about Chippendale also mean that there are a plethora of tales surrounding supposed finds of his furniture – particularly chairs, which are naturally worth large amounts of money. There isn’t an antiques dealer or auctioneer alive who wouldn’t like to add a ‘Chippendale’ to their list of discoveries.

Yorkshire made Born in Otley, Yorkshire in 1718, Thomas Chippendale was the son of a joiner and subsequently worked as a journeyman cabinetmaker. He was the first cabinetmaker in history to publish a compendium of his designs, which he first produced in 1754. The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker’s Director was a remarkable publication. Not only did it provide a catalogue of designs from which his clients ➤

Photographs (main commode, sofa, state bed, clothes press and mirror). © Paul Barker c/o Harewood House Trust. All others, Getty Images

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The masTer maker

his year marks the 300th anniversary of the birth of Thomas Chippendale (1718-1779). Arguably the most famous furniture maker in British history, his name has become synonymous with a quintessentially 18th-century English period in cabinetmaking that encompasses the rococo and the neoclassical, as well as a significant selection of gothic and oriental motifs.

The fame and subsequent popularity of Chippendale and his designs have fostered both an avid connoisseurial appreciation of his skill and a worldwide reputation that has seen his furniture constantly reinvented and copied over the intervening centuries.

Indeed, ‘Chippendale’ has become a descriptive term that is liberally applied to just about anything that resembles his work. I have on numerous occasions in my own career been heard to say the words ‘oh, that’s a Chippendale’, but

30 Period Living

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0 years ago t born 30 his m s a ont ew l a d h. n e An p ip ti q h C ue as sR om

Thomas Chippendale

Opposite top: Plate CLXX from The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker’s Director Opposite below: Diana and Minerva commode, 1773 Clockwise from top left: Minerva in the roundel on the Diana and Minerva commode; sofa made for the Yellow Drawing Room at Harewood House (currently located in the Music Room), 1775; a green and gold japanned clothes press, c.17691770; close-up detail of the Diana roundel; the state bed at Harewood, 1773; a Chippendale masterpiece known as the Kenure cabinet, sold

by Christie’s auction house for £2.4m in 2008; East Bedroom mirror from Harewood

Period Living 31

that spotlight the superlative collection of furniture and fittings that he supplied to Harewood House.

Chippendale’s remit for the house is a startling affirmation of his skill. Few stones were left unturned in his attention to the detail required to fit out and create the grandest rooms, yet he also supplied the garden benches! His use of exotic woods, silk, porcelain, glass and textiles - gilded, painted and inlaid in myriad designs - extended from more humble At the centre of design items to some of the most exuberant and expensive The mid 18th century was a highly competitive furniture ever commissioned. The state bed, period for craftsmen like Chippendale. In supplied in 1773 for around £400, including 1754, when he moved his business to the silk hangings, was one of the most Harewood House in yorkshire St Martin’s Lane in London, he was costly productions of Chippendale’s purposely positioning himself career. Incredibly, it had languished among the most important since the 19th century in boxes, people in the business. This dismantled after a redesign of area of London was a centre the room in the 1840s. It was of design and manufacturing restored in 2000 and can now excellence, and Chippendale be seen in its full architectural was in direct competition glory with its silk damask with nearby makers such hangings recreated from a as William Ince and John surviving fragment that was Mayhew. Coincidentally, found in the bed dome.

Ince was a subscriber to the Arguably one of his most first edition of Chippendale’s famous pieces is the Diana Director and also issued – in and Minerva commode. One of direct competition to this Harewood’s greatest treasures, publication – The Universal System it exemplifies a form of wealthy of Household Furniture. addiction – that is, the creation of Of course, the success of any business superlative items that had no real function depends on your clients, and another reason other than to impress. This richly decorated for being so centrally placed was Chippendale’s desire commode is a statement of status, prosperity and to be situated close to the seats of power, influence and opulence. It has two roundels depicting the Roman goddesses money. Chippendale’s reputation and success, like his Diana and Minerva and is decorated with exotic woods, ivory competitors’, depended on commissions, and we know and ormolu (a gilding technique) on a satinwood ground, and from scholarly research by expert Christopher Gilbert cost £86 in 1773. Its current value is inestimable and, like the that around 26 major commissions were executed by him. many other Chippendale treasures in Harewood and other These included notable houses such as Nostell Priory, great houses, it’s the contextual and documented history of Dumfries House and Harewood House. his creations, and seeing them in situ, that is so important to Interestingly, it’s also important to understand that the chronology and background of these wonderful creations.

Chippendale didn’t just supply furniture. His remit was to Three centuries on, there are many other Chippendaleimplement a complete interior design service, and this would related anniversary events taking place across the country. also include fabrics and paint colours. Where needed, he Importantly, The Chippendale society, formed in 1963, will would also copy the work of other well-known designers be exhibiting a collection of original drawings and documents such as his contemporary Robert Adam and, were it not for alongside original examples of this great craftsman’s the evidence of paperwork and bills of sale, some of these furniture – some previously unseen. The exhibition is at idiosyncrasies would have been lost to history.

Leeds City Museum. In the meantime, I live in hope of Despite his great success, Chippendale was never wholly discovering a true Chippendale. accepted in polite society. Although his reputation preceded Where to visit him professionally, he apparently treated his aristocratic Harewood House See a fine collection of Chippendale clients with deference. Yet his client list reads like a who’sfurniture on show – harewood.org who of 18th-century nobility and royalty.

THe CHippendale soCieTy Find out more about the society, Harewood House collection its events calendar for the celebrations, and its collections – It is quite fitting that one of Chippendale’s most important thechippendalesociety.co.uk CHippendale 300 (1718–2018) From June 2018, there will be commissions was at Harewood House, not far from his a full programme of events to mark the 300th anniversary birthplace in Otley. This commission – which was worth of Thomas Chippendale. Find a list of what’s on at over £10,000 – began in 1767, and would be worth well over chippendale300.co.uk a £1 million in today’s money. It is, therefore, more than VisiT oTley for a look around his birthplace – visitotley.co.uk appropriate in this 300th anniversary year since his birth, nosTell priory Chippendale events throughout 2018 – that Harewood is celebrating this most famous of English national-trust.org.uk/nostell-priory-and-parkland furniture makers with a number of significant events 32 Period Living

Photograph Getty Images

could choose their pieces, but it also gave other furniture makers and designers the basis on which to manufacture or work up their own variations or creations. As a result, it’s not at all unusual to see Chippendale’s designs reinvented for different markets – particularly in America, where cabinetmakers in Washington, New York and Boston eagerly traded on the fashionable popularity of his style.

Made in Britain

Shepherd’s

delight In the Devon countryside, Joshua Johansen applies his traditional woodworking skills and uncompromising stance on quality to make beautiful bespoke shepherds’ huts Words Katherine Sorrell | Photographs Kasia Fiszer

Period Living 35

J

oshua Johansen patiently files a tenon joint, concentrating intently as its details become increasingly fine and crisp. In his spacious workshop, Josh’s hand tools, polished to a gentle sheen from years of use, are arranged on shelves and hung from walls, among cast-iron wheels, piles of timber, cutting machinery and stacks of windows and doors in varying sizes. Joshua Rose Shepherd Huts, based just outside Axminster in the heart of the beautiful Devon countryside, is a young business, set up by Josh and his wife Elaine Rose Murray just a couple of years ago. Their guiding principle is to hand-build shepherds’ huts that are both beautiful and practical. ‘Every single element is made bespoke,’ says Elaine. ‘We see our huts as becoming part of someone’s family, their memories, their history.’

Once used as basic, mobile accommodation for shepherds minding their flocks in far-off fields, shepherds’ huts have seen a resurgence as garden retreats in recent years. But it was not fashion that attracted Josh – who was born and brought up in Hawaii – to these quirky little spaces. ‘Elaine wanted to buy a yurt, so I did some research and happened to come across a shepherd’s hut. It really struck a chord,’ he says. ‘There’s something about shepherds’ huts that feels happy and right. The proportions are good – your eye knows it when it sees it. And something so small can be really

Below, from left to right: Josh makes some oak steps. He uses a shoulder plane to make a tusked tenon in one of the steps; the ‘T’ shape of the tusked tenon joint connects through

36 Period Living

well built. You can put quality into every single component. I fell in love with the idea of them.’

Josh and Elaine had met in Fiji, where Josh was on holiday and Elaine, who had been taking a break from her career in PR and marketing in London, was a volunteer on a sustainable tourism project. They married and lived in Hawaii; Josh ran his family’s logging and sawmill business while also making fine furniture. After their daughter, Isabella, was born, however, they decided to move to the UK and set up their own business.

And the obvious choice was shepherds’ huts.

From Hawaii, the couple spent 18 months researching where to live, eventually settling on a little village near Axminster because it was near the sea (Josh loves surfing and spear fishing) and Elaine’s family, and had an excellent primary school. Josh found, rented and set up his workshop via Skype phone calls and began developing his designs. ‘It was a long process of thinking about the huts and designing one in my style,’ he says.

‘The challenge was to take the original form and modernise it, without sacrificing the heritage, and being mindful of the materials used. I did lots of research, rolled things around in my head for a long time, and then I made detailed drawings from all angles and models to make sure everything worked.’

Josh is an award-winning woodworker who grew up around machinery and worked with a

a corresponding hole (or mortise) in the side support rail; the template helps mark the position of the wedge that holds the tusked tenon joint in place; a band saw to shape

the wedge; clamping the wedge ready for more shaping; the final three pictures show how each tusked tenon is held in a mortise with a beautifully shaped wedge

Made in Britain

‘What I want is for people to look into a field and see one of my huts, and think that it’s pleasing to the eye and blends into the landscape,’ says Josh

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cabinet-maker part-time all through his degree in English literature. Nevertheless, the process of starting from scratch was tough. ‘We ran a successful business in Hawaii and were very comfortable with our regular income,’ says Elaine.

‘Once we got here we budgeted and we live modestly. But it still took some courage – we had to have faith that we had a beautiful, quality product and that it would work out.’

The hardest part has been gaining visibility.

‘Starting out in a new country has been tough,’ says Josh. ‘Especially as the market includes large-scale, established hut makers with generous marketing budgets. There have been other, little difficulties, like differences in technical terminology, and switching from the American imperial system of measurements to metric. And in Hawaii joiners don’t make windows from wood – it’s either uPVC or aluminium. So I’ve had to learn how to do that

‘I’m always trying to make my huts a little more efficient, a little more elegant. My goal is to build to the best of my ability and to creatively expand on what’s on offer’ from scratch. But at the end of the day, you show up, work hard and hope it will work out.’

The couple’s hard work paid off, however, when the first hut Josh made speculatively (which generated a lot of positive attention) was bought by a therapist to use as a treatment room. Since then, he has made huts that have become holiday lets, a family room, a garden retreat and even a surprise gift from a husband to his wife. Each hut takes between two and a half and three months to make, depending on the size and specification. ‘We don’t want to rush it,’ says Elaine. ‘Our strategic vision isn’t to be a big maker, but to craft a limited number of exceptional quality huts – and this takes time.

Our clients come to us because they appreciate our approach and understand that part of this means waiting for the next build slot.’

The process of making a hut starts with fitting together the base, which is Josh’s unique design, combining a welded-steel chassis for durability and strength, oak axles for good looks and castiron wheels made in the traditional way by a local foundry. He then frames up the timber wall 38 Period Living

skeleton and covers it with structural sheathing material and a moisture barrier. Batons allow the air to flow between the moisture barrier and external cladding, which Josh primes and pre-paints by hand.

Once the walls are up, Josh installs high-quality insulation, which also goes under the floor and roof, and then the electrics and plumbing is installed before the internal cladding goes up.

He constructs the roof, using rafters made from laminated birch and a traditional corrugated-steel, barrel-shaped top. Next he fits his hardwood, double-glazed windows and either a stable door or double French doors, all of which have been designed to be slightly larger than usual because, as Josh points out, if you’re buying a shepherd’s hut then you probably have somewhere to put it that has amazing views. Finally, he adds copper guttering and an internal wooden floor, and finishes it all off with a last coat of paint, inside and out.

The interior depends entirely on what the customer wants – it could be as simple as a sofa that converts into a double bed plus shutters and a drop-leaf dining table, or it could include underfloor heating, a kitchen with hand-built solid-wood cabinets and a microwave, a TV in a recessed cupboard and a fully functioning shower room. When necessary, professional trades are called in to do the plumbing and electrics, but the emphasis is always on traditional techniques and the highest quality. ‘It’s so nice to work with clients and find out their requirements,’ says Elaine.

‘A few of them email me from time to time with pictures of their hut, and it’s wonderful to know that the space we created is loved so much.’

Each hut is different to the last, and every time he builds one Josh endeavours to make subtle improvements. He recently designed a retractable deck on rollers – an industry first – for a customer who wanted an outdoor sitting space but also to be able to put the hut away in winter. ‘I’m always trying to make my huts a little more efficient, a little more elegant,’ he says. ‘One thing I’m thinking about at present is echoing the arch of the roof with a pair of double, arched French doors.

I am also really excited about crafting smaller, oak-framed, semi-portable structures – like a really beautiful woodcutter’s cabin. My goal is to build to the best of my ability and to creatively expand on what’s on offer at present. If I can do that and support my family I’ll be happy. Doing this ticks all the boxes for me.’

Visit joshuaroseshepherdhuts.co.uk and take a look at his woodwork at joshuarosewoodwork.com

Made in Britain

Clockwise, from left: This Joshua Rose shepherd’s hut was bought by a client who wanted a tranquil retreat in his garden. It’s 17 feet long and features French doors that lead to extra-wide steps, made using tusk tenon joints so they can be taken apart; a day bed converts into a comfortable double bed; a hut waiting for its timber cladding; a wood-burning stove inside is an optional extra

Period Living 39

Enter the Awards

Readers’ Homes AwArds

Below: Last year’s winners Paul and Laura Clark scooped the top prize with their colourful updates to a four-bedroom Victorian semi

Is your much-loved home or garden worthy of a prize?

Then enter Period Living’s prestigious annual awards and you could be in the running for a prize totalling £2,300

H

ave you recently finished a renovation project, or restyled and refreshed your home décor? Or do you simply feel that the interior scheme or garden you have created over the years is now complete and ready to be admired?

If so, Period Living would love to hear from you.

Every year we invite readers to enter their completed home-improvement projects for our awards, and its always fascinating to see the diverse and inspiring schemes in all kinds of period properties, large and small, and to hear their unique stories. As we launch the 2018 Readers’ Homes Awards, we look forward to finding out all about your homes, kitchens and gardens, discovering your inspirations and hearing about the work you have done. For details of how to enter, see right.

tHE £2,300 prizE Five shortlisted entries will be photographed for our November 2018 Readers’ Homes Awards issue. One overall winner will scoop a fabulous £2,000 cash prize, together with a £200 voucher to spend at Vanessa Arbuthnott. Our first-prize winner also receives a year’s Period Living subscription for themselves and a friend, worth over £100 in total, making a first prize worth more than £2,300. Four runners-up will each win £150 of Vanessa Arbuthnott vouchers, plus a year’s subscription to Period Living, worth £50.

How to EntEr Enter online at realhomes.com/features/periodliving-readers-homes-awards and follow the instructions on the website. See overleaf for the categories. You will need to tell us in up to 500 words why you think your home or garden should win, giving us details of how it looked before you renovated, what you’ve achieved and how you’ve gone about it. Please tell us what period features you have restored or reinstated. Take photos of all the rooms – quick snaps will do – and the exterior of the property. Send us about 20 photos to provide a good sense of how the whole space looks now.

If you’d prefer to enter by post, write to Period Living, Future Plc, Units 1 & 2, Sugarbrook Court, Aston Road, Bromsgrove B60 3EX, and we will send you a paper entry form. Full terms and conditions can be found at futureplc.com/competition-rules.

Closing date for entries is 5 June 2018. ➤ Period Living 41

tHE cAtEgoriEs

best kitchen – sponsored

by FoLding doors 2 U If you’ve completed a kitchen update – whether that’s adding an extension or refreshing the cabinetry – we’d like to see the results of your hard work.

Folding Doors 2 U is a leading supplier of aluminium rooflights, bi-fold doors, sliding doors and windows. The company offers an affordable range of highquality aluminium glazing products to enhance any home extension, new build property or renovation. For more details, visit foldingdoors2u.co.uk.

our guEst judgE Period Living is delighted that textile designer Vanessa Arbuthnott (pictured below) will be joining our awards judging panel again this year.

Vanessa started her business from her own home 18 years ago, and since then has created 17 fabric collections inspired by her passion for natural forms, organic shapes and stunning colourways. Her ranges include wallcoverings, rugs and runners, as well as made-to-measure curtains and blinds, furniture and accessories.

For details of all ranges, including the In Full Flight and Branching Out prints pictured above, from her latest Artists’ Collection, visit vanessaarbuthnott.co.uk.

‘I’m so looking forward to helping to judge this year’s awards entries,’ says Vanessa.

‘I find it so inspiring to see the creative and resourceful ideas Period Living readers come up with when they’re renovating their homes.

And it’s always such a pleasure to see the winning entries brought to life on the pages of the magazine later in the year.’

best project – sponsored by icynene This is the category for renovations, extensions, remodels and conversions, including lofts and basements.

If you’ve significantly altered your living space, show us what you’ve achieved.

Icynene spray-foam insulation is suitable for all building types from new-build to heritage. It expands 100-fold when applied, sealing all gaps and helping to reduce fuel bills.

For more information, visit icynene.co.uk.

best Listed hoMe – sponsored by richMond oak Listed homes come with a whole set of restrictions and challenges.

We’re looking for properties where those challenges have been met with sensitivity, in a large or small scale listed building.

Enhance your home with a stunning hardwood glazed living space. Richmond Oak specialises 42 Period Living

in the design, planning application and build of bespoke seasoned oak orangeries, conservatories and garden rooms. For more information, visit richmondoak.co.uk.

best interior design – sponsored by vanessa arbUthnott For this category, we’re on the lookout for inspiring interior design, showcasing a stylish use of colour, pattern and furnishings either in a contemporary update, or an authentic look in keeping with the age of your home.

Whether you live in an old farmhouse, Victorian semi, humble cottage or a gracious manor house, there is sure to be the perfect fabric or wallpaper among Vanessa Arbuthnott’s exquisite ranges, encompassing contemporary shades and designs, and more traditional rural motifs. Visit vanessa arbuthnott.co.uk for more information.

best garden – sponsored

by Maze Living New for this year, the best garden category is where you can show off not only your garden designs but your green fingers. Send in your photos of your outdoor spaces in full bloom.

Maze Living is a leading garden furniture specialist, offering a range of luxury outdoor rattan and fabric furniture sets. From dining to sofa sets, each piece has been expertly designed with a blend of comfort and style, perfect for any garden. For more details, visit mazeliving.co.uk.

The Jacksons are delighted to be the custodians of this pretty cottage. Built in the 1600s, it has been substantially extended and renovated over the years

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Listed 17th-Century Home

a blank canvas Determined to preserve and enhance the historic integrity of their lucky-find cottage, Helen and Paul Jackson have lovingly created a tailor-made family home Words Janet McMeekin | Photographs Andreas von Einsiedel

Helen has teamed soft creams with pretty pastel shades in the kitchen.

She sourced new window furniture more in keeping with the cottage and upcycled an old wooden bench in Farrow & Ball’s Lulworth Blue. The blind is made from Ian Mankin fabric, and the mugs and tablecloth are from Susie Watson Designs Period Living 45

tHe story Owners Helen Jackson (pictured left), an interior designer, lives here with her husband Paul, who works in corporate finance, and their children Isaac, nine, and five-year-old Emilia Property A Grade II-listed semi-detached cottage in Buckinghamshire, with three bedrooms, built in the late 1600s.

The property has a Victorian extension at the rear. In 2008, it was extended further to include a new kitchen and downstairs cloakroom What they did The chimney was repointed, a window replaced, and tiles and brickwork repaired, then the cottage was redecorated throughout

Top: The stable door, leading into the living room, harks back to the days when the cottage was the village saddler’s. It used to share a passage with the ropemaker’s cottage next door Left: The property was extended in the Victorian era and, more recently, in 2008 Above: Elegant arched doors in the Victorian extension lead out to a secluded south-facing garden. The double doors are painted in Farrow & Ball’s Wimborne White

46 Period Living

F

rom the very first moment Helen Jackson stepped inside this charming brick-and-flint cottage in its idyllic rural Buckinghamshire location, she felt an overwhelming desire to make it her own. After the original sale had fallen through, the estate agents set up an open-house day that attracted dozens of viewers, including Helen and her husband Paul.

‘It was a horrible, cold winter’s day in 2010,’ says Helen. ‘At some point during the viewing, I realised I was falling head over heels for the cottage because I started feeling annoyed that most people hadn’t bothered to take off their dirty shoes and were trudging a trail of mud from room to room.’

Back in 2006, Helen was living in Lancashire when she met Paul for the first time. ‘I had an elegant Edwardian house there that I loved,’ she recalls. ‘Paul was working in London and owned a flat in Clapham South. I was loathe to leave my converted dairy home and really didn’t fancy moving down south, so for the next three years, we commuted between the two places.’

Six months after the couple’s son Isaac was born in 2009, Helen reluctantly agreed to rent out her house and moved into Paul’s flat. But, as soon as she arrived in the area, she began househunting.

‘After months of searching, we received a tip off about the open house day in Buckinghamshire,’ says Helen. ‘We were told that the cottage was steeped in history – it had once been the village saddler’s and was joined to the ropemaker’s house next door. Paul and I both thought it sounded intriguing.’ As they pulled up outside, the couple were struck by the tranquility of the location.

‘The house looked delightful,’ Helen recalls.

‘It was surrounded by thatched cottages in a quiet lane, and was just a stone’s throw from an ancient church.’ The couple’s excitement grew as the property revealed its characterful features.

‘As we walked from the more modern extension to the Victorian addition and then into the 17thcentury living room, it was like taking a trip back in time,’ says Helen. ‘We loved the beautiful old beams, inglenook fireplace, leaded windows and quaint stable door. The cottage had so much soul.’

When the pair ventured upstairs, they almost had to pinch themselves when they saw the vaulted bedroom and pièce de résistance bathroom. ‘I remember thinking: “Oh, if only these walls could speak, they’d have so many tales to tell,”’ Helen

Listed 17th-Century Home recalls. Enchanted, the Jacksons immediately put in a full asking price offer, which was accepted.

‘Although it only had three bedrooms and a smaller garden than we’d hoped for, the character and location outstripped anything else we’d seen,’ Helen adds. After clinching the deal, she began planning how to put her own mark on the property – a blank canvas, ripe for an injection of colour and creativity. She realised her challenge would be to work sympathetically with all the disparate elements to create a welcoming family home.

‘We started by giving the whole property a fresh lick of white emulsion,’ she explains. Then, keen to play to each room’s strengths and features, Helen put together carefully considered moodboards.

‘Thankfully, the flow of the house was great so instead of having to do any structural work I could focus on choosing colours and soft furnishings that would let the character shine through,’ she says.

‘For instance, in the dining room, I picked out the tones of the sandstone fireplace and log-burner.

That room has high ceilings and a striking chimney breast that became the focal point with the addition of some floral wallpaper.’

Although the building was in good condition, as custodians of this historic home, Helen and Paul felt it was their responsibility to ensure the upkeep was maintained. ‘During the viewing, we noticed that a wooden window, in what became our bedroom, was rotten and about to fall out,’ explains Helen. ‘A conservation officer advised me on where to source a replacement and what materials would be required to replaster the walls below. I had to jump through loads of hoops and, by the end of it, I was so glad that our cottage didn’t need any major work – this was pretty time-consuming in itself.’

Apart from having the chimney repointed and repaired, the other tasks were purely cosmetic.

They repainted the kitchen units, redecorated every room in chalky Farrow & Ball shades, swapped all the white plastic light fittings for chrome ones, and replaced the window furniture.

A new pantry area was created with bespoke units designed to match those in the kitchen, the pine doors since painted white. ‘I reckon the saddler and ropemaker would be quite surprised that the passage, leading from one property to the other, no longer exists,’ Helen says. ‘There was a large cupboard there with no particular use. We’ve turned it into a wine store.

‘It’s such a privilege to live in this special home.

When I left Lancashire, I never imagined that I would feel this happy and settled, but we adore our cottage, the area is fabulous and we’ve made many wonderful friends. We definitely struck it lucky here.’

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48 Period Living

Listed 17th-Century Home

‘I love the sense of history in our living room, with its huge inglenook fireplace,’ says Helen.

‘Just one post now remains from the passageway between the saddler’s and ropemaker’s. It’s amazing to imagine what would have happened in this room many years ago.’ The cream sofa and curtains are from Laura Ashley, the leather sofa is from Loaf, and the rug is from John Lewis. A small cupboard near the sofa is painted in Annie Sloan’s French Linen and Old White Chalk Paint

Period Living 49

The spacious kitchen, with its rustic floor tiles, was built in 2008. The Jacksons updated the room by installing a new Smeg range and freshening up the units with Fired Earth’s White Mulberry eggshell

50 Period Living

Listed 17th-Century Home A large wooden table from Home Barn complements the original wooden flooring in the airy dining room, part of the Victorian extension. The dining chairs are from Next and the fleece is from Huttons

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It’s easy to see why Helen and Paul were bowled over by this breathtaking bathroom with its vaulted ceiling and beautiful beams. They had the reclaimed French bath re-enamelled and paired it with a basin from Duravit (not shown).

For a similar radiator, try Castrads

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Listed 17th-Century Home Original beams in the master bedroom, which has a wrought-iron bed from The Iron Bed Company. The bunting and lampshade on the bedside cabinet were made by Clarabelle Interiors in a Peony & Sage fabric. The cushions are from Oak House Design, Susie Watson Designs and Laura Ashley, from where Helen also bought the green bedspread

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Shopping

Organic cotton napkins in Madelaine Sage, £20 for a set of four, Cottage in the Hills

Albertine cake tins, £30 for a set of two, Laura Ashley Chicken toast rack, £11, Sophie Allport

Mornington Leaves scales, £25, Cath Kidston

Green vintage enamel-style ceramic teapot, £21, The Contemporary Home

Root Veg marble platter, £25.99, Kate of Kensington

Pink/Spotty/Pink Roses mug, £45.50, Virginia Graham at Madebyhandonline.com

Pink Pansy 1.5 pint jug, £34.95, Emma Bridgewater

vintage kitchen

Mix pretty patterns with nostalgic accessories for a design brimming with homely charm

Egg run in Chalk, £17.50, Garden Trading

Tea & Toast cotton teatowel, £14 for a set of two, Wallace Cotton

Indian Rosewood chopping board, £14, Scumble Goosie

Havana glass jar, £4.50, Sainsbury’s

Orla Kiely Linear Stem kitchen storage jar in Duck Egg/Orange, £25, John Lewis

Liberty Wiltshire Berry oven mitt, £12, Anthropologie

Bloomingville Carrie large lidded stoneware bowl, £33, Beaumonde

Blue Willow floral measuring spoons, £7, Sass & Belle

Pastry cutters in tin, £12, National Trust Shop

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The 17th-century heart of the house was added onto by the previous owners. What astonishes Daisy and Rupert is how confident – and right – the 17th-century builders were that the river that flows alongside the house and its garden would never flood 56 Period Living

Next Month

a river runs through it When Daisy and Rupert Lewis first crossed over the little bridge to view an unusual cottage, it appealed to them instantly and they knew there would be no going back Words Charlotte Colville | Photographs Brent Derby Period Living 57

C

ertain houses cast a spell, and Bridge Cottage is one of them. Approached by a footbridge over a rushing chalk stream, and huddled, covered in roses, under a heavy thatched roof, its charm is unmistakable. Dating back to the 1600s, it creaks with history and character outside and in. Wonky beams criss-cross the ceilings, tiny windows peep from beneath the thatch, and ancient walls bulge, thick and sturdy. It was once home to Helen Thomas, widow of World War I poet Edward Thomas, who wrote about the cottage: ‘It is the most darling place… ancient, gnarled and nooky and cornery and full of character.’

Daisy and Rupert Lewis stepped into the cottage one June day and felt its appeal at once. They knew their search was over. An interior designer, Daisy was particularly drawn to the house. ‘As an army wife I’d got used to living in generic army quarters, which never felt like true homes,’ she says. Nor was she ever able to put her creative stamp on them.

Brought up in a rambling, old country house, she craved not only a permanent home for her future children, but one with character that she could decorate herself and fill with antiques, heirlooms and quirky artefacts amassed over the years.

The atmosphere was perfect, as was the size and location. They wanted a low-maintenance place that they could easily lock up to make the dash back to London for work, yet still large enough to entertain guests. The cottage had three bedrooms, but it also had an annexe in the garden where overspill guests could stay. They had hoped to be rural yet accessible and Bridge Cottage, set in the rolling hills of west Berkshire but only 10 minutes from the M4, ticked this box too. ‘Of course, there were compromises, and work to be done,’ recalls Daisy, but the ‘feel’ was right and that was what mattered. Within two months, it was theirs.

The 400-year-old heart of the house sits comfortably among extensions added in recent years, by the former owners. Once a two-up-twodown worker’s cottage, accessed solely via the bridge, it was originally made up of the generous sitting room and a tiny kitchen downstairs and

58 Period Living

two bedrooms above. The previous owners added a porch, utility room and downstairs bathroom, and a conservatory joining the sitting room to the kitchen and leading to a study at the back with a second staircase to a new, third bedroom.

Daisy and Rupert moved into it as it was, but after a few months realised that improvements could be made. Despite opening onto the conservatory, the little kitchen had no windows and a very low ceiling. ‘It was very claustrophobic and often filled up with steam, so was not a place to spend much time in,’ says Daisy.

They decided to switch the ‘office’ and the kitchen around. The office, which they had intended to transform into a playroom one day anyway, had sloping walls, which made it impossible to furnish with freestanding furniture. They took out the units from the old kitchen, and then refitted them into the new space. ‘The slanting walls were no longer a problem – we got round it by simply cutting the worktops to fit the space.’

The room now works perfectly as a family kitchen, with a window at both ends – a sink under one and a breakfast bar and stools at the other, with views of the stream - and still opening onto the conservatory/dining room. The couple then carpeted and repainted the old kitchen space and transformed it into a casual, cosy TV room, which has since become Cecily’s playroom too.

Meanwhile, Daisy had fallen completely in love with the master bedroom, with its wonky beams, misshapen walls and thickset chimneybreast. To one side of it was a tiny windowless WC shared with the spare room opposite. On its other side was a long narrow dressing room, with a window overlooking the stream. It seemed a wasted space, so the Lewises decided to convert it into a bathroom. This came into its own when baby Cecily joined the family.

‘It’s the only bath upstairs, but is full of bath toys now, so is kept for family only,’ says Rupert.

‘Guests make do with the downstairs bathroom.’

However, guests don’t have it bad at all at Bridge Cottage. If they’re not in the cosy spare room in the main house, they have the annexe all to themselves.

A stone’s throw across the garden, the annexe had one downstairs bedroom when the Lewises bought the house but they have since added two bedrooms in the attic and a snug/study and bathroom below.

The house has evolved with the Lewis family and life flows gently on, as it has done for generations before. The passage of time feels particularly noticeable here, and its feeling is of a well-loved place that shelters those who dwell here. As Helen Thomas wrote: ‘It shapes into an adorable home, full of character and all that life means – life and death and birth and joy and sadness and just the lovely jog of the woman who minds it for her folk.’

Historic Thatched Cottage Below: Daisy chose Zoffany’s Kalamkari print for the living room curtains. Rupert brought the rug back from Afghanistan.

The table was a rare treasure from Dreweatts auction and once belonged to Lady Diana Cooper, part of the Mitford set. The armchair fabric is Lennox Love fabric, from Osborne & Little, covered by Daisy Whitehead Designs, and the table lamp is from Pooky

THe sTory Owners Daisy Lewis runs an interior design business, specialising in curtains, blinds and soft furnishings. Her husband Rupert is a Lieutenant Colonel in the Household Cavalry. They live here with two-year-old daughter Cecily (pictured with Daisy, left) Property Bridge Cottage was built in the 1600s and is Grade II listed What they did The Lewises turned the previous windowless kitchen into a cosy playroom and turned the former office at the back of the house into a long, double aspect kitchen. They converted a dressing room next to the master bedroom into an en-suite bathroom Below: The large inglenook fireplace now houses a wood-burning stove.

Rupert and Daisy reconfigured this room, blocking a door and adding bookshelves. This created space for two sofas from Sofa Workshop, giving the room a pleasing symmetry.

The cushions are from Zoffany

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Right: The new double aspect kitchen works so much better for Daisy than the previous small windowless space. Originally it opened onto the back staircase, but the couple blocked up the wall, fitted storage cupboards under the stairs and put a door at the bottom of the stairs. The units, recycled from the old kitchen, have been given a new look with Lulworth Blue from Farrow & Ball. The Roman blinds were made by Daisy Whitehead Designs, in Penny fabric in Sea Foam by Guy Goodfellow Above: The glass jug is from Joanna Wood, and the little dog ornament is a Lucas terrier (Daisy’s family’s favourite) from Cath Kidston

Below: Barstools and a counter top are a relaxed alternative to the dining room table and have the benefit of lovely views of the stream. Daisy found the barstools online; for similar, try Overstock

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Historic Thatched Cottage

Positioned at the middle of the house, the conservatory opens onto the bridge. Daisy and Rupert found it such a sun-filled room that they ended up fitting roof blinds to add some shade.

The table is from Scumble Goosie, the curtains made by Daisy Whitehead Designs in fabric from Dible & Roy, and the lamp is from Pooky Period Living 61

This image: The misshapen chimney breast, ancient beams, thick slanting walls and tiny windows are the perfect frame for the bed in Daisy and Rupert’s stunning bedroom.

Walls are painted in Rusling by Little Greene. The headboard is covered in Doves fabric, from Lewis & Wood, the blanket is from Roxtons in Hungerford, and Daisy inherited the cushions from her great-grandmother

Left: Previously a dressing room, the en-suite bathroom fits perfectly into the space. One set of cupboards became a shower but the other still provides useful storage. The freestanding bath, from Victoria Plum, and tongue-and-groove panelling are in perfect keeping with the historic house. The wallpaper is La Musardiere by Manuel Canovas

Cecily’s little bedroom catches the best views in the house, over the stream and hills beyond.

The wallpaper is One Hundred Acre Wood by Jane Churchill, the chair came from Sunbury Market, the flower fairy prints are from The Print Rescuer, and the cot is from Mothercare. For a similar storage bench, try Wayfair

62 Period Living

Next Month

Period Living 63

Colourful 1920s Semi

vibrant vintage Full of vivid colours and unusual retro finds, Helen and John Shaw’s family home is also a masterclass in stylish storage Words Sian Lewis | Photographs Julia Toms

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the Story Owners Helen Shaw, owner of Blue Ticking, lives here with her husband John, a master carpenter and builder, and their daughters, Edith, seven, and Maggie, five Property A three-bedroom, 1920s semi-detached house on the edge of a village in the Surrey Hills What they did Helen and John have redecorated throughout, installed a woodburner, put shutters in the front bay windows and built a window seat in the living room

he may be the owner of a family home where colours sing from every corner, but when it comes to decorating, Helen Shaw’s favourite colour is grey. ‘It’s true,’ she says, laughing.

‘I love colour, yet whenever I choose paint for walls it’s a case of working out how the light falls in the room to decide which particular shade of grey to use.’

Luckily for Helen, grey is the perfect backdrop for a rainbow – which is the most accurate way to describe her home. ‘It wasn’t until I saw these photographs of our house that I realised just how colourful it is,’ she says. ‘John doesn’t like anything that matches and I think that’s rubbed off on me.’

Helen happily experiments with colour. Just after moving in, she painted a feature wall in the master bedroom. ‘I hated it instantly!’ she recalls.

Out came the paint pots and as if by magic the room had a new look. ‘It made me realise that you can be brave with paint, which gave me more confidence in my decorating and colour choices.’

It also helps that John is a skilled carpenter.

So, with the exception of the wooden shutters that frame the bay windows at the front of the house, when the couple want to add something to their home – like the window seat in the living room’s generous bay window, which doubles as storage – John just makes it.

The couple have a solid frame to build their ideas on. The three-bedroom house, which they bought in 2011 when Helen was pregnant with their eldest daughter, Edith, did not need major refurbishment. The roof and all external walls were sound and the original layout still worked.

Plus, a rear extension, added by the previous owners, features period details like exposed brick walls, wooden floors and reproduction 1920s casement windows that match the originals at the front of the house. These period features and neutral walls provide an elegant backdrop for the couple’s collection of modern art and vintage pieces. ‘I can add absolutely anything to

66 Period Living

this background,’ says Helen. ‘And I can always move around things like pictures and cushions when I get bored of them.’

To avoid the sea of pink plastic that floods many children’s bedrooms and play areas, Helen sources recycled, restored or repurposed industrial storage or sources modern pieces that have a vintage quality. So, in their first-floor bedrooms, Edith and her younger sister Maggie have sock drawers that once served as a Post Office sorting unit, apple crate shelving, and fashion boutiquestyle clothes rails. ‘It’s not a big house, and it has no built-in storage,’ Helen explains. ‘Everything I buy has to be functional - and it has to look great.’

This William Morris approach to décor, where everything needs to be useful and beautiful, means that the spacious open-plan playroom, kitchen and dining room housed in the rear extension, work as a hub for family life and a great place to entertain. ‘We spend most of our time in that part of the house, especially in the summer when we can open the dining room French doors onto the garden,’ says Helen. ‘We love having people round for lunch or dinner. Even when it’s just us I can be working or in the kitchen while the girls play.’

Before moving to Surrey, the couple lived in an Edwardian flat in London and Helen worked as a fundraiser for charities such as UNICEF. But interiors were her first love – in particular sourcing vintage pieces. The move to the country and her first pregnancy, during which Helen struggled to find the vintage children’s furniture and accessories she wanted, made her wonder whether there was a way to upcycle her hobby into a business. ‘I started in 2014 with an Etsy shop, then we launched the website in January 2015.’

They may have a full family life and a fledgling business that fills their working days, but this couple are always planning future house projects.

‘Next on the list is a loft conversion,’ says Helen.

‘We have been granted planning permission to put in a master bedroom and en-suite bathroom.’

Then the couple are going to build a home office cabin in their garden. ‘We had talked about moving in order to get the extra space that a loft conversion and home office will give us,’ says Helen. ‘But we love this village and, more importantly, we love this house. It’s a perfect family home.’

Colourful 1920s Semi

Above: Helen with daughters Edith (left) and Maggie. Edith stands on a Blue Ticking stool called The Maggie, made from a vintage enamel storage pot. Helen and John repainted the kitchen cabinets in Farrow & Ball’s Breakfast Room Green and fitted knobs from Willow & Stone. Wicker baskets store kitchen linens and Helen’s vintage fabrics. The enamel pendant shades are from Ardingly Antiques Fair Left: Helen and John’s 1920s semi-detached Surrey Hills home.

The front door and fence are painted in Farrow & Ball’s Mole’s Breath Far left: A selection of plates from Anthropologie and vintage shops are grouped as a feature wall at the end of the dining table Below left: Vintage enamel mugs hang above the kitchen island

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Colourful 1920s Semi

Above and right: ‘The living room at the front of the house is our grown-up space,’ says Helen. A simple fire surround and walls painted in Farrow & Ball’s Cornforth White provide a subtle backdrop for the couple’s family photos and modern art. A red Laura Ashley sofa is one of the many colour pops that bring the room to life, and an original French club chair sits on a rug from Design Vintage. The window seat, complete with storage, is a recent addition, designed and built by John.

For similar shutters, try Shutterly Fabulous, and for a similar carpet, try Clarendon Carpets Left: Wooden floorboards flow from the playroom into the open-plan dining room and kitchen. For similar blinds and curtains, try The Dormy House. The pendant lampshades are from Ardingly Antiques Fair, with red flex from Baileys.

Above left: Helen and John in the back garden Period Living 69

70 Period Living

Colourful 1920s Semi

Above left: In the master bedroom, an old metal chest provides additional storage. The modern white photo frames stand out against walls in Oval Room Blue

by Farrow & Ball. For a similar bed, try Wrought Iron & Brass Bed Co Left: The chest of drawers is from John’s uncle’s house. John turned an old apple crate into wall shelving Above: The floorboards in the family bathroom are painted in Farrow & Ball’s James White. For a similar bath, try Old Fashioned Bathrooms.

Colourful bags from the Dartmouth Canvas Factory are used to hide away cleaning products and toiletries

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Above: Striking a playful note in Edith’s room is a feature wall of Osborne & Little’s Cockatoos wallpaper by Quentin Blake. A white bed, from Feather & Black, plain white walls, and a vintage desk and chair from Blue Ticking complete the look, along with alcove shelving and clothes storage made by John Left and below: Contemporary children’s art from Molly Meg and a bold geometric rug from Rockett St George, in Maggie’s room. The walls are painted in Farrow & Ball’s Mizzle. Desk and chair, as before

72 Period Living

Tea Time linen in Smoke, £52 per m, Vanessa Arbuthnott

Shopping

Leon six-cup espresso maker, £20, John Lewis Cocktail Cabinet teatowel, £12, The Printed Peanut

Jetson armchair in Gail Bryson Yolk Trill fabric, £490, Sofa.com

Maritime Bright Stripe Lobster lampshade, from £48, Cream Cornwall Handpainted ceramic radish pot, £48, Jeff Josephine

The illusTr aTed home Inject fun and personality into your interiors by mixing bold pieces featuring original artwork with colour pop accessories

Kingfisher cushion, from £24.99, Perkins & Morley

Nautical egg cup, £9.50, Victoria Eggs

Screenprinting: The Ultimate Studio Guide from Sketchbook to Squeegee, £24.95, Thames & Hudson

Mark Hearld Compton Verney wallpaper in River Blue, £84 per roll, St Jude’s

Mary Fedden Lions plate, £17.95, Emma Bridgewater

Feature Pippa Blenkinsop

Bird & Tree bath sheet in Mustard, £36, Donna Wilson

Gustave commode covered in 1940s wallpaper, £2,640, Lorfords

Enamelware jugs in Pillarbox Red, from £19.50, Falcon

Period Living 75

76 Period Living

Renovated French Farmhouse

Making things

beautiful

From the outside it was perfect – a pretty farmhouse in the Burgundy countryside – but, inside, the story was quite the opposite. Little by little, Marijtje and Meine have transformed the interiors, making a stunning home to do justice to their cherished belongings Words and styling Monique van der Pauw Photographs Ton Bouwer

Period Living 77

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utch-born Meine will never forget the moment that he and wife Marijtje stepped inside their Burgundy farmhouse for the first time. ‘In our search for a new home in France, this was the first place we saw. We immediately felt it was something special,’ he says. ‘I liked the fact that it had two storeys and was the ideal size – not too big, not too small. It also didn’t seem spoiled by modernisation.’ Marijtje adds: ‘It had a really distinctive, authentic character – it looked like a manor house and a farm all at the same time.

That’s like us: Meine is a modest, country boy and I’m very much the city girl!’

When the couple arrived for their viewing, the house looked picture perfect, with its old stucco, white wooden shutters and sturdy barn doors.

‘But then we went in,’ smiles Meine. ‘We stepped into a very small, dark hallway – at which point Marijtje nearly collapsed!’ ‘It was horrible,’ she adds. ‘The house had been renovated in the 1980s.

All the woodwork was painted dark brown, floors were covered with wall-to-wall nylon carpet and there were some dreadfully garish wallpapers!’

The interiors were dark, gloomy and very cramped. But Meine managed to convince Marijtje that all this could be stripped away. The house itself was in good shape, and had a great garden, magnificent view and some beautiful original features, such as the tomettes (traditional floor tiles), built-in cupboards, wonderful high beamed ceilings and a fireplace complete with bread oven.

The couple viewed a dozen more properties then headed south for a short break in Italy. On the way back to the Netherlands, they stopped in Burgundy and signed the contract. ‘We knew that we could change this dark house into the cosy, comfy home that we’d been looking for,’ says Marijtje.

It took many months to renovate the house, and enlarge it by turning the middle part of the attached barn into a large kitchen-diner. The left-hand side, once a stable, had already been converted into the entrance hall and cloakroom by the former owners, a blacksmith and his wife. He had installed his smithy in the old stable on the right, now the master bedroom with a wonderful view. ‘When we wake up, we look into the garden and see the blue sky above,’ says Marijtje. The couple haven’t altered the original layout of the main house: one large living

78 Period Living

room on the ground floor, and three rooms on the first floor – Meine’s study, Marijtje’s atelier and a guest room, where they’ve kept the only beautiful wallpaper that was there when they first viewed it.

Then followed a busy few months during which the couple built a new kitchen and master bedroom, enlarged the hallway slightly, renovated the bathroom, replaced all the electrics and plumbing, installed central heating, laid cement floors in the kitchen and bedroom, with laminate upstairs, and finally did a whole lot of decorating.

Marijtje took charge of the project, while Meine sat at his desk in the new study, penning his first novel. ‘I really enjoyed discussing our plans with our French contractor and his construction workers,’ says Marijtje. ‘They were quite surprised to have a woman in charge, but we made a good team!’

Once the building work was finished, she turned her thoughts to the interiors. Decorating the property was a special process, Marijtje says, and brought her great joy. The couple fell in love a few years after they both lost their first partners to cancer, and they recently celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary. ‘This was the first house that we bought together. It was our house,’ Marijtje explains. ‘We had to reshuffle our belongings so the interiors are a mix of our previous homes and lives.’

Her watchword throughout was ‘embellir’, a word that Marijtje learned from the French contractor, meaning ‘to make things beautiful’.

‘It’s a word that’s made for me!’ she laughs. Making things beautiful and seeing beauty in unexpected situations is something she has been doing all of her life. ‘A mouldy wall, for example - its powdery surface isn’t dirty but beautiful, like a painting.’

She pulls objects out of their context and combines things that don’t really match naturally. ‘I love contrast – it brings out the best and reveals hidden characteristics.’ Which is how a delicate antique chandelier comes to lighten the rustic kitchen, how dried leaves become natural wall art, how a boutis - a bedspread - serves as a tablecloth, and how a vintage steel filing cabinet is flanked by a metal lamp and a baroque chair.

Marijtje makes things beautiful with wallpaper, fabrics and colours, and by assembling subtle yet eye-catching compositions, using treasures inherited from family, found at fleamarkets and in boutiques, and wildflowers picked from nature – one of her major sources of inspiration.

The couple bought hardly any new furniture for their French home, because although they are interested in modern design and designers, they prefer timeless pieces like Eames and Gispen furniture to mix and match with the ‘reshuffled’ content of their previous households, furniture that has travelled through life with them for so many years. ‘It’s best to use what you have already,’ Marijtje says. ‘As you get older you get to appreciate the richness of your belongings. Our furniture is full of history, but it’s here because it looks good and fits here – a bit like the house itself.’

Renovated French Farmhouse

the stoRy Owners Marijtje van der Horst, who is a visual artist (marijtjevanderhorst.nl) and former fashion designer, and her husband Meine Fernhout, an author Property A former farmhouse and blacksmith’s built in 1842 in a hamlet in Burgundy, France What they did The couple built a new kitchen and master bedroom, enlarged the hall, renovated the bathroom, and replaced the electrics and plumbing.

They installed central heating and decorated throughout

Left: A lush garden, terrace and spectacular views across the Burgundy countryside.

Marijtje bought the tablecloth (far left) in Japan Period Living 79

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Renovated French Farmhouse Simple Ikea kitchen units have been personalised with sturdy black handles and wall tiles from French company Winckelmans.

Open display shelving, handmade

by Meine, gives the room an extra individual touch. The pendant lights are from Ikea, and the stove is by Godin. Over the dining table, the antique chandelier’s classic elegance contrasts beautifully with the kitchen’s rough walls, oak beams and concrete floor. Adding a modern touch to the room, a couple of old hospital chairs, found at a fleamarket, complement the simple lines of the others, which are Eames originals

Period Living 81

From this angle it’s easy to see that the spacious kitchen-diner started life as the farm’s barn. New windows and French doors have been fitted behind the old barn doors.

Marijtje found the stunning tablecloth in India

82 Period Living

Renovated French Farmhouse An eye-catching mural wallpaper creates a spectacular effect in the living room. The design is an enlargement of a still life by Georgius Jacobus Johannes van Os, on display at the Amsterdam Rijksmuseum; the mural was supplied by Anders Nog Iets.

A sofabed, bought years ago from Ligne Roset, adds a touch of midcentury style. The beamed ceiling, tomettes (traditional floor tiles) and the original fireplace, complete with bread oven, were already in the house

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Above: In the living room Marijtje combines a work of her own, Wondertuin (Garden of Wonders), with a vintage filing cabinet, English crockery, a Jugendstil vase and a baroque chair that once belonged to her parents.

Using a limited palette of colours brings harmony to the scheme. A metal lamp that Meine bought in Amsterdam adds a subtle yet sturdy touch Top right: Meine saved the antique Biedermeier table from the street and gave it new life by painting it a glossy grey, to contrast with the antique French chairs. The artwork above, entitled Circle of Memories, was used for the cover of Marijtje’s first book

84 Period Living

Above: Marijtje uses fine fabrics, lace, ribbon, buttons and beads in her artwork, and also in homemade creations like this lampshade Right: Marijtje kept the existing wallpaper in the guestroom. A personal collection of paintings cover the wall. On the far left is a piece of handmade lace from one of Marijtje’s mother’s dresses

Renovated French Farmhouse Converted from the former forge, the master bedroom was given a romantic new look with Little Greene’s Archive Trails wallpaper.

The toile de Jouy bedspread and curtain to hide the wardrobe were both from a local market. On the bed is a silk shawl by Danish fashion designer Malene Birger. The couple found the wall lamps in Florence, and the cardboard book bedside table came from Remember in Germany, available online

Period Living 85

don’t miss the next issue of

PeriodLiving Out 31 may

Stunning real period homes l Conservatory and orangery design l Latest garden furniture l Tropical decorating l Colourful plant schemes

Photographs Brent Darby, Unique Home Stays, Ton Bouwer/Cocofeatures, Fiona Walker-Arnott, Leigh Clapp and Peter van den Berg

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88 Period Living

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This month, when you subscribe to Period Living for six months by direct debit, you will also receive a stylish Harlequin Savanna travel wallet worth £21

about Your free gift Presented in an elegant, matching gift box, this hand-finished, faux-leather travel wallet features Harlequin’s beautiful Savanna elephant motif. With five small pockets and one large one to hold your documents, the wallet also comes with a smart stainless-steel blue ink pen.*

Period Living 89

marble masterpiece

Devol has launched its own range of beautiful Carrara marble sinks. Made exclusively in Carrara, Italy, these luxurious sinks are designed to last a lifetime, with each machined from a single block of marble and given a crisp, honed finish. The natural stone ages and takes on character, rewarding you with an incredibly tough sink that will get better with time and use. Available in two styles and sizes, from £2,450 for the Tuscan Farmhouse 800 single, the sinks can be bought separately or as part of a Devol kitchen.

Industrial elegance Looking for unusual lighting to add wow factor to your space? This industrial-inspired Jordaan hanging lamp from Oka, handmade from iron wire dyed gold with an antique gold ceiling rose, can be hung individually, displayed in a line or grouped together in a cluster over a breakfast bar for maximum impact. Available in three sizes, from £68 (£244 for set of three).

tap in to tradition

HOUSE journal

Inspired by the clean simplicity of vintage water pumps, the new Canteen pull-out kitchen tap in Nickel, £2,515 from Waterworks, is handcrafted on a generous scale, with a tall, graceful faucet and polished, durable oak levers. Featuring a practical pull-out spray that is ideal for filling cumbersome pots and pans, and for rinsing the washing up, the innovative yet classic design will add a lovely silhouette to your kitchen.

Feature Karen Bray

top of the ranges

Discover the latest products to improve your period home and pick up top tips from leading industry experts

vintage finish

Rose gold finishes are the new design classic, adding a pretty, Smeg has unveiled a series of antique feel and naturally upgrades across its collection of Opera highlighting the period-style range cookers. Its flagship model, the ball joints and capstan-style A3-81, from £3,299, now features the crosshead valves of this brand’s signature Eclipse black glass – opaque when the oven is switched off Ballerina towel warmer and transparent when on. The traditional from Vogue UK. Shown in a circular analogue LED clock has also floor-mounted version, it is been upgraded to a touch-control crafted from high-quality display, and the model still retains brass and designed with five all its best bits, including 77ltrs of space and eight separate practical hanging rails. Suitable oven functions. for dual fuel and sealed electric systems, the Ballerina also comes with a 30-year manufacturer’s guarantee. Priced from £439.

Period Living 91

ASK THE EXPERT Douglas Kent, technical and research director at the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, answers your renovation queries

rustic charm

The new Elements Origin collection from The Winchester Tile Company has a unique artisanal feel, available in five neutral tones inspired by the colours of the English countryside, including Sand Rustic, as shown, as well as Frost, Cloud, Shell and Smoke. The beautifully glazed brick tiles are handcrafted, which gives them an irregular look, creating a unique feel in your home.

Available in a smooth or rustic finish, the tiles measure W6xL24cm and cost from £99.95 per m2.

Presented by Kirsty Allsop, The Handmade Fair at Bowood house in Wiltshire, 22-24 June, is the place to be for workshops, demonstrations and Q&As, plus handpicked sellers from whom you can buy tools, materials and beautiful products. Open 9.30am– 6pm, entry from £12. Visit thehandmadefair.com brick by brick

Streamlined classic Heritage bathroom specialist Thomas Crapper has launched the Resolute range, which includes its first contemporary-style closecoupled WC. The Viceroy features a cast aluminium cistern and famous ‘beer-pull’ lever, and comes in classic ‘Crapper’ red, British racing green, white, polished aluminium or solid polished brass, with seat options including a soft-close solid wood version, from £1,250. The range also includes the Resolute basin, with soap recesses in the shape of the Union Jack, from £640, and the Hesketh freestanding bath, from £1,949.

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If you’re after an authentic-looking brick for your period home, then take a look at the new Reclamation Handmade design from Imperial Bricks. Historically used on traditional buildings in the Midlands and North of England, the imperial-sized brick is ideal for a period property extension or renovation that requires a sensitive approach. The bricks undergo a traditional weathering and tinting process to produce a reclaimed finish for an instantly aged appearance.

The three-inch bricks cost from £880 per 1,000.

Q

Do you have any tips on how to stop a window binding?

Where paint build-up or wrongly painted parts causes sticking, try an inorganic solvent stripper. If binding arises from a distorted frame, careful planing and sanding should help (though severe distortion may suggest structural problems, such as wall movement, which will need addressing).

When sliding sashes stick, a general overhaul is often advisable. Avoid easing windows in damp weather or recently uninhabited buildings, because opening lights will free themselves when ambient conditions change.

Q

Our fireplace smokes a lot, which I think is because the opening is too big for the flue. What do you suggest?

It is possible to reduce the openings of inglenooks and other fireplaces exceeding around 90cm2 by installing a register plate along with a smoke canopy or freestanding closed stove. You can also compensate for an oversized opening by raising the hearth.

With a fireplace opening smaller than approximately 90cm2, a small canopy or tempered glass plate might be installed.

A smoke canopy can also cure smokiness resulting from a fireplace throat that is too large or poorly shaped. If a chimney pot or cowl is restricting the flue, it should be refitted or replaced.

* If you have a renovation question for Douglas Kent, email it to periodliving@futurenet.com. We do our best to answer all queries, but cannot guarantee a response

Q

We have ‘tuck pointing’ on the old house we’re buying - can you explain what this is please?

Tuck pointing is a specialised way of filling joints in masonry, particularly brickwork, to give the impression that they’re finer and more regular than they really are. The joints are first filled flush with mortar coloured to match the bricks, then scored with a narrow groove into which a thin ribbon of contrasting mortar (normally white, but possibly black, red or brown) is inserted or ‘tucked’. It was often employed on façades or enrichments to emulate superior ‘gauged’ brickwork from the 17th to the early 20th century. Such pointing may be overlooked, especially if it has weathered, but remnants can survive in more sheltered areas; for example, below eaves or windowsills.

Design Advice

1

FIVE IdEas For loFt conVErsIons Turning an unused attic into living space will not only add value to your home, but can make it more liveable – giving your family room to spread out.

Here’s the key areas to focus on

1

Include a luxury bathroom

Adjoin a new loft bedroom with a spacious en suite, and you could increase your home’s value by up to five per cent, while making it more family friendly. A roll-top bath can fit in beautifully beneath a sloped ceiling or positioned with a view over the rooftops, but you will need to ensure the floor can take the weight, especially if it’s cast iron – a structural engineer can advise. This stunning bateau Usk design costs £5,100 at Drummonds.

You will need sufficient head height over the basin and toilet, and for a shower. It should be relatively simple to add hot and cold water by branching off the existing plumbing from either the boiler or the floor below; the same will apply for soil pipes.

It may be necessary to upgrade the boiler.

2

2

Create a home office

Converting a loft to create a study or studio is great for establishing a separation between work and home. A bespoke storage solution will make the most of any awkward spaces, and you should ➤

Lupita crystal pendant with six lamps, £480, Där Lighting Period Living 95

3

5 position your desk with a view out of a rooflight or dormer window. Check your Wi-Fi signal – you may need a booster. This home office design by Neville Johnson makes use of every inch.

3

Add a bedroom

Creating a guest or master suite can add over 10 per cent to the value of your home, and give much needed extra bedroom space where an extension may not work for design or planning reasons. The space will feel more private, and you can often get better views from being high up. If the loft is big enough, and you’ve had to sacrifice a firstfloor bedroom to fit in the staircase, you may want to include two bedrooms to maximise value. Don’t forget to add built-in storage under the eaves.

Make space for stairs

4

TIPS FOR CONVERSION ●

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4 5 The floor may need to be acoustically upgraded for soundproofing. ● The conversion must meet fire regulations. This means adding smoke alarms and protecting the stairway with fire-resisting doors and partitions. ● The cost will vary depending on the materials and level of work involved – expect to pay anything from £15,000 to £40,000 – or at least £1,200 per m2. ●

Bring in the light

Creating openings in the roof of a period home can be a contentious issue for planning authorities.

The most common solution is to insert rooflights between the rafters, but if the property is in a Conservation Area or listed, standard designs may not be acceptable, meaning you’ll need to look at conservation designs, such as this one from The Rooflight Company, which are based on original Victorian metal rooflights and sit more flush with the roof line. Another option is a dormer window at the rear, which will also add more usable floor space. Where permitted, glazed doors with a Juliet balcony will increase the sense of light and space.

Photograph (top left) Brent Darby

You’ll need at least 2.2m of height, and the pitch of the roof can also affect the quality of the space. ● If the roof isn’t high enough, it may be possible to lower the ceiling in the rooms below, or raise the height of the roof; look at Moduloft, a complete modular roof raise loft system. ● Most loft conversions don’t need permission (up to 50m3 or 40m3 for a terraced house) unless you live in a designated area or the property is listed. See planningportal.co.uk. ● You can either hire an architect or designer to produce drawings, then use builders to do the work, or put the project out to a full-service contractor to manage everything. ● Be prepared to deal with obstacles like chimney breasts and water tanks. ● If you live in an attached home, you will likely need a party wall agreement (consult a party wall surveyor). ● Insulation is a key issue, and there is more than one solution (see page 103 for more) – your designer or local building inspector can advise.

Accessing the loft is an important issue. In order for it to be liveable, you will need proper stairs that meet building regulations in terms of head height, tread size and the balustrade. Consult a designer on the location of the staircase. If you have a large landing space, you may be able to accommodate them; alternatively, it is quite common to sacrifice a box room to fit them in, then add some extra storage on the landing. This double-winder design

by Econoloft provides a seamless flow up to the loft.

Maintenance

Home HealtH cHeck:

Render

Many period properties have a rendered exterior made from lime-based materials, forming a durable coating that must be kept in good condition

P

Words Roger Hunt rotecting the exterior walls of a building and providing a unifying aesthetic, render comes in a variety of forms. Most commonly it’s applied to create a relatively smooth skin but, in the wetter regions of the UK, roughcast – or harling as it’s known in northern England and Scotland – is used. This offers good weathering properties and dries out more quickly as its increased surface area serves to maximise evaporation and protection against driving rain.

In Essex and Suffolk in particular, render was sometimes moulded or indented with patterns in a process known as pargeting.

Warning signs Render sometimes deteriorates due to water ingress resulting from the failure of elements such as rainwater goods or poor detailing of roof overhangs and window cills. Repairs or re-rendering undertaken with an inappropriate material can exacerbate problems, causing considerable damage to the building’s fabric.

Illustration Sarah Overs

What to look for: l l l l l l

Loose or delaminating render Inappropriate modern renders and finishes Staining, moss or plant growth Leaking rainwater goods Poor detailing of eaves, parapets and cills Bulges or cracks ➤

Material facts Until modern cement-based products came into general use in around 1920, lime render was widely employed and the rendered surfaces were often protected with limewash. Traditional rendering techniques and the lime-based materials used allow old buildings to breathe while offering some flexibility that helps avoid cracking and failure of the surfaces. Lime renders and finishes age well, have an attractive texture and tend to provide soft, rounded edges to buildings.

RendeR: Based on lime mixed with sharp sand, render is applied in a number of coats (layers).

Some renders contain clay, ash, hair, dung and other materials.

ROUGHCAST And HARLInG: Lime mixed with pea gravel, roughcast is thrown onto the face of the building using a dashing trowel.

PebbLedASH: Created by throwing dry pebbles or chipping on to a wet coat of smooth render, pebbledash was popular from Edwardian times.

LImewASH: Consisting of lime diluted with water and often coloured with pigments, limewash forms a durable protective coating while allowing the walling materials to breathe.

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Internal damp patches and staining Renders that have bridged a damp-proof course (DPC)

l

Damp walls

Limewash

Modern cement-based renders and ‘plastic’ paints can trap moisture so walls feel cold and are a frequent cause of damp within old buildings, sometimes resulting in structural failure.

ACTIOn: l Look for and rectify associated causes of damp such as defective rainwater goods. l Consider removing inappropriate render. l Hack off a trial area to ascertain the building’s structural condition. l Beware of the danger of heavy sheets of render falling away. l If removal is difficult or damaging to the wall, consider removing only loose sections or areas where damp is most problematic. l Remove renders that bridge a DPC, causing moisture to rise up the wall.

Where a lime render is used, limewash is normally the most appropriate finish as this will allow the wall to breathe. Applying limewash is relatively easy, although potentially messy, and is ideally done on a mild drizzly day when there is no direct sunlight that will dry the wall too quickly.

ACTIOn: l Remember that limewash is not durable on non-porous surfaces like cement renders. l Protect surrounding areas. l Ensure the render is damped down with water. l Apply limewash with a brush in thin coats, working it into crevices.

l

Structural issues When evaluating the condition of render, wider structural issues should always be considered.

Over time, cement-based renders may have trapped water with the result that the wall behind has decayed or been washed away to such an extent that the render is supporting the building’s structure.

ACTIOn: l Always be wary where walls are cracked, lean or bulge. l When removing cementitious render, only remove small sections at a time. l Be ready to prop the building structure. l Take particular care with cob walls. These are particularly prone to collapse as the cob is easily washed away. l Examine timber-frame structures for decay as each section of render is removed. l Consult a structural engineer if in any doubt.

Repairs and re-rendering Wherever possible, original rendering should be retained and any damaged areas patched by carefully building up thin coats that match the traditional materials used. Re-rendering should be undertaken using lime with no added cement.

ACTIOn: l Understand why the original render has failed. l Ensure any underlying damp or structural problems have been rectified. l Allow the wall to dry before applying render. l Consult specialist lime suppliers to find the most appropriate materials. l Remember that rendering is a skilled job so usually best left to professionals. l Beware of using lime-based materials when frost is imminent as they may fail. l Keep new work damp with a mist spray to 100 Period Living

avoid it drying out too quickly.

Protect new render from direct sun and drying winds with damp hessian.

Energy efficiency If re-rendering, it’s worth considering using an insulating lime render to cut heat loss through the wall, but it’s important to ensure overall breathability. Numerous products are available with insulating additives that include foamed glass beads, hemp and cork. Insulating renders can usually be applied to a maximum thickness of 25mm in one application, but additional layers may be added to build up the desired thickness and improve thermal efficiency as required.

Useful contacts Chalk down Lime – traditional materials.

Tel: 01580 830092; chalkdownlime.co.uk ecolime – supplier of lime building products.

Tel: 01653 648566; ecolime.co.uk Lime Centre – natural lime materials. Tel: 01962 713636; thelimecentre.co.uk Lime Green – lime specialist. Tel: 01952 728611; lime-green.co.uk Anglia Lime Company – lime product supplier.

Tel: 01787 313974; anglialime.com mike wye & Associates – natural building specialist. Tel: 01409 281644; mikewye.co.uk Scottish Lime Centre Trust – advice and resources.

Tel: 01383 872722; scotlime.org Society for the Protection of Ancient buildings (SPAb) – information and advice. Tel: 020 7377 1644; spab.org.uk Ty-mawr – sustainable building materials.

Tel: 01874 611350; lime.org.uk womersleys – advice and materials. Tel: 01924 400651; womersleys.co.uk

Insulation Options

packed to the rafters

Insulation is key to making a home warmer and lowering bills, and from natural sheep’s wool to hi-tech materials, there are a range of options worth considering

T

he right way to insulate old buildings has been much debated over the years.

Most period homes were built in the days before cavity walls and modern insulating materials, and adding an extra layer can be a delicate balancing act – get it right, and you will be warm and comfortable, and benefit from lower energy bills; but get it wrong and your home could be damp from condensation, and you could even damage the building fabric.

Period homes are often thought of as being draughty, and air leakage is responsible for as much as a third of a building’s heat loss. While reducing draughts by sealing up gaps and adding seamless insulation layers is key to making a house feel warmer, in order to prevent condensation it’s important that materials are breathable and ideally able to help control humidity in the atmosphere.

Insulation products made of natural materials work especially well with old buildings. ‘Natural fibres are truly breathable and can help buffer humidity levels, holding moisture in a less harmful way,’ says Mark Lynn, managing director of Eden Renewable Innovations and a director of the Alliance for Sustainable Building Products. ‘This is particularly important in older homes, where ventilation and humidity levels may be problematic.’

Although natural products cost more than many mainstream options, they are renewable and can

even help reduce the levels of indoor pollution.

However, don’t overlook man-made insulations, as there are some extremely effective, breathable products that are suitable for period homes. Often the best solution is to employ a mix of materials – consult an expert with experience of old properties.

Where to insulate Lofts: If your loft is not currently insulated, then tackling it should be your first priority – it’s the easiest area to insulate, and considering up to a quarter of an uninsulated home’s heat is lost through the roof, it’s an important one, too.

The most cost-effective solution is a ‘cold’ roof, where the insulation is laid on top of the ceilings of the rooms below. This is usually done by laying quilts or batts of insulation between and over the joists. Alternatively, loose-fill insulation, which fills all the gaps, can be used. It’s important to maintain ventilation paths at the edge of the roof to avoid condensation, which can rot the timbers.

If you want to convert the loft into living space, you will need a ‘warm’ roof, where the roof itself is insulated. If reroofing is taking place, you could insulate above the rafters, although this will raise the roof height. The other option is to insulate between or below the rafters, or a combination of both. A variety of materials can be used, but it’s important to maintain an air gap beneath the tiles. ➤ Period Living 103

WaLLs: It is estimated that 35 per cent of an uninsulated building’s heat can be lost through the walls, but this is disruptive to address. Homes built before 1920 had solid walls, as opposed to including a cavity that can be filled with insulation. Solid walls can be insulated either internally or externally – but both solutions involve covering the existing wall finish, which can mean the loss of period features.

For internal walls, rigid insulation boards can be applied, or a stud wall constructed and filled with soft insulation. Plaster is then applied over the top. This inevitably affects existing skirting and cornicing. To insulate external walls, a layer of insulation is applied and covered with lime render or other cladding. This can totally change the look of a house and affect elements such as overhangs, windowsills and door openings, so is not suitable for the beautiful façades of many period homes. fLoors: Around 10 per cent of a property’s heat is lost through floors, of which there are two types:

solid or suspended timber. Solid floors are in direct contact with the ground, so without lifting them it is difficult to add insulation, but topping them with breathable, natural carpets, such as coir, will help.

Avoid rubber-backed designs. If the original floor has previously been replaced with concrete and includes a damp-proof membrane, then laying a floating wood floor on top can improve thermal performance. If there are damp problems with a concrete floor, consider replacing it with limecrete, made of breathable lime and aggregate.

Suspended floors are straightforward to insulate where there is access from below, such as a cellar.

Quilt-type insulation can be fitted between the joists, supported with netting. Insulating from above involves lifting floorboards, so think twice if the floor is of historical value. If you do disturb the boards, lift a small number at a time. A variety of soft insulating materials can be used, supported by nets, or rigid materials can rest on timber battens.

Draughtproofing.

Alongside insulating, it’s important to address gaps, as heat is easily lost through them. The Energy Saving Trust estimates that simply filling gaps can save up to £40 per room, per year on bills. Open chimneys are easy to block off with an inflatable Chimney Balloon or removable Chimney Sheep, while gaps between floorboards can be sealed with discreet strips, such as StopGap or DraughtEx. Narrow gaps around windows and doors can create draughts as well as rattling noises. Avoid silicone sealants and instead use draught strips, which can be removed in the future if required.

If you have single-glazed windows that make a room feel cold, look at fitting secondary glazing.

bLankets and fLeeces: Soft batts or rolls of insulation are easy to fit between joists, studs and rafters.

The cheapest option is glass or mineral wool, which has good thermal and sound insulating properties, but is irritating to skin. Sheep’s wool, such as from Thermafleece, is a good alternative with advantages including being kind to skin and enhanced breathability and sound absorption. ‘Sheep’s wool is made from keratin, which can absorb and release more moisture and even remove indoor air pollutants,’ says Mark Lynn. The other fleece option is hemp, a sustainable plant crop that is more breathable than mineral wool, can absorb up to 20 per cent of its weight in water, and absorb noxious gas. If space is tight, look at Thermablok Aerogel, available in blankets and boards, which 104 Period Living

uses NASA-developed technology to eliminate cold bridging (which impacts on efficiency) while being breathable.

It’s super thin – just a 10mm thickness can increase the insulation factor of a solid wall by up to 67 per cent. rigid boards and foams: There are a range of board options, the most common being ‘closed cell’ foam slabs, such as PIR (polyisocyanurate), PUR (polyurethane) and phenolic.

Most are impervious to moisture. For a natural option, look at wood fibre board, which is made from timber waste, so is largely renewable and recyclable, has some humidity control and offers good acoustic performance.

Boards need to be fitted together tightly, but avoid in awkward areas as cutting around details without gaps is tricky.

spray-on and Loose fiLL: Ideal for filling every nook and cranny, these insulations form a seamless layer.

Cellulose, such as from Thermofloc, is a loose-fill option made from recycled newspaper. It can be poured in place or blown into voids and gaps. It’s ecofriendly, breathable and gives good acoustic and thermal properties, and is suitable for roofs, floors and walls. Also look at Icynene, a spray-on insulation with an ‘open cell’ composition that, on application, expands 100-fold in seconds to seal all gaps, service holes and hard to reach spaces, minimising air leakage and cold bridging. Icynene offers high performance yet allows buildings to breathe. It can be injected behind panelling or through small holes drilled into lath and plasterwork, minimising damage to period homes.

Feature Melanie Griffiths Illustrations Sarah Overs

THE MATERIALS

The Reclaimer Clockwise from left: The stages of polishing; Paul Nash in his workshop; mid-Victorian segmented door handles by William Tonk & Sons, £250, Architectural Decor; pair of antique brass beehive door knobs, £42, UKAA; original Deco Bakelite doorknobs and back plates, £48, WMC Antiques; decorative brass handle and lock set by US company Eastlake, circa 1890, £180 each, Architectural Decor

Handle with care Paul Nash of Architectural Decor shares why reclaimed doorknobs and handles are a great way to add an authentic finishing touch to your home Hardware heritage…

Measurements and magnets…

The main benefit of using reclaimed doorknobs and handles is the sheer choice and variety available. You can buy a few different styles of reproduction versions, but the range on offer in the late 1800s/early 1900s was huge, with thousands of styles to choose from – I constantly say: ‘I’ve never seen those before’. Then there is the quality – if they’ve lasted this long in such great condition they’ll keep on going. Lastly, it’s the visible wear on original handles that gives them their unique quality. Customers buying reproduction handles often ask if it’s possible to have new ones with wear marks on them.

It may sound obvious but always check that the handles are actually pairs, not single ones that look alike. If they have threaded spindles and grub screws (the small headless screws that hold the spindle in place), check the handles screw on and off the spindles, and the grub screws work properly. The spindle sizes are the same as modern ones and the majority of locks and latches are sprung. Just make sure you check the measurements as you would a modern pair.

You can sometimes get original handles that are plated steel, especially from the 1900s, so it’s also worth checking the handles are actually made of brass. I always carry a magnet with me, just in case, as the steel ones can feel like pressed brass – I call it the magnet of doom!

Supply and demand...

Feature Karen Bray

The majority of our stock comes from the building boom of around 1880, through to the mid-1930s. We source doorknobs and handles from antiques fairs, demolition companies and specialist suppliers; my favourites are the small developers who’ll let you into a building where everything is for sale, as it’s due to be stripped out or demolished. We also get a lot of calls from homeowners who are updating their own doors and would like to sell their original handles.

What to avoid…

Never buy handles that are missing their threaded spindles, as you’ll never find matching replacements, and making new ones isn’t easy.

If they are mortice handles (where the round or square back plate is fixed to the handle), check that the handle is tight on the base, as the brass collars can wear really thin and eventually the handle and back plate will separate.

What to pay…

Restoration points…

From a specialist, where all the handles have been refurbished, checked, polished and supplied with spindles and screws, prices start from around £60-£70 for a standard antique pair dating from 1880–1930. The most expensive pair we sold recently went for around £300, and we also regularly have great quality mid-century reclaimed pairs for around £45.

There are so many variations of threaded spindles and grub screws, especially in the way the grub screws fit, that we often think there must have been a Victorian challenge to produce the most complicated screw with the rarest sized thread – matching them up can be an impossible task!

Polishing can also be an issue if they haven’t been polished for a while. Brasso and a cloth won’t cut it, but luckily it’s not too expensive to have them machine polished.

Period Living 107

GATHER Round

through the looking glass Creating the illusion of space using mirrors isn’t just a trick for indoors. hang this elegant full-length gothic-inspired outdoor Folly mirror, £175 from Cox & Cox, to make your garden feel bigger.

The stylish cast-iron Morsø Grill Forno II, £595, is a multifunctional outdoor oven for slow roasting and smoking food – perfect for entertaining from the last days of spring to the start of autumn.

As the sun sets and the temperature falls, you won’t need to go indoors as the wide fire pit will keep you warm into the night.

GARDEN journal th

vy en

As the days stay lighter for longer, make the most of your garden from dawn to dusk with these pretty buys

Bl ue w i

This intricately woven rug is made from plastic straws, meaning it’s suitable for use outdoors.

Reversible and super lightweight, the bright blue Jodhpur patterned design, by Fab Hab, comes in two sizes and can be rolled up and popped in its own carry handled bag to take with you on a day out. From £49.95 at Cuckooland.

Feature Michelle Guy

Handy hamper This delightful Fresh Greens wicker hamper, £75 from Marks & Spencer, is fit for a family of four, with ceramic plates and bottle opener included. Perfect to take on a picnic, its vibrant leaf print design sings summertime.

Large Lumia embossed silver glass Hurricane lamp, £31, Artisanti

Bamboo lantern, £73, April and the Bear

Large copper lantern, £18, B&Q

Light relief As night approaches, treat yourself to a little extra alfresco time by illuminating one of these lovely lanterns.

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Form FunC and Pract tion ic stylish al yet brass , this iron w plated can is atering one t definitely o on sh leave out green ow in the ho at ho use. £31 Conce me lust pt sto re.

BookshelF Pack a punch with colour in your flower beds with tips from award-winning gardening writer and RHS horticultural advisor Andy Vernon, author of deliciously vivid book The FlowerPowered Garden, £22.99, Timber Press.

Mick Lavelle, gardening expert and senior lecturer in horticulture at Writtle University College, offers seasonal advice Greenhouses are deservedly popular with gardeners, offering the chance to grow tender plants and extend the growing season into the cooler months. Almost all plants like to grow in reasonably warm conditions, with most growing best between about 16–24°C (60–76°F). A greenhouse traps daylight, which then heats the air and raises the temperature inside. The real trick is to ensure that the temperature inside doesn’t get too hot in the day or too cold at night.

Lounging around Add a dash of Scandi style to your garden with Skargaarden’s classic H55 lounge chair. Created by celebrated Swedish designer Björn Hultén as a nod to the 1955 Helsingborg Exhibition, which brought together prolific designers of the time, the chair has been brought up to date for 2018 with this Sunbrella Renaissance fabric. Priced £520.

Head down to the Garden Show at Stansted Park in Hampshire between 8–10 June to find an array of specialist plants, sculpture and accessories, plus expert demos. Adults £9, children £3, four years and under go free.

Weekend diy Looking for an upcycling project to get stuck into this summer? Recreate this casual seating area using a couple of large wooden palettes (you can buy these cheaply from reclamation yards – search online for local places). Clean them up and sand rough areas, then apply sadolin’s non-drip woodstain in natural, from £17.99 for 750ml, to create a perfect picnic table.

110 Period Living

ExpERT Tips… poTTERing in THE gREEnHoUsE

the heat is rising

By June, the long, sunny days can increase temperatures within a greenhouse very rapidly, which can result in a surprising (and occasionally devastating) amount of damage from overheating and scorching to your plants in a very short period.

Shading the greenhouse will greatly reduce overheating. The simplest, cheapest and (arguably) most effective way for gardeners to do this, is to apply shade paint to the outside of the glass.

There are numerous glass shading paints available, some of which claim to ‘react’ to sunlight. These stay clear (letting in full light) when wet but when dry, they ‘turn’ white (thereby reflecting the sun).

Of course, if it is dull and dry, their shading effect remains, even though overheating is not a problem then. air it Shading works most effectively when combined with good ventilation and humidity. The latter is easily increased by spraying a hose on hard surfaces, such as paths or under benches on hot, dry days.

Roof vents help ventilate excess heat but need to occupy the equivalent of 15 per cent of the floor space to be fully effective.

If you are not there during the day to open vents, then there are systems available that will open and close them with a thermostatic control – although many gardeners just open the vents in the early morning and close them again at dusk.

Shopping

Rustic copper roof bird house, £19.90, The Farthing

Bluetit and ink cap mushroom paper and wire sculpture, £119, Suzanne Breakwell at Made by Hand Online The Chelsea Collection teapot, £55, Sara Miller London

Blue budgie number 1, £44.29, Wall Style

Love birds wind chime, £10, National Trust

Audubon Jungle, fabric in Blue, £39 per m, Clarke & Clarke

birds of a feather Whether you’re up with the larks or awake with the night owls, the harmonious sound of bird song during the spring and summer months is a beautiful reminder that nature enjoys the longer days and warmer weather, too. Celebrate our feathered friends, great and small, with these bird-inspired motifs

Feature Michelle Guy

Flying Swan handpainted ceramic plate, £195, The Shop Floor Project

Garden bird cotton cushion, £46, Bella Art

Large wooden heron, £40, The Contemporary Home

Flora and Fauna umbrella, £14.95, Annabel James

Botanical birdsong teal wallpaper, £9.99 per roll, Arthouse

Goose teatowel, £11, Lush Designs

British bird notebooks, £12.50, The Shop Floor Project

Hellebore Pheasant fine art print, £25, Lola Design

Lime birdball seed feeder, £55, Green & Blue

Period Living 113

Gardens

Time To grow up Aim high with your planting, and discover a whole new horticultural dimension to make the most of every available space in your garden – both on the ground and above it Words and Pictures Leigh Clapp

Period Living 115

U

sing the vertical plane for planting offers the opportunity to make the most of the space in your garden. Living green walls are a common sight in towns these days, with plants growing to cover expanses of concrete and stretching to the sky in the urban environment.

They are also increasingly being used in home gardens to beautify walls and offer space for production. Greening up the vertical plane is especially useful in small gardens, courtyards and balconies to use every perspective. You can simply attach pots on the wall or opt for a range of systems with pockets or automated hydroponics. For maximum drama, a full living wall is stunning, or in limited space you could plant your own growing art in a picture frame, create a tower of stacked pots or use climbing plants for a cascade of colour.

A Green cAnvAs The range of commercially available green wall or panel systems may seem daunting, but in general they are either soil-based modules, soil-based fabric membranes or hydroponic systems that rely on water and fertiliser fed to the plants from a tank system. Keep in mind the weight of the system and strength of your fence or wall. You will need a waterproof membrane or a gap to protect the wall behind. You may opt for an irrigation system, or hand water; just make sure it is even, as the plants at the bottom tend to get a larger dousing.

As elsewhere, select varieties to suit conditions, whether annuals and perennials or edible choices, for shade or sun. Is there a shady spot that would be transformed with lush foliage or a sunny area for a herb tower? Right plant, right place is important, and remember the plants above will overshadow plants below, and will need careful watering, feeding and pruning. Living walls are planted more densely than a garden bed; think of them as containers in the sky, a tapestry of colour and form.

Use long-living, disease-resistant plants that are light with shallow roots, as they will have restricted root space. For a year-round effect select mostly evergreens, then highlight with seasonal colour.

You can grow edible treats, pretty flowers and foliage; your imagination is the only limit. Edibles need a sunny spot – herbs, strawberries, tomatoes and salad leaves all do well vertically. For sunny ornamentals try helianthemum, sedum, daisies, euphorbia and festuca. Choices for shade include ferns, bromeliads, ajuga, heucheras and tiarellas.

It may not be a whole wall you want to transform, but rather you’d like to add a decorative touch to a space or a mini edible garden by the kitchen. These miniature works of art can be created with fabric pockets and plastic container modular systems that you can buy or you may like to make your own frame. Your green living picture will change as it grows, can be redesigned easily by adding different plants, and is often portable.

116 Period Living

Previous page, clockwise from top left: Even a small panel can be used for salads and herbs; container and pocket systems allow you to change your living picture with the seasons; a hydroponic system panel allows ferns, huecheras and grasses to appear to be growing wildly up the fence, echoing the soft fringe planting of stipa and foxgloves; ideal for a sunny spot, succulent panels are an easy DIY project.

They are lowmaintenance – just mist the board from time to time

PlAnt PAlette LIvInG wALLs - shAdE Top row, left to right: Pachysandra are evergreen perennials or subshrubs with leathery leaves that grow in all but dry soils in part or full shade. hardy and droughtresistant once established and pest and disease free. Tiny white flowers in mid to late spring. heuchera offer a range of foliage colours and spires of tiny flowers. Clump-forming perennials that tolerate some sun but prefer part shade, in moist but well-drained soil. Tidy up dead leaves and if vine weevil is a problem switch to heucherellas.

Vinca minor or Periwinkles are tough, fastgrowing evergreen perennials for shade or part shade. violet blue flowers from early spring to mid autumn. Grow in all but the driest soils.

LIvInG wALLs - sUn Second row, left to right: erigeron are invaluable for their profusion of tiny daisy flowers from May to november. happy in sun or part shade, easy care, grows in walls and cracks in paving. Bees and butterflies love this plant.

Pelargoniums are tender bedding plants, ideal for containers in a full sun to part shade spot.

Usually grown as annuals to add bright colour to the greenery in summer. water moderately. some varieties are scented for added interest. gaillardia are short-lived perennials that add bursts of fiery flowers through summer to autumn.

Buy as a plug plant. They need well-drained soil in full sun, are very soil tolerant. Butterflies love them.

LIvInG wALLs – EdIBLEs Third row, left to right: Thyme is an evergreen subshrub herb of many different varieties, all have tiny aromatic leaves and flower in summer. Easy care and disease free.

Grow in full sun in well-drained soil. marjoram grows best in full sun in well-drained soil and is tolerant of most conditions. harvest the leaves before flowers appear or they taste bitter. sTrawberries have to be everyone’s favourite fruit to grow and they work well in towers, hanging bags and vertical gardens. They need a sunny, sheltered spot, fertile, very well-drained soil and organic matter added.

CLIMBERs Fourth row, left to right: hoPs are not just for beer; they are a great hardy climbing plant for gardens and will grow anywhere. not a vine but a bine because they twine clockwise around a support rather than sending out tendrils.

Plant rhizomes in humus-rich soil. laburnum creates a spectacular sight when the golden racemes hang down in late May/early June.

They need a well-drained site with light soil and the classic combination is to grow purple alliums underneath. A note of caution – don’t plant where children play, as all parts are toxic. honeysuckle climbers prefer moist, well-drained humus-rich soil in a sunny spot. The more sun, the more flowers, which are also attractive to beneficial insects and are deer resistant. Keep well watered and mulch to preserve moisture. ➤

Gardens

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Above and right: Arbours and pergola walks are classic ways to accent a garden’s vertical plane

trAditionAl ideAs The vertical plane is the longest axis in the garden, and there are other ways to use this often forgotten space. For millennia we have used climbing plants to green a surface or espaliered fruit against a warm wall. Arbours, arches, tunnels, trellises and pergolas can become lovely focal points adorned in profusely flowering roses entwined with clematis.

Another easy way to include vertical interest is to add some hanging baskets or containers on windowsills, balconies, along walls or displayed on stately plinths or a theatre stand.

Tripod structures have long been a valuable tool in the garden to add vertical punctuation points and support plants. A splash of paint will transform them into something special. sculpture is another way to enhance the vertical element and draw the eye, as is elegant clipped topiary.

Your walls and fences can become an attraction in themselves through paint techniques, planting schemes, creative materials or adornments. screens and hedges also offer further opportunities for your creativity, from a recycled old bed frame – perhaps to support plants and screen an area – to a tapestry of a mixed shrub hedging. nature’s vertical stars have to be trees – they add height, depth and layering to your garden. select ones that are suitable for your conditions, while taking in their mature height, and place them to create lovely vignettes, in copses or as beautiful specimens to admire. Once you really look at the vertical axis you may be surprised at just how much you can achieve to complete your garden’s vision. so look up, and grow up!

FUrther reAdinG

VerTical gardens new holland Publishers, Leigh Clapp & hattie Klotz PlanTing green rooFs and liVing walls Timber Press, n dunnett & n Kingsbury 118 Period Living

GArdens to visit

moleshill house, Cobham, surrey KT11 1BG. Private garden open through the national Gardens scheme. A flower grower’s romantic garden of different areas, including a green wall container system in a courtyard, pleached avenue and espaliered crabapples. visitors by arrangement May to July for groups 15+. ngs.org.uk 2 liTTlebury road, Clapham, sw4 6dn. small urban garden with living wall of 50 different fern species. sunday 9 september (12-5pm). ngs.org.uk barnards Farm, west horndon, Essex CM13 3LX. 22 acres with sculptures, mazes and a living wall.

Thursdays 19 April to 30 August (11am-4.30pm), sundays 24 June and 2 september (1-5.30pm). old recTory, Quinton, northamptonshire nn7 2Ed. Three-acre garden with elements of 18thcentury design and a 21st-century twist with living walls. sunday 20 May (11am-5pm). ngs.org.uk

livinG wAlls in PUblic bUildinGs

anThroPologie, Regent street, London The aThenaeum hoTel, London has one of the tallest green walls in Europe lg arena, Birmingham wesTField shoPPing cenTre, shepherd’s Bush, London boasts one of the UK’s longest living walls

livinG wAll sUPPliers

ans global ansgroupglobal.com aTlanTis gro-wall gro-wall.co.uk bioTecTure biotecture.uk.com burgon and ball burgonandball.com landTech soils lTd uk landtechsoils.co.uk Pixel-garden wall pixel-garden. co.uk scoTscaPe scotscape.net Treebox treebox.co.uk VerTology vertology.uk.com

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lay of the land Whether opting for paving, panels, decking or gravel, there’s a range of options to help landscape the garden of a period property Feature Andréa Childs

1 NATURAL STONE Providing an authentic beauty to garden landscaping, natural stone is also strong and low maintenance, making it ideal for high-traffic areas such as steps and terraces. These elegant Kalahari Grey limestone tiles look stunning laid in a combination of sizes, and contrasted with reclaimed bricks. From £144 per m2 at Stone & Ceramic Warehouse.

2 REcONSTiTUTEd STONE Made from a mix of stone, sand, cement and water, reconstituted stone paving replicates the look of natural materials such as limestone and slate. The result is strong and durable, with a consistency of size and colour. At Bradstone, the paving is formed in handmade moulds cast from authentic stone, so it incorporates weathered edges and even original tooling marks for a realistic effect. This Old Town Paving costs from £40 per m2.

3 mOdULAR bLOckS Create raised beds, border walls, seats, steps and even ponds with WoodBlocX, a modular system that requires no power tools to put together. The blocks are made from sustainably sourced pine that is pressure treated and coated with a water-based preservative, making them last for a minimum of 120 Period Living

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Vintage Oak, the product is made from a polyurethane blend with an anti-slip top layer and comes with a 25-year warranty, priced around £97 per m2.

6 GRAvEL ANd pEbbLES 15 years, with no maintenance required. Available made to measure or as pre-designed kits; from £204.20 for a Narrow raised garden bed as shown.

4 TimbER ALTERNATivE If you love the look of wood decking but you’re concerned about maintenance, then timberalternative decking could be the solution. Trex composite decking is made from 95 per cent recycled materials that resist fading, scratching and mould growth. The decking and handrails feature high-definition wood-grain patterns, in colours from rich red to pale grey. This Trex Transcend in Lava Rock and Tiki Torch costs from £75 per m2.

5 REcLAimEd bEAmS Rugged and rustic, the Weathered Oak collection from Millboard is moulded from 100-year-old timber reclaimed from the floor of a French railway carriage. The cast beams are then hand-coloured to create authentic, timeworn tones. Shown here in

Create blurred boundaries and transitional zones between features such as a lawn, pond and garden borders using gravel and pebbles. Opt for a traditional rockery or a more contemporary gravel garden; use coloured aggregates to brighten a shady corner; and play with a mix of stones, such as boulders, cobbles and pebbles, to add movement and energy to your plot. These decorative garden aggregates cost from £115 for a bulk bag that covers approximately 10m2, available from Marshalls.

7 pORcELAiN TiLES Frostproof, slip-resistant and low-maintenance, porcelain tiles are as popular in the garden as they are in our kitchens; you could even choose a design that works in both spaces. And because they weigh much less than concrete flags, porcelain tiles are an ideal option for balconies and terraces. Levato Mono porcelain pavers from Surface 360 can be installed using a pedestal and support pad system, so they can be quickly laid over existing surfaces, priced from £48 per m2.

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great divides

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Create a beautiful boundary in your garden with this selection of fencing and screening designs, from traditional trellis to decorative panels

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Transform an existing flat wall with a veneer of natural stone to create a dramatic border with ease. The Stoneface Drystack range from Marshalls comes in six slate and quartz finishes, including this golden-hued Harvest Mix, £369.99, available at Wickes. The stone panels are cut in a Z shape to disguise joint lines for a seamless finish.

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Picket-style fencing provides a barrier without cutting off your plot from the outside world – the low height invites interaction, while the gaps between pales give a glimpse of the garden beyond.

For increased privacy, grow a hedge behind the fence or allow climbers to tangle between the rails.

This Traditional Palisade fencing from Jacksons comes as individual components, to fit any size plot. Post, £12.40; corner post, £13.40; rail, £6.15; pale, £1.50.

Feature Andréa Childs

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The rippled panels of Quercus fences are as practical as they are beautiful – the weave design allows sunlight to filter through to plants and gives wind resistance. The Somerset family business makes its products from locally sourced, sustainable oak that doesn’t require treatment – the wood’s natural tannins protect the exterior, while it weathers to a soft, silver finish. You can even request a hedgehog hole cut into the base to allow our prickly friends to roam freely. From £223.20 for 6ft x 6ft panel.

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Create a beautiful natural curve with a retaining wall made from vertical oak sleepers. This bespoke border from South Hams Fencing and Landscaping works perfectly in a country setting, £175 per metre.

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Like an iron-clad barn in a wheatfield, these weathered Corten steel panels from Harrod Horticultural blend naturalism with industrial design.

The rust-coloured metal makes a stunning backdrop to cottage-garden style borders. From £410.

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An open trellis can be used as a decorative alternative to traditional panel fencing, as a privacy screen to divide areas of the garden, or a support for climbing plants. This Square lattice trellis fence panel in Autumn Gold costs £24 at Wickes.

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Western red cedar battens create a richly toned backdrop to greenery and add a contemporary touch to the garden. Light in weight yet incredibly durable, they cost £31 per m2 from Silva Timber.

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Treat your fence as a feature wall to add interest to a vertical space. B&Q’s modular Neva fencing includes laser-cut aluminium panels that can be positioned vertically or horizontally, shown here as patterned gates and wooden planks, which slot into steel fence posts. From £90 per panel.

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124 Period Living

Photographs Kilian O’Sullivan, courtesy of Stiff & Trevillion

etallics are on trend for interiors in 2018, so if you are revamping your kitchen, you can’t go wrong with steel-frame partitioning screens and windows.

Crittall’s minimalist windows and InnerVision glazed steel partitioning screens are designed for modern living, providing a sense of space and light with clean lines, subtle detailing and excellent technical properties.

As opposed to solid dividing walls, which block out natural light, an InnerVision interior steel screen lets the light flood in. ‘If you’re knocking down a brick or plasterboard wall, a steel-frame screen is an ideal addition for maximising daylight in the kitchen and adjoining rooms,’ says Stuart Judge, managing director of Crittall Windows.

Steel has three times the strength of aluminium, allowing for elegantly slender, unobtrusive, secure framing that maximises light, with single or double opening doors. Meanwhile, enhanced acoustic

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Visit Realhomes.com for… l Thousands of beautiful ideas for your house and garden l Expert advice on repair and maintenance l The latest guides to choosing period home products

David planted the rose garden in 2015, working with head rose breeder Carl Bennett and using surplus plants from the nursery next door 126 Period Living

Gardens

in the name of the rose

A garden planted by one of the world’s leading rose experts should showcase some of the finest blooms on the planet. Offering all that and more, David Austin’s private garden is a delight for all the senses Words and photographs Lynn Keddie/David Austin/Gap Photos

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Above: Elegant standard roses ‘Anne Boleyn’ and ‘Graham Thomas’ are the perfect complement to the home’s symmetrical Queen Anne façade Centre: Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’ and Sedum ‘Purple Emperor’ make good companion plantings for Rosa ‘Lady of Shalott’ Below right: The rose garden viewed through the unusual stilted hedge

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t the end of a narrow lane between Telford and Wolverhampton in the Midlands is one of the UK’s most successful horticultural businesses. It is the home of David Austin’s English Roses. The rose gardens and nursery have been here for 48 years. In summer, the garden is filled with delicious scent and hues of cream and apricot to yellow, pink and deep reds. David Austin, or Mr A, as loyal employees affectionately call him, lives next door and even in his nineties he is still very hands-on. For the past eight years, David has been redesigning his private garden.

‘My wife Pat used to look after this garden, but when she passed away, I took it on,’ he says. Pat, an artist, liked the garden to be wild. ‘She loved it, but privately I thought it was a bit of a mess – you couldn’t call it anything else,’ he recalls with a grin.

The couple moved into the house that David’s father owned, but never inhabited, in around 1940.

‘It was a beautiful Queen Anne property with later editions. It deserved a moat, so I built one,’ David remembers. ‘Then I planted the V-shaped hedge and left the rest to Pat.’ David, an experienced designer, began renovating the garden eight years ago with the help of Carl Bennett, his head rose breeder. He kept the moat and made a stilted hedge by pruning the lower branches of the now overgrown Hornbeam hedge to offer new vistas. He added yew drums for structure. In 2015, David planted the rose garden. ➤

KEY FACTS CharaCter of garden The garden has been through various stages of development and includes a moat, built in the 1940s, a pond, a perennial border, statues and a rose garden, planted in 2015 aspeCt The garden faces west from the main part of the garden photographed. The front of the house faces south soil Sandy loam soil owner Renowned rosegrower David Austin lives here.

His late wife, Pat, who originally planted the flower garden, died in 2007 period of house The property is a Queen Anne-style house, which used to belong to David’s father. David and Pat took it on in the 1940s

Gardens David Austin at the heart of his rose garden.

On the grass path, between the borders, is one of his favourite sculptures by his wife Pat, of a lady the couple once saw in Greece carrying a basket of ducklings on her head

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Above: David built the moat in the 1940s as he felt the plot needed a strong statement; the drum yews are much more recent additions Right: An old wrought-iron gate leads to the moat Below: In the borders, tall Acanthus spinosus make a striking backdrop for Rosa ‘Lady Emma Hamilton’ and Nepeta ‘Six Hills Giant’

‘I used roses from the nursery that were surplus to requirements, including ‘Desdemona’, ‘The Poet’s Wife’ and ‘Buttercup’. I don’t have a favourite,’ says David. ‘When I started hybridising roses as a schoolboy, I wanted to bring together the shape, fragrance and shrubby growth of old roses and the colour and repeat-flowering of new ones. I worked out how to do it by watching a lupin breeder.

‘My father was a farmer and was unimpressed when I gave up farming and made rose breeding my career. Not even I thought the business would become this successful.’

On the grass path between two rose beds, gazing at the house, is a statue that Pat carved, a lady carrying a basket of ducklings on her head.

‘We saw her in Greece – she did have ducks on her head,’ David recalls.

The final work carried out early in 2017 was to plant around the formal pond. Low-growing perennials with complementary colours were chosen such as Heuchera ‘Black Beauty’, Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’, Achillea ‘Moonshine’ and Geum ‘Totally Tangerine’. Mature beds filled with plants from his daughter Claire’s nursery surround the edge of the garden. Perennials such as Acanthus spinosus and Nepeta ‘Six Hills Giant’ mingle happily with Rosa ‘Olivia Rose Austin’, and Rosa ‘Lady of Shallot’. The results are stunning, but typically David still considers it a garden in progress – ‘I’ve been at this a long time, but there always seems to be more I want to do.’

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Above: David created new vistas across the garden by pruning the lower branches of a hornbeam hedge Above right and right: The formal pond surrounded by new perennial planting including heuchera, geum, geranium and euphorbia in shades of peach, blue and dark purple Below: Vivid yellow Hemerocallis paired with Geranium ‘Rozanne’, which flowers for months

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A roSE in EvErY ShAdE Our pick of the best roses to suit any colour palette Clockwise from top left: l Rosa ‘Tranquillity’ – neat rosette flower shape with light apple fragrance. Almost thornless l Rosa ‘Scarborough Fair’ – semi-double flowers with golden stamens and a musky old rose scent l Rosa ‘The Lark Ascending’– pretty apricot blooms with a light tea/myrrh scent l Rosa ‘The Poet’s Wife’ – a low bushy shrub rose with a rich fruity scent l Rosa ‘Munstead Wood’ – deep crimson blooms with an old rose fragrance l Rosa ‘Princess Alexandra of Kent’ – large, full-petalled flowers with a strong tea scent l Rosa ‘Wisley 2008’ – shallow rosette flowers on an arching growth with a light, fruity fragrance l Rosa ‘The Lady Gardener’ – loose rosettes with a tea scent and hints of cedarwood and vanilla For advice on rose care, to request the David Austin Handbook of Roses, or place an order, visit davidaustinroses.co.uk or call 0800 111 4699

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Recipes

Preserves season of the

Venture outdoors and discover the natural connection between ingredients that grow together at the same time of year, with Lillie O’Brien’s delicious recipes to inspire and delight in the preserving kitchen Photography Elena Heatherwick

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Boysenberry and nasturtium jam Boysenberries take me back to my childhood growing up in Melbourne. I had never come across them in the UK until I was driving home from a weekend in Sussex and passed a sign for a pick-your-own fruit farm. I’m so happy I stopped that day as I finally found someone growing my treasured and nostalgia-filled boysenberries. This delicious berry is a cross between a blackberry, a raspberry, an American dewberry and a loganberry.

They lean more towards a blackberry and are much plumper and sweeter, the sweet and tart flavour making them perfect for jam-making.

MAKES FIVE 220g JARS ● ●

1kg boysenberries 1 cup of small nasturtium leaves

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600g of caster sugar Juice of 1 lemon

1 Put the boysenberries and nasturtium leaves in a heavy-based saucepan and set over a low heat.

Cook for 5 minutes to release the juices and the peppery flavour of the nasturtium leaves.

2 Slowly add the sugar and the lemon juice, bring to the boil and cook for 10 minutes or until the jam reaches setting point – 105ºC/220ºF on a sugar thermometer. Pour into warm sterilised jars and seal immediately. Store in a cool dark place.

Tip: Seeking out boysenberries might be a trial but that’s the fun, isn’t it? Your best bet is checking in with your local PYO farms. Boysenberries aren’t generally grown for retail as they don’t have a long shelf life. If you have the space, they’re very easy to grow and are less invasive than raspberries and blackberries. As a bonus, the stems are also thornless.

Dandelion vinegar Growing up, I didn’t think much about dandelions apart from the soft fluffy head they create; I would religiously pick these in late summer and blow the tops off to make a wish. In fact, I still do this. The dandelion is one of the most underrated weeds on our planet – its health benefits are said to be some of the most important in herbal medicine. Try picking the greens in early summer before they start developing and become tough. You can use both the root and the green parts, just ensure you pick these as far away from polluted areas as you can. You can make however much you like with this recipe, just make sure the jar is packed with the roots and leaves and totally covered in vinegar. ● ●

Dandelion roots and leaves Raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar

1 Wash and scrub both the dandelion roots and leaves and cut into 5cm pieces.

2 Put the roots and leaves in a sterilised jar and pour over enough vinegar to cover.

3 Seal the jar and leave in a cool dark place to infuse for eight weeks. Strain through cheesecloth and decant into sterilised bottles. Use the vinegar as you would any vinegar for your salad dressings.

Tip: The health benefits of drinking dandelion vinegar are extremely good – try drinking a small glass of it before a meal. It can be a little intense so you can dilute it with cold water.

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Recipes

Gariguette strawberry and white balsamic jam

MAKES SIX 220g JARS ●

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Originally from the south of France, the Gariguette strawberry is an early-season variety prized for its strong perfume. During the month of May you will find them everywhere in Provence, and they are becoming more common now as they can be easily grown, so are worth looking out for. I have had some problems with strawberry jam as the fruit contain so little pectin, and I’ve spent years trying to create a recipe that would work without using additional pectin. Adding acid to the cooking process of jam (such as lemon or vinegar) binds with the sugar and natural fruit acid to form the gelling agent. This recipe is also a nod to my mum, who would serve her fresh unripe strawberries with balsamic vinegar and icing sugar back in the early 1990s. Use white balsamic vinegar to retain the scarlet colour of the berries.

1.2kg of Gariguette strawberries 800g of caster sugar

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100ml of white balsamic vinegar Pinch of pink sea salt

1 Hull the strawberries and cut them in half. I like to keep them in halves so that you still have largish pieces when the jam is cooked.

2 Put the strawberries in a preserving pan and set over a low heat so that they start cooking and release some juice.

3 Slowly add the sugar, vinegar and salt and bring to the boil. Cook for 10 minutes or until the jam reaches setting point of 105ºC/220ºF on a sugar thermometer.

4 Remove from the heat and leave to rest for five minutes, stirring every few minutes so that the natural pectin is distributed evenly. Pour into warm sterilised jars and seal immediately. Store in a cool, dark place.

Tip: This jam is delicious served with goats’ milk yoghurt for breakfast, as shown, or try making a set cream with goats’ milk and cream. If you can’t get Gariguettes, then hold out until local strawberries are in season – patience is a virtue.

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Peach and fig leaf jam Green gooseberry and bay leaf jam Gooseberry season starts with the firm, tart, green cooking variety, which I love to use for making a jam as the sharpness of the fruit counteracts the sugars, producing a not-so-sweet jam. Try to be aware of the sweetness of fruit when making jam and adjust your sugar levels accordingly: taste the fruit beforehand. Traditionally, the sign of elderflowers coming into bloom coincides with the appearance of green gooseberries and they do work together beautifully, but I think the warmth of bay leaves pairs equally well.

MAKES SIX 220g JARS ● ● ● ● ●

1.25kg of green gooseberries 5 fresh bay leaves, torn 100ml of water 800g of caster sugar Juice of 1 lemon

1 Wash the gooseberries gently in cold water and top and tail them with a pair of scissors.

2 Put the fruit, whole, in a preserving pan and add the bay leaves and water. Set over a medium heat and cook the berries until they start to break down and the bay leaves start to release some of their flavours.

3 Add the sugar and lemon juice and boil until setting point is reached – 105ºC/220ºF on a sugar thermometer. Gooseberries are high in pectin so this jam should produce a thickset jam.

Once cooked, remove from the heat, pour straight into warm sterilised jars and seal immediately.

Store in a cool, dark place.

Note: Later season gooseberries, more commonly known as dessert gooseberries, are often red, yellow or golden and are much sweeter than the early green ones. The Egton Bridge Old Gooseberry Society in North Yorkshire holds a show each year on the first Tuesday in August, where gooseberries compete for a place in the world records. Currently the largest on record weighs an impressive 62g.

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Ensure you use really ripe peaches for this, or any, peach jam recipe. If the fruit is too hard it won’t cook down in the sugar and you will end up with hard pieces of fruit, not a luscious glossy jam.

Peaches in late spring do tend to be firmer as they won’t have seen much sun. Even if you buy firmer peaches, leave them out to ripen on a sunny window or place in a paper bag, which speeds up the process.

MAKES SEVEN 220g JARS ● ● ● ●

1.5kg of ripe peaches, halved and stoned 5 early fig leaves, torn into pieces 900g of caster sugar Juice of 1 lemon

1 Cut each peach half into quarters and place in a preserving pan with the fig leaves. If the peaches are not super soft, add a splash of water to help them break down. It might help to place a lid on the pan to speed up the cooking process. It’s really important that the peaches are cooked through before you add the sugar, so test them by piercing with a knife to check for softness.

2 Once the peaches are soft, add the sugar and lemon juice and cook until the jam reaches setting point. Remove from the heat and leave to rest for five minutes before pouring into warm sterilised jars and seal immediately. Store in a cool, dark place.

Tip: If you’re looking for a more caramelised flavour, try roasting the peaches sprinkled with a quarter of the sugar in the oven at 120°C/250°F for an hour. This will help the fruit to soften and the sugars to turn brown. Then cook as above, adding the sugar once the fruit has broken down.

Reader offer This is an edited extract from Five Seasons of Jam by Lillie O’Brien (£20, Kyle Books). PL readers can buy it for the special price of £14, including UK P&P. To order, call 01903 828503, and quote Jam KB004. Offer subject to availability; please allow seven days for delivery.

Recipes

Period Living 139

Heritage weekend...

PORTMEIRION Follow the mermaid motif to find an eclectic haven of colourful architecture, a coastal Little Italy with plenty of scenic Welsh charm

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‘C

herish the past, adorn the present, construct for the future,’ was the motto of Sir Clough Williams-Ellis, visionary creator of Portmeirion – the whimsical clifftop village set on its own tranquil peninsula just south of Porthmadog. Overlooking the beautiful Dwyryd estuary on the North Wales coast, the village is a fantastical curation of colour and Italianate styling, a project that Sir Clough had conceived some 20 years previously, before coming across the Aber Iâ estate near his home – ‘a neglected wilderness, long abandoned by those romantics who had realised the unique appeal and possibilities of this favoured promontory, but who had been carried away by their grandiose landscaping…’

A founding member of the Council for the Protection of Rural Wales in 1928, it was the architect’s devotion to showing how a naturally beautiful site could be developed without spoiling it that saw him acquire and rename the resort Portmeirion – ‘Port’ to signify the coast; ‘Meirion’ the correct spelling of Merioneth, the county in which it’s located – for around £5,000 in 1925.

Surrounded by 70 acres of woodland gardens and sandy beaches, the village was built in two stages,

from 1925 to 1939, then once post-war building restrictions had been lifted, from 1954-76. Gate House, which straddles the driveway beyond the old tollgate, was Sir Clough’s first building, and made a feature of the rugged rock formations upon which the house was constructed. The deep arch, floodlit at night, contains a stunning Baroque ceiling mural by German painter Hans Feibusch, who painted several others at Portmeirion. The second phase of building featured classical and Palladian constructions that contrast with the Arts and Crafts style of earlier structures in the village.

With its scaled-down mansions, quaint cottages, grottoes and towers all grouped around a central piazza, Portmeirion feels almost like a stage set where you can immerse yourself in iconic architecture and scenic views. Indeed, the village formed the surreal set for cult TV series The Prisoner, from 1966 to 1967 – and fans still gather here for annual conventions. The giant plaster of Paris Buddha also featured in 1958 film The Inn of the Sixth Happiness, starring Ingrid Bergman.

Sir Clough collected all manner of curios from disintegrating stately properties and set them alongside his own creations to build a unique seaside utopia and, 50 years after he began,

Photographs (Aerial view, piazza, Castell Deudraeth and Round House) © Portmeirion Ltd (Beach) © Tim Richmond Photography (Pagoda, blue archway) © iStock Illustration Sarah Overs

Above: An aerial view of Portmeirion, the tightly grouped coastal village on a romantic clifftop site that its creator, Sir Clough Williams-Ellis, had always envisaged

Feature Emily Hawkes

Out and About Where to eat The village has a number of award-winning restaurants and cafés that offer everything from extensive menus to authentic Italian snacks.

Whether enjoying a light lunch, classic afternoon tea or fine dining in the evening from awardwinning head chef Mark Threadgill, take in the views across the estuary and the very best local produce from Hotel Portmeirion’s restaurant. The dining room was built by Sir Clough in 1931 as a curvilinear extension to his main hotel, and now boasts elegant interiors by Sir Terence Conran.

Castell Deudraeth Brasserie offers simple yet stunning gastro fare from its light and airy conservatory, the more private Estuary Room, or its outdoor terrace. Restored oak panelling and an ornate fireplace give the lounge a warm, relaxed ambience for after-dinner drinks.

For Italian-style dishes, from pizza and pasta to paninis, stop by Caffi Glas (the Blue Cafe), originally built by Sir Clough in the 1950s as a garage for guests’ cars. Visit the newly refurbished Town Hall with its all-day lounge bar and family restaurant with seating indoors and on the terrace.

And don’t miss Portmeirion’s own retro-style ice-cream parlour, Caffi’r Angel Ices, serving fresh traditional gelato with a Welsh twist prepared daily on the premises. A perfect pitstop for pastries and espresso, this little gem was originally built in 1926, then refurbished and reopened in 2014 as a chic gelateria. ➤

Clockwise from above: The piazza in bloom; The Pagoda is one of the unique architectural structures built

by Sir Clough; tourists enjoy Portmeirion’s sandy beach

aged 90, he deemed Portmeirion to be complete.

Now owned by a charitable trust, the buildings are all heritage listed and the site is a Conservation Area – Sir Clough’s life’s work today standing as a testament to beauty, something he described as ‘that strange necessity’.

Only 20 miles from Snowdonia National Park, and with Caernarfon Castle a 40-minute journey away, Portmeirion is now one of Wales’ loveliest and most popular tourist attractions. A network of walking paths thread along the coast and through the forested peninsula, which includes the ruins of a castle, and a profusion of exotic plants, nourished by the warm microclimate. Free guided tours of the village are held most days, the ‘forest train’ touring the woodlands from April to October. For real railway buffs, the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways take in nearby Porthmadog, whose steamtrain line is also connected to a rail heritage centre.

And for more contemporary pursuits, Portmeirion offers a spa and wellness centre, as well as being home to arts event Festival N°6 every September.

For a characterfully nostalgic day out taking in the scenic beauty of the Welsh coastline, there really is no other more fanciful and romantic a backdrop.

Portmeirion is open every day from 9.30am to 7.30pm. Admission: adult £12, concession £10.50, child £8.50 (under-5s go free). Please note, no dogs are allowed on site. Tel: 01766 770000. For more information, visit portmeirion-village.com.

Clockwise, from above: A fabulous viewpoint from one of the many painted archways in the village; enjoy a stay at the Castell Deudraeth,

where you’ll find Welsh oak, original slate floors and a contemporary seaside motif; the Round House was used as No6’s apartment in The Prisoner Period Living 141

Where to stay

From top: A balcony view of the Toll House below; Hotel Portmeirion’s opulent Mirror Room, which had to be completely restored after a fire in 1981; the 18th-century Kentish character of Battery Square

Portmeirion’s huddle of historic, kooky cottages and scaled-down grand houses scattered about the site are available for overnight stays and self-catering holiday lets.

Ranging from two-bedroom apartments to five-bedroom houses, there are 13 fully equipped cottages at Portmeirion, each with its own quirky name, from Dolphin and White Horses to Belvedere. Prices start from £395 for a threenight self-catering stay; £130 per night for a Village suite.

Hotel Portmeirion opened in 1926 as the focal point of Sir Clough’s proposed village. The main building, built around 1850, was the original mansion of Aber Iâ, once described as ‘one of the most picturesque of all the summer residences to be found on the sea-coast of Wales.’ It faced dereliction before Sir Clough added the first extension, a tower-like wing to the west of the house, and today, each room is individually styled but retains a renaissance feel and coastal accents throughout. From £154 per night for a standard double, B&B. Castell Deudraeth opened in 2001 following a complete renovation of this early Victorian mansion and restoration of its gardens. The building’s Baronial elements, borrowed from the Gothic and Tudor periods, create an impressive example of Victorian architecture at its most fantastical.

Indeed, Sir Clough referred to the Castell as ‘the largest and most imposing single building on the Portmeirion estate’, although it took 70 years for his original vision to be realised.

Castell Deudraeth offers 11 contemporary-styled rooms, its interior fusing the building’s heritage and traditional Welsh materials with 21st-century comfort and design. A stunning Victorian walled garden offers further entertaining space during the summer. The family connection also remains strong, with work by Sir Clough’s daughter Susan WilliamsEllis and her husband Euan Cooper-Willis, founders of Portmeirion Potteries on display, as well as Bronwyn Williams-Ellis’s tile panels, which are featured in each of the bathrooms within the hotel. From £125 per night, B&B.

Among the gift shops in the village, including Siop y Llong (Ship Shop), Siop Llyfrau (Book Shop), and one dedicated to The Prisoner memorabilia, you’ll find Portmeirion pottery, which Sir Clough’s daughter Susan Williams-Ellis and husband Euan began in 1960. Susan trained at Chelsea School of Art under Henry Moore and Graham Sutherland before expanding her skills to shaping as well as decorating pottery. In 1972 she created Botanic Garden, a beautifully florid tableware design that has gone on to become a ceramic classic.

Based in Stoke-on-Trent, the business is still family run, and a lasting legacy of Susan’s original vision, that her charming pottery be functional and affordable.

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Above: Hotel Portmeirion by night Right: the pictureperfect Dorlan Goch cottage sleeps eight and overlooks the estuary, with a private driveway

Photographs © Portmeirion Ltd

Where to shop

stockists A

A New Tribe anewtribe.co.uk Abigail Brown abigail-brown.co.uk Amara 0800 587 7645 amara.com Amy Kent 07979 594651 amykent.co.uk Anders Nog Iets anders-nog-iets.nl Annabel James annabeljames.co.uk Annie Sloan 01865 803168 anniesloan.com Anthropologie 00800 0026 8476 anthropologie.com April and the Bear aprilandthebear.com Architectural Décor 01179 585322 architecturaldecor.co.uk Ardingly Antiques Fair iacf.co.uk/ardingly Arthouse arthouse.com Artisanti 0345 259 1410 artisanti.com Audenza 0116 298 6393 audenza.com

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Y Z

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Zoffany 020 3457 5862 stylelibrary.com Period Living 145

all the fares, please!

Part of the capital’s street scene for more than 80 years until their last journey in July 1952, London’s trams formed the biggest network in Europe, ferrying sightseers and commuters to the city’s iconic landmarks and back again, and giving rise to some beautiful advertising artwork 1 This poster dates from 1932, when among the many highlights for visitors to the zoo was Winnie, a black bear from Winnipeg, who inspired AA Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh. Winnie, a very friendly bear, had been at the zoo since 1914 when his Canadian cavalry vet owner went to fight in France. Other residents included Sumba and Sumbawa, the first Komodo dragons in Europe.

2 This 1933 ad highlights various London sights, including Tower Bridge, St Paul’s and the coronation chair at Westminster Abbey. Tourists of the time might have expected Edward VIII to be the next to take his seat there, as George V’s eldest son, but his coronation, planned for 12 May 1937, was abandoned when he abdicated to marry divorcee Wallis Simpson later that year. His brother Albert became George VI on that day instead – ‘same date, different king’ he wryly remarked.

3 Dating from 1933, RF Fordred’s picture of the southern reaches of the Thames encourages travellers to enjoy a bit of boating. Putney Bridge would have been a great vantage point from which to see Cambridge win the boat race on 1 April of that year, defeating Oxford for the 10th year in succession.

5 West End theatregoers in 1923 could have enjoyed Noël Coward’s first play I’ll Leave It To You, starring the playwright himself, or George Bernard Shaw’s Saint Joan at the Garrick. The bright colours and top hats in the poster, designed at the LCC Central School of Arts and Crafts, bear more than a passing resemblance to Toulouse Lautrec’s Paris works.

6 GS Brien’s striking graphics for the British Museum route in 1927 would have lured visitors to an exhibition of Sumerian antiquities from Ur, in the Department of Egyptian & Assyrian Antiquities. Also on show were drawings and engravings by William Blake, Chinese frescoes, and manuscripts and books on the history of agriculture – then, as now, something for everyone.

162 Period Living

Feature Karen Darlow Images © Getty Images

4 Christmas shopping in London by tram in 1928 looks an altogether more pleasant and less crowded experience than it is these days, although we can still experience Selfridges, Harrods, Liberty and Hamleys just as the happy shoppers of the 1920s – and many before them – would have done.

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