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PERIODLIVING BRITAIN’S BEST-SELLING PERIOD HOMES MAGAZINE

H O M E S

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D E C O R AT I N G

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G A R D E N S

Inspiring homes

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NOVEMBER 2018

A N T I Q U E S

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V I N TAG E

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R E N OVAT I O N

Vintage

botanicals Decorate with midnight florals for maximum period drama

Original ideas and inside stories from the winners of our Readers Awards

GET WARM & COSY

Invest in classic radiators or underfloor heating

SHOP FOR...

BEDSIDE TABLES NEW PAINTS DOOR KNOCKERS CARPETS

SALVAGE SECRETS

Autumn

GARDEN Create seasonal interest and colour with your essential plant palette and expert advice

How to buy and restore an antique fireplace

CHARLES RENNIE MACKINTOSH

Celebrate Britain’s great design icon

Illustration Sarah Overs Photograph David Lloyd

Editor’s Letter

nspiration can present itself in many different forms, and often at unexpected times - the motif of a pretty vintage fabric found at a fleamarket, a sumptuous bedroom discovered on a visit to a National Trust property, or a colourful cottage garden stumbled upon during a country walk. But when it comes to renovating and decorating a house, there is no better source of ideas than the projects of other like-minded homeowners. That’s why every year, we hold the Period Living Readers’ Homes Awards, searching far and wide to find the best period properties in Britain, and celebrating their intrinsic character and originality. In this issue we reveal the winners in all their glory, and find out what the owners went through to get there. We launched the awards back in the May issue and have enjoyed receiving a wide variety of entries, and selecting our favourites to photograph and feature in the magazine. As usual, creating the shortlist sparked a heated debate among the team and guest judge, designer Vanessa Arbuthnott. We each had our own favourites, but agreed there is a huge amount of inspiration to be taken from all the winning homes. This year’s overall winner is a stunning Grade II-listed house in East Sussex, which has been sensitively restored by owners Julie and Mike La Rooy (page 42).

What made the project really stand out to the judges was that, instead of taking the easy route, Julie and Mike took the time to properly research the house’s history and the correct way to renovate it, making it work for their lifestyle, while restoring its period features and beautifully maintaining its integrity. I do hope you enjoy the diverse selection of winning projects, and I would offer one piece of advice when looking at them: don’t view the houses in this magazine as though they should be an exact scaled replica of your own home; take inspiration from a paint colour, a piece of furniture, a plant or an overall design ethos, and use it as the starting point for your own original scheme.

Elsewhere this issue, Antiques Roadshow expert Marc Allum kicks off a new series looking at great design icons with a profile of Charles Rennie Mackintosh (page 96). Tragically, a fire devastated his Glasgow School of Art earlier this year, for the second time in four years, which makes it all the more pertinent to remember how important and influential his work was, even though it went largely unappreciated in his own lifetime. It’s a fascinating read.

Finally, this month we are embracing the arrival of autumn with paints inspired by the changing colour of leaves (page 18), ideas for decorating with moody botanical prints (page 24), advice on heating your home with radiators or underfloor heating (page 123), and your essential plant palette for adding seasonal colour to the garden. Enjoy the issue!

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 Homes Content Editor Karen Darlow Style Editor Pippa Blenkinsop Features Writer/Subeditor Holly Reaney Contributions by Michelle Guy Email periodliving@futurenet.com ART Head of Art Billy Peel Senior Art Editor Emily Smith Art Editor 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 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 Brand Director Paul Newman Director of Content & Product Development Michael Holmes Editorial Director Jason Orme Commercial Finance Director Dan Jotcham

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Chief executive Zillah Byng-Thorne Non-executive chairman Richard Huntingford !Ç?ǣƺǔ ˥ȇĆ?ȇƏǣĆ?Çź Ȓǔ˥Əƺȸ Penny Ladkin-Brand Tel +44 (0)1225 442 244

Contents 42 Cover

Photograph Brent Darby

55

Decorating & shopping

11 18 21 22 24 65

November journal We round up the latest interiors offerings, news and exhibitions Autumn paints Taking inspiration from nature, be inspired by this showcase of our favourite autumnal hues ON THE COVER

Cosy home buys As the colder nights draw in, get ready to snuggle down and relax with these comforting items ON THE COVER Bedside tables Choose a chic piece that is worthy of displaying your night-time knick-knacks and essentials

Midnight garden Exploring the darker side to florals in decorating, find a cornucopia of colours and textures to inspire every taste

21 Features

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96 102

ON THE COVER

Quirky cottage A modern twist on the classic cosy country style, pair bold artwork with more rustic styles

145

Light fantastic Keeping alive the traditional skills of glassblowing with a true Arts and Crafts ethos, Rothschild & Bickers creates beautifully distinctive lighting The great designers Marc Allum dives into the fascinatingly rich history of one of Scotland’s design icons, Charles Rennie Mackintosh

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ON THE COVER

30

On the antiques trail We journey to the market town of Honiton to seek out its wealth of antiques shops Recipes Enjoy a taste of Ireland with these traditional and timeless recipes from Darina Allen

22

Period Living 7

Homes

37 42

ON THE COVER Awards We reveal the winners of the 2018 Readers’ Homes Awards

History makers Julie and Mike La Rooy restored their 14th-century home ON THE COVER

55 Living the dream

Susan and Phil Spurling updated their pretty English cottage

Gardens

84 On the right track

Winners of best garden, Jude and Mat Jensen have curated an awe-inspiring cottage garden

138 Garden journal

The latest products for your garden, and horticultural advice

143 Wild at heart

Outdoor buys inspired by Britain’s abundant countryside

6 66 In love with the Lakes

66

See the Griffin family’s beautiful Lakeland farmhouse renovation

113

78 Made in Yorkshire

Alison and John Stansfield created their dream family kitchen

Advice & inspiration

1107 1111 1 113 119 123 126 139 78

8 Period Living

123

House journal New products and expert advice Door knockers Add the perfect finishing touch to your front door ON THE COVER

ON THE COVER Carpets trends Explore the latest designs

Home health check Expert Roger Hunt advises on restoring original fireplaces ON THE COVER

The heat is on The perfect guide to help you get your home toasty for winter ON THE COVER

ON THE COVER The reclaimer We visit Holyrood Architectural Salvage in Edinburgh

Regulars

94 153 170

Subscribe Get six issues for just £20, plus a free set of three Orla Kiely animal canisters worth £30 Stockists Where to find all the suppliers featured in this issue In the picture As the nation prepares for the centenary of the end of World War I, we look back in remembrance

84

ournal J Introducing the latest interiors news for November, with all you need for an autumn refresh Feature Pippa Blenkinsop

Style th e

ons as se

What better way to welcome autumn than with a feast among the turning leaves?

With cosy plaid throws, country cushions and tableware, Susie Watson Designs’ new collection has all you need to style a seasonal celebration.

From ÂŁ32 for a 1 pint pitcher.

Period Living 11

News

up le gg

Sn u With winter

round the corner, now is the time to update your sofa to make those cold nights in extra cosy. Striking a balance between style and comfort, the new tan leather four-seater Balboa design, £1,399 from DFS, is a great way to embrace this season’s sumptuous honey and caramel colour trend. It’s also big enough for all the family to curl up on, and easy to wipe clean when muddy paws appear!

In a spin Covered in a vibrant Fauves-style floral, this jazzy new Elowen swivel desk chair from Anthropologie is guaranteed to get creativity blooming. £698.

BOOK SHELF Do you have a passion for pattern? If so you’ll love Spectrum: Heritage Patterns and Colours, a new book that explores fabric and wallpaper palettes throughout history. Spanning from the 15th century to the present day, prints from different eras are broken down into individual colour components, giving a real insight into the minds of print designers and the colours of the time. £24.95 from Thames & Hudson.

Artisan accessories New from Australian designer Lena Hoschek, these handstitched creepy crawly brooches are perfect for jazzing up your jacket. Moth brooches, from £65, and beetles, £95.

Period Living 13

News

A bota ni c The garden may be

lette pa al

winding down for the season, but luckily Sanderson has added 50 new nature-inspired colours to its paint collection to keep summer alive inside all year round. Designed to complement its popular botanical collections such as Woodland Walk, Chiswick Gardens and Embleton Bay, the new shades include refreshed yellows, greens, greys and teals, new coastal blues and sophisticated floral hues. ‘It offers something for everyone,’ says design manager Rebecca Craig. ‘From modern brights to chalky mineral shades, inspired by nature and perfect for family living.’

Inject vitality into a classic kitchen with Sanderson’s new Devon Green, £43 for 2.5ltrs of Active emulsion

PAPER TRAIL

Photograph (bottom left) Beanstalk 2017, Su Blackwell

This month, don’t miss artist Su Blackwell’s solo exhibition Forest, Folk Tales and the Sea at the Long & Ryle gallery in London. Using a scalpel and plenty of skill, Su cuts and glues the pages of books to create miniature dioramas glowing with lights in wood and glass boxes, like Victorian relics found in a museum of intrigue. The culmination of 18 months of painstaking work, this magical exhibition is a collection of ideas born out of folk tales and ranges from fairy castles to enchanting woodland scenes.

16 November – 21 December.

TALENT SPOT The monochrome winter skies are soon to be upon us, but for fabric and homeware designer Jennie Jackson the world is always bursting with colour. Jennie graduated from Norwich School of Art (now NUA) with a degree in graphic design, and worked for London design agencies for ten years, but now focuses her creative skills on producing striking homeware with a contemporary retro feel. ‘I love the work of graphic designers and artists working in the mid-century era, such as Tom Eckersley, Patrick Heron and Barbara Hepworth,’ says Jennie. In her home studio in Reigate she dyes and screen prints her fabrics all by hand, before making them up into cushions, lampshades and accessories. ‘I love the unpredictability of the printing process and the happy accidents that happen when colours and images are overlaid,’ says Jennie. (jenniejackson.co.uk).

From top: Trove linen lampshade, from £50; Autumn Fields linen landscape cushion, and Troubadour linen cushion, both £65

We will remember To coincide with the centenary of the end of WWI, Emma Bridgewater has launched a special Poppy half-pint mug. Priced £19.95, £5 of each sale will be donated to The Royal British Legion.

Period Living 15

News

EYE ON DESIGN Carley Bean, head of design at Cole & Son, shares the inspiration behind the new Botanical collection

What influenced the Botanical range?

One of the things I’ve always loved about the English landscape is its distinctive seasons, each offering its own unique array of colour and variety. We didn’t have to look hard for inspiration; from local forests to annual flower shows such as RHS Hampton Court, where we were as much in awe of the magnificent blooms as we were of the structure of their arrangements. We also delved into our vast design archive, as flora and fauna plays a major part of Cole & Son’s design history.

Right: Botanical Lilac Grandiflora Syringa Vulgaris wallpaper in Magenta and Blush on Charcoal, £600 for a two-roll set, Cole & Son

How did you translate this research into wallpaper?

First we start sketching - playing around with scale, composition and form. We finally decided on 15 designs that paid homage to our British roots. Once we have the designs we then we start developing our colour stories. The Botanical colour palettes are inspired by the ever-changing landscape and include everything from the pastel promise of early spring and the dazzling vibrancy of summer hues, through to the autumnal tones of turning leaves and crisp, cool colours of frosted winter.

Any advice for choosing wallpaper for a period home?

Make the most of beautiful architectural details. Wallpaper looks as great on four walls as it does framed in panels. Dado rails and panelling also give the opportunity to play with different scales and patterns. Try using wallpaper to add intrigue and interest to forgotten spaces such as the ceiling, too. A mirrored or textured pattern will draw the eye upward, and for a more contemporary feel don’t be afraid to mix period features with modern design.

m

rts o f

eature c r o C

Fancy lounging with a lobster or curling up with a cat? Renowned for its artisan collaborations, The Shop Floor Project has this season teamed up with artist Sarah Raphael Balme to release a range of beautiful and quirky animal cushions.

Covered in her naive, folksy artworks, they make great statement pieces for the sofa. £85 each.

16 Period Living

Get cooking New for autumn, the Highgrove Shop’s Blue Orchard kitchen range offers a modern take on classic blue and white print.

Perfect for rustling up warming dishes. Apron £17.95.

10 4 7

8

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3 1. Damson, £35 for 2.5ltrs of 1829 Chalky emulsion, Craig & Rose; 2. Huguenot, £46 for 2.5ltrs of Marble matt emulsion, Mylands; 3. English Fire, £18 for 2.5ltrs of matt emulsion, Crown; 4. Flower Pot, £40 for 2.5ltrs of Claypaint, Earthborn; 5. Picture Gallery Red, £45 for 2.5ltrs of Estate emulsion, Farrow & Ball; 6. Chocolate, £12 for 2.5ltrs of Home of Colour Matt emulsion, Homebase; 7. Brick, £45 for 2.5ltrs of emulsion, Edward Bulmer; 8. Russet, £35 per 2.5ltrs of 1829 Chalky emulsion, Craig & Rose; 9. Green Apple, £45 for £2.5ltrs of Perfect matt emulsion, Designers Guild; 10. Chatsworth, £61.75 for 5ltrs of Eco friendly wall paint, Lakeland Paints; 11. Jewel Beetle, £43.50 for 2.5ltrs of Absolute matt emulsion, the Green Collection at Little Greene; 12. Westmoreland, £46 per 2.5ltrs of Marble matt emulsion, Mylands; 13. Grey Embrace, £28 for 2.5ltrs of Premium Blend v700 walls and ceilings paint, Valspar; 14. Eucalyptus, £43 for 2.5ltrs of Active emulsion, Sanderson; 15. Amsterdam Green, from £5.95 for 120ml of Chalk Paint, Annie Sloan. 16. Puck and 17. Invisible Green, both £43.50 for 2.5ltrs of Absolute matt emulsion, the Green collection at Little Greene

18 Period Living

Styling Pippa Blenkinsop Photograph Kasia Fiszer

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Paints

16 17

13 15

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TREND WATCH

Autumn COLOURS

At this magical time of year, be inspired by a wander through the arboretum to decorate in nature’s glorious seasonal palette.

From the flaming reds of the turning maple leaves to the invigorating hues of the evergreen pine, use a leafy spectrum to mirror the beauty of nature at home

Period Living 19

Shopping

The Almanac – A seasonal guide to 2019 by Lia Leendertz, £10, Octopus Books

Angelica linen cushion in Natural/ Quince, £55, Clarissa Hulse

Nina tealight holder in antique brass, £5, Marks & Spencer

Mulberry glaze porcelain teapot, £75, Rouge Garden Trading Jutland fireside steel and beech tool set, £84, Hurn & Hurn

Richmond 1.5-seater sofa in Plaid wool in Autumn Gold, £1,499, Sofas by Saxon

Stoneware Wheat mug, £28, Made+Good

TIME TO COSY UP

Classic aluminium radiator in Amethyst Quartz, from £426, Bisque

The nights are drawing in, so it’s time to snuggle down and invest in pieces that will make you feel as warm as toast Oakdale multi-fuel cast-iron stove in Buttermilk, £1,330, ACR Stoves

Rope and rattan log basket, £116, The Farthing

The Braydon bed in Mustard Vintage velvet, £770, Willow & Hall

Feature Sophie Warren-Smith

Ugg women’s Scuffette slippers in Chestnut, £80, Amara

Chunky knit cotton pouffe in yellow, £75, John Lewis

Tibetan sheepskin stool, £295, The White Company

Ava Moroccan Berber Beni Ourain wool rug, from £750 for similiar design, Lilla Rugs

Izu stripe knitted wool throw in grey and white, £125, Also Home Period Living 21

From left: Versailles gilt mahogany bedside table, £305, The French Bedroom Company; distressed pine cross-leg bedside table, £295, Cox & Cox; Les Milles oak bedside table, £159.99, MY Furniture; Black lacquer end cabinet, £445, Shimu

BIT ON THE SIDE

From left: Mirrored Art Deco bedside table, £430, Out There Interiors; Chinese painted pine bedside cabinet with bird and flora motifs, £465, Rouge; Juno mindy wood bedside table, £250, Perch & Parrow; Serena solid wood bedside table in Rose handpainted finish, £1,368, Oficina Inglesa

From left: Chakra mango wood and brass bedside table, £169, Atkin & Thyme; Ottone marble and acacia wood bedside table, £295, Oliver Bonas; Oxford open-shelf painted oak bedside table in Little Boy Blue, £239, The Painted Furniture Company; Jaisalmer side table with floral bone inlay, £349, Swoon Editions

22 Period Living

Feature Sophie Warren-Smith

Don’t overlook your faithful bedside companion – choose a chic cabinet that’s worthy of displaying your night-time knick-knacks

From faded French florals and colourful chintz fabrics to ornate Arts and Crafts designs, botanical prints have been bringing interiors to life throughout history; but now they’re moving to the darker side. As autumn takes hold, forget pastel scenes of spring meadows and bright summer rose borders – instead think secret gardens overgrown with ivy, magical forests veiled in the shadows of lofty pines, and withered Victorian glasshouses gloomy from dirt and cobweb-covered glass. All offer a cornucopia of colours, textures and motifs to inspire a natural scheme with a gothic edge. Begin by looking to the seasonal landscape to formulate invigorating paint palettes and complement with the latest fabrics and papers. From ostentatious florals with roots in Dutch master painting, to moody Scandi designs, there are prints for all tastes. To finish, adding in plenty of contrasting textures such as plush velvets and gritty raw stone will help achieve that eclectic feel.

24 Period Living

Feature Pippa Blenkinsop Image Pellestrina F7180-01 velvet, ÂŁ125 per m, Osborne & Little

MIDNIGHT GARDEN

Decorating From Ambleside, a dark green shade with a muted blue undertone, to the almost off-black hue of Obsidian Green, the new Green paint collection from Little Greene and the National Trust offers a palette of 31 verdant shades, including deep moody hues – perfect for a dramatic botanical scheme. For a refreshing twist in a traditional kitchen, try painting walls in Jewel Beetle (pictured), which takes its name from the iridescent tones of the insect’s wings. From £43.50 for 2.5ltrs of Absolute matt emulsion

Period Living 25

If you like the moody botanical look, but don’t want to overhaul your entire scheme, try creating a themed table setting for an atmospheric autumn celebration. Choose a dark wood table dressed in simple Scandi ceramics, glassware and accessories, display sculptural foliage collected on an autumn walk, and to finish, dot with plenty of candles for a magical glow. Cushions, from £33.63. Rectangular plates, £21.63 each; ceramic storage jars used as dishes, £20.38 each; golden cutlery, from £6.63 per piece; brass trays, from £10.88; walnut serving board, £18.63; brass candle holders, £4.20 each; Houston glass tumblers, £6.25 each, all House Doctor 26 Period Living

Decorating Used floor to ceiling across all four walls, wallpaper is a great way to immerse a space in a particular look. For a botanical dining room to really wow dinner guests, try the beautiful textural tapestry of Cole & Son’s new Botanical Forest Silva design, £325 per roll

Period Living 27

Bring new life to a living room by layering up a spectrum of leafy tones. Start by painting part way in a dramatic green such as Zoffany’s Poison, then add texture with the Otley medium sofa in Savio khaki velvet, £699, Hudson chair in Marais floral green, £549, and the stylish Sandford coffee table with its dark wood parquet top, £229, all from Marks & Spencer’s latest collection. Finish with soft touches and accessories, such as its printed cotton geo rug and hexagonal embroidered cushion, both £19.50

28 Period Living

Styling Pippa Blenkinsop Photograph Kasia Fiszer

Decorating

Clockwise from top left: Burleigh Hibiscus dinner plate, £19, Soho Home. Graphite furniture paint, £12 for 750ml of Rust-oleum chalky matt, B&Q. Pellestrina F7180-01 velvet, £125 per m, Osborne & Little. Kestle zinc plate, £38 for a set of four, Rowen & Wren.

Blue tit ivy upcycled tea plate wall art, £16, Heart Vintage. Vintage glass bottle, stylist’s own. Kiko portrait 4x6” zinc photo frame, £14.95, Nkuku. Aurélie wallpaper in light grey, £89 per roll, Sandberg Wallpaper. Vintage cigarette card, stylist’s own. Handmade Dolomite glaze ceramic plate, from £19, Kana London. Burleigh Hibiscus side plate, £12, Soho Home. Cigarette cards, as before.

Shalimar garden amethyst velvet, £130 per m, Designers Guild. Aurélie wallpaper in Charcoal, £89 per roll by Sandberg Wallpaper.

Paints: Jewel Beetle, £43.50 per 2.5ltrs of Absolute matt emulsion, Little Greene; Clove Brown, £35, per 2.5ltrs of 1829 Chalky emulsion, Craig & Rose; Dragonfly upcycled saucer wall art, £12, Heart Vintage.

Period Living 29

Light fantastic Employing glassblowing techniques little changed for centuries, Rothschild & Bickers creates distinctive lighting, inspired by Arts and Crafts to vintage designs Words Andréa Childs | Photographs Kasia Fiszer Opposite, clockwise from top left: A cylinder of glass is trimmed to form a clean edge; the flamboyant fringed Vintage light is inspired by a Victorian boudoir; the glass needs to be kept soft enough to work with, so it’s regularly returned to the glory hole in the furnace to be reheated; the shades are ground and polished in the cold studio; the company has a ‘bible’ of components for every light; a wooden mould is used to measure the size of the molten glass – one or two ‘gathers’ of glass may be needed to reach the correct amount for the design; the traditional tools of their trade; metal tongs are used to create a neck at the top of the glass shape, where it can be broken off the rod; Victoria and Mark 30 Period Living

Made in Britain

Period Living 31

I

fell in love with glassblowing the first time that I tried it. I found it a captivating challenge,’ says Mark Bickers, co-founder of lighting studio Rothschild & Bickers, which handmakes glass lights to order. ‘It takes seven years to become a master blower but the craft requires a continuous refinement of your skill, and no piece is guaranteed to work out, however experienced you are. A glassblower has to be comfortable on the knife edge of risk and reward.

And to be able to cope with the heat!’

The hot, dry air hits as soon as you walk in the door of the Hertford studio; a sweltering microclimate whatever the weather outside. Furnaces blaze, melting glass to a temperature of 1100˚C. Balls of molten material are carried across the room on metal rods, ready to be transformed into exquisite lampshades.

Even the ‘cold’ studio is a hotbed of activity, as it is here that the newly made lights are ground and polished by diamondencrusted blades until smooth and shining.

Glassblowers tend to work in pairs, which is how Mark and studio co-founder Victoria Rothschild came to know each other and, eventually, start their business. ‘We met when we were both studying at the Royal College of Art and rented a studio together when we graduated, working on separate projects but assisting each other when needed,’ Victoria explains. When she was asked by fashion brand Ted Baker to create some bespoke lighting for its stores, it made sense to get Mark involved. And so when Ted Baker asked them to

do a few more jobs, the pair decided to make their creative partnership a permanent one, founding Rothschild & Bickers in 2007. ‘We’re not a couple – people always ask if we’re married – but we’re really good friends,’ says Victoria. ‘People joke we’re the same person because we have identical tastes; we even like the same foods. It’s the perfect foundation for our business. When we’re developing a new design, we’ll both look at it and say at the same time, “That’s the one”.’

Their first lights were inspired by the trend for vintage interiors at the time and these are still some of their most popular designs – an oriental lantern created from a bubble of fluted glass; an Art Deco shade reinterpreted in a ripple of fringed glass. ‘We try to ride the line between contemporary and traditional,’ says Mark.

‘But ultimately, it’s the material that decides how a finished design will look.

I don’t understand how anyone can draw a light on a computer and ship it off to be made in a factory, because it loses the relationship between the material and the product. The shape evolves as you blow it, so our designs use the way glass wants to move – stretching, twisting or taking on texture – to create our collection.’

Glassblowers have used furnaces and simple tools to create their wares since as far back as 50BC. Rothschild & Bickers is no different; it’s simply that the kilns are powered by electricity rather than a fire and bellows. On a Friday, the furnace is opened and glass ‘batch’ from Sweden is shovelled ³

‘The shape evolves as you blow it, so our designs use the way glass wants to move – stretching, twisting...’

Clockwise from top left: Racks of coloured flex, made in Belfast, ready for cutting and fitting; Victoria glues on a specially made lighting fringe – which won’t tangle and doesn’t let too much light through – on to one of their Vintage lights; these tools are made in Italy – the studio uses many techniques developed by Victorian glassblowers; the team is trained to select and fit the correct elements and test them for safety before the light is packed and sent out; decorative details include tassels handmade in Derbyshire; the glassblower blows down the rod, expanding the glass, distributing the colour and beginning to form the shape. ‘Only two or three people in the world make the coloured rods of intensely pigmented glass – ours comes from New Zealand,’ says Mark; the Flora pendant goes through six different polishing stages before it is fitted with an ornate floral holder; Mark uses a pad of paper that’s been spritzed with water to help shape a Diamond cylinder light; customers can choose from a ‘pick and mix’ of fittings and finishes to create their own unique designs 32 Period Living

Made in Britain

Period Living 33

in slowly over the course of a few hours. ‘The Scandinavians produce the clearest glass,’ Mark explains. The glass chips melt down over the weekend, ready for work to begin on Monday.

The process of making a light starts with the colour. Rods of intensely pigmented glass are put in a smaller kiln to soften. A piece of colour is picked up on the end of a long, hollow rod and the maker will blow through one end, creating a bubble in the coloured glass at the other.

This is then dipped into the main furnace which forms the ‘gather’ of clear glass over the top - similar to scooping honey from a jar. Another blow down the rod expands the glass, distributing the colour and beginning to form the shape. This is then manipulated with tools and a simple hand-held pad of paper spritzed with water. ‘The glass will go back and forth to the furnace to be softened and shaped, until ready to be taken off the rod,’ Mark explains.

‘Then it’s left in a kiln overnight to cool, ready to be polished and finished in the cold studio.’

It is this painstaking process that sets mouthblown glass apart from its mass-produced equivalents.

‘Our glass is heavier and has a more molten quality than factory glass, which is thin and has sharp edges. Some “blown” glass is actually just blown into a mould, so the maker isn’t learning the skills to create shapes,’ says Victoria. ‘We train apprentices in traditional techniques because we want to keep these skills alive, and sustain glassblowing in our own small way.’

The last element is to construct the light itself, fitting the electrical components and adding the decorative details selected by the customer. ‘There are 800,000 customisable combinations of our lights, plus we make bespoke designs,’ says Mark. ‘Our lights are really popular for stairwells and kitchens, and it’s lovely when our clients send in pictures of them in their own homes. Craft can be a rarefied world so it’s great to create products that people use every day.’

For more details visit rothschildbickers.com

‘We train apprentices in traditional techniques because we want to keep these skills alive’

Below left: Finished lighting including the Spindle Shade (centre), which combines handblown glass with the subtle intricacy of lampworked borosilicate, and the Oriental-inspired fringed Opulent Optic (top left) designs Below right: Calipers are used to measure the size of a light

34 Period Living

WE’VE MOVED HOUSE The Period Living website is now part of

Realhomes.com – the essential new portal for homes advice and inspiration

Visit Realhomes.com for…

O Thousands of beautiful ideas for your house and garden O Expert advice on repair and maintenance O The latest guides to choosing period home products 36 Period Living

Underfloor heating and radiators

READERS’ HOMES AWARDS

winners Earlier this year, we asked you to send in photos of your homes and gardens and to tell us how you went about renovating them, adding your own individual style. We enjoyed looking at all the entries, and choosing five winners was very difficult, but here they are…

OVERALL WINNER BEST LISTED HOME Julie and Mike La Rooy

‘We’ve put our mark on it but we’ve kept the integrity of the property’ ³

Period Living 37

P

icking just five winners from so many strong entries was always going to be difficult, so we were delighted to have textile designer Vanessa Arbuthnott’s help on Period Living’s Readers’ Homes Awards judging panel this year.

Vanessa and her fellow judges were astonished by the sheer scale of the work Julie and Mike La Rooy took on when they bought their 14th-century home in East Sussex. The couple are our overall winners and also topped the Best Listed Home category. The renovation was slow and steady, and the elegant results speak for themselves. Editor Melanie Griffiths loves the way Julie and Mike have managed to update their historic home within the constraints of its Grade II listing. ‘The La Rooys have incorporated everything they need for a modern lifestyle, while still allowing the home’s stunning period details to shine through,’ says Melanie. The couple win £2,000 in cash and £200 of Vanessa Arbuthnott vouchers. Our four runners-up each win £150 of Vanessa Arbuthnott vouchers. (For details of the company’s ranges, visit vanessaarbuthnott.co.uk.)

The winners in our new Best Garden category were Jude and Mat Jansen. The couple transformed a neglected, overgrown site next to a railway line into their fabulously well-stocked garden. Rachel Crow, Period Living’s content editor, admired the clever design and varied planting. ‘Jude’s garden looks good all year round and includes a mix of textural foliage, showstopping blooms and homegrown produce. The colourful results are sure to inspire,’ says Rachel.

Best Interior Style category winners Susan and Phil Spurling had to be inventive in furnishing and decorating their diminutive thatched cottage, as style editor Pippa Blenkinsop discovered. ‘Susan really made the most of every inch of space, and found a way of including her cherished antiques to create a harmonious look. The little bootroom was a real treasure trove, and made me think about how I could change my own home,’ says Pippa.

Vanessa and Andrew Griffin’s Lake District home scooped them the prize in the Best Project category.

38 Period Living

BEST INTERIOR STYLE Susan and Phil Spurling ‘It’s always a good idea to think of height when you have small spaces. When you can’t go out, go up!’

BEST GARDEN Jude and Mat Jansen ‘A garden is for sharing and we share it every day with people travelling to and from the village’

Readers’ Homes Awards

BEST KITCHEN Alison and John Stansfield ‘We wanted a good family space with a relaxed country feel’

BEST PROJECT Vanessa and Andrew Griffin ‘When we found this house we practically jumped for joy’

The couple removed a 1980s kitchen extension, replacing it with a modern glass structure that didn’t mask the beauty of the 18th-century farmhouse. Homes editor Karen Darlow says: ‘This project was the perfect combination of old and new, with original features sensitively restored and well-chosen modern additions to enhance the old house and showcase its idyllic setting.’

This year’s Best Kitchen award winners are Alison and John Stansfield. The couple rolled up their sleeves and did a lot of the work themselves to create a sociable kitchen-diner in their Victorian home. Guest judge Vanessa Arbuthnott says: ‘I love this couple’s salvage and reuse approach. It’s great that when they unearthed some flagstones under their drive they decided to clean them up to make a hearth for their stove. It’s all these little details that give the room its unique character.’

Congratulations to all of this year’s award winners, and to all those who successfully completed a renovation or decoration project and entered their home or garden – you’re all winners in our eyes! ³ Period Living 39

Look out for these highly commended projects in future issues of Period Living Jayne’s cottagestyle planting combining flowers and edibles

Helen’s mix of secret courtyard garden and brimming borders

THE CATEGORIES

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Emily’s 17thcentury farmhouse

BEST INTERIOR STYLE – SPONSORED BY VANESSA ARBUTHNOTT 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.

Sam’s pretty thatched cottage 40 Period Living

BEST GARDEN – SPONSORED BY MAZE LIVING Maze Living is a leading garden furniture specialist, offering a range of luxury outdoor rattan and fabric furniture. 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 black and white timber portion of the property dates back to the 14th century.

The house was enlarged in the 16th century

st listed home Be

HISTORY MAKERS When Julie and Mike La Rooy bought a 14th-century house with a connection to Winston Churchill, they didn’t expect to make their own mark on history - winning an award for their restoration

Words and assistant styling AndrĂŠa Childs | Styling Pippa Blenkinsop | Photographs Brent Darby

H

ousehunting can throw up some unexpected outcomes, as Julie La Rooy is the first to admit: ‘I thought this house was amazing when I first saw it but I assumed Mike wouldn’t go for it, thinking it would be too much work. Then we came back together and he loved it,’ she laughs. ‘It has been a huge project, though. I naively thought we could get it renovated in a few months, but it was three years before we could move in.’

It’s not as if the couple didn’t do their research.

Before they even made an offer, they enlisted a structural engineer to do a survey of the property.

‘He said it was in good condition for its age, which was true. The trouble was, the oldest part of the house is timber framed and dates back to the 14th century, and the rest of the building was built from stone in the 16th century. That’s a lot of years of wear and tear,’ says Julie. The house had also suffered from neglect, as the elderly previous owner had been unable to maintain it properly.

To check they would be permitted to make the renovations and updates needed to make this historic house habitable and homely again, the couple employed building archaeologists to create an architectural timeline of the building, and also asked a conservation officer to take a look prepurchase. ‘It became a listed property in the 1950s but didn’t have any planning permissions in place.

We didn’t want to find out we needed retrospective planning or that we wouldn’t be allowed to make the changes we wanted,’ says Julie. Reassured there wouldn’t be any problems, they took the plunge.

Despite their research, an architect recommended by the archaeologists, and a team of skilled builders, the building did throw up some surprises. ‘There was asbestos in the basement. The sitting room floor was rotten, so we could have plunged into the cellar below at any moment. And when we uncovered the original beams in the dining room, which had been hidden by lath and plaster, we found they were barely supporting the floor above,’ explains Julie. On top of this, there were the repairs they had prepared for – restoring the original black and white external walls, repairing the roof and rebuilding one of the huge chimneys. ‘We also decided to level the dining room floor and install underfloor heating, which meant the builders lifting

44 Period Living

THE STORY Owners Julie La Rooy, a yoga teacher, and her husband Mike, who works for a finance company. They have three grown-up children Property A five-bedroom Grade II-listed house near Uckfield, East Sussex What they did Repaired the roof, rebuilt a chimney, added new beams and steels to strengthen the internal structure, installed new plumbing and underfloor heating, refurbished the existing cast-iron radiators, rewired throughout, put in a kitchen and bathrooms, built a new staircase to the attic floor, laid a new floor in the sitting room, and restored all the original features

the original bricks, numbering each one and storing them in individual plastic bags so they could be put back in precisely the same place.’

Fortunately, the layout of the house remained much the same. The major change was to take out the narrow Victorian steps to the attic and replace them with an elegant staircase. The loft is now a self-contained suite for daughter Elise, with a bedroom, sitting room and shower room. They also turned one bedroom into a family bathroom and repurposed another bedroom to become a bathroom and dressing room in the master suite. ‘Our architect suggested taking out the boxed-in stairs between the dining room and kitchen to create an open-plan layout, but I like the sense of separation between the two spaces,’ says Julie. ‘We simply moved the door to the stairs into the dining room, which gave us extra wall space in the kitchen.’

Decisions about the décor have been taken with the couple’s typical thoughtfulness, focusing on quality rather than trends. The handmade kitchen cabinets, for example, were based on the existing Victorian pantry cupboard. The chimney breast was widened by 10cm – a week’s work for one man – to fit the stove. ‘We used natural materials throughout because we want the house to be sustainable. We also wanted the work to last for a minimum of 20 years and not to become quickly dated and tatty,’ explains Mike. Staying true to the building’s history was also key. ‘We’ve put our mark on it but we’ve kept the integrity of the property. If anyone who knew the house 40 years ago walked in today, I would want them to recognise that it’s the same place and to feel at home.’

They’ve more than achieved their goal. This year, Mike and Julie’s painstaking restoration project was recognised by the Sussex Heritage Trust. ‘It was lovely to receive the award, but this has been about creating our home,’ says Julie. ‘It’s been hugely satisfying and I’ve learnt so much but now I want to relax and enjoy the results of all our hard work.’

Best Listed Home

Above left: The porch is a Victorian addition to the house. The handle is original but the knocker is a reproduction design by Kilpatrick.

‘It’s not really grand enough for the house, but it’s all I could find,’ says Julie Above: Julie suspects the old well may have once been in use as it’s in line with a well on her neighbour’s property Left and far left: The garden room is said to have been dismantled from the site of Lewes railway station and moved to the house. No one knows who painted the pretty mural

Period Living 45

Donna the retriever enjoys the fire in the dining room. The old chamfered beams had been hidden behind a lath and plaster ceiling and were only discovered during the restoration. The original floor was lifted so that underfloor heating could be installed, then replaced brick by brick, before the Clearview stove was fitted. The dining table is from Trading Boundaries and the leather chairs are from Heal’s.

The rugs were auction buys and the log basket is from Amara. On the antique chair is a cushion from Oka

46 Period Living

Best Listed Home

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48 Period Living

Best Listed Home

Left: ‘Taking paint swatches to granite supplier Gerald Culliford to search for the worksurface was the best shopping trip ever. It was brilliant to choose the stone and see it being cut and polished,’ says Julie. The handmade cabinets were designed and made by local firm Levick Jorgensen and painted in Purbeck Stone from Farrow & Ball. The range cooker is

by Falcon, with a splashback of tiles from The Tile Source. Flagstones by Artisans of Devizes are a durable flooring choice.

The hare platter is from Unique & Unity Below: The bar stools at the island are from Ercol and the pendant lights are

by Jim Lawrence. The island is painted in Farrow & Ball’s Cook’s Blue, a good shade to contrast with the cabinets

Period Living 49

Best Listed Home

Above: The house was once owned by Winston Churchill’s doctor, Lord Moran, and this is said to be the room in which he wrote his biography of the wartime prime minister. Julie wanted the scheme to look cosy and inviting. The wood-burning stove is by Clearview. For a similar leather sofa, try the Viscount William from Heal’s.

The cushions and red throw are from Oka, and the blue woven throw is from Vanessa Arbuthnott. The ceramic sculptures in the fireplace were made by the couple’s daughter, Abbie, who is studying at Goldsmith’s, London Right: The original shutters were restored in the living room while the existing cast-iron radiators were refurbished locally by Keep Powder Coating. The chair and wooden coffer are antique finds Below: Indi (left) and Tammy curl up on a chair from Ikea

Period Living 50

Left: ‘I designed the entire room around this William Holland bath,’ says Julie. The taps are by Lefroy Brooks and the tiles are from Fired Earth Above: The stunning balustrade was rubbed back and waxed to restore its beauty. The brass light is from O’Keeffe Antiques in Chester Below: ‘We wanted to keep the focus on the beams in the bedroom, so we kept the decoration simple,’ says Julie. The bed and bedside cabinets are from And so to Bed. The curtains are made in Fig Harvest fabric by Sanderson and the cushions and table lamp are by Vanessa Arbuthnott

51 Period Living

Next Advertorial Month

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W

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Once the design team have listened to and understood your aspirations for your new oak conservatory, orangery or garden room extension, they will create a 3D visualisation of a design that is tailor-made to meet your expectations and be sympathetic to your home.

When you’ve agreed the details of the design, Richmond Oak can begin making your new oak-frame living space a reality. That involves the company’s expert planning consultant taking responsibility on your behalf for obtaining the

Above and below: This Grade II-listed Georgian property was extended with a dual-colour seasoned oak-frame conservatory to create a bright family living space with an uninterrupted view of the garden

necessary permissions, so you can focus on the enjoyable job of choosing the décor and furnishings.

By working in such a detailed and personalised way, Richmond Oak will create your dream living space that brings a unique extra dimension to your property. With the help of its team of designers, you’ll achieve the additional living space that you crave in a way that is functional, perfectly adapted to your needs, in keeping with the property and truly stunning. For more information, call 01323 442255 or visit oakconservatories.co.uk

Period Living 51 53 Period Living

Best Interior Style

st interior style Be

LIVING THE DREAM When Susan Spurling left Wisconsin to resettle in rural Wiltshire with English husband Phil, she realised a lifelong ambition of owning a thatched cottage. Embracing its character and quirks they have created a classic country interior filled with antiques and thrifty vintage Words and styling Pippa Blenkinsop | Photographs Jody Stewart Period Living 55

Previous page: Susan and Phil refreshed the exterior of their 18th-century cottage with a lick of paint, choosing to pick out the doors and window frames in a custom colour mixed from a swatch of Zoffany paint, now discontinued. ‘I would consider it a classic French Blue; a pale blue mixed with grey as opposed to a duck egg,’ says Susan Above: Susan painted one of the kitchen walls in Overtly Olive by Dulux and the rest in Valspar’s Milk and Honey shade. The dresser was an Ebay find and the vintage china was picked up all over the world, from France to Venice, with a good proportion sourced from The Emporium in Hungerford Right: Susan and Phil have made the most of every space, hanging handy pegs in the porch

56 Period Living

Opposite: The couple chose to have wood flooring installed throughout the ground floor from Wood & Beyond. The kitchen table once belonged to Susan’s sister. ‘It had been in her basement ever since she bought her 1900s house 30 years ago, and we think it’s original to the property,’ says Susan. Above hangs a light fitting from the summer Sunday boot sale in Marlborough.

To make the most of the wall space to the right of the front door, Phil created a bespoke plate rack

Best Interior Style

Period Living 57

O

ne day, I’ll own a pretty cottage and it will be in a magazine,’ wrote a teenage Susan in her high school yearbook. ‘I can’t believe it’s actually come true,’ she says today as she looks around the beautiful home she shares with husband Phil, light streaming through the window on a bright and breezy day. ‘I can’t imagine living anywhere else now.’ Yet the journey wasn’t all plain sailing.

Having married in 2013, just a year after meeting on Phil’s US business trip, the happy newly weds decided in 2014 to settle in England, and Susan left behind her 1860s Folk-Victorian farmhouse in Loganville, Wisconsin. ‘I’m a complete Anglophile so was very excited at the thought of living in the UK, but also a little hesitant, especially about leaving the beautiful home I had spent the last 20 years enjoying and evolving,’ she says.

When it came to searching for the perfect property, Susan knew it had to be old, and took the opportunity to hunt out the chocolate-box house of which she’d always dreamed. The couple knew it was going to be hard to find a house to match Susan’s last, and it took over a year of trawling estate agents online to find a shortlist for viewing. ‘It was so difficult to find a period property that retained its original features and matched my four credentials,’ says Susan. ‘I needed a room that I could make into a pantry, a kitchen-diner large enough for my farmhouse table and dresser, a living room with a fireplace and space for floorto-ceiling bookcases, and outside, I wanted space for a potager, lawn, and greenhouse,’ she explains.

A passionate antiques collector, Susan had amassed several pieces of furniture over the years that she couldn’t bear to part with, so this too had to be considered. Happily, all their remote research paid off, as when they stepped into their second viewing Susan knew instantly that she’d found the one.

Despite being dark, dated and fitted wall to wall with tired carpets, the house was structurally sound and had been rethatched in 2012.

The couple moved in during November 2014, but it was a long time before they could put up their feet, as Susan’s furniture took a further seven months

58 Period Living

THE STORY Owners Susan Spurling, a veterinary technician, originally from Wisconsin, lives here with husband Phil, a retired audio engineer, and their three cats: Beauty, AP and Ferrell Property A thatched cottage dating back to 1720, which originally consisted of two one-up, one-down properties. The house was later extended in the 1940s What they did Susan and Phil reconfigured the space and redecorated throughout. They ripped out all the carpets and laid wooden flooring across the ground floor

to arrive. ‘I felt a bit homesick at first, but once all my things had been shipped across I felt far more settled.’ At least, until it was fitted… ‘In my old house the ceilings were 10ft tall, so we found a lot of the furniture didn’t fit and we had to shorten a few pieces, which was scary!’ she says. ‘We cut down the legs of the armoires in the pantry and sitting room, but luckily for the kitchen dresser we managed to cut sections out of the floor instead.’

In the meantime, the couple had set to work reconfiguring the space. The previous owners had relocated the kitchen from its original position in the centre of the house and were using it as a dining room, but Susan had other plans. Instead she decided to reinstate the kitchen back into the centre, providing a warm welcome as you walk in, turning the previous kitchen into the dream pantry.

Once the furniture had arrived safely, albeit a little modified, Susan could focus on the fun stuff.

‘My home in the US was English country style mixed with 1940s Americana and French vintage,’ she says, ‘oh, and with a touch bohemian flair, too.’

She has sought to replicate this style in the country cottage. First came selecting the paint, which proved more problematic than anticipated. ‘My US home was full of light, but these little cottage windows created different shadows, so it was hard to decide on the right colour,’ she explains.

Faced with rooms smaller than she was used to, complete with all their quirks and awkward angles, Susan was forced to think creatively when it came to storage, opting for bespoke floor-to-ceiling shelving, Sheila Maids, pot rails and plenty of rustic wicker baskets in order to make the most of space and light. ‘It’s always a good idea to think about height when you have small spaces,’ says Susan.

‘When you can’t go out, go up!’ Open shelving also makes a brilliant place to store her wealth of antiques. ‘I never miss a boot sale,’ she says. Indeed, everywhere you turn shelves are brimming with vintage finds, cherished books and old china.

Susan’s latest buy, a reclaimed free-standing bath, is next to install, but besides that, it’s time to relax and make the most of their new life together in the English countryside. ‘I will miss the snowy Wisconsin winters, and will always prefer fries to chips, but those minor details aside, England is wonderful and now my forever home!’

Clockwise from top left: The pantry is Susan’s favourite room. The sink was another lucky Ebay purchase – ‘I was actually looking for porcelain 1940s sink legs for our existing butler’s sink when I came across this French one complete with porcelain stand, which was perfect’; Phil built the pantry shelving, using reclaimed wood from Beechfield Reclamation in Devizes for the bottom counter; the French mahogany armoire and church pew came from Ebay and the curtains were made by Chess Designs in its Balmoral fabric. For a similar rug, try Oriental Rugs of Bath; Susan and Phil turned the dining room back into a kitchen as it would have been originally. Luckily the alcove which housed the original range was still there, so the couple fitted it with a classic Aga found on Ebay for that all-important cottage focal point Period Living 59

Above: Susan selected Sunny Bordeaux

by Valspar for the sitting room to give a cosy cottage feel. The floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, built and installed by Phil, create ample storage space and contribute to the cosy reading room look. The sofa was bought in an antiques shop in Devizes with all original upholstery

60 Period Living

Above right: The portrait of L.S. Lowry was another Ebay find Right: Susan fell in love with the log-burner.

For a similar armchair, try Just Armchairs.

The Union Jack pillow is from Ballard Designs and was a welcome sight for Phil when he visited Susan’s US home for the first time. The blue plaid throw is from Susie Watson Designs

Best Interior Style

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Left: Susan papered the bedroom walls in Susie Watson’s Shalini Rose design. The antique French bed came from Ebay and Susan and Phil constructed the canopy themselves. ‘They are easy to make and are a great way to add wow factor. All you need is a wood frame, fabric of your choice, a staple gun and a little patience,’ says Susan. The antique French chair is from Crowman Antiques in Devizes and the print on the wall is of Modigliani’s Marie, Daughter of the People. The ticking quilt is also from Susie Watson Designs

Above: Keen to embrace the good life, Susan and Phil created a potager in the garden with help from Superior Plants of Market Lavington in Wiltshire, and the rattan cloches are from Burford Garden Company Above right: Behind the house is a pretty patio area big enough to fit a large garden table and host alfresco tea parties Right: The cottage didn’t have the greenhouse Susan had dreamed of, but the couple managed to hunt down a vintage timber design on Ebay. It need breaking down and rebuilding in order to transport it, and several panes were replaced 62 Period Living

Shopping Hare cotton chefs’ pad, £15, Aga Cookshop

Earthenware confit pot, £150, Oggetto Welly reclaimed fir hallway storage unit, £375, Loaf

Winter scene footed cake stand, £42, Spode

Brooklyn glass dome pendant, £109, Industville

1410 multi-fuel stove, £890, Morsø

Portrait of Leopold Zborowski by Amedeo Modigliani, from £60 for a H43xW33cm framed giclée print, King & Mcgaw Foxcote sofa in Floral Print fabric, £1,352, Willow & Hall

Wordsworth’s Dove cottage cushion, £49, The Shop Floor Project

Quirky cottage

Le Creuset stoneware petite round casserole in Coastal Blue, £19, John Lewis

Combine classic country pieces with rustic furniture and a mix of artworks and prints for a cosy rural look with an eclectic twist

Royal Stewart tartan lambswool throw, £89.95, Bronte by Moon

Solus single-ended bath in orange, £1,428, The Albion Bath Company Admiral tall glazed cabinet, £699.95, Windsor Browne

Feature Pippa Blenkinsop

Paeonia II framed print, £110, Neptune

Coastal stripe bedlinen in Charcoal, £79 for a double duvet cover and £14 for a standard pillowcase, The Secret Linen Store

Vintage saddle seat stool, £158, Rouge Galvanised metal planters, £29.99 for a set of 5, Waitrose Garden Period Living 65

Best project

IN LOVE WITH THE LAKES The Griffin family fell under the spell of the Cumbrian landscape many years ago, and when their dream house went on the market they snapped it up and started renovating Words and styling Sophie Warren-Smith | Photographs Jeremy Phillips 66 Period Living

Converted Cow Byre Best Project

Vanessa and Andrew Griffin’s traditional Lakeland farmhouse dates back to the early 18th century and took two years to restore.

The couple were keen to retain the home’s many original features.

For a similar paint to that used for the new front door, try Lakeland Paints’ Delavigne

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Best Project

Left: The original beams and stone wall make striking focal points in the barn conversion, where a modern chimney was removed and replaced with a wood-burning stove from Burley. The couple reversed several modern alterations, stripping away a breeze-block extension to reveal the original stone walls, some of which have been covered with traditional lime plaster. The engineered rustic oak flooring is from Smart Tiles in Kendal Above: Suki finds a cosy spot to curl up near the stove Above right and right: In the old farmhouse, the living room fireplace has the original exposed brick surround. The coffee table is actually a pig bench bought from Lots Road Auctions. The Rainbow rug in Multi and assorted cushions are all from Vanessa Arbuthnott.

When the Griffins bought the house, this room was carpeted, but they found the original flagstones in the garden and had them reinstated. A local joiner refurbished the Victorian window frames, window seats, and the front and back doors. The rocking chair was an Ebay find

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anessa and Andrew have been visiting the Lake District since their children were young, and like so many others couldn’t keep away, as Vanessa explains: ‘We bought our first house in Rydal, near Ambleside, in 2009 and were looking for an old farmhouse in an isolated location. When we found this Kentmere long house for sale in 2015 we nearly jumped for joy.’ They found a buyer for their Rydal house, and embarked on what turned out to be a huge project.

Their conservation story started with a trip to the Homebuilding & Renovating Show in 2015. ‘An architect there gave us the idea for a gallery in the barn living room leading to one of the bedrooms, and Douglas Kent from the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) guided us in terms of methods and materials,’ says Andrew.

Back in Kentmere, they enlisted a local specialist conservation architect to help with the design, planning and ongoing build. ‘Our aim was to restore as many of the original features as possible and our neighbour, a retired architect, was a great help with this, even giving us some old photos of the house,’ says Andrew.

Work began as soon as planning permission was granted and the first job was to restore the barn.

The couple stripped it back, removing the ugly breeze blocks that had been added in the 1980s and using a traditional lime mortar for the outside walls to allow them to breathe. A modern chimney was removed and the roof was repaired with slate.

They used lime plaster on the inside walls and partitions to match most of the original long house.

Planning restraints meant that the couple had to keep the main elevation of the barn as it was, with no new doorways or windows. The new windows at the back and side of the barn were matched to the original door openings with riven stone slab lintels, hardwood frame and small panes.

At the heart of Andrew and Vanessa’s vision was keeping that feel of a rustic agricultural building, as Andrew explains: ‘Two openings were fully glazed, including the main double-height barn door, to bring in natural light and create a lovely open feel while retaining the barn door shape. We kept the original doors and plan to hang them on the outside, or have new ones made.’

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The oil-fired heating system was removed and a new biomass pellet boiler was installed in the old barn byre, substantially reducing the home’s carbon footprint. The septic tank was disconnected and replaced with a modern Klargester Biodisc treatment plant, so clean water is now the house’s only output into the valley. A modern kitchen extension was demolished at the back of the house and replaced with a glass-walled room that reveals the original structure of the building.

‘Having started with a local architect, we used Cumbrian or neighbouring county craftspeople,’ says Andrew. ‘A local joiner renovated the doors and repaired the Victorian windows and window seats, while two joiners from Lancashire built some of the furniture and solved many problems with their practical knowhow.’

It was only when they lifted the carpets that the couple discovered many of the upstairs floorboards had been damaged or replaced with new boards.

They saved as many of the originals as they could to reuse, but the floor in the Herdwick bedroom has been replaced with salvaged roofing timbers from a Lancashire cotton mill.

Once everything was structurally sound, Vanessa began decorating, starting with the master bedroom in the old house. She chose a sheep print fabric for the curtains, teamed with heritage soft-white paint on the old walls. The en suite has a quirky low-level window and they deliberately positioned the roll-top bath in front of it, and in view of the bedroom. Vanessa sourced furnishings and accessories from Ebay, Etsy and antiques shops, choosing items carefully to ensure they fit the home’s relaxed and lived-in look.

A welcoming vibe is essential here, as when the family aren’t staying here for weekends or their own holidays, Vanessa manages the property as a holiday let.‘We welcomed our first guests about nine months later than planned, as like all the best projects, our two-year renovation had its ups and downs and delays,’ says Vanessa. ‘We went over our budget and there are many things we would have done differently. The builders are still baffled by our love of crooked and rough walls and uneven floors, but we are delighted with the end result and look forward to living here permanently one day, just as our predecessors did.’

THE STORY Owners Vanessa Griffin and husband Andrew, who works for a technology company. Vanessa manages the property as a holiday let (onelonghouses.com) Property An unlisted early 18thcentury farmhouse, and older barn, near Kendal in the Lake District, with six bedrooms and one acre of land What they did Renovated the farmhouse, converted the barn, and replaced a 1980s extension with a glass sunroom

Best Project

Above and right: The contemporary space at the back of the house replaces an incongruous 1980s kitchen extension. The clever glass-box design by Paul Crosby of Crosby Granger Architects ensures that the room is not visible from the road, but gives views across the spectacular Kentmere Valley.

Andrew explains the thinking behind the new room: ‘Old photos of the house showed that there was always some sort of extension here. This simple, single storey reveals the old rear wall of the building.’ The engineered rustic oak flooring is from Smart Tiles in Kendal. For similar chairs, try Cotswold Co’s Chester Grey design Above right: The old farm’s secluded setting, at the end of a winding country track, appealed instantly to the Griffins, who were looking for somewhere quiet and unspoilt

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Above: Vanessa and Andrew created a spacious new kitchen-diner from three rooms: a small study to the front of the house and then a side passageway, which had the boiler room leading off it and a downstairs bathroom. The couple exposed the original beams and added this central supporting pillar, reclaimed from their previous Rydal property. Vanessa chose classic cabinets from Handmade Kitchens of Christchurch, painted in Paint & Paper Library’s Steel V, with Steel II for the walls. The rough-edged slate floor tiles are from Smart Tiles Above right: Vanessa found the dresser (and the tableware displayed on it) on Ebay. She repainted and distressed it, and bought new handles from Wilfs Workshop on Etsy Right: Upstairs in the barn conversion you can see across the landing into the barn bedroom, which Vanessa calls the Bluebird bedroom 72 Period Living

Best Project

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Above left: At the far end of the barn conversion is this serene double bedroom, created against the gable end. A pretty Peony & Sage fabric was used here to create a country feel. The bed is from Feather & Black and the armchair is from Lots Road Auctions London Left: The Herdwick bedroom in the old house was the first room Vanessa decorated. She chose Emily Bond’s sheep fabric for the curtains, and Farrow & Ball’s Cornforth White for the walls. The floorboards in here were reclaimed from a Lancashire cotton mill Above right: This bathroom is en suite to the Herdwick bedroom, above the kitchen in the main house. The roll-top bath is situated so you can look out over the valley while relaxing. The tongue and groove is painted in Farrow & Ball’s Purbeck Stone

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76 Period Living

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Best kitchen

MADE IN YORKSHIRE Alison and John Stansfield wanted to update their kitchen without sacrificing the unique character of their Victorian home. The solution was to reposition the room and knock down a supporting wall Words Karen Wilson Photographs Katie Lee

78 Period Living

Alison deliberated hard in choosing a kitchen to suit the age of the house, opting for Neptune’s Chichester, in the company’s Limestone paint shade. Travertine flooring gives a country feel and unites the two spaces – it’s also a practical choice with rescue dog Carla around. Alison found the bookcase in a charity shop and has painted it to match the units. It houses a collection of Denby crockery, which started with a piece from her mum. The clock is from Rainford Interior Design Centre and the light is from Ikea

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F

aced with a six-foot-wide galley kitchen occupying a former pantry, Alison and John Stansfield knew exactly which room of their double-fronted Victorian home to tackle first. ‘It had a tiny north-facing window and 1980s pine units with only enough room for the chef, who was isolated and forgotten,’ explains Alison, who moved from a modern bungalow in a neighbouring village with husband John and sons Harry and Dan in 2011.

Creating a new kitchen in the former breakfast room and knocking it through to the front room seemed the obvious solution, as it allowed light to flood in through the south-facing bay window.

Alison took responsibility for hiring the tradespeople needed for the project. To knock down the supporting wall between the two spaces and install a steel beam, she drafted in a builder who lives on the same street.

‘We wanted to save and reuse as much as possible while creating a good family space with a relaxed country feel that had multiple uses,’ says Alison. The couple removed the 1980s gas fires and opened up the fireplaces for a range cooker and wood-burning stove. The old lintels that had been lowered by previous occupants were reused in the garden as seating. ‘And we were so pleased to discover some Yorkstone flags buried beneath the tarmac drive, which were repurposed as a hearth for the log-burner,’ she adds.

Keen to preserve the building’s character, the couple replaced modern radiators with cast-iron ones and had reproduction Yorkshire sliding sash windows installed, too.

However, the project wasn’t without its challenges: mismatched coving had to be replaced to make the two spaces tally up, and when Alison and John discovered that the kitchen floor tiles were sitting directly on earth they had to lay a new concrete floor and add insulation. ‘It wasn’t much fun having wheelbarrows full of cement brought through the front door,’ says Alison.

After hunting around for a kitchen design that would suit their Victorian home, the couple opted for painted units by Neptune from Aberford Kitchens & Interiors. They ordered these before they’d even moved in, and picked the wall colour used in the showroom’s café. ‘As the house needed rewiring and replumbing to replace the old lead pipes, we had to work out where the kitchen cabinets would go very early on,’ says Alison. ‘I

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really wanted a large freestanding central island and range cooker, as well as a concealed fridge and freezer behind tall larder units.’

Not afraid to get her hands dirty, Alison tackled many jobs herself including stripping the internal doors and window panelling, decorating throughout and upcycling junk yard furniture.

She has also enjoyed discovering the building’s history. ‘I love displaying pieces with a story, like the clay pipes and ink pots we found in the garden,’ she says. ‘We also unearthed an old butler’s bell, which we plan to reattach to the wall.’

Another discovery was the wording Repapered by R. Bywater, 1933 under layers of wallpaper, and a rolled up copy of The Selby Times along with a farthing from 1907, when the staircase was changed.

‘Our builder did the same and has signed his name to carry on the tradition.’

Ultimately, the renovation took longer than expected, spanning five years. ‘Every time we started something, another issue would crop up, like finding an old disconnected boiler that nobody had bothered to take out,’ explains Alison. ‘The enormity of the project struck home and what started as a kitchen renovation enveloped the whole house. Other things kept taking priority, like the bathrooms and children’s bedrooms. It was only when the oven door fell off in the old kitchen that we were pushed to finally finish it!’

Now the couple are relieved to put down their paintbrushes and enjoy the fruits of their labours.

‘I love my kitchen and I’m still in love with the colours,’ says Alison. ‘The only thing I’d do differently is have pan drawers instead of normal drawers. I’m not a big cook but I love hosting Sunday dinner and my sister-in-law often brings round a big pot of curry for us all to share.’

The space comes into its own at Christmas, too.

‘We place the tree in this room so presents can be opened in front of the log-burner while we make coffee and prepare dinner,’ she adds. ‘The logburner is definitely my favourite part - it feels like it gives you a hug!’

THE STORY Owners Alison Stansfield, a retired post lady and her husband John, who recently retired from Royal Mail Revenue Protection. The couple have two sons, Harry, 16, and Dan, 14, plus a dog, Carla Property A four-bedroom, detached, double-fronted house in Selby, North Yorkshire, originally a butchery and glaziers dating back to 1875 What they did The couple knocked through the former breakfast room and living room to create a light and spacious open-plan kitchen-diner with windows on three sides

Best Kitchen

Above: With little room for wall units, Alison decided to make a feature of the plate rack Right: Alison picked a Falcon range cooker from John Lewis and Villeroy & Boch Farmhouse double-bowl Belfast sink with Perrin & Rowe monobloc chrome mixer tap. The double-glazed sash window from Swift Joinery has been dressed with made-tomeasure Roman blinds from Finishing Touches Interiors Below right: To contrast with the slate grey quartz worktops elsewhere, the island is topped with oak. ‘We forgot to check that it would fit through the door,’ says Alison. ‘Luckily the fitters were able to take off the top and manhandle it into position’ Below: Alison had the idea of panelling the new opening to mirror the original bay window surround and bring the two spaces together. ‘I wanted it to look as if it had always been there,’ she says. John painted the walls in Old White by Farrow & Ball to maximise the sense of light and space afforded by the high ceilings

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Left: A large Victorian scrub-top table and chairs bought at a yard sale fit perfectly here. ‘We were going out for lunch when we spotted a sign outside someone’s house saying there were antiques for sale, so John slammed on the brakes,’ says Alison. The Hunter woodburning stove is from nearby Hemsworth Fireplaces & Stoves Below: A sofa in the south-facing bay makes an ideal seat to read.

On the antique console table is a picture of butcher and glazier William Wilkinson, who lived in the house around 1911. Alison found the photo when she was researching its history. The lamp is from Newark Antiques Fair and the trunk is a family antique that had been painted; now stripped and waxed, it’s used to store magazines

Left: The double-fronted Victorian house in Selby, North Yorkshire dates back to 1875 and used to be a butchery and glaziers. ‘We’d been looking for an old property for a long time,’ says Alison. ‘I remember seeing this house for the first time 20 years ago and loving it’

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Best garden

On the

Creating their beautiful cottage garden brimming with foaming and frothy colourful blooms has been a steady journey of discovery for Jude and Mat Jansen Words Heather Dixon | Photographs Joe Wainwright

Above: Swathes of lavender point the way towards one of the original train station signs Right: The view from the railway footbridge in the Cumbrian village of Wetheral, shows the garden at the former stationmaster’s house in all its floriferous glory 84 Period Living

Best Garden

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KEY FACTS

J

ude and Mat Jansen are used to people peering over the garden fence to admire their colourful cottage garden. They have even welcomed a few curious passers-by who have mistakenly wandered through the garden gate for a better look. For their beautiful displays of fluffy astilbe, hostas, sweet-smelling roses and purple masses of lavender, peppered with Helenium ‘Sahin’s Early Flowerer’ and phlox, are a sight to behold. In fact, their garden is so full of flowers that some spill onto the railway platform next to their home – the Grade II-listed former stationmaster’s house in the pretty Cumbrian village of Wetheral.

For rail passengers, the Jansens’ garden is a real visual treat as they cross the railway line via a Victorian footbridge, and enjoy an elevated view of Jude and Mat’s glorious creation, including its neat terraced vegetable plots and flower beds bursting

Right: Various shades of green with hot spots of colour, including hostas, ferns and buddleias, create a beautiful flower border at the edge of one of the patios. The wall to the left of the picture was built with stone reclaimed from demolished outbuildings Opposite: The path of stone railway sleepers leading up to the Victorian porch is flanked by a riot of pretty cottage garden plants, including helenium, phygelius foxgloves, salvia, and delphiniums

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Character Terraced walled garden on a sloping plot, including cottage garden flower beds, vegetable patch, orchard and paved garden with patios and lawn Size A third of an acre Aspect North-east facing Soil Alkaline Owners Jude and Mat Jansen, who have lived here since February 1980 Property A former stationmaster’s house built in the 1830s and extended in 1880 Who gardens? Jude started seriously gardening when she retired eight years ago. Mat mows the lawn, and carries out general maintenance, labouring and composting

with vivid hues. Yet the garden has only really taken shape in the past eight years, since Jude retired and developed a passion for gardening and the outdoors. ‘When we bought the house, the land around it was just one continuous slope of grass and very overgrown,’ she says. ‘There were a lot of outbuildings and an old greenhouse; it all looked very neglected.’

To create some kind of focus to the large garden, Jude and Mat employed a young stonemason to demolish the outbuildings and use the reclaimed stone to turn the slope into a series of terraces for growing soft fruits and vegetables. The remaining rubble became the hardcore for a series of patios.

The next phase was to demolish a station toilet block and waiting room to the side of the house and turn it into a walled garden, using the original room layout to define the position of raised beds, a barbecue and a dining area. ‘We tried to reuse ³

Best Garden

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everything that was already on site,’ says Mat. ‘The main access to the house is over the railway footbridge, so everything has to be manually carried from the car to the garden. There used to be a sleeper crossing on the railway line so we could use a wheelbarrow to bring things over, but that was eventually removed for safety reasons.’

The sleeper did come in handy, though, for ferrying tonnes of shingle, used to create a gravel garden and footpaths. Jude and Mat have also incorporated leftover railway paraphernalia to create features and focal points, like an old sack barrow, window lintels, stone railway sleepers, metal signs and even a lamppost.

In recent years, the main things to be carried over the footbridge are plants – and Jude is always on the lookout for something new. ‘Once the structural elements of the garden were in place it was a case of letting the planting evolve,’ she says.

‘I come from a farming background, so I was keen to grow lots of fruit, herbs and vegetables. We have ³

Left: Jude and Mat regularly clean the beautiful cast-iron footbridge, which forms a colourful frame to phlox, a rambling rose, astilbe and Helenium ‘Sahin’s Early Flowerer’ Right: Jude bought the metal wind spinner sculpture, around which is planted yellow ligularia and veronicastrum, after falling in love with something similar during a visit to the famous Butchart Gardens on Canada’s Vancouver Island

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Best Garden

Above: Ferns, astilbe and astrantia are among the mix of cottage garden plants at the front of the house. On the gravel garden a wheelbarrow, once used to ferry gravel from the boot of the car across the railway line, is now put to good use as a decorative planter for mini hostas. The gravel garden is so deep that weeds are naturally suppressed Left: Six hens provide Jude and Mat with a ready supply of fresh eggs for the family

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Best Garden Right: The auricula theatre was made by a friend and filled with pots full of young plants inspired by the largest of the group – which was a gift from a friend. This is a traditional way of displaying auricular plants as the cover protects the dusty bloom on the leaves Below: The thick patio walls are perfect locations for a linear display of potted plants. A container from TK Maxx is filled with heuchera and Tiarella ‘Angel Wings’

four children and 12 grandchildren so we get through a lot! Then I joined the local gardening club and my interest in flowers and plants really took off. I help to organise club trips so I get inspiration from gardens and garden centres all over the UK and abroad – there is always something to learn and something to tempt me.’

She has filled the garden with textures, shapes and colour, planting everything from lavender, phlox, and roses, to lilies, clematis and lobelia.

‘I love hostas and have dozens which I’ve bought, or have been given to me, over the years. I have put them together in specific areas – including the patio, where they are in pots, away from the slugs.’

Succulents have also been included in the gravel garden and decorative pots around the garden walls, while the cottage garden flowers ³ Left: Lady’s mantle, or Alchemilla mollis, flourishes in the vegetable beds, where Jude grows beans, peas, celery, asparagus, Swiss chard, cabbages and swede, as well as soft fruits and herbs Below: An old station fire bucket is perfect for growing the late-flowering penstemon

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Far left: An old stone urn stands nestled between alliums and ferns by the red stone wall Left: The Newcastle to Carlisle railway line runs across this viaduct over the River Eden, creating a spectacular backdrop to the garden

Above: The sheltered patio, once a waiting room and toilet block, is ideally sheltered for dining alfresco. The large table comfortably seats the family when they visit Left: Hostas are a favourite of Jude’s Right: Hostas of all shapes and sizes create a little vignette nestled in a shady spot on the patio

HEAVENLY HOSTAS One of Jude’s favourite plants, hostas, with their lush foliage, variegated colours and beautiful leaf shapes, look spectacular grouped together in pots on a patio, or planted as a border display.

O Otherwise known as plantain lilies, hostas generally thrive in shade but the lighter the leaves, the more sun they can tolerate.

O Plant them in rich organic soil and keep moist, watering regularly at the base to make sure the hostas don’t dry out.

O Hostas are a magnet for slugs, so sprinkle an area around the base of the plants with sand or light, sharp gravel, to prevent them getting to the plants.

O They are a natural weed suppressor as the roots spread, but choose a sheltered, shady spot if you are using them to create ground cover.

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are constantly being replenished and added to, creating a riot of colour around the front door of the stationmaster’s house.

Jude is particularly fond of ferns, which are ideal for north-east facing gardens, and cottage garden flowers, which bring summer-long colour into the beds and borders. ‘It was a huge learning curve,’ says Jude. ‘I’m still learning. In the early days I would plant things that were too big for the position and end up moving them, or I’d plant something that overpowered the plants next to it; but gradually you learn how things work together and when they will be at their best.’

The garden also includes a small orchard of pear and apple trees, and a chicken run – created and cared for by Mat. As a result, it comprises a series of ‘rooms’, each with their own character and purpose, all of them leading down to a beech hedge that divides the garden from a deep gorge down to the River Eden.

‘We love it when people waiting for trains look into the garden and enjoy the flowers,’ says Jude.

‘A garden is for sharing and we share it every day with people travelling to and from the village. We have even planted up some areas of the platform to continue the colour around the edges.

‘It’s a garden for all seasons,’ she adds, ‘but it’s at its best in high summer when the cottage garden flowers are in bloom. Then it’s an absolute picture.’

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Charles Rennie

MACKINTOSH In the first of a new series looking at the influence of design icons over the centuries, Antiques Roadshow expert Marc Allum questions why the work of this great Scottish architect and designer went largely unnoticed in Britain during his lifetime

egrettably, I have to commence this article in the knowledge that one of the finest architectural gems created by the great Scottish architect and designer, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, was recently all but destroyed.

The Glasgow School of Art (1897-1909) was tragically gutted by fire in June this year. The flames not only ravaged the nearly completed, restored sections from a previous devastating blaze that occurred in May 2014, but also many surrounding buildings, too. In anticipation of tens of millions of pounds being expended to restore this masterpiece, yet again, it is worth exploring why Mackintosh is such an important figure in design terms, and so why it is crucial to bring this building back from the ashes.

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Undiscovered in his lifetime Born in Glasgow in 1868, Mackintosh was fourth of 11 children of William McIntosh, the chief clerk of the City of Glasgow Police, and his wife Margaret Rennie. Charles’ health as a child was not particularly good, so he was encouraged to improve it by taking exercise. It was while out exercising that his father inspired his strong interest in the natural world – a trait that was to become eminently obvious in the observation, intricacy and design of Mackintosh’s art and work.

At the age of 15, he was apprenticed to the architectural practice of John Hutchison and enrolled at the Glasgow School of Art, where he attended as a part-time student for 10 years.

In 1889 he finished his apprenticeship with Hutchison and joined the newly established architectural firm of Honeyman and Keppie, ³

Photographs (this page) © The Hunterian, University of Glasgow; (photograph of Mackintosh) courtesy the Hunterian © Annan; (Glasgow School of Art) © Alan McAteer; (drawing and photograph House of an Art Lover) © House for an Art Lover

THE GREAT DESIGNERS

Antiques

Above and bottom: The Library and the north façade of the Mackintosh Building, Glasgow School of Art, pre 2014, before they were gutted by the first devastating fire Below: The great designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh, photographed

by T&R Annan & Sons in 1893

Opposite: Mackintosh’s Rose and Teardrop textile design, 1915-1928.

He used stylised roses throughout his career and this design is one of the most developed, with each rose different Above and top left: Originally a disqualified entry in a competition to design a country house, Charles’ drawings of House for an Art Lover were used to realise the building, more than 60 years after his death, on a site in Glasgow’s Bellahouston Park. It features his signature design elements (houseforanartlover.co.uk) Period Living 97

Photographs (Argyle chair) © Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences/Ryan Hernandez; (Hill House) © National Trust for Scotland – Hill House is currently closed in preparation for a major conservation project; (mirrored frieze) © The Willow Tea Rooms Trust

Antiques where his obvious skills as a draughtsman and artist were quickly recognised. It was while working here, in 1900, that Mackintosh married Margaret Macdonald. He had met Margaret and her sister Frances at the Glasgow School of Art, and along with his fellow student at Honeyman and Keppie, James McNair, ‘The Four’ became important and established figures in the burgeoning ‘Glasgow Style’ of decorative design. Margaret, although historically marginalised by her husband’s reputation, was a skilled artist working in all mediums. She collaborated closely with Mackintosh throughout their careers, and he in turn gave her great credit for her work.

Yet, despite this youthful impetus and personal motivation, Mackintosh cuts a remarkably tragic figure in both his personal life and design history and by the time of his death, in 1928, was a relatively obscure figure. There are several reasons for this.

Essentially, he was born into an era of great change and transition. The 19th century is remarkably difficult to define in design terms and is littered with the successful and not so successful exponents of progress who endeavoured – idealistically - to bridge the gap between the staid Victorian language of design and the impending innovation of the 20th century. His contemporaries – both in Britain and abroad – and those who, like Mackintosh, were intent on changing the normal rhetoric, were individuals such as Frank Lloyd Wright, Josef Hoffman and Edwin Lutyens. These were all people to whom Mackintosh would have been well regarded, yet his output was relatively isolated and geographically closely related to just Glasgow and its environs. In addition, his main body of work was limited to a fairly short space of time and his architectural commissions mainly took place between the years 1896 and 1909, with almost everything thereafter limited to artworks. In this short period he burned brightly and fiercely; yet his reputation for innovation was appreciated more on the continent, where his proximity to the continental style of Art Nouveau put him on a par with many great European designers.

Right: For those seeking to emulate the Mackintosh look, this mahogany high back armchair, circa 1890-1910, is in his style, £1,250, 1stDibs Below: Designed for Catherine Cranston’s Argyle Street Tearooms in Glasgow, around 1898-1899, the Argyle chair combines simple and sculptural elements. This kind of high-backed chair, used to subdivide a space, was very important in the career of the Scottish designer

A distinctive style Mackintosh’s outstanding ability to cohesively design ‘the whole’ – creating every aspect of a ³

Above: The white drawing room of Hill House. The highly ornamental interior features several iconic decorative motifs now synonymous with Mackintosh, including a stylised rose (above middle) and chequered forms (nts.org.uk) Left: Mackintosh designed a mirrored frieze to run along the top of walls in the Willow Tea Rooms, which was renovated and reopened in July 2018. Decorative coloured glass and organic motifs are among many ideas that recur throughout his work (willowtearoomstrust.org) Period Living 99

Clockwise from above: Detail of a metal applique in the studio/drawing room of the Mackintosh House at the Hunterian, the reassembled principal interiors of the Glasgow home where the designer lived with his wife Margaret from 1906 to 1914 (glasgow.ac.uk/hunterian); armchairs inspired by designs of Josef Hoffmann, who was an admirer of Mackintosh’s work, from 1stDibs; Arts and Crafts pewter and enamel clock by Archibald Knox for Liberty & Co, circa 1902, Morgan Strickland Decorative Arts

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piece of 20th-century furniture ever sold. When it was re-offered in 2002 it made just under £1million, the rise in value testament to the realisation of Mackintosh’s importance.

Mackintosh died in 1928, having been ravaged by throat and tongue cancer. His later years in relative obscurity were not fitting for a man who had pre-empted elements of major design movements, such as Modernism and Art Deco.

From a bookplate to a building, he was the most capable of designers, and despite his relative years in the wilderness, it is safe to say that Charles Rennie Mackintosh is now regarded as one of Britain’s most talented artists and architects.

Emulating Mackintosh In developing such a distinctive style, it is difficult to compare Mackintosh to other designers.

Attempting to emulate the style in your own home is therefore hard; it’s all too easy to create a poor pastiche that neither captures nor recreates the purity or economy of style for which he is so famous.

Of course, there are many reproductions of his furniture for sale, and a copy of a classic Argyle chair or a Hill House chair can be readily purchased online for £300-£400. However, the risk of ending up with a watered-down hotel foyer look is obvious and I’ve rarely seen a home-grown Mackintosh interior that works well. So to visualise Mackintosh is to visualise a sense of purity, with stark white interiors, hard geometric grids, tapering perspective and linear symmetry, but often softened with curves and textural inserts.

Other designers who came close to his aesthetic include Archibald Knox, who effortlessly bridged any divides between the Arts and Crafts movement and Art Nouveau with his classic designs for Liberty. Items from other design stables might be less rare and relatively affordable but they can still be expensive. A good Knox clock can cost thousands of pounds. On the other hand, the door key which was used in the opening ceremony at The Glasgow School of Art – designed by Mackintosh – was recently sold by Scottish Auctioneers Lyon & Turnbull for £32,000.

Creating a viable Mackintosh look with a smaller wallet is therefore dependent on the clever use of items that are close in style and can perhaps emulate the look with paint finishes and added detail. I often encounter Arts and Crafts pieces at auction, such as mirrors, tables and wardrobes.

Some are pierced with heart motifs and adorned with copper appliques. Although nameless, their superficial proximity to Mackintosh designs can make them suitable candidates. Pieces from the Vienna Secessionists and designs by Josef Hoffman meld well; continental pieces made by companies like Thonet – including reproductions of Hoffmann Secession chairs – can also help make the look.

Photographs (Mackintosh House) © The Hunterian, University of Glasgow

project from the curtains to the cutlery – is symptomatic of many similarly talented people.

It therefore seems wholly unjust that he had to be effectively ‘rediscovered’ for us to appreciate his monumental achievements. This rediscovery has also meant that his legacy has almost been hijacked by those who would seek to profit from his ideas and innovation by reinventing almost every aspect of his vision for the high street. Yet no one can ever entirely capture the clever originality and juxtaposition of influences of the Scottish vernacular, Japonisme and fluid, organic abstraction of the natural world, which make Mackintosh’s work so distinctive.

His designs for Miss Cranston’s temperance ‘art tearooms’, notably the Willow Tearooms in Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow, which opened in 1903, are famous, and now lovingly restored to coincide with this year’s 150th anniversary of his birth. The trademark high-back chairs, box-form lighting, clever partitioning and spatial playfulness make his interiors constantly captivating. His use of transparent, semi-opaque and opaque materials creates clever vistas, and his domestic architecture and interiors masterfully break-up sight lines.

The Hill House, in Helensburgh, built for Walter Blackie between 1902-04, is a triumph. A desk, one of the many items originally made for the house to Mackintosh’s designs, sold in 1979 for just under £140,000. At that time, it was the most expensive

ON THE ANTIQUES TRAIL A West Country gem, renowned for its lacemaking heritage, and a well-regarded antiques trade mecca, Honiton is one to tick off your list of treasure hunting trips

he charming town of Honiton is located in Devon’s Otter Valley, just to the east of Dartmoor. Situated at the crossroads of many major routes, it has become a town renowned as the key antiques hub of the south-west. It attracts many specialist buyers who travel from afar to find hidden gems, including antiquarian books and Honiton lace, among the antiques shops that are clustered at the top and bottom of the High Street, as well as antiques centres and two auction houses.

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History in brief Honiton was originally formed as a Saxon settlement around 1200 AD. The Romans built a road that passed through the centre of Honiton to Exeter – along the current High Street – connecting various military forts and bases. By 1600 the town had become synonymous with lace making and in 1676 Honiton had over 1,300 local lace makers - a quarter of all those based in Devon.

A labour-intensive craft, even to make the smallest piece required a high degree of skill, and women would sit outside their homes to see in the sunlight as they were weaving delicate pieces.

Although this charming cottage industry has to a great extent disappeared, there are still local lace makers who take on private commissions. Since the reign of Queen Victoria, who was so impressed with the quality of the Honiton lace on her wedding dress, the christening gowns of all royal babies have been adorned with Honiton bobbin lace.

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Antiques dealers insider’s guide The town is full of interesting dealers and the following list gives a rich taster for what lies in store.

ABINGDON HOUSE ANTIQUES CENTRE Abingdon House, owned by Nick Thompson, occupies over 3,500 square feet and is the town’s largest centre with a huge variety of furniture to taxidermy from the 17th to 19th centuries. Arranged over three floors, the showroom is based in an 18th-century building.

Favourite recent find? ‘A 17thcentury Italian vineyard Cassone (marriage) chest, in walnut.

It was overlooked at the local auction and was a beautiful find.’

Why Honiton? ‘My family had moved to Devon, so on my return from 10 years in France, the south-west’s centre for antiques was the natural choice.’ abingdonhouseantiques.com

FOUNTAIN ANTIQUES CENTRE Caroline Bushell is co-owner of Fountain Antiques Centre. Her main passion is British domestic ³

Feature Ali Heath Map illustration Sarah Overs

Antiques

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textiles from the 18th to mid20th century. She is well known for her collections of useful kitchen and bedroom linens, including monogrammed pieces.

She also sells Honiton lace, old dress and furnishing fabrics, with some French sheets and torchon (bobbin lace). She trades from Fountain Antiques alongside 35 other dealers.

Fountain is popular for its fast-changing stock, especially antique agricultural and gardening pieces, textiles, copper cookware, cutlery, clocks, French and English furnishings and militaria.

Favourite recent find? ‘A black sack full of 1930s handembroidered curtains, depicting typical English herbaceous borders. Although they soon sold, I still think about them!’

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DIARY DATES Honiton Indoor Fleamarket Held monthly in the heart of the town, this busy market will next be on 27 October & 17 November

RODERICK BUTLER

In their large centre, you can expect to find anything in value from £1 to £6,000. They have seven dealers, who include specialists in coins, Corgi cars, jewellery, silver, Chinese ceramics, glass and cutlery, Persian rugs and furniture from the 17th to 20th century.

Favourite recent find? ‘A set of four early 1900s yew wood Windsor chairs, with elm seats and crinoline stretcher.’

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MERCHANT HOUSE GRAHAM YORK RARE BOOKS A well-regarded book-dealer, Graham stocks over 20,000 books on two floors of his shop.

Specialising in Spain and the Spanish Civil War, he also has large stocks of travel, literature, art, history, fine leather bindings and the largest selection of books on Gypsies in the world. Graham belongs to the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association (ABA), the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB), the Provincial Booksellers’ Fairs Association (FBFA) and the Ephemera Society, and organises and exhibits at book fairs all over Europe. Stock is sourced globally and is also sold via the internet and mail order catalogues.

Favourite recent finds? ‘A signed Winston Churchill first edition; an Albrecht Dürer print from 1498; a signed James Bond novel; a manuscript account book for a bank in Granada in 1832, with details of the slave movement; a collection of 300 contemporary photographs of the Spanish Civil War taken in Barcelona in 1937, and a 1943 Beano annual, which shows the eclectic nature of our stock!’ gyork.co.uk

HERMITAGE ANTIQUES Owners Ray and Martine Kirk have been trading for 25 years.

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Another memorable piece was a 17th century oak press cupboard, lined with Provençal fabric.

We could hardly contain our excitement it was so beautiful.’

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Merchant House antiques was established by Christian Giltsoff in Honiton over 20 years ago.

Expect to find a large selection of quality, useful antique furniture, presented beautifully over 2,000 square foot of floor space. Think farmhouse tables, bookcases and desks, along with quirky upcycled lighting.

Favourite recent find? ‘My favourite piece at the moment is a 3.5 metre farmhouse table. The top is made from a single plank of chestnut; I have never seen a table this large with a single plank top. It was purchased from a manor house in Brittany and had been in the same property since it was made in 1888.’

Why Honiton? ‘I originally set up shop here as Honiton has the largest collection of antique shops in the south-west. merchanthouseantiques.co.uk

PILGRIM ANTIQUES Jill Mills, owner of Pilgrim Antiques, deals in English period oak and country furniture, with a few French pieces, too. The furniture is displayed in room settings, along with contemporary lamps, old mirrors and the odd decorative item.

Favourite recent find? ‘An early 17th-century walnut gate leg table, which we kept and I love.

One of the longest established antique furniture dealers in Devon, Roderick Butler Antiques is a second-generation business, which opened in 1948. Run by Roderick and his wife Valentine, the couple sell 17th and 18thcentury furniture from their stunning Jacobean home. With a spacious layout, it is full of good value pieces and carefully restored old surfaces. You will find informative ticketing and a desire for knowledge sharing.

These are old school dealers with a breadth of knowledge that is second to none.

Favourite recent find? ‘ As a family business, we continue to research the best made pieces of these handmade eras.’

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THE BEST OF THE REST INDEPENDENTS All Hallows Museum of Lace and Local Antiquities – (honitonmuseum.co.uk) Deer Park Country Hotel – acclaimed country house hotel (deerparkcountryhotel.co.uk) Roots to Health – herbalist (roottohealth.co.uk) Strummer Pink – interior design shop (cargocollective.com/strummerpink) The Glen – a six-acre public woodland park, five minutes from the town centre (devongardenstrust.org.uk) The Holt – an independent pub with a seasonal menu (theholt-honiton.com) Thelma Hulbert Gallery – an award-winning public art gallery (thelmahulbert.com) Toast Café and Patisserie – café with a lovely courtyard garden (cafetoast.co.uk) The Pig at Combe – a honey-coloured Elizabethan gem (thepighotel.com) Wine World – independent wine merchant (01404 43767)

RISE AND SHINE Made with artisanal attention to detail at a family-run factory in Tuscany, Hector Finch’s Lucia lights are popular among design aficionados for their chic retro style.

Now the brand has introduced a period-inspired rise-and-fall wall fitting, which is available in a range of finishes including antique brass, chrome and gunmetal, as well as ceramic shades in a mid-century palette that includes vibrant ‘Verde’ green and ‘Giallo’ yellow. £534 each.

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London-based designer Neisha Crosland is well known for her elegant colour combinations and geometric motifs. True to form, her new Jigsaw tile collection, in collaboration with Artisans of Devizes, features distinctive patterns on unusual shapes that fit together to create fabulous floor and wall designs. The tiles explore optic angles and stars, castellated edges and dynamic geometrics, all available in a range of colours.

Shown is the Fern design in Smoke Sage, £7.80 per W15xL25cm tile.

BACK TO BLACK Old Hill Ironworks is a new range of black antiquestyle ironmongery made in the Black Country, the industrial heart of the West Midlands. Crafted using high-quality malleable steel, with a colour-fast coating, the collection offers a superior finish, and includes everything from door handles and knobs to knockers, hinges and hooks. Door handles start at £13.

HOUSE journal

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

CLASSIC UPDATE British kitchen brand 1909 has re-energised its range of timeless painted wood cabinetry with four new signature looks, additional door styles and colours, and a host of accessories. Created to blend in perfectly with a home’s original features, this Georgian door design has been given a new bead element for a more intricate look, while remaining understated and graceful. The floor-to-ceiling cabinets, which feature new double-door top boxes, are here painted in Lava to contrast the Chalk base units, giving a subtle division between cooking and dining areas. Kitchens start at £25,000.

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

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touch of br A Traditional design a

meets modern functionality in the new Holborn Etros brass thermostatic shower column, £895 from Frontline Bathrooms. Featuring a rigid riser shower rail fitted with a rainfall showerhead, it also has a handset with adjustable hose, slim thermostatic valves, and stylish cross-head handles. Made from polished solid brass with a warm antique bronze finish, it will ensure lasting luxury and relaxation in the shower.

Q

How should old lime plaster with surface damage be treated?

Small pockmarks and minor damage can be filled with either matching lime plaster or, if they are narrow, interior filler gauged with whiting (pulverised chalk). Lime plaster, however, is preferable where repairs will be limewashed. Another option is to conceal blemishes below new lining paper, providing there are no important historic finishes.

Occasionally, a new coat of lime plaster might be skimmed on, particularly over small areas, but skill is needed. Where areas of plaster, especially those of historic importance, lose cohesion and become powdery, specialist consolidation techniques can be used along with materials such as nano-lime (fine particles of calcium hydroxide suspended in alcohol).

SWITCHED ON Finishing touches are so important when creating an authentic look. These Period light switches from The Victorian Emporium have been reproduced from original designs dating back to 1900, with hand-finished brass domes and oak pattresses in a range of wood stains.

Prices start at £54.

CRAFTY IDEA Turn virtually any interior surface into an erasable message board with Benjamin Moore’s Chalkboard paint, which is available across thousands of colours.

From cupboard-door shopping lists to plant labels, the innovative paint finish, from £27.50 for 0.94 litres, offers endless opportunities to unleash your creative side.

Featuring more than 200 specialist art and antiques dealers, the Winter Art & Antiques for Everyone Fair, from 15-18 November at the NEC, Birmingham, is the largest event of its kind outside London.

Tickets £12 at antiquesforeveryone.co.uk 108 Period Living

Q

Should I clean old stonework?

Cleaning is sometimes justified but often does more harm than good, damaging stonework and erasing evidence of a building’s history. Cleaning may be appropriate, however, where there is a need to facilitate repairs, or remove stains, soiling or salts contributing to decay.

The method and extent of cleaning must be carefully chosen in consultation with a specialist depending on the deposits and stone type. Don’t over-clean and be mindful that some techniques, such as aggressive abrasive cleaning, can be very damaging.

A trial should always be conducted first.

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

Feature Karen Bray *We do our best to answer all queries, but cannot guarantee a response

Q

What can I do about draughty or rattling sash windows?

Good draughtproofing (including new parting and staff beads with seals) will address draughts and rattles from general wear and tear. Alternatively, fit cam-action catches or, as a temporary solution, small timber or rubber wedges. Tackle draughts or rattles due to badly positioned, insufficiently thick or distorted sash beads by repositioning or replacing them. Excessive wear of timber parts results in sashes moving too freely and their overlapping horizontal or ‘meeting’ rails settling out of level. Remove any projections causing wear and fill grooves with filler. In severe cases, re-edging of sashes might be needed. A gap above a sill may indicate a structural problem, requiring other work.

Shopping

WELCOME HOME

Feature Sophie Warren-Smith

Make a good first impression by investing in a stylish knocker for your front door

Clockwise from top left: Heart door knocker in antiqued brass, £79, Jim Lawrence; fox iron door knocker in antique black, £86, British Ironmongery; Beekman door knocker in bronze, £25, Anthropologie; brass dragonfly door knocker, £28, The Door Knocker Company; Grove circular door knocker in blackened bronze, £44, Rowen & Wren; Croft London doctor knocker finished in polished nickel on solid brass, £140, Broughtons of Leicester; Shropshire pewter door knocker, £104, From the Anvil; bee knocker in brass, £45, Period Features; square brushed brass door knocker, £50, Pushka Home; polished nickel hoop door knocker, £130.50, Willow & Stone; modern door knocker in polished chrome, £30, John Lewis Period Living 111

CLASSIC CARPET trends for every room Decision made – you’re going for carpet.

But what now? There’s so much choice out there – a plethora of piles to pick from, lots of talk about tog, and that’s on top of choosing a design you love. Plain or patterned, it’s important to get it right. Whether it’s your living or dining room, hallway or bedroom, we’ve highlighted four stylish trends that will work in a period home

Feature Michelle Guy

Elegant florals Flowery patterns don’t have to be bright and garish. Theree are many delicate designs that at ent capture the graceful movement of growing plants and flowers, s, like the natural floral shapes synonymous with Art Nouveau au designs of the late 19th century. ry. es This elegant bedroom features rre Brintons Classic Florals Parterre 8 carpet in Champagne, £69.98 per square metre, which has a finely detailed whimsical pattern.

The carpet is Woven Axminster wool mix (80 per cent wool, 20 per cent nylon), which makes it a good all-rounder, and it has a high tog rating of 2.23. ³

fly in Butter , Ruskin ol/nylon mix 2, o w r, Silve .99 per m £89 sties us Bea Timoro at Brintons ion collect

Duches s in Its chner Light G wool, £ rey, 100% 128 pe 2 Axmins r m , ter

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Top of the togs

‘Like quilts, carpets have a tog rating which is a measure of how much heat can pass through a material.

In carpets, the rating can be as low as 0.5 tog or as high as 3 tog. The same is true for underlay. The higher the tog rating, the greater the insulation, making carpets with high tog ratings ideal for colder areas of the home. Low tog rated carpets can work well with underfloor heating.’ Jemma Dayman, carpets buyer, Carpetright

Aurora wool/ in Cross C polyp reek, £76.9 ropylene mix 0 , per 2 Eleme nts Lo m , ndon

une in D l, r e mb woo hco 100% m2 , c a Be eef, 9 per R 3.9 way £4 rock B

Altern a Super tive Floorin gS Pa in Aca nama flatw isal eave pulco, £ per m 2 , John 54.50 Lewis

Neutral Ne tra al notes al Gone are the days of beige being the only neutral carpet option.

This colour category now offers so much more – think shades of taupe and truffle, dove greys, warm caramel and clotted cream. And don’t worry about keeping neutral carpets behind closed doors – polypropylene designs are stain resistant so can be a great choice for families and pet owners. Carpetright’s Bellagio Twist in Honey, £27.99 per square metre, has been laid in this dining room. It’s 100 per cent polypropylene, soft and durable with a tog rating of 1.20.

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Carpet Trends

Subtle stripes If you want a carpet that is understated but with a pinch of personality, choose a pinstriped design. For a subtle look, go for a two- or three-tone pinstripe and a multi-toned stripe for something a bit more vibrant.

Pinstripes will discreetly elevate a room’s décor without overpowering it, like the fine, neutral stripes in this 100 per cent wool loop Avebury carpet in Tidworth Stripe, 1.2 tog, from £37 per square metre at Cormar Carpets. Not only is pure wool a good insulator, but it’s soft underfoot and inherently dirt istant and durable. ³ resistant e in h Strip Kasba wool/nylon , n, t u Cocon on applicatio e ic r mix, p ams Carpets Ad

Missis sip in Kha pi Premium ki/ 100% Cream, £102 wool, Crucia per m 2, l Tradin g

r, Bridgford in Embe e len py ro lyp po ol/ wo r pe 65 6. mix, £4 m2, Hillarys

Enigm Falls a in Niag ,1 ar £67. 00% wo a Elem 50 per m 2ol, ents Lond , on

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For high traffic areas like hallways and living rooms, pick a dense short pile carpet.

They are more durable because the tufts are knitted much closer together so are less likely to wear.

Period Living 115

Painterly patterns If you want to make a statement, abstract artistic patterns will add wow factor. Painterly patterned carpet colours merge fluidly across the repeat like the brushstrokes of a watercolour painting. To complement a scheme and not dominate it, choose a natural palette like the soft grey hues of the pattern in this pure new wool Hazy Days Rockpooling carpet in Pebble, £88 per square metre, 1.35 tog, from Axminster. Combined with the duck egg blue paintwork and beautiful stai stained glass, the Skim a sophisticated carpet creates Swa ming S tone nsd this stunning look in o woo l, £8 wn, 10 s in hallway.

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in du ent Gra Parchm l/nylon mix, oo s Bois, w r m2 , Brinton pe 9 .9 9 8 £

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ti p p o Going bold

‘Larger spaces can carry statement patterns and colours, but if you have a smaller space or narrow hallway, consider transforming the space using the same design but in a runner or rug.’ Emma Hopkins, marketing manager, Crucial Trading

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Renovation

Fireplaces Restore and maintain original fireplaces so that you can enjoy their lovely period details, and as the days draw in, the warming effects of crackling flames

a renovation service. When searching for replacement items take measurements and photographs of the existing fireplace, as well as making cardboard templates to ensure a good fit.

Feature Roger Hunt, author of Old House Handbook

Cast iron

C Illustration Sarah Overs

osy and comforting, an original fireplace alight with burning coals or logs is the ultimate period feature. Fireplaces come in many forms, ranging from the large inglenooks found in early homes, to the cast-iron, marble and wooden surrounds of the Georgian and Victorian eras. Neglect, and the whims of fashion, have taken their toll on many, with components damaged or missing and design details obscured by layers of paint but, with a little care and effort, they can be brought back to life.

Aesthetics are not the only consideration: ensuring the fire burns safely and efficiently is equally important to avoid the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning. This results from any form of combustion, has no smell and can potentially kill.

Repairing and overhauling Where advice or expert help is needed, specialist fireplace shops are usually a good starting point and, as well as supplying essentials, such as firebacks, grates and repair materials, some offer

Although strong, cast iron can crack when stressed, especially when subjected to intense heat. In addition, parts may be rusted, distorted or missing.

Blacksmiths are sometimes able to help with repairs as are fireplace shops and salvage yards.

Protect surrounding surfaces before removing loose material and rust with a wire brush or wire wool. Where necessary, use a chemical rust remover. Following the manufacturer’s instructions, finish the metal with black stove grate polish and burnish with a brush or soft cloth.

A heat-resistant paint is another option.

Wood A good joiner can generally make repairs to a timber fire surround using like-for-like materials and construction methods. Where necessary, wax polishes may be suitable for finishing.

Paint removal Removing paint from a cast-iron or wooden fireplace is relatively easy but requires time and elbow grease. Surrounding areas should be well Âł Period Living 119

Previous page: Cast-iron grates with panels of coloured and patterned tiles on either side, were a feature of the main rooms in most Victorian townhouses Top: Dog grates on larger Victorian fireplaces often have brass ornamentation, such as this original design by the Carron Company Middle: Tudor and Jacobean fireplaces were made of brick and stone, with stone or timber, plain, carved, or moulded lintels Bottom: Reeded jambs – or side posts – and corner roundels are the most common form of pattern found on Regency fireplace surrounds

protected with newspaper or plastic sheeting before any work is started.

Proprietary gel strippers or poulticing systems that peel away, taking the paint with them, are generally successful. A toothbrush and tooth picks help with paint removal from fine details. Do not use heat guns with cast iron as the metal dissipates the heat. Also, shot or grit blasting should not be attempted as this may spoil the finish.

Marble and stone Marble and stone fire surrounds need particularly careful treatment as they are easily damaged.

While it may be possible to remove paint, stripping products should be tested on a small, inconspicuous area first. For cleaning and polishing use specialist marble and stone cleaners. Rust, red wine and soot stains are a particular problem, but poultices of white paper kitchen towels soaked in distilled water may remove some stains.

If in any doubt, or where the piece is valuable, consult a specialist conservator before undertaking repairs or cleaning. Some ‘marble’ fireplaces are in fact scagliola, a mixture of plaster and aggregates that imitates marble, and which is easily damaged.

Firebacks Clay and concrete firebacks crack due to heat, and gaps may open up between them and the fire 120 Period Living

surround itself. This can allow smoke and harmful combustion gases to leak out and may also result in hot embers escaping into the building’s fabric.

Minor cracks can usually be patched with fireproof cement but, where the damage is severe, replacement of the fireback may be necessary.

To allow for expansion and contraction between the different elements, gaps between the fireback and fire surround should be plugged with some fireproof rope.

Maintenance checklist Have the chimney regularly swept by a professional sweep.

O Regularly clear ash and debris from grates.

O Carry out a monthly check that carbon monoxide and smoke alarms are working properly.

O Fill any cracks and gaps that appear in the fireback and surround.

O Clean and polish decorative elements.

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Fit for the future Considerable heat loss and draughts occur through fireplace openings, so it is worth considering a draught excluder that can be temporarily inserted into the bottom of the flue when the fireplace is not in use. These come in a number of forms and it is important to use the one most suitable for the shape, size and type of opening.

Useful contacts CHIMELLA – umbrella draught excluders.

Tel: 020 8529 5732; chimella.com CHIMNEY BALLOON – inflatable draught excluders.

Tel: 01900 817109; chimneyballoon.co.uk CHIMNEY SHEEP – wool draught excluders.

Tel: 01900 269427; chimneysheep.co.uk FIREPLACE.CO.UK – a knowledge hub.

Tel: 0121 773 7312; fireplace.co.uk HG – Stone and marble cleaning products.

Tel: 01206 822744; uk.hg.eu NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CHIMNEY SWEEPS –

index of members. Tel: 01785 336555; nacs.org.uk SOLID FUEL ASSOCIATION – information and advice.

Tel: 01773 835400; solidfuel.co.uk STONE FEDERATION GREAT BRITAIN – directory of specialists. Tel: 01303 856123 stonefed.org.uk THE VICTORIAN SOCIETY –publish a fireplace guide..

Tel: 020 8994 1019; victoriansociety.org.uk VITCAS – fire resistant cement, firebricks and rope.

Tel: 0117 911 7895; vitcas.com

Advice

THE HEAT IS ON Adding radiators or underfloor heating to old home can seem a daunting task, but get it right and your home will be warm and cosy – and cheaper to run

Above: Tetro aluminium radiator in Marron, from £954, Bisque Right: Ledbury six-column castiron radiator in Farrow & Ball Cornforth White, £1,477, The Radiator Company

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eriod homes have a reputation for being cold, draughty and expensive to keep warm – but with some considered investment it needn’t be that way. Perfecting a room’s temperature is a balancing act between introducing efficient heat sources and controls, while improving insulation and blocking draughts. At the same time, the structure must be able to ‘breathe’ to avoid damp.

If you are looking at making big changes to your home’s central heating, then consult with a heating engineer or qualified installer with experience of period properties, who can advise on your individual requirements as well as the latest technology.

ARE RADIATORS RIGHT FOR MY HOME?

Central heating radiators were a late Victorian phenomenon, although they look good in almost every era of home. Authentic cast-iron column designs vary from the simple pillar radiators you may remember from school, which were inevitably covered in layer upon layer of gloss, to beautiful ornate versions, which may be polished or painted.

For a contemporary twist, look at minimalist polished stainless-steel radiators, statement paint colours or industrial finishes, such as copper.

WHAT MATERIAL IS BEST?

New column radiators are designed to work much more efficiently than early models, although the material they are made from makes a big difference to how they perform. Modern stainless steel and aluminium radiators are lightweight, warm up and cool down more quickly, and can be moulded into a wide range of designs, including column versions.

Traditional cast iron can take a while to warm up, is less controllable then other options and very heavy, but it does retain heat for a lot longer when

the heating is turned off. You can usually get away with smaller models to achieve the same heat output as stainless steel and aluminium radiators.

CAN I BUY SALVAGED DESIGNS?

Reclaimed radiators will add an authentic period touch, and there are a number of companies who specialise in restoration. This involves testing and flushing them, updating the fittings to make them compatible with modern heating systems, and usually stripping any paint and dirt from the exterior.

Expect to pay from £400 for a fully restored and tested four-column design with manual valves.

WHAT SIZE RADIATORS DO I NEED?

To avoid your home being too hot or cold, it’s important to calculate the correct quantity and size of the radiators you need. Size is affected by the heat output of the individual radiator, which ³ Period Living 123

is measured in BTUs (British Thermal Units). A heating engineer can work out your needs, taking into account insulation levels, glazed areas and draughts. To do a simple calculation yourself, use the online calculator at theradiatorcompany.co.uk.

DO I NEED VALVES?

Make sure you invest in quality valves in-keeping with the look of your radiators. Thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs) are self-regulating and control the temperature of a room by changing the flow of hot water to the radiator. This makes the system work more efficiently.

IS IT BEST TO UPDATE MY BOILER?

Left: Versailles embossed cast-iron radiator, from £450, Aestus Above: Sequel steel towel warmer radiator, in an antique bronze finish, £1,556, Vogue UK

Underfloor heating top tips Martina Valve from Warmup (warmup.co.uk) offers advice on making the right choice O Think thickness Previously fitted

calculation done to ensure the system

only in new homes and extensions,

can deliver enough energy output.

the availability of ultra-thin electric

Adding insulation boards improves

mats and wet systems that only raise

the system’s efficiency while reducing

the floor height by a few millimetres,

heat loss. You should look to improve

means that owners of older houses

insulation as much as possible.

can now also enjoy UFH throughout their entire home.

If your boiler is older than 10 years, you will notice an improvement in terms of both comfort and energy efficiency by replacing it with a new model, especially if you are upgrading the radiators at the same time. Smaller households often suit a combi boiler, which provides central heating and hot water on demand, removing the need for a separate cylinder. Bigger homes with more than one bathroom are likely to benefit more from a system boiler, which stores hot water in a cylinder.

SHOULD I CONSIDER UNDERFLOOR HEATING?

Hidden away below the floor surface, underfloor heating (UFH) is an unobtrusive way of heating a home that is both space and energy efficient.

It works by emitting a low heat level across the floor through pipes, cables or mats, providing continuous warmth and comfort.

The downside of UFH is that its installation will disrupt original floors, so where a historic covering would be damaged, it should be avoided. However, if your floors are not good examples or have been replaced in the past, or you are choosing heating for an extension, it is certainly worth considering.

O Design the right system The type of system that is suitable for your home

WHAT ARE THE OPTIONS?

O Check restrictions Listed buildings

will depend on the nature of your

may have special conditions in place,

project and your personal preference,

so if the work would affect the house’s

but you should keep in mind that

character, you must apply for listed

sometimes connecting piping to the

building consent along with any

existing heat source in older homes

required planning permissions or

may not be as straightforward as in

building control approvals.

modern properties. The system

Warm water – or ‘wet’ – UFH relies on heated water running through pipes. Alternatively, electric UFH uses either mats or loose cable.

Manufacturers of both types of systems offer solutions for solid and suspended timber floors.

Solid floor systems tends to be the most efficient, as the pipe or cable is laid into a screed that helps to store and radiate heat. This is best installed above a layer of insulation to increase efficiency. If opting for a solid screed, look at limecrete over concrete as it is breathable, making damp less likely to occur.

When installing UFH into suspended timber floors, give thought to the harm that might be done to the historic fabric. Fitting the pipes or cable will require floorboards to be lifted or ceilings to be removed, both of which can be destructive.

Most electric systems are easy to install and are ideal for use over smaller areas, such as bathrooms and conservatories, as well as in homes without mains gas. A continuous loose cable is used, either laid into the floor or fitted on the surface as electric mats, which have a short warm-up time.

should be carefully designed.

O Choose the best thermostat UFH is controlled using a thermostat that

O Choose flooring wisely A floor

provides precise room temperature

covering’s suitability for use with

control. Smart thermostats, such

UFH lies in the thermal conductivity

as the 4iE Smart WiFi model, help

of the material – meaning how quickly

keep your energy bills in check, so

and efficiently heat transfers through

investigate the different options and

the floor to the surface. Tile, stone,

choose one that suits your lifestyle.

carpet, wood and luxury vinyl tiles can all be used with UFH, but some

O Calculate the heat loss UFH can be

products must not be heated above

used in any room. The key is to ensure

27 degrees celsius. You should always

that the heat output of the system is

check with the manufacturer that

higher than the heat loss of the space.

your chosen flooring is suitable for

Before purchasing, get a heat loss

use with the system.

124 Period Living

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Period Living 125

Fıred up A

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From its early days restoring roll-top baths, Holyrood Architectural Salvage is now home to Edinburgh’s finest collection of antique fireplaces and cast-iron radiators alongside a whole host of interesting salvaged finds Words Karen Bray | Photographs Jeremy Phillips

126 Period Living

ack in the mid nineties, Ken Fowler had a bad experience with a bath he had paid someone to restore, and thought he could do better himself. So, he started his own business, All About Baths, sourcing old roll-tops in need of repair, and employing a local spray painter to re-enamel and restore them to be sold, working across Edinburgh, Glasgow and the Borders. ‘Some of my customers were looking for a full suite and so I started to source Victorian basins, toilets – some with decorative high-level cisterns – and taps,’ explains Ken. ‘We used to strip the chrome off the taps and polish the brass underneath – it was wonderful to see them restored to their former glory and I caught the salvage bug.’

Ken became a full-time salvage hunter and was often seen digging through skips, frequenting scrap yards and visiting any site that was being demolished or restored – everything from asylums and old hospitals to stately homes and schools.

Wherever treasure was to be found, Ken was there.

Working out of a small workshop and showroom, stock was quickly growing and larger premises were needed. Then Ken chanced upon the old Drysborough Brewery in Duddingston, near Holyrood Park on the outskirts of Edinburgh. ‘It’s an amazing listed structure and was the perfect setting for our growing collection of salvaged finds,’ he says. ‘I struck a deal with the landlords and the business went from around 500 square feet to 6,600 square feet overnight. The stock we had at the time looked ridiculously inadequate in such a cavernous space, but we changed the name to Holyrood Architectural Salvage and set ourselves the task of building the business.’

The showroom still consisted mostly of baths and sanitaryware, but increasingly customers were asking for antique fireplaces, panelled doors, Belfast sinks and other original features to complement the wide range of period properties in the surrounding area. A friend of Ken’s, Alan Brown, joined the team and the pair took their lives into their own hands removing a host of items from precarious sites. The range increased and now the yard is full of all kinds of architectural salvage. ³

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Reclamation

Opposite: Kevin Barlas (left), Holyrood’s renovation expert who can fix just about anything, with Eddy Charlton, who is responsible for the website, marketing and admin Clockwise from top: the showroom featuring restored fireplaces, mirrors, lights and other salvaged gems; cast-iron radiators waiting restoration in the yard; the main building is in the listed former Drysborough Brewery in Edinburgh Period Living 127

From left to right: Bars and ash pan covers from reclaimed fires in the spray booth of the workshop; an original insert before restoration; a Victorian hallstand that is being repainted to a customer’s specification; the upstairs showroom featuring even more stock Below: A large Portoro marble mantel, one of the rarest pieces currently in stock, which was reclaimed from Rutland Square in Edinburgh, fully restored and polished to a glossy finish

A local competitor had started a few years earlier but Ken noticed that everything they sold needed restoring. ‘I decided I didn’t want to just sell things that then needed a middle-man to bring back to life,’ he says. ‘What’s the point of buying an antique fireplace that you can’t renovate and fit easily?’ Ken and Alan decided that they wanted to be different from all the other salvage yards in the area and took on skilled staff to restore the salvaged items. Joiners and blacksmiths became part of the regular staff and where possible everything is restored before sale.

128 Period Living

‘We want to preserve Edinburgh’s rich architectural history – this includes removing fireplaces that were destined for the rubble pile as well as restoring and installing them in a new home,’ adds Ken. Although sanitaryware is still close to Ken and Alan’s hearts, the cost of restoration and lack of available replacement parts has taken its toll. ‘A lot of good quality reproductions have been made of period pieces and the market in old sinks, toilets and cisterns has virtually gone,’ says Ken. Instead, the business has refocused on fireplaces, with a secondary specialism in cast-iron radiators. ‘Most fireplace reproductions look nothing like the originals, as they don’t have the character or patina.

Copied inserts have been gleaned from cities far afield and don’t resemble those that are traditional to Edinburgh. Buying from a local yard not only keeps the money in your area, but the carbon footprint of buying a reproduction that has been made in India or China and shipped over here is massive.’

The yard stocks a huge range of Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian cast-iron inserts and wood, slate, marble and occasionally stone mantels.

‘Restoring an antique fireplace is time consuming, but it is also rewarding to see something look better than it has for a hundred years,’ says Kevin Barlas, Holyrood’s restoration expert. ‘With the boom of things like Gumtree it’s easier for people to buy and sell salvage themselves, but they are not the kind of thing people can restore easily themselves.’

Fireplace restoration can be split into three broad categories: wood, stone and cast iron.

‘Wooden mantels are either stripped or patched depending on their condition and any repairs are ³

Reclamation

Clockwise from above: Kevin working on a cast-iron insert; some of the company’s reclaimed ironware range; almost at the end of the restoration process, this insert is being prepped for a graphite finish

Period Living 129

Clockwise from top left: Just some of the reclaimed doors at the yard; a cast-iron insert being loaded into the stripping tank; a selection of reclaimed rim locks for sale; old brass pull handles waiting to be restored to their former glory

Ken’s top tips for buying an antique fireplace O Be realistic about what you can do yourself – people generally underestimate the work involved O Talk to your dealer – if you don’t see what you want in the showroom just ask, as chances are it can be sourced or is just waiting to be restored O Make sure that all the necessary parts are there.

We sell everything complete but some yards operate on an ‘as seen’ basis O If its painted it’s probably for a reason – never assume what’s underneath!

O Although the fireplace is old you need to adhere to current regulations, so make sure it’s installed by someone who knows what they are doing

130 Period Living

done with the same kind of wood, our French polisher then matches the colour as near as possible,’ explains Ken. ‘If we can’t decide what finish would look best then we sometimes leave it bare and finish it however the customer wants.

‘Marble, slate and granite mantels take the most time. The pieces are stuck back together, any chips are colour matched and filled, and finally the whole thing is wet polished. This process can take over a week. When restoring a cast-iron insert, we start by stripping and cleaning it. If it was originally polished we’ll bring it back to its former glory, but if not we’ll repaint it and give it a black lead finish.

We seamlessly extend them all to about 42” x 42” so they work with just about any mantel.’

After 25 years in the reclamation business, Holyrood Architectural Salvage has built up an excellent reputation in the area, providing not only one of the best fireplace restoration services in the country but a unique location to wander around and explore all types of architectural salvage. You might even spot some of the unusual finds that Ken and Alan sourced when they first started out in the business and were learning the ropes, including items on the ‘can’t sell list’ such as a pair of huge columns from a masonic lodge and a bronze bank teller’s screen – these are things that will never really make money but dress the place perfectly, creating the ideal ambience for a salvage experience to remember.

0131 661 9305; holyroodsalvage.com

PRELOVED CHARM Weathered plant pots, old metal furniture and tools from a bygone era – combine them together and you’ll instantly add a dose of vintage charm to your garden or allotment. You can find an abundant selection of preloved, treasured finds at retailer RE. From beautiful old terracotta pots salvaged from an estate in Yorkshire for £3.50 each, and old zinc containers – perfect for planting – from £32, to a selection of vintage French bistro tables, from £150, and rustic hand tools, from £12.50.

CHAIN REACTION Show off a trailing plant or small succulent with a handcrafted clay pot holder from Scaramanga. Better still, link a few of the pots, £8 each, together using their metal hangers to make a chain of high-flying plants, indoors or out.

3

GARDEN journal

TABLE-TOP TERRARIUMS

Add some vintage charm outdoors, and some greenery indoors with creative plant displays

Make a statement with this decorative Plantini miniature flatpack plant house, £24.95, Another Studio

Feature Michelle Guy

Go simple with the clear handmade glass Funnel Pot plant holder, £50, LSA International

Shape up with this geometric-inspired, handmade NCYP gold plant holder, £29.99, Amazon

A cut above If you love fresh cut flowers adorning your windowsill then you will know how important a straight cut is to help them flourish for longer.

The same can be said for trimming and pruning – a straight cut means better plant growth. Add the Victorinox Swiss Army floral cutting knife, £18, to your kit and let its 55mm blade make light work of stalks and stems. Available in an array of zingy colours.

Period Living 133

EXPERT TIPS… PREPARE YOUR ROSES FOR WINTER

Lighting the way Urban Cottage Industries’ new GoOutside lighting collection mixes traditional looks with modern technology for timeless designs that are simple to fit, don’t rust, and carry an IP65 rating. The elegant Katia wall light in black with brass, £259, has a solid aluminium body and a tool-free gel connector.

Fee lg

buy d oo

The new beach hut-style Southwold shed from The Posh Shed Company, in Forget Me Not Blue, has been launched in partnership with Alzheimer’s Society. The charity is running the Forget Me Not campaign to promote the benefits of gardening for those with dementia. Five per cent from every Southwold shed sale goes to this wonderful cause. Prices start from £1,727.

BELT UP Sturdy and stylish, this Gardener’s tool belt, £30 from the National Trust Shop, is handmade in the UK from quality brown moss-backed suede. Two large pouches are perfect for carrying tools and smaller essentials, so there is no need to keep to-ing and fro-ing back to the garden shed.

Brushstrokes Inspired by old paintings and artists’ equipment, the Paintbox Flowers collection from Cath Kidston features the delicate brushstroke designs of handpainted flowers in dusky pinks, lavender blues and berry reds. The homeware range includes this pretty dipping dish, £5, that will help to keep in mind those longdeparted summer blooms.

134 Period Living

WRAP AROUND These zesty coloured herringbone patterned throws, made from pure wool, are perfect for cosying up around a fire pit or chimenea as the nights draw in, and particularly if you’re planning a home fireworks display for 5 November. Available in a range of colours, including Pastel Blue, Lime and Cornish Blue, £99 from Tolly McRae.

ON THE BOOKSHELF Island Gardens: Havens of Beauty Around the British Isles by Jackie Bennett with stunning photography by Richard Hanson, reveals the variety of gardens on more than 100 inhabited islands of the 6,000 that surround Britain and Ireland. £25, White Lion Publishing.

Mick Lavelle, gardening expert and senior lecturer in horticulture at Writtle University College, offers seasonal advice The place of the rose in an English garden is essentially unrivalled.

These colourful shrubby plants have been popular for centuries, but it was only in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that they became a ‘garden essential’.

FIRM UP November can be seen as both the end and beginning of the cycle of rose care. In all but the mildest districts, roses will have stopped flowering, and now need preparing for the winter. In exposed locations, bushes may have already been subjected to autumn gales; something that can rock the plant and lead to a conical hollow around the base of the main stem. This can lead to problems in terms of the plant’s stability and – if the resulting hollow fills with water – can promote rotting or frost damage in cold wet winters. If any roses are already loose in the ground, then firm around the base to avoid this.

TIME TO PRUNE Preventing further wind rock simply involves reducing the plant’s wind resistance, by taking off the outermost growth and particularly any remaining foliage. In the case of Hybrid Tea or Floribunda roses, take off about a third of the branch length, but in modern (English) bush roses, clipping should be lighter. Do not worry too much about where you cut a stem at this stage, as the main prune will not take place until around February/March. Late-season pruning is also a good opportunity to carefully dispose of the last season’s foliage. Leaves and clippings should never be composted, though.

Dispose of these by burning or remove them from your garden completely – this greatly reduces disease-causing spores that would otherwise affect the plant.

Shopping Bird Watch fabric in cream, £18 per m, Studio G at Clarke & Clarke

Gardening gloves, £15, Wrendale Designs

Felicity and Frederick Frog bird bath, £15.50, The Farthing

Bee Hotel, £19.99, Rex London

Chirpy Chaps garden kneeler, £19.99, Woodland Trust

Vintage-style cast-iron garden twine dispenser, £14, Not on the High Street Hare pair objet, £10, Sainsbury’s Home

WILD AT HEART

Feature Michelle Guy

Hare side plate, £8, Cath Kidston

Nestled in hedgerows, wandering through woodland and gracing our gardens, animals big and small are scurrying, beavering, Bambi cushion in Dijon, tweeting, hopping and skipping their way £31.50, Nubie over hill and dale, making the British countryside their home. From high-eared hares to dinky dormice; from striking stags to wise old owls - champion the wildlife at the heart of the countryside Green ceramic Owl with these gorgeous buys vase, £18, Natural History Museum Mini beast house, £22, National Trust

Hanging Heart bird feeder, £9.95, Dibor

Standing duck watering can, £18.95, Annabel James

.Hare hook, £38, The Shop Floor Project

Country Ducks barrier mat, £39.99, The Rug Seller

Hedgehog care pack, £27.99, Amazon Period Living 137

SEASON’S GLOW

With foliage on the turn and jewel-like berries glistening in the soft light, autumn is the time to enjoy a crescendo of colours in the garden Words and photographs Leigh Clapp

138 Period Living

Gardens

Clockwise from far left: A perfect Platanus x hispanica, plane tree, leaf flutters to the ground; Pyracantha coccinea ‘Red Column’ is an ideal shrub to train on a fence or, as here, over an arch, as it is tough, hardy, reliable and has prolific, long-lasting berries; lilac asters and yellow Malus x zumi ‘Golden Hornet’ make such a pretty combination for autumn; graceful compact varieties of Acer palmatum are lovely in small gardens and are suitable also for containers; varieties of cut-leaved Japanese maples, Acer palmatum ‘Dissectum’, come in a range of mellow to vibrant hues; pergola arches adorned with ripened apples at the elegant gardens of the Lake House in Hampshire, which opens by arrangement in autumn through the National Gardens Scheme

Period Living 139

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utumn sees deciduous trees and shrubs shed a fluttering cascade of leaves, forming a carpet underfoot of crimson, russet and bronze in a kaleidoscope tapestry. Plants slowly shut down for winter, and the rhythm of the garden takes on a mellow beat. Cold, clear nights brighten into sunny days, with shafts of slanting light intensifying and illuminating nature’s hues of rich tones from colouring foliage, berries and the last blooms of the perennials.

Change in leaf colour is one of nature’s most stunning evolutionary tricks, a beautiful phenomenon caused by deciduous plants slowing their metabolism. The chlorophyll content of leaves aids photosynthesis and keeps them green through spring and summer, before the shorter days and cooler temperatures trigger a gradual reduction in chlorophyll production within the leaves, ceasing to mask the other colour pigments present in the foliage. The plants prepare for winter when they will rest and live off the food they stored during summer. Plants use this time to recycle nutrients from the foliage and deposit hard-toeliminate waste products inside the leaves before they are finally shed. We can just admire the beauty while the science takes care of itself.

Branching out People sometimes underestimate the role trees and shrubs play in a garden, for both their visual contribution and their boon for wildlife. There is such a wealth of possibilities for including a mix of evergreens and deciduous options, with flowers, foliage colours, berries and bark highlights.

Whether serving as a backdrop for annuals, bulbs and perennials that ebb and flow with the seasons, or combined for shape and form on their own, trees and shrubs bring drama, height, architectural interest and structure to a landscape.

Envisioning the mature height and spread of trees and shrubs, and how they relate to other plants, needs thought as you are planting your canvas for both now and the future. Look at the different shapes, both in the summer and the skeletal forms in winter if deciduous, the colour of foliage and bark or seasonal burst of flowers and berries. Decide if you’d like specimen accents, a feature tree planted in the lawn with groundcovers encircling it, copses or avenues, clipped hedging, pleaching or natural form.

Merry berry Hardy fruiting plants also continue colour in the garden with their bright berries in golds, oranges, reds and pinks, hanging like mini baubles on stems or shining lanterns among evergreen foliage.

140 Period Living

Above: The stunning Liriodendron tulipifera, tulip tree, needs room to grow and spread, making it an ideal choice as a specimen tree to sit under and enjoy its splendour through the seasons Right: Combine deciduous options, such as a lovely arching Nyssa and the reliable Liquidambar styraciflua with its kaleidoscope of colours, with evergreen shrubs for varied interest in a woodland garden

PLANTING TIPS O The best time to plant trees and shrubs

is between November and March. Planting before Christmas allows them to establish better as the soil is warmer.

O Bare-root plants are only available from mid November to mid April, as at this time they are dormant and can be safely transplanted - they need to be pre-ordered.

O Check the plant’s mature size is suitable for your space and consider mature shape, too – some are broad, some narrow.

O Conifers and other evergreens can act as a foil, increasing the impact of colours from plants and flowers.

O Many of the best plants for autumn leaf colour prefer acidic soils.

O Check the plant’s aspect and soil needs.

Gardens BERRY TIPS O Try to buy self-fertile varieties of plants

with berries, or ensure that you have male and several female plants in reasonable proximity to each other.

O Check the plant sex as names can be misleading; for example Holly ‘Golden King’ is actually a female berrier, and ‘Silver Queen’ is a male pollinator.

O Keep pruning of woody plants with berries at a minimum to avoid removing berries or developing flower buds.

O To ensure a good shape, train an open structure early in the plant’s development.

O Cut native berry-rich hedges, such as holly and blackthorn, on a rotational basis, one side one year, wait a year, then the other side, to ensure there will always be a good crop of berries for the wildlife.

O Plant berry-rich shrubs with asters, helianthus and grasses.

O You can pick berry-laden branches for indoor floral arrangements.

Right: Grasses take on an ethereal quality with their airy movement and muted tones and work particularly well with lateseason perennials such as sedum, Hylotelephium spectabile, Verbena bonariensis and varieties of salvias Below: Crab apple Malus ‘Evereste’ has a lot to recommend it with pretty white flowers in spring that open from scarlet buds and fade to pink and these glossy fruits flushed with red, orange and yellow Bottom: The curve of a crab apple is echoed by a trio of containers, including clipped buxus, giving a hint of formality, while prolific underplanting of euphorbia, lamium and kniphofias lends a casual air to the scene

Autumn is an ideal time to plant trees and shrubs, including those that produce these jewel brights of autumn and winter. They will keep the life going in your garden by attracting a wide variety of fruit-eating birds and other wildlife. Black and red berries are dominant, probably evolving to be as conspicuous as possible to foraging birds in order to have their seed dispersed.

Most berry-producing trees and shrubs are easy to grow, don’t need much pruning and tolerate a range of soils and climatic conditions, including frost, wind and drought. There are choices for both large and small gardens, so it is worth doing a bit of research and visiting local garden centres to see what is on offer.

If you have a tiny garden, the best way to introduce berries may be to select ones that can be trained or espaliered against a wall or as a boundary hedge, such as pyracantha or cotoneaster, spindle, sloe or a climbing rose that produces hips. For a larger space, it is hard not to love the beauty of the spring flowers and autumn fruit of the crab apples; there are even small varieties for containers.

Don’t overlook the evergreens, such as holly; you can clip them as topiary for the tiniest space.

Keep it contained If you don’t have the space for adding trees and shrubs, you can still enjoy some autumnal beauty on a small scale by creating seasonal containers.

By opting for plant choices that will last through winter, with the added surprise of early bulbs, you’ll have interest all the way to spring. You can also punctuate key areas in the garden as focal points, such as against winter evergreen structure or grouped by steps. Focus on combinations that add instant colour and hold their look for months.

Use frost-resistant containers; placing a plastic pot inside a terracotta pot avoids it cracking.

Ensure that your pot has drainage holes and is large enough for your chosen plants. A visit to your local garden centre will offer all kinds of inspiration.

Choose a centrepiece plant, then create a combination on the ground, painting a picture of colours and textures that appeals to you. ³ Period Living 141

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PLANT PALETTE 1 Cercis canadensis is a small and graceful tree with heart-shaped leaves of burgundy purple that change to orange in autumn.

They like full sun to part shade in chalk, sandy, clay or loam soil that is well drained, and are a great choice for a small garden or in a border among late-season perennials.

2 Acers are invaluable for their vibrant autumn colour of flaming golds and reds.

There is a huge range of varieties for sun or part shade, the more acid the soil and sunnier the aspect the better the colour, but there are ones that are tolerant of most soil types as long as it is fertile. Smaller varieties are lovely in containers. Protect their delicate foliage from strong winds.

3 Cotinus, known as the smoke bush for its feathery panicles, is a large deciduous shrub or small tree with wine-red foliage that turns to sunset colours. Cotinus need full sun and space to grow, in moderately fertile, moist but well-drained soil, and look lovely paired with blues, pinks and purples of late clematis or salvias.

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4 Hydrangeas, most notably the deciduous oak-leaved H. quercifolia, can have dramatic autumn foliage with their elegant fading flowers. Grow in moist but well-drained soil, in sun or part shade, in borders and beds among other shrubs or perennials, or massed as informal hedging.

5 Hamamelis shrubs or small trees are known for their autumn hues followed by wonderful spidery, scented flowers in winter.

They do best in full sun and are tolerant of acid or alkaline soils. Sufficient moisture is important for flowering; water in dry spells and mulch in late winter. Underplant with hellebores, heather, snowdrops and low-growing tufty grasses.

6 Cornus shrubs are ideal for their late season of interest with autumn foliage and vibrant winter stems. They need moist, acid soils in sun, and pruning every year or two in March to ensure good stem colour. Plant en masse for the best effect, and they work particularly well with the bleached parchment of feathery miscanthus plumes.

7 Euonymus varieties offer both foliage in brilliant shades of red, and hanging lobed fruits to the autumn garden, and do well in a range of conditions in most soils in sun to part shade. Grow as a specimen shrub, in mixed borders, in a semi-woodland setting, or massed as an informal hedge.

8 Berberis is a tough hardy shrub and comes in a range of sizes and shapes, many with berries that last well into winter.

It can be used for screens, hedges and barriers due to its spiny stems. Berberis are happy in a range of soils and sites, and is easy to grow and maintain.

9 Crab apples have probably the best of all the winter fruits, and along with their pretty spring blossom have great versatility due to the range of sizes available. For a larger space you can enjoy the spring flowers and autumn fruit of rows of crab apples, maybe lining a drive or dotted across a lawn. There are, however, also small varieties that are ideal for smaller spaces, courtyards or even containers, such as Malus ‘Red Jade’ or

Gardens

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5

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11 GARDENS TO VISIT V O Hergest Croft, Kington, King Herefordshire HR5 3EG.

M. toringo subs. sargentii. Birds generally prefer the smaller crab apples.

10 Sorbus trees have eye-catching pendulous clusters of berries in shades of pink, white, orange, yellow and red, as well as autumn foliage. They prefer a fertile, le, well-drained soil in sun or part shade. Use e as focal trees or in flowerbeds and wildlife e gardens. Remember to water in prolonged d dry periods in summer.

11 Viburnums are graceful shrubs for both autumn foliage colour in pretty tones of pinks and reds, along with their extremely glossy berries. Most prefer full sun in fertile well-draining soil with a cool root run. Ideal in a mixed hedge to attract wildlife.

12 Pyracantha has abundantly produced long-lasting and showy orange to red berries. They can be trained as an espalier on a wall. Trim to encourage branching between late winter and spring, and new growth in summer. Suitable for any moderately fertile soil, not prone to waterlogging, in sun or part-shade.

This private tree colle collection was amassed over three generations, and includes inclu many varieties of acers and sorbus. Open daily until un November. Admission adult £6.50, child free. 01544 015 230160; hergest.co.uk O Exbury Gardens, Exb Exbury, Hampshire SO45 1AZ. Planted in 1919 by Lionel de Ro Rothschild, othschild, glades of trees, including acers, as well as vibur viburnum rn num and cotoneaster are to be enjoyed. Open until No N November. ovember. Admission (gardens only) adult £10.35, child £4.

4. 023 8089 1203; exbury.co.uk O The Savill Garden, Englefield Green, Surrey TW20 0UU Impressive woodland d garden with late-season borders, shrubs and trees. Open pen daily. Admission adult £10.50, child free. 01784 860222; 222; theroyallandscape.co.uk O The National Arboretum, retum, Westonbirt, Tetbury, Gloucestershire GL8 8QS. Britain’s oldest arboretum, begun in 1829, with glades of trees to admire. Open daily. Admission adult lt £10, child £4. 0300 067 4890; forestrygov.uk/westonbirt onbirt

Period Living 143

Recipes

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Enjoy these traditional and timeless recipes from the founder of the Ballymaloe Cookery School, Irish food ambassador and writer, Darina Allen Period Living 145

Ballymaloe Irish stew

Watercress soup

The recipe of this traditional one-pot dish varies from region to region – in Cork, carrots are a quintessential addition, not so in parts of Ulster.

Pearl barley is another favourite option, originally added to bulk up the stew; you’ll need to add extra stock if you include this as it guzzles up liquid, but becomes deliciously plump and flavourful.

This soup has been a favourite on the menu of Ballymaloe House since it opened in 1963.

Watercress contains large amounts of vitamins and minerals and is a valuable source of nutrients.

Wild watercress has more depth of flavour than the cultivated version, so see if you can find some.

SERVES 6–8

SERVES 4–6 1.35kg lamb chops (gigot or rack chops) not less than 2.5cm thick O 8 medium or 12 baby onions O 12 baby carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks O 1–2 tbsp pearl barley O salt and freshly ground black pepper O 850ml–1 litre stock (lamb stock if possible) or water O 8–12 potatoes, or more if you like O 1 sprig of thyme O

1 tbsp roux (optional)

FOR THE ROUX O 110g butter O 110g flour or 50g cornflour and 50g rice flour, for gluten-free FOR THE GARNISH O 1 tbsp freshly chopped parsley O 1 tbsp freshly chopped chives

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4.

1. Cut the chops in half and trim off some of the excess fat. Set aside. Render the lamb fat on a gentle heat in a heavy pan (discard the rendered pieces).

2. Toss the meat in the hot fat in the pan until it is slightly brown. Transfer the meat into a casserole, then quickly toss the onions and carrots in the fat, and the pearl barley, if using. Build the meat, carrots and onions (and pearl barley) up in layers in the casserole; season each layer with freshly ground pepper and salt. Degrease the pan with lamb stock, bring to the boil and pour into the casserole.

3. Peel the potatoes and lay them on top of the casserole (they will steam while the stew cooks).

Season the potatoes. Add a sprig of thyme, bring to the boil on top of the stove, cover with a butter wrapper or paper lid and the lid of the saucepan.

Transfer to the oven or leave to simmer on top of the stove for 1½ hours until the stew is cooked.

4. To make the roux, melt the butter and cook the flour (or cornflour and rice flour) in it for two minutes over a low heat, stirring occasionally.

Roux can be stored in a cool place and used as required or it can be made up on the spot. It will keep for at least a fortnight in the fridge.

5. When the stew is cooked, pour off the cooking liquid, degrease and reheat in another saucepan.

Thicken slightly by whisking in a little roux.

Check the seasoning, then add some freshly chopped parsley and chives. Pour over the meat and vegetables. Bring the stew back up to boiling point and serve from the pot or in a large pottery dish sprinkled with herbs. Serve in deep plates with lots of good Irish butter.

146 Period Living

45g butter 150g potatoes, peeled and chopped O 110g onions, chopped O Salt and freshly ground black pepper O 225g chopped O

O

O

watercress, remove the coarse stalks first O 900ml chicken stock, vegetable stock or water O 300ml creamy milk, brought to boiling

1. Melt the butter in heavy-bottomed saucepan.

When it foams, add the potatoes and onions and toss them until well coated. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper. Cover with a paper lid and the lid of the saucepan, and sweat over a gentle heat for 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, prepare and chop the watercress.

When the vegetables are almost soft but not coloured, add the hot stock and boiling milk.

(It is essential to boil the stock and milk before adding, otherwise the enzymes in the watercress may cause the milk to curdle.)

3. Return to the boil and cook until the potatoes and onions are fully cooked. Add the watercress, return to the boil, and cook with the lid off for 4–5 minutes until the watercress is just cooked.

Be careful not overcook or the soup will lose its fresh green colour. Serve as is or purée the soup

Recipes thicken to a light coating consistency. Allow to bubble gently for 4 –5 minutes. Season to taste.

4. Taste the cooked courgettes and make sure they are delicious and well-seasoned. Spread a little béchamel sauce on the base of a lightly buttered 25.5 x 30.5cm gratin dish, sprinkle with a little grated Parmesan, cover with strips of lasagne, more béchamel sauce, a sprinkling of Parmesan, half the courgettes and a layer of basil leaves.

Next add another layer of lasagne and repeat the previous layer. Cover the final layer of lasagne with sauce and a good sprinkling of Parmesan.

(Make sure all the lasagne is coated with sauce.)

5. Bake for 10– 15 minutes or until golden and bubbly on top. If possible, leave to stand for 5– 10 minutes before cutting to allow the layers to compact. Serve garnished with extra basil leaves and a good green salad.

Courgette and basil lasagne When you consider making lasagne is just a technique, then you can ring the changes with all manner of fillings. This simple vegetarian version is unexpectedly delicious. Instead of basil I sometimes use marjoram, which is equally delicious.

SERVES 6–8 9 sheets of lasagne (choose the thinnest lasagne possible) O 900g courgettes, thinly sliced and cooked for 3–4 minutes in extra virgin olive oil O 150g Parmesan cheese, preferably Parmigiano Reggiano, freshly grated O 20–30 basil leaves, depending on size O

O

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE BÉCHAMEL SAUCE O 900ml whole milk O a few slices of carrot O a few slices of onion O 3 small sprigs of thyme O 3 small sprigs of parsley O 9 peppercorns O 105g roux (see left)

Preheat the oven to 180˚C/gas mark 4.

1. Blanch the lasagne in boiling salted water for a minute or so if it is homemade, or according to the directions on the packet. Drain and lay on a teatowel until needed.

2. To make the béchamel sauce, put the milk into a saucepan with the carrot, onion, peppercorns, thyme and parsley. Bring to the boil, simmer for 4–5 minutes, remove from the heat and leave to infuse for 10 minutes.

3. Strain out the vegetables and herbs, bring the milk back to the boil and whisk in the roux to

Warm salad with Irish blue cheese Some ripe, crumbly Cashel Blue cheese, would be wonderful for this salad. We also love their Crozier Blue cheese. A few little cubes of ripe pear are, of course, delicious here too.

SERVES 4 A selection of organic salad leaves, such as watercress, radicchio, endive, rocket, oakleaf and butterhead O 12 round croutons, 5mm thick, cut from a thin French stick O

45g salted butter, softened O 1 garlic clove, peeled O 140g smoked streaky bacon, cut into 5mm lardons O 50g Irish farmhouse blue cheese ³ O

Period Living 147

Recipes O

1 heaped tbsp of chervil sprigs or freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley

FOR THE VINAIGRETTE DRESSING O 1 tbsp arachide or sunflower oil O 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar salt and freshly ground black pepper O 2 tsp freshly chopped chervil, and O 2 tsp freshly chopped tarragon, or O 4 tsp freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley O O

Preheat the oven to 180˚C/gas mark 4.

1. Whisk together the ingredients for the vinaigrette dressing.

2. Wash and dry the mixture of lettuces and salad leaves and tear into bite-sized pieces. Spread both sides of the rounds of bread with softened butter. Put onto a baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes until golden and crisp on both sides.

Rub them with a clove of garlic and keep hot in a low oven with the door slightly open. Blanch and refresh the bacon, dry well on kitchen paper.

Just before serving, sauté the bacon dice in a little extra virgin olive oil until golden.

3. To serve, dress the lettuces with some vinaigrette in a salad bowl. Use just enough to make the leaves glisten. Crumble the cheese with a fork and add it to the salad, tossing them well together. Divide between four plates. Scatter the hot crispy bacon over the top, put three warm croutons on each plate, and sprinkle sprigs of chervil or chopped parsley over the salad. Serve immediately.

2. Meanwhile, very gently melt the chocolate with the rum and 1 tablespoon of cream, in a bowl over simmering water. Cool, then add 2 tablespoons of whipped cream into the chocolate. Mix well, then fold that into the remaining softly whipped cream; don’t stir too much or it may curdle.

3. To make the chocolate wafers, melt the chocolate in a bowl over barely simmering water. Stir until quite smooth. Spread on a non-stick baking mat or heavy baking tray. Put into a cold place until stiff enough to cut into square or diamond shapes.

4. Sandwich the two meringue discs together with most of the chocolate and rum cream and add rosettes on top. Decorate with the chocolate wafers and a sprinkling of cocoa. ³

Chocolate meringue gateau This recipe makes two layers of meringue but you can double the ingredients for a celebration cake or to make individual little meringues.

SERVES 6 O

2 organic, free-range egg whites O 125g icing sugar O 2 rounded tsp cocoa powder (I use Valrhona)

O

15g unsweetened chocolate O 1 tbsp double cream O 300ml softly whipped cream

FOR THE CHOCOLATE AND RUM CREAM O 30g best-quality dark chocolate O 1 tbsp Jamaican rum

FOR THE CHOCOLATE WAFERS O 55g best-quality dark chocolate

Preheat the oven to 150°C/gas mark 2.

1. Mark 2 x 19cm circles on parchment paper. In a dry, clean and grease-free bowl put the egg whites and add 110g sieved icing sugar all at once; whisk for about 10 minutes until the mixture forms stiff, dry peaks. Sift together the cocoa and the remaining 15g sieved icing sugar and fold in gently.

Spread into circles with a palette knife and bake immediately in the oven for 45 minutes or until just crisp. Leave to cool completely then peel off paper.

Period Living 149

Almond tart or tartlets This is another little gem, with just three ingredients to mix together. The tartlets are also delicious with just a spoonful of raspberry jam and a blob of cream. Try to use shallow tartlet tins and the best quality ground almonds you can find.

SERVES 12 – 24 TARTLETS OR TWO 18CM TARTS 110g soft butter 100g caster sugar O 110g ground almonds O lemon balm or rose geranium leaves (Pelargonium graveolens), to garnish O O

FOR THE REDCURRANT GLAZE O 350g redcurrant jelly O 1 tbsp lemon juice or water (optional)

FOR THE FILLING O Whichever ripe fruit is in season, such as fresh raspberries or loganberries; halved strawberries, redcurrants or blackcurrants; poached rhubarb; sliced fresh peaches or nectarines; peeled and pipped grapes or blueberries O 300ml whipped cream

Preheat the oven to 180˚C/gas mark 4.

1. Cream the butter, add the sugar and ground almonds. Put a teaspoon of the mixture into 24 patty tins or divide the mixture between two 18cm sandwich tins. Bake for 20–30 minutes or until golden brown. The tarts or tartlets will be too soft to turn out immediately, so cool for about 5 minutes before removing from tins. Do not allow to set hard or the butter will solidify and they will stick to the tins. If this happens, pop the tins back into the oven for a few minutes so the butter melts and then they will come out easily. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

2. To make the redcurrant glaze, melt the redcurrant jelly in a small, stainless-steel saucepan and add the water if necessary. Stir gently, but do not whisk or it will become cloudy. Cook it for just 1–2 minutes or the jelly will darken. Store any leftover glaze in an airtight jar and reheat gently to melt it before use. The quantities given above make a generous 300ml glaze.

3. Just before serving arrange the whole raspberries, strawberries, redcurrants or slices of peaches or nectarines, or peeled and pipped grapes or blueberries on the base. Glaze with redcurrant jelly. Decorate with rosettes of whipped cream and garnish with tiny lemon balm or rose geranium leaves.

This is an edited extract from Simply Delicious: The Classic Collection by Darina Allen (£20, Kyle Books). PL readers can buy it for the special price of £14 plus free UK P&P. To order please call 01903 828503 quoting, IdeasKB010. Offer subject to availability. Please allow seven days for delivery.

150 Period Living

Photography Kyle Books/ Peter Cassidy

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Period Living 153

In the Picture

On 11 November 1918, as news spread that the Armistice had been signed and that the Great War was over at last, people thronged into the London streets to celebrate. The cheering crowds headed to Downing Street, to hear Prime Minister Lloyd George tell them ‘You are well entitled to rejoice. The people of this country and our allies, the people of the Dominions and of India, have won a great victory for humanity…They have won this hour of gladness, and the whole country has done its duty.’ However, victory had come at great cost. The first day of the Battle of the Somme (1 July-18 November 1916) was the worst in British military history, with 57,470 casualties, including 19,240 dead - an unthinkable toll on a single day.

Our poppies will have extra poignancy this centenary Remembrance Day, as we honour the 16 million people who lost their lives in the First World War. 170 Period Living

Photograph Getty Images

WAR IS OVER!

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