The English Home September/October 2020 - US Edition

ENGLISH HOME The

Celebrating the essence of English style

COUNTRY EDITION Georgian gem, converted barn, idyllic farmhouse

COTTAGE GARDENS Quintessential schemes & expert advice

DECORATING WITH ANTIQUES Add character & charm to interiors

FIT FOR THE QUEEN Smart buys with Royal approval

STYLE SECRETS Inside the ďŹ nest country house hotels

LIVING THE DREAM

Designers & their dogs at home in the countryside

October 2020

U.S./CAN $7.99

CONTENTS OCTOBER 2020

36 54

16 Beautiful Buys 6

80 BUYING & USING DECORATIVE ANTIQUES Discover

HOME COMFORTS Our round-up of buys for

which pieces are popular and how to use them to best effect in interiors today.

country interiors.

12 FOR QUEEN & COUNTRY Royally chic purchases.

PHOTOGRAPHS (ABOVE LEFT) © EMMA LEWIS; (TOP RIGHT) © ANDREAS VON EINSIEDEL; (ABOVE RIGHT) © DAN DUCHARS

14 INTO THE WOODS Woodland motifs in interiors.

Quintessentially 87 LET THERE BE CAKE Tempting baked goods.

English Homes

88 FROM PATCH TO PLATE – MATTHEW FORT Our

16 ROMANTIC VISION An elegant Georgian villa

90 THE SEASONAL HOME: AUTUMN Bringing the joy

26 36 46 54 64

outside Bath casts an enchanting spell.

LIVING THE DREAM A Grade II listed farmhouse in Hampshire leads to a new rural chapter in life.

STARTING AFRESH The colourful transformation of a rambling seventeenth-century house in Dorset.

FORTUITOUS FIND Antiques and collectables combine in a characterful Hampshire barn.

FAMILIAR COMFORT A fresh approach brings a new look to the warm charms of a Sussex family home.

MY ENGLISH HOME BBC gardening expert Monty Don on his historic Herefordshire home.

food columnist on this month’s edible delights. of the autumn season into the home.

98 CREATING A MODERN COTTAGE GARDEN Style

ideas and design influences for the perfect outdoor space.

108 HOUSES WITH CHARACTER Our selection of properties in the Cotswolds.

111 THE ART OF LIVING IN LOCKDOWN Mrs M on navigating the pandemic from her country retreat.

114 ONE FINAL THING... A relaxed country tablescape.

Regulars

ENGLISH HOME The

Celebrating the essence of English style

Style Inspiration

4

67 RURAL CHARM Bathroom decorating inspiration.

86 READER TRAVEL OFFER A tailor-made luxury

68 DESIGNERS AT HOME WITH THEIR DOGS A peek

inside the homes of dog-owning designers.

74 THE KEY TO COUNTRY HOTEL STYLE Decor insights and inspiration from luxury country house hotels.

A LETTER FROM HOME A warm welcome from

our Editor. trip to visit Britain.

106 BRITAIN CALENDAR Enjoy the delights of Britain

year-round.

113 ADDRESS BOOK Useful contact details.

COUNTRY EDITION Georgian gem, converted barn, idyllic farmhouse

COTTAGE GARDENS Quintessential schemes & expert advice

DECORATING WITH ANTIQUES Add character & charm to interiors

FIT FOR THE QUEEN Smart buys with Royal approval

STYLE SECRETS Inside the finest country house hotels

LIVING THE DREAM

Designers & their dogs at home in the countryside

TEH US SEPOCT 20 COVER version4ssj.indd 1

October 2020

U.S./CAN $7.99

30/06/2020 16:04

COVER IMAGE: © 1000 WORDS/SHUTTERSTOCK

THE ENGLISH HOME 3

WRITE TO US AT

The English Home, Cumberland House, Oriel Road, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL50 1BB, UK Tel +44 (0)333 014 3215 Email: theenglishhome@chelseamagazines.com

A letter from home

T

here is nowhere quite like the English countryside. As I work on finalising this issue from home, the air is fragrant with flowers and alive with the sound of bees and birdsong, and my views are of the Cotswold hills beyond the garden. It’s an environment I’ve been especially grateful for during the pandemic, when England has been in lockdown.

A connection to nature and the seasons, a slower pace of life and relaxed interiors that reflect their surroundings are all elements of country style I’ve enjoyed increasingly over the last few months. Of course, these are ideals that are desirable for city and town dwellers, too. The elements of English country style have broad appeal and can work in any location – classic or contemporary, here or overseas – and can be adapted and used in many ways.

This issue is, therefore, devoted to showing a breadth of English country styles – from our five contrasting homes, spanning a fascinating Georgian villa (page 16) to a rustic, antique-filled barn conversion (page 46), to a peek into the country houses designers share with their dogs (page 68) and our inspiring feature on how to create a quintessential English cottage garden today (page 98). Of course, England’s finest country house hotels boast the most luxurious interiors inspired by their surroundings, so we bring you some key insights and ideas for replicating their interiors (page 74).

Heading into autumn, we look at the natural elements to bring indoors to decorate interiors (page 90) whilst our food columnist, Matthew Fort, looks at delicious recipes for tomatoes, which he grows in his kitchen garden (page 88).

Whether you’re looking to redecorate or simply add a new touch, we hope our Country Edition will prompt a project to enjoy, wherever you call home.

Samantha Scott-Jeffries, Editor Follow us on Twitter @englishhometeam Pinterest at pinterest.com/theenglishhome Facebook at facebook.com@theenglishhome Instagram at instagram.com@englishhomemag 4 THE ENGLISH HOME

www.theenglishhome.co.uk EDITORIAL

Editor Samantha Scott-Jeffries Managing Editor Sarah Feeley Art Editors Claire Hicks, Rebecca Stead Sub Editor Lea Tacey Decorating Editor Katy Mclean Features Editor Eve Middleton Homes & Lifestyle Editor Clair Wayman Editor-at-Large Kate Freud

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© The Chelsea Magazine Company Ltd 2020. All rights reserved. Text and pictures are copyright restricted and must not be reproduced without permission of the publishers. The information in The English Home has been published in good faith and every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy. However, where appropriate, you are advised to check prices, opening times and dates, etc, before making final arrangements. All liability for loss, disappointment, negligence or damage caused by reliance on the information within this publication is hereby excluded. The opinions expressed by the contributors of The English Home are not necessarily those of the publisher. www.chelseamagazines.com: Publisher of Artists & Illustrators, Baby, BRITAIN, Classic Boat, Cruise International, Discover Britain, The English Garden, Independent School Parent and associated Guides, Little London, Popshot, Racecar Engineering, Sailing Today, Scotland Magazine, Yachts & Yachting and Wedding Ideas.

PORTRAIT GRANT SCOTT

This wallpaper by Sarah Vanrenen at The Fabric Collective (page 6) is just one of so many ideas for decorating country homes this issue.

COXLONDON.COM +44 (0) 203 328 9506

Comforts HOME

Warm hues and rustic charm to imbue indoors and out with a country aesthetic

Outdoor colour Lend a new feel to outside spaces with a fresh coat of paint, ensuring its longevity by preparing with a carefully selected primer. Little Greene’s new water-based primer is suitable for all surfaces, has a three-hour drying time and is tinted according to colour choice for a fully saturated hue.

Wall, Tuscan Red 140 Masonry Paint, £69.50 for 5l; table legs, Grey Teal 226 Intelligent Exterior Eggshell, £71.50 for 2.5l; both undercoated with Intelligent All Surface Primer, £41.00 for 2.5l, all Little Greene 6 THE ENGLISH HOME

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT Beautiful botanicals Launched as a linen fabric last year, this striking design by Sarah Vanrenen, co-founder of Vanrenen GW Designs, is now available as a wallpaper in three colourways.

Wallpaper, Dahlia, Red, £90 a metre, Sarah Vanrenen at The Fabric Collective Flora and fauna The delicate design of this latest addition to Susie Watson’s range sees blossoms, butterflies and birds dance across light toile linen.

Apple Blossom Toile Linen, Raspberry Red, £54 a metre, Susie Watson Designs High tea Make tea time special with this simple yet charming rattan cake stand and smart, scalloped-edge china.

Rattan cake stand, from £55 (small); Sorano china side plates, £8 each, both Oka



NOTHING ELSE IS A HARTLEY

Victorian Grand Manor, Cheshire, UK

Discover the secret of Hartley Botanic by calling 781 933 1993 or visit www.hartley-botanic.com

HANDMADE IN ENGLAND CHERISHED IN AMERICA The only aluminium Glasshouses and Greenhouses endorsed by the RHS © The Royal Horticultural Society 2020. Endorsed by the Royal Horticultural Society. Registered Charity No 222879/SC038262 rhs.org.uk

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Design detail Textile designer Zoe Glencross has added ready-made cushions to her collection. Opt for these inky blue and crisp white designs to lend a fresh feel and an instant update to soft furnishings.

From top: Adlington Cowparsley, £40; Windmill Wood Inky Sky with Pom-poms, £70; Bollin Bird Inky Sky (just seen), £45, all Zoe Glencross Light the way Cast in smooth white earthenware clay and handpainted with a glossy cream glaze, these charming drop pendant lights are offset by antiqued brass fittings and brown twisted fabric flex cord for a traditional country look.

The Creamware Pendant, from £200 (small), deVOL Form and function Inspired by standalone furniture found in Georgian kitchens, this new modular larder cupboard is fully customisable with paint, worktops, fairy (spice) racks and ironmongery options to suit.

Larder, from £3,900, British Standard by Plain English Dairy charms This lovely galvanised zinc milk churn adds a touch of rustic charm to the garden. Group with smaller pots or line up several together for year-round appeal.

Galvanised zinc milk churn, £34.50, Nordic House





THE ENGLISH HOME 9

FEATURE EVE MIDDLETON

CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE Swing time Delight in the garden from the comfort of this glorious, personalised swing seat.

Swing seat, from £2,600 including cushion and up to 30 letters of engraving, The Oak & Rope Company Breakfast elegance Start the day the right way and make the humdrum a delight with this charming, retro-inspired breakfast china with twisted rope detailing.

Ceramic egg-cup plate, Pink, £25; Ceramic toast rack, Green, £34, both Matilda Goad Charleston appeal Following the global pandemic and ensuing closure of the solely visitorfunded Charleston Farmhouse, one third of all profits from Cambridge Imprint’s collaborative stationery collection will go straight to the Charleston Trust Emergency Appeal set up to save the Bloomsbury Group’s former country home.

Charleston Stripe hexagonal pencil pot, £18; Special Edition Charleston A4 letter tray, £50, both Cambridge Imprint n

10 THE ENGLISH HOME

WESTLAND SPECIALISTS IN ANTIQUE FIREPLACES &

295 WILLESDEN LANE, LONDON, NW2 5HY TUBE: WILLESDEN GREEN (JUBILEE LINE)

LONDON

ARCHITECTURAL ANTIQUES SINCE 1969

www.westlandlondon.com

TEL: +44 (0) 207 739 8094 e-mail: westland@westlandlondon.com

Her Majesty The Queen at Badminton Horse Trials in the 1960s

Antler Trellis Tea for One, Midnight, £135, Halcyon Days

Summer Peony fabric, Fuschia/Rose, £55 a metre, Sanderson in collaboration with The National Trust

FOR QUEEN & COUNTRY

Armchair with deepbuttoned back, in Teal from Nara collection and with antique trim, from £7,800, Robert Kime

Wallpaper, Moire Stripe, Coffee, £80 a roll; fabric, Mansfield, Cobweb, £132 a metre, both Jean Monro at Turnell & Gigon

Tweed Notebook, £16.99, Campbell’s of Beauly

Wool Origins 8 mattress, deep firm-edge sprung divan base, Fiona euro-slim headboard, from £3,267, Hypnos

Mara pen pot, Navy, £215, Smythson

12 THE ENGLISH HOME

Vintage Check and Animal Print Scarf, Archive Beige, £370, Burberry

FEATURE KATY MCLEAN PHOTOGRAPHS (HM THE QUEEN) © THE PRINT COLLECTOR / ALAMY

Forth quilt jacket, £149, Barbour

The Royal Family is known for its love of country pursuits and enjoying rural life at Sandringham and Balmoral. Add regal style to life in the country with products from Royal Warrant holders. This prestigious accolade recognises that services or goods have been supplied to HM The Queen, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh or HRH The Prince of Wales. So, from the iconic headscarf to the requisite teapot, take inspiration from Royal style.

Luxury Lighting

Custom Design

Lighting Consultancy

www.villaverde.london

Made in Italy

Arcadian Woods wide-width wallpaper 72cm x 10m, £110 a roll, Angel & Boho Mark Hearld Wren fabric in Forest Green, £78 a metre, St Jude’s Hand-forged Branched Magnolia Leaf wall light, £6,480, Cox London

INTO THE WOODS Leaf & Butterfly Study Cushion, £95, John Derian for Designers Guild

Woodland motifs provide a characterful allusion to nature and help ground interior schemes with a reassuring and familiar quality. Leaf details provide a finishing touch to hardware and lighting whilst mural-style wallpaper delivers an immersive, sensory atmosphere.

Other classic emblems of the forest lend decorative accessories a distinct country flavour and bring an enchanting air to proceedings.

Cock Pheasant tray, £85, Wingfield Digby

Land & Sky cabinet, £1,698, Anthropologie Silver Leaf mirror, £395, I & JL Brown

Acorn sugar spoon, £19.50, Glove and Smith, Not on the High Street.com Odette chair, Amelia Blue, £499, Clarke & Clarke 14 THE ENGLISH HOME

FEATURE SUZANNA LE GROVE PHOTOGRAPH (WINGFIELD DIGBY) © ASTRID TEMPLIER

Woodland cast-iron fire bowl, £189, Ludlow Stoves

The Rose Drawing Room is painted in Farrow & Ball’s Pink Ground. Gold wax paint has been rubbed onto the relief work to highlight the detail.

The floral sofa is a classic Howard style, named after Howard & Co, a nineteenthcentury upholstery firm. For a similar style, try the Bluebell design from Sofa.com

16 THE ENGLISH HOME

Romantic VISION A magical country house designed by a notable Georgian figure has been gently enhanced with soft colours and edited decor to let the original features shine FEATURE CLAIR WAYMAN PHOTOGRAPHY EMMA LEWIS

THE ENGLISH HOME 17

ABOVE LEFT Meryl restored the original decorative plasterwork garlands above the mirror in the Rose Drawing Room by making papier mâché motifs to fill missing sections. The bespoke overmantel mirror, made using antiqued glass, is by Looking Glass of Bath.

ABOVE RIGHT Lady Miller brought back large blocks of marble from Carrara in Italy which were carved into elegant niches for the Rose Drawing Room. The chest of drawers is from Mark Maynard Antiques and has been painted in Grand Illusion’s Zinc chalk paint.

M

oving to a large Georgian villa in a village outside Bath was never the intention, but as soon as Meryl Lakin and her husband John stepped over the threshold of the eighteenth-century property it was as though a spell had been cast. They were mesmerised by its enchanting beauty. “We’d always had this notion on the back burner that one day we might move out of London and live in Bath, John’s childhood home,” says Meryl. “Then, finally, we decided to do a mass swoop and go and see a range of smart townhouses in central Bath, with all the conveniences of city living.”

The couple were in the middle of their whirlwind tour when an estate agent called to say they might want to add another, more rural property to their list. “Once we saw the villa everything else got swept off the table,” Meryl explains. “We just knew we had to live our lives here and forgot about all our sensible provisos. We went back for a second and third viewing. The villa kept revealing more of its secrets on each visit – we were completely blown away.”

The house has a fascinating history and not long after she and John moved in, in December 2014, Meryl became intrigued by the tale of how the house was built

by Lady Anna Miller, a notable figure in Georgian Bath

18 THE ENGLISH HOME

society. In 1765, when the house was almost complete, Lady Miller and her husband Sir John embarked on a two-year tour of Italy, throughout which she kept a detailed diary. This was subsequently published and became a popular resource for travellers embarking on the Grand Tour. “When they came back from Italy they were full of new ideas and laden with spoils from their travels and added the flourishes and finesse, inspired by what they’d seen, which makes the villa such a unique one-off,” says Meryl. “Georgian houses can feel quite restrained, but the villa is far more romantic and decorative, as if Lady Miller waved a magic wand and put an enchantment over it. She managed to inject a fairy tale quality into the very substance of the house.”

The most magical features in the house are the floor-to-ceiling bow windows, the silvered mirror window shutters, the soaring staircase that creates such a theatrical entrance and castellated roof parapet at the back of the house. “It’s a joy to be able to step out on to the roof and take in those panoramic views above the treetops, with birds gliding by,” says Meryl. “I feel like I’m standing at the top of my tower. It’s a real Rapunzel moment.”

Being slightly removed from Bath appealed to original owner Lady Miller’s artistic sensibilities

Grouped together on the shelves in the kitchen, the subtle differences in the green Lovatt Langley utility ware create a pleasing effect. The Louis 20 chairs are by Philippe Starck and are available from 1st Dibs.

The nineteenth-century pine dresser was originally in a draper’s shop in Edinburgh. The original Georgian shutters are painted in Folly Green and the dining table has been painted in Breakfast Room Green, both Farrow & Ball. .

THE ENGLISH HOME 19

Meryl is always experimenting and styling, especially during the summer, when she brings an abundance of flowers and leaves into the house from the garden to create her artistic displays. When hosting dinner parties Meryl loves candles glowing on every surface to create a sense of occasion.

 20 THE ENGLISH HOME

‘I like to hear the sounds of the house, so I’ve kept the floors free of rugs and carpets’ and she started to hold grand literary salons at the villa, which were a Continental tradition. Intellectuals and anyone of note and fashion at the time flocked to these events to write poetry and discuss literature.

Throughout the subsequent centuries, the house was owned by a succession of intriguing characters, including two forward-thinking, eccentric sisters, who used the house as a refuge for suffragettes and a religious commune. After the Second World War, the sisters bequeathed the house to the Vedanta religious movement and the swami lived in it until he died in the 1970s. Then it was abandoned and squatters moved in. “The one blessing in all of this was that the house escaped modernisation throughout the most damaging decades of the twentieth century because the occupants had little money and no interest

in fashionable home improvements. It remained in a time capsule, literally untouched,” Meryl says.

That was until 1993, when the owners before the Lakins brought the dilapidated house back from the brink. “Apparently it was falling to rack and ruin,” says Meryl. “The roof had caved in and there was rain gushing down the stairwell like a waterfall. I think for some time there had been a view that Georgian properties had served their useful purpose. It’s so alien to how we think now, but there was a period in the 1960s and 1970s when nobody wanted big old houses; they were seen as a liability and money pit.”

All the original Georgian features, including the shutters, fireplaces, bookcases and cornices had been handmade by craftsmen. “Having spent most of my life living in Victorian houses in London,” explains Meryl,

ABOVE Meryl wanted to create a dreamlike, underwater mood in the Bow Room, with walls painted in Farrow & Ball’s Green Blue and a luminous motherof-pearl metallic paint from Craig & Rose catching the light along the cornice.

The Gustavian-style oval dining table is from Georgia Lacey Antiques.

THE ENGLISH HOME 21

ABOVE LEFT The bow windows, balcony and fairy tale castellated roof parapet at the back of the house create a romantic feel.

ABOVE RIGHT The library walls are painted in Dix Blue and the bookcases in Oval Room Blue, both Farrow & Ball. A treasured collection of 1930s Constance Spry vases take on a sculptural feel against the blue.

RIGHT Meryl is currently writing a book about the history of the villa and Lady Miller.

“I hadn’t realised how crafted and handmade Georgian buildings are, virtually nothing was mass produced.”

Meryl spent several years working as an art director in publishing and for Designers Guild, creating its iconic interiors books, so the house has benefitted from her eye for colour and design. Since moving in, she has completely refreshed the colour schemes.

“I am so pleased with how the colours have worked on the ground floor,” she says. “We have the emerald kitchen, then the green-blue in the dining room, and the soft blue in the library. The three rooms interconnect and are very harmonious, yet each have a distinct character.”

The library had been used as a gentleman’s study and painted in dark Georgian browns. “We found we didn’t use this room much because it felt wintery,” Meryl explains. “It has a fantastic connection to the garden, so we decided to think of it more as a garden room. We opted for two shades of blue and the room suddenly came alive. I found the original bookcases

22 THE ENGLISH HOME

A sweeping, monkey’s tail bannister takes centre stage in the hall. Little Greene’s Pearl Colour, and Stock, a soft ivory, highlight the architectural detailing. The 1920s cabinet is painted in Oyster and Stockholm chalk paint from Grand Illusions.

THE ENGLISH HOME 23

ABOVE The dressing table in the master bedroom is from Sunbury Antiques Market at Kempton Park, one of Meryl’s favourite haunts. The ornate mirror above the original fireplace is from Attic.

RIGHT In the guest bedroom, the art deco headboard, made of bird’s-eye maple and silk, has a backrop of Midnight Garden wallpaper by House of Hackney.

The bedside table came from Sunbury Antiques Market.

LEFT One of Meryl’s favourite times of day is sunrise, when she opens the masterbedroom shutters and steps onto the balcony to take in the panoramic views and morning sky. In Georgian times this space would have been used as a reception room.

BELOW LEFT The master bedroom is painted in Farrow & Ball’s Pink Ground.

Meryl loves this colour because it has many moods and changes depending on the time of day or season. It can be cool and fresh or glowing and warm.

quite dominant, so painting them a similar colour to the walls made them recede. Now it’s a lovely, cool, calm retreat because it doesn’t get the midday sun.

When it’s a hot day, there’s something wonderful about having those long windows up, with the cross breeze.”

The biggest transformation has been seen in the hall, which had been painted in a dark distemper paint, creating a castle-like feel. Meryl followed her instincts and went for a complete change of mood with soft, reflective tones of the palest duck egg and ivory. “The whole house felt like it had been set free.” she says.

“The architectural details on the walls sprang to life as soon as the hall was painted a light colour.”

Painting the drawing room in a pale pink has been another triumph. “I like to think this was Lady Miller’s drawing room, where she would take tea,” says Meryl.

“This room doesn’t get the sun in the mornings, so the pink walls give it a natural dawn glow, even when there’s no light in here. When the sunlight comes around in the afternoon, it absolutely lights up and really is beautiful, especially with the gold highlights on the relief work catching the light.”

Meryl has kept the interiors quite pared-back to let the beautiful bones of the house take centre stage.

“I like to hear the sounds of the house, so I’ve kept the floors free of rugs and carpets,” she explains. “The proportions would be spoiled the minute I put a blind up at any of those windows. I don’t like houses to be swaddled in fabric or overly dressed. To me, it feels more beautiful to see the proportions and structure of the house. My mantra is don’t do anything that can’t be reversed and don’t detract from what you’ve got.

The house has such a strong spirit and sense of history, you’ve got to go with it. On the other hand, I’m not trying to create a museum and want it to feel relaxed and light-hearted, but I’m mindful of the fact that I’m playing with something special and have a responsibility to take care of it.”

Since leaving London, Meryl has not looked back and relishes country life. “We experience the seasons, the weather, the natural world and the big skies so much more intensely than we ever did in London,” she says. “Moving here wasn’t the plan, and certainly wasn’t what we were expecting, but we just had to have this adventure. We thought we must try it for however many years it feels right, but fairly rapidly we became so emotionally attached, it now seems unimaginable that we’d ever leave.” n

THE ENGLISH HOME 25

Alexandra picking flowers in the rose garden, bordered by a bed of lavender.

OPPOSITE The boot room has an antique French scrubbed oak farmhouse table from Maison Artefact. The sink is a stone trough sourced from a reclamation yard and the pendant light is from Porta Romana.

26 THE ENGLISH HOME

Planned to PERFECTION Careful research and a love of the country led to a charming Georgian farmhouse in Hampshire and a new rural chapter in life FEATURE MAGGIE COLVIN PHOTOGRAPHY ROBERT SANDERSON

THE ENGLISH HOME 27

ABOVE The kitchen was designed and supplied by Plain English. Simon found the lanterns at the Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair. Clean lines are accentuated by the off-white walls in Rita Says by Paint & Paper Library.

LEFT One of two tall antique cabinets in the orangery. Both are painted inside in Bone China Blue

by Little Green.

28 THE ENGLISH HOME

M

oving from a terraced house in South West London to a dream home in the country was a carefully researched adventure by Alexandra Young, who was concerned her husband Simon would happily settle for the London suburbs, within easy reach of his city office. For Alexandra, living in the countryside was etched into her life plan. “In an ideal world we would both have chosen to live in a rambling farmstead in Dorset, where Simon and I both went to school,” she explains, “but it was just too far from London. Hampshire, with its pockets of unspoilt countryside, seemed the ideal compromise.”

With her then just one-year-old baby Isla asleep in the back of the car, Alexandra spent a year exploring Hampshire and eventually tracked down a Grade II listed Georgian property with two acres of well-stocked garden, on the edge of an idyllic village, 10 minutes’ drive from Winchester. “I googled the local train  timetable and that settled it. It was an easy commute

The spacious orangery is the family’s favourite place to eat. The arched double doors echo the design of the front door. The bespoke table and chairs were sourced at Scumble Goosie.

THE ENGLISH HOME 29

Replacing the original double doors to the garden helped restore the dining room to its former glory. Alex chose Eleonora wallpaper by Zoffany to enhance the room’s pretty country house feel.

30 THE ENGLISH HOME

‘I am always thinking of creative ways to add the final touches which make all the difference’ for Simon, which was so important to both of us.”

Alexandra was also delighted that there would be enough outside space for the children – Isla, Poppy and Digby (now respectively 12, 11 and eight) – to be able to keep pets and their own ponies.

The charming Georgian one-time hunting lodge was full of potential. The previous owner was a doctor who ran his surgery from the house and, prior to that, it had been a working farm, with the result that past design decisions had been taken for purely pragmatic reasons rather than aesthetic considerations. As an experienced interior designer who has her own business, Alexandra Young Design, Alexandra was determined to restore all the house’s original graceful features, especially the fireplaces, panels, old doors and coving.

For the first three years, the Young family camped in the house with partial heating and rising damp.

“It was so useful for me to be able to register the seasonal changes,” says Alexandra. “Especially when it came to choosing the right colours for each room.

As the house is Grade II listed, it took time to design and get planning permission, and even before that, to find the right architect. I interviewed eight before taking on Ian Adam-Smith. He quickly gauged our taste for relaxed restrained simplicity and stood out for being thoroughly at ease with dealing with planning for listed buildings.”

Once the architect’s plans met the couple’s approval and the council’s requirements, the family moved out for 13 months whilst the house was gutted and renovated. A new conservatory was added with a grand eighteenth-century-style roof lantern, arched windows and panelled doors in graceful Georgian style. “We were so lucky to be allowed this oldfashioned extension,” Alexandra reflects. “Planners these days tend to prefer modern extensions. We have Ian Adam-Smith to thank. He was also good at juggling space.” In his restoration plans for the back of the house, Adam-Smith managed to fit a new laundry room, cloakroom and boot room – which doubles

ABOVE A newly installed marble fireplace from Marble Hill acts as a graceful focal point in the sitting room. The lampshades are from Fermoie and the antique sofa is covered in Kate Forman fabric. The wall lights are from Paolo Moschino for Nicholas Haslam.

THE ENGLISH HOME 31

The sumptuous curtains are in fabric by Zoffany and finished with a trim from Samuel & Sons. The bespoke ottoman is covered in a fabric from Claremont.

32 THE ENGLISH HOME

‘This house is the antithesis of a show home; it has evolved and is still an ongoing project’ up as a flower room and workshop for Alexandra, whose themed party events business is gaining a local clientele. “It was previously a very cluttered, oil-stained workshop and, historically, the parlour of the old working farm,” she explains. “Having a boot room where I can arrange flowers has always been my dream,” she says, adding how vital this room has become for stowing away the children’s muddy boots and riding gear as well as her party paraphernalia.

As the couple love entertaining, a significant part of Adam-Smith’s design was the creation of an elegant, square dining room with new French windows opening on to the garden. Alexandra chose painted panelling and a traditional leafy wallpaper for this room.

As well as the basics of having to replumb and rewire, the York stone flooring on the ground floor was lifted to put in underfloor heating, antique fireplaces were sourced to replace modern designs and a pretty fanlight was installed over the front door. Original features such as sash windows, doors, panelling and cornices were all meticulously reinstated.

Further improvements were carried out in the attic, where the roof was raised to accommodate two new children’s rooms, a playroom and a family bathroom. “There was so much more to change and put right than we originally bargained for,” says Alexandra, adding that the project had its dramas and funny moments. “The worst drama was when a rotten 

ABOVE LEFT Found at a reclamation yard, the console in the hall is made from balcony balustrades and a bespoke marble top.

The chandelier is from Richard Taylor Designs.

ABOVE RIGHT A pale duck egg colour scheme lends a cossetting feel to the master bedroom.

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The elegant headboard in the master bedroom is

by Alexandra Young Design and the wallpaper is Ludlow

by Cole & Son.

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ABOVE Calm colours imbue the en-suite bathroom with serenity. It is wallpapered to match the master bedroom and the woodwork is painted in Linen by Little Green. The bath is by Victoria + Albert Bathrooms.

RIGHT Eldest daughter Isla’s bedroom has walls papered in Cole & Son’s Hummingbirds.

The bed and bedside tables are from Homes in Heaven and the headboard is upholstered in Susie Watson fabric. The lampshades are by Matilda Goad.

lintel unexpectedly fell down in the oldest part of the house, and the funniest moments were supplied by the builders. They used to look at me incredulously because they never understood my preference for the imperfections of old bumpy doors, wonky floor tiles and pitted reclaimed floorboards. They complained about slipping standards.”

There is no trace in the house of Alexandra making snap decisions or taking on high-street stop gaps. Most of the furniture has been inherited or found on trips to antique shops and decorative art fairs over several years. Having trained as a costume maker as well as being a self-styled hoarder of vintage fabric offcuts in sun-faded, muted colours, she is hugely resourceful and finds trims to bring new life to old curtains and quilts from obscure, homespun websites. “This house is the antithesis of a show home; it has evolved and it is still an ongoing project,” she explains. “Six years after the renovations began, I have still not managed to have the lanterns on either side of the front door put up. But that is part of the joy of this home, I am always thinking of creative ways to add the final touches which make all the difference.” n

THE ENGLISH HOME 35

36 THE ENGLISH HOME

Starting AFRESH Determination, a desire to stay close to friends and an unconventional search all played a part in the discovery of a rambling seventeenth-century farmhouse to call home FEATURE AMANDA HARLING PHOTOGRAPHY ANDREAS VON EINSIEDEL

Sourced from a reclamation yard, the fireplace is the focal point of the sitting room. Art, decorative furniture and accessories are arranged in a seemingly random fashion, but the result is balanced and cohesive. The oil painting on the right of the fireplace is

by Geoffrey Grinling.

In the sitting room, an exuberant flower painting bought in a local brocante hangs alongside a charming nineteenth-century reverse landscape painting on glass. For a similar metal side table, try the Quatrefoil table from The French Bedroom Company.

F

inding herself newly single, writer and interior designer Polly Fry had some big decisions to make. Having happily brought up her five daughters in a spacious country house for the last 30 years, she now felt it was time to leave and was eager to embrace the change.

Polly knew she did not want to stray too far from her beloved corner of Dorset and loyal group of friends, but was determined to find somewhere she had an instant connection with. “I couldn’t bear to move too far afield because the friends I’ve made over the years are far too important for me to have upped sticks and moved away,” she says.

With this in mind, Polly’s search for a property was somewhat unconventional. “I’ve never been one to go about things in the normal way, and finding a new home for me and my girls was no exception,” she says.

Rather than enlisting the help of local estate agents, she started scouring the local lanes for a house that was smaller but still large enough for each of her grown-up daughters to have a bedroom, so that they could all be at home together. “I wanted it to be their home, not just somewhere to stay over the weekend.” 

ABOVE A pair of peacock lamps and a gold palm floor lamp add to the relaxed, bohemian look in the sitting room. The tall Regency mirrored bureau belonged to Polly’s mother. The oil painting of an interior on the right is by Geoffrey Grinling, Polly’s grandfather.

The pair of velvet Jonesy sofas are from Loaf.

RIGHT Polly’s collection of much-loved china and porcelain is displayed on the shelves of a corner cabinet.

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‘The Gustavian style strikes a chord with me. I like the simplicity of its design’ ABOVE Vintage prints of birds and insects accentuate the height of the kitchen ceiling.

Polly inherited the ornately painted Italian armoire from her aunt and the dining table and chairs are from Oka. RIGHT Planters and urns filled with lush greenery sit beneath an overhanging roof.

They are guarded by on of the stone dogs Polly bought for the house before she even owned it.

Polly found just what she was looking for by exploring local villages. “There it was, tucked away in a backwater I didn’t know existed, with a plaque dated 1698 on the facade. I knew immediately that this was where I wanted to live,” she says. “All that was lacking was a pair of stone dogs on either side of the front door.

Later, that same afternoon, I happened to come across a pair in a junk shop and bought them, utterly convinced that they’d soon be outside our new home.

The only problem was that the house wasn’t for sale.”

A friend of Polly’s, who lived in the village, took to walking her dog past the house and during a chat over the fence with the owner, mentioned that if he was thinking of selling, she knew someone who was interested in buying. He suggested that Polly could come over to take a look, however, his wife was less keen, so Polly was forced to bide her time. “Over the ensuing months I would often do a slow drive by, blissfully imagining myself as mistress of the house, hanging out the washing or weeding the borders,” she says. “One of my daughters flatly reminded me that, as we hadn’t sold our old house, we couldn’t buy this one, even if it was on the market.”

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‘There it was, tucked away in a backwater I didn’t know existed ... All that was lacking was a pair of stone dogs’

Nevertheless, Polly continued to keep an eye on the property, and later that year noticed a decorator’s van and a skip in the drive. Her friend in the village made enquiries and learnt that the family’s youngest child had just left home. Was the house being freshened up prior to being sold, Polly wondered?

Having at last found a buyer for her own home, as soon as contracts were exchanged, Polly made a hasty visit to the owners of her now home. “They said they’d decided to downsize and invited me in to take a look around,” she explains. “Everything was just how I’d imagined it. I knew that with one or two alterations it would be perfection. We agreed a price and a few weeks later, the stone dogs and I moved in. Whilst it was an emotional moment leaving the lovely house where I’d lived for some 30 years, I was overwhelmed with joy and relief that I had the prospect of a new life and a new home to look forward to.”

Two years on, Polly is still elated. She points out that the move forced her to be ruthless about disposing of possessions. “I had already got rid of a vast amount before we left the old house, but then realised that I’d hardly scratched the surface and had stupidly spent 

ABOVE A pair of vintage Terre d’Hautaniboul ceiling lights add the finishing touch to the new kitchen designed and made by Guild Anderson. For similar lights, try The French House. The cabinetry painted in Little Greene’s French Grey Dark, combined with the nickel satin cup handles and honed marble work surfaces, creates a timeless look.

For similar prints, try Picture Box Blue.

LEFT The conservatory enjoys fabulous views over the countryside.

The floor is tiled in Scintilla Star from Tiles Direct.

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ABOVE Walls painted in Pale Powder by Farrow & Ball create a sense of calm in Polly’s bedroom, dressing room (right) and bathroom (opposite). Her love of vintage fabrics can be seen in the curtains, quilt and headboard. The set of bird prints are from Oka. RIGHT The beautiful painted Italian chest of drawers, which belonged to Polly’s grandmother, now takes pride of place in the dressing room, alongside a painting by her grandfather, Geoffrey Grinling.

a small fortune putting things into storage that would never be used again. The golden rule of William Morris has to be obeyed: ‘Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful’.”

To adapt the property to suit the needs of her convivial family, Polly converted what had been an adjoining garage into a spacious kitchen and dining area, where the understated design of the cabinetry allows the ceramics and art to create an impact. “The existing kitchen was too small,” she says. “When the girls are home with boyfriends and husbands in tow, we are 12 or more around the table.” The original kitchen with adjoining conservatory has been reconfigured and is now a sunny spot for a coffee, writing or relaxing with friends. “When I have grandchildren, that’s where they’ll do their Lego and colouring in,” says Polly.

Whilst most of the furniture was recycled from her previous home, to update the look, Polly incorporated new pieces such as the velvet-covered sofas in the sitting room – one in a dusky pink, the other grey.

42 THE ENGLISH HOME

A bold jungle print, hung between a pair of tall mirrors, creates a striking effect in Polly’s bathroom. The jungle print on canvas is from Arbol House and the mirrors are by Cox & Cox.

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An ornate chandelier accentuates the height of a beamed attic bedroom in the oldest part of the house. A citrus yellow, buttoned sofa adds a zesty note of colour alongside the vintage rugs and floral fabrics such as the vintage blue toile headboard.

44 THE ENGLISH HOME

Two in the same colour would have been a more conventional choice, but Polly has an innate talent for making her home and those of her clients look as if they have evolved over years, rather than months.

Mindful of her budget, Polly used the internet along with local auctions and antique fairs to source accessories and furniture for her new home. “Vintage needlework and textiles are my particular weakness – I have a hoard of quilts and bedcovers which are my way of instantly transforming a bedroom. Decorative prints of birds and flowers are something else I love, so they also feature strongly.” Many of the decorative pieces in the house are inherited. “My grandfather was the artist Geoffrey Grinling and I have several of his paintings,” she explains. “I also have beautiful china from my grandmother.”

After a year or more of planning, building and decorating, the house is now more or less as Polly wants it. “Whilst there are always things to do, the house is manageable for me on my ‘ownsome’, as well as being somewhere my children can come home to and, in due course, with their own children in tow,” she says. “Not long ago, one of my daughters came to stay with her boyfriend and as she sat down to breakfast, she said this house felt more like home than the old one ever did. I cried tears of joy inside.

We had made something lovely out of heartbreak.” n

TOP Flowers are the theme in daughter Augusta’s bedroom. Against a backdrop of walls painted in Farrow & Ball’s Pale Powder, a medley of designs ranging from the floral linen curtain fabric to the framed prints give the room a timeless, feminine look. Polly inherited the four-poster bed from her grandmother.

ABOVE The rambling seventeenth-century farmhouse has been extended over the centuries.

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The nineteenth-century French oak dining chairs are covered in a linen by Ian Mankin and teamed with an elegant round dining table made using reclaimed oak planks from Burgundy.

Woody, the chocolate Labrador, waits expectantly for titbits.

RIGHT Dawn has created an inviting courtyard dining area. The cladding is painted in French Grey by Bedec and the wicker chairs are from Oka. The metal table and chairs were a lucky find from a local charity shop.

46 THE ENGLISH HOME

Fortuitous FIND A characterful barn in the Hampshire countryside is revitalised with a charming mix of antiques and collectables FEATURE & STYLING CLAIR WAYMAN PHOTOGRAPHY NICK HUGGINS

FIND S

ometimes good things happen when least expected and serendipity plays a part. Driving home from a trip to a National Trust property in Hampshire one sunny afternoon, in August 2012, art consultant Dawn Atkins noticed a ‘For sale’ sign, however, the house was not visible from the road.

“I couldn’t resist going up the drive to take a look and that was it, I was hooked,” she explains. “I knew I wanted a barn conversion and came across this delightful property purely by chance.”

Upon contacting the estate agent, Dawn learnt the previous owner, who had sadly passed away, had lived in the four-bedroom, Grade II listed seventeenthcentury barn for 25 years. Luckily for her, his unusual taste in decor had deterred other prospective buyers.

“When I came back to view it properly, I walked into a sea of salmon pink carpet with matching walls on the ground floor, and a dated chocolate brown bathroom suite upstairs,” she says. “The already dark kitchen had an oppressive pea green and pine scheme.

It was like stepping into a Swedish sauna.”  THE ENGLISH HOME 47

In the sitting room, an exuberant flower painting bought in a local brocante hangs alongside a charming nineteenth-century reverse landscape painting on glass. For a similar metal side table, try the Quatrefoil table from The French Bedroom Company.

Fortunately, with a background in interiors, Dawn could see past the unappealing palette. “I fell in love with the wonky oak beams and idiosyncrasies of the building,” she says. “Nothing’s straight here and that’s the charm of it.”

The barn can be traced back to Elizabethan times, when it was used as a blacksmith’s workshop, but it was only in the 1980s that it was converted into somewhere to live by the family who owned the adjacent farmhouse. Thankfully it had been carefully looked after over the years, so Dawn needed only to focus on cosmetic changes. “I wouldn’t have touched something as big as this if it had needed lots of structural changes,” she says. However, before signing on the dotted line, she made sure talented carpenter George Harrison was on board to help her. “I only take a house on if I know I can work with George,” she says. “He’s worked on all of my properties for over 25 years and we collaborate well.”

One of the first jobs Dawn and George tackled was the redesign of the kitchen, poring over the design and layout, making sure everything would be within easy reach. “We put our heads together to see how we could get the best out of this room,” she explains. “The cupboards, albeit tired on the outside, were solid and still had life in them, so we simply replaced the doors.”

George then took down an uninspiring wall of

48 THE ENGLISH HOME

cupboards, reusing them to build a large island to house pots and pans, with a breakfast seating area at one end. As the kitchen was dark, Dawn convinced the conservation officer to let her add two skylights, totally transforming the space, letting light flood in from early morning to late evening.

One of five children, Dawn was brought up in a regimented household with a mother who worked as the matron in a London hospital and a father who was in the Royal Air Force. “My childhood home was quite a sterile environment, but I’m the antithesis of that style of living,” she says. “I’m not precious and I love furniture that has become worn over time, with frayed edges or chipped paintwork, signs of use, where previous owners have left their mark. I see myself as yet another lucky owner that keeps these pieces for a while, until they move on to their next owners. Pieces that come with their own history should be enjoyed and loved, not just admired from afar. However, my father’s ‘big papa’ chair, which sits in the drawing room, will stay with me forever.”

Dawn fondly remembers it was her grandmother, Lily, who brought out her passion for interiors.

“When I was a child of seven or eight, Lily would take me down to Borough Market, or to the barrow boys set up in Pimlico, scouring for interesting pieces to dress her Regency-style home,” she recounts. Dawn is also 

ABOVE LEFT Carpenter George Harrison built the floor-to-ceiling bookcase.

The nineteenth-century Dutch desk was once used for counting money at cattle markets and has the markings to prove it.

The wire pendant is from Spitalfields Market in London. To create a rustic feel downstairs, Dawn chose Bayonne Provence tumbled limestone from Mandarin Stone for the floors.

LEFT Dawn’s love of vintage extends to her clothing. Here she wears a beaded cardigan inherited from her mother.

ABOVE The monochrome abstract artwork above the fireplace is by Dawn. Her much-loved ‘big papa’ armchair, inherited from her father, sits under a Victorian portrait from an antiques fair at Goodwood. The antique French armoire was given to Dawn by an art director friend. The coffee table is from Maison Home Interiors and the wood-effect flooring is Country Oak by Moduleo.

LEFT Dawn loves gardening and spends as much time and effort on creating a beautiful garden as she does on her home’s interior.

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‘Every piece I own has a story to tell. I still feel like I’m playing with my dolls’ house, having endless fun’ ABOVE Steps lead from the dining room into the light-filled kitchen. The walls are painted in Clunch from Farrow & Ball which blends with the light oak beams and rustic floor.

ABOVE RIGHT The kitchen cabinets are painted in Putti by Little Greene. Dawn chose a solid French oak for the island work top and a granite from Stone Circle for the other surfaces. She found the metal candelabra in Perpignan, France and the metro tiles are from Fired Earth.

convinced that every child should own a dolls’ house to learn about interiors from a young age. “I used to play with my dolls’ house endlessly, swapping things around every day.”

One of the reasons Dawn bought the property was because it was perfectly located for her business, Watermark Art Consultancy, making it easy for her corporate clients nearby to visit and view artwork in situ. She has often had homes that double as workspaces. Her previous home, a Georgian townhouse in Farnham, doubled as a lifestyle shop selling her carefully curated collections of antique Swedish, French and German furniture, alongside art and accessories. Her two grown-up sons, Andrew and Max, have always been used to the constant stream of furniture coming and going. “The boys would say it was like living on a carousel,” Dawn says.

“I did feel sorry for them because they had to endure my revolving collections of antiques and art from a very young age.”

Since moving, Dawn has let the quirks of the barn guide her and has found that simplicity is key. “I love

50 THE ENGLISH HOME

symmetry, but the barn has taught me to be more relaxed when it comes to decorating,” she says. “You have to be very selective about the pieces you chose and where you put them. Plus, the space between the furniture is just as important. I like to let the beams speak for themselves.”

When designing a room scheme, Dawn often starts with an anchor piece, such as the chesterfield sofa in the drawing room or the antique French bed in her bedroom. She is always experimenting and brings together an eclectic mix of styles and periods, but a common thread is the natural patina and tactile, aged quality of every piece.

When it came to painting the barn’s interior, Dawn chose a light and airy palette. “I tend to use warm neutrals that create the perfect backdrop for my art,” she says. She enlisted her son Andrew to paint the house from top to bottom, and both her boys were given the unenviable task of painting the beams in Dawn’s bedroom. The comical experience still makes them laugh to this day. “I found the oak beams a little oppressive in here and decided to paint them with a 

ABOVE A collection of green glass vessels from Sunbury Antiques Fair catch the light in a corner of the drawing room.

The brass art deco side table was picked up on trip to Saint-Ouen flea market in France around 25 years ago.

The worn leather chesterfield sofa was a lucky find on an auction site.

LEFT The barn exterior is painted in a charcoal black hue from Bedec. On warm summer evenings, with the French doors open, the outdoor seating area is an extension of the drawing room.

The parasol is from the East London Parasol Company.

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Dawn bought the carved wardrobe doors at an auction at a chateau in France. The gilt pelmet above came from Grays Antiques in London.

‘I love furniture that has become worn over time’ light chalky wash. In my wisdom, I asked my sons to take on that task. I have this memory of seeing my youngest wearing my rose-printed shower cap, soaked to the skin, steadying the ladder from below, with pools of watery paint dripping down his grimaced face, whilst his big brother stood above, on tiptoes, stretching up to the beams with this mixture of sludge, cursing me under his breath.”

Dawn has had a passion for collecting ever since her early days of living in London when she saved up to buy her first antique confit pot from Guinevere on the King’s Road and loved bringing back treasures from her travels in the Far East and Kenya. “Some pieces I just can’t part with,” she says. “It’s the narrative behind them that remains in my life, echoing happy days of the past.” She is also drawn to the slightly worn, deconstructed qualities in antiques. “I like to see the bones of a piece of furniture, in its natural state.

I want to be able to be able to curl up in a chair and not worry about the state of its cover,” she says.

“What I love most is when friends come and say ‘Oh I love that, where did you get it?’ It’s a great ice breaker.

Every piece I own has a story to tell. I still feel like I’m playing with my dolls’ house, having endless fun.” n

52 THE ENGLISH HOME

ABOVE This bedroom, with its airy vaulted ceiling and painted oak beams, is Dawn’s sanctuary.

The antique French bed is from The French Depot and above it hangs a wooden beaded chandelier from Bali.

The handmade antique monogramed cushions are by Charlotte Casadéjus and are available from Streett Marburg in London.

LEFT Carpenter George Harrison built the bathroom cabinet and the marble top is from Stone Circle.

The Nordic Oak wood-effect ceramic floor tiles are from Porcelain Superstore.

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Much of the furniture in the sitting room came with the house and now sits against a rich backdrop of terracottahued paint by Craig & Rose. The impressive mirrored panel ensures maximum light reflects around the room from the floorto-ceiling windows.

Familiar COMFORT

A fresh approach has brought a new look but retained all the warmth and charm of a family home in Sussex FEATURE & STYLING SARA BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY DAN DUCHARS

THE ENGLISH HOME THE 55 ENGLISH HOME 55

56 THE ENGLISH HOME

T

aking time to live in a house, to really get to know it before making any changes, is wonderful advice that has stood many new homeowners in good stead. However, for Amy and James Bell it was more a case of seeing past their new home’s familiarity when, five years ago, they bought James’ parents’ house near Lewes, Sussex.

“This house had already played such a big part in our lives,” explains Amy. “We held our wedding reception here and had parties for our children’s christenings here. When the house went on the market, we were devastated and couldn’t bear to see it go.”

James’ parents had bought the seven-bedroom property in 1982, and whilst it was in relatively good condition when the couple bought it, some of the decor had become dated. Upon moving in, their plan was to reimagine the house for multi-generational living to suit them, their two daughters – Eliza, 12 and Martha, 10 – and James’ mother, who would remain in the house and live with them. They decided to start with new bathrooms and fresh decor for the girls’ bedrooms, leaving the kitchen last on the list, taking 18 months to plan and save for it, along with plenty of poring over images from magazines and Instagram.

Renovation work was carried out by local interior design and restoration company Hartley Quinn Wilson, who also designed and built the kitchen and 

ABOVE The grey stone mansion was built in 1849 for a local bank manager.

RIGHT Amy by the imposing front door with the family’s beloved Norfolk terrier Nelson.

OPPOSITE The grand hallway is painted a lovely buttery shade of Oak Apple by Little Greene, with the cornicing and joinery in White Tie

by Farrow & Ball.

THE ENGLISH HOME 57

ABOVE The kitchen is by Hartley Quinn Wilson and painted in Farrow & Ball’s Charleston Gray.

A woodburner was moved to make way for the range cooker

by Lacanche, backed by reclaimed tiles from Dorton. The crocks on the mantel are from The Country Brocante fairs.

created the bathrooms. They carried out structural repairs to the leaking ceilings of the kitchen and the pantry, decorated throughout and, crucially for Amy and James, who co-own a creative agency, projectmanaged, too. “With our business to run, it was such a relief not to have to be here for the painter on any particular day,” says Amy. “Hartley Quinn Wilson have a lot of experience with old properties and it felt like they were as passionate about this house as we are.”

Amy used moodboards to crystallise and communicate her plans for each room. “I usually find there is one thing that will spark an idea or look, but it does take time to develop,” she explains. In the kitchen it was the splashback tiles that were salvaged from an

58 THE ENGLISH HOME

old dairy and bought from local reclamation yard, Dorton. The generous butler sink in the kitchen was also salvage, rescued from the garden where it was being used as a duck pond. Lovingly restored, it now sits proudly within the elegant new kitchen.

Any awkwardness with James’ mother about making changes to the family home has been quelled by recognising that James and Amy are simply going through the same processes his parents underwent before them. “When they bought the house it needed a lot of work,” explains Amy. “They updated all the bathrooms and put in a new kitchen, but that was almost 40 years ago and it was definitely due an update by the time we moved in.” 

ABOVE The pantry is decorated with The Allotment wallpaper

by Sanderson, floor tiles from Harvey Maria and a buffet from Happy Day Interiors. The sign came from The Vintage Wall.

LEFT The grounds include a vegetable patch, herbaceous border and orchard.

RIGHT Quails’ eggs help make a decorous display.

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‘I wanted it to be a classic, relaxed, English country home’

ABOVE The conservatory was built by Marston & Langinger back in the late 1980s. Amy and James replaced the roof and painted the woodwork.

ABOVE RIGHT A favourite detail in the kitchen’s dining area is the little bird perched on the seat back. “It is a sticker

by The Reed Warbler and it always makes me smile,” says Amy. RIGHT A bespoke kitchen design allowed for this beloved dresser to be incorporated.

The house sits in around eight acres and is blessed with large windows making it bright and light. It is arranged over three floors, which, as well as the seven bedrooms and kitchen, include two receptions, a pantry, storeroom, laundry and conservatory.

“Outside, the house can look a bit austere with its grey stone but, when you come inside, it’s warm and cosy and welcoming,” explains Amy. “It has always felt like that to me and I was really keen to hold on to that.

I wanted it to be a classic, relaxed English country home where you can walk through the hall to the kitchen in your wellies; this is not a house where you have to take your shoes off at the door.”

The large proportions of the rooms in the house call for substantial pieces of furniture, and whilst Amy and James inherited much of the larger pieces with the house, their challenge has been to look at each one afresh to see where it might work best. Rooms have been rearranged, furniture has been creatively swapped in and out, and a packed cellar has turned out to be a veritable treasure trove. Any new additions have been vintage or antiques from nearby Lewes. “The scale is probably the most challenging aspect of this house,” says Amy. “Painting the hallway was terrifying because it is so big and so integral to all the other rooms.”

Finding a palette that would maintain the warmth and character of the property in a more cohesive way was hard work but worthwhile.

The couple were also keen to expose as many of the house’s original features as possible, lifting up carpets and linoleum to reveal gems such as the wooden floor in the kitchen. They were keen, too, to make the most of the more evident original features, including the striking, panelled ceiling in the kitchen. “Hartley Quinn Wilson thought it was amazing and assured us

A cluster of prints make a feature of the dining area. “James’ parents found them in a skip outside a renovation years ago,” says Amy. “We unearthed them in the cellar and had them framed.” The pendant lights are from Jim Lawrence and the china is from Baltica.

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‘This is not a house where you have to take your shoes off at the door’ ABOVE The master bedroom has walls in Farrow & Ball’s Mizzle.

ABOVE RIGHT The master en suite has an Emperor slipper bath by Burlington with traditional brassware from Lefroy Brooks. The walls are painted Parsonage Pink by Papers & Paints.

RIGHT The dressing table was found in the cellar. The framed prints were in the bathroom when Amy and James moved in.

they could work with it,” says Amy. “I guess that is what makes an old house so incredible; the texture and the layers that build over time are unique, and that is not something that can be easily replicated.”

These days, with the interior more or less complete, the couple’s attention has turned outdoors, and the garden is being refreshed and the vegetable beds overhauled. Keen to improve the carbon footprint of the property as much as possible, new bore holes are being dug to access well water for the garden, whilst the outdated solar panels – James’ father was an early adopter – are about to be replaced.

“This is a long-term project for us and we have taken our time, future-proofing as far as we can,” says Amy. “It’s such a busy house, it is impossible to think that one day it will just be the two of us here, but there is nowhere I’d rather be.” n

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Lighting for all the senses.

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Monty Don MY ENGLISH HOME

The gardener, writer and television presenter on why his beloved Tudor hall house and garden are the centre of his world

W

ell-known gardener, television presenter and writer Monty Don OBE has been lead presenter of the BBC’s Gardeners’ World since 2003, and since 2011 the programme has been broadcast from his garden. Whilst he travels all over the world in search of the finest gardens, about which he makes television programmes and writes books, he is happiest being at home with wife Sarah, their three grown-up children – Adam, Freya and Tom – and their two dogs, golden retriever Nellie and Yorkshire terrier Patti.

kitchen with a big open fireplace, long oak table where we mostly eat and, of course, a large Aga, which we bought in pieces from the corner of a builders’ merchant in 1991 for £1,000. The kitchen is warm in winter, cool in summer and certainly the beating heart of the house.

Where do you live and why?

I live near a little town called Leominster in Herefordshire, near the Welsh border. We moved here 30 years ago because it was sufficiently far from London to be outside any commuter belt, and therefore affordable, and because my wife Sarah’s parents and her extended family lived in this part of the country.

Do your dogs Nellie and Patti have baskets in every room of the house?

No! Just in my workroom, the kitchen – next to the Aga – and in the back kitchen where they sleep at night and go when wet and muddy. They are not allowed upstairs in the bedrooms and only into the sitting room by invitation.

How would you describe your home?

A Tudor hall house characterised by a lot of 500-year-old oak beams. Scruffy, quirky and spacious, it is designed around creative life rather than entertaining or impressing – there are 10 work rooms and studios but only one sitting room and four bedrooms.

It delights in natural materials of all kinds.

There is no cement in the entire building, just lime mortar and plaster, wood and stone – and is filled with a jumble of far too many things. It is all that we love.

FEATURE CINEAD MCTERNAN PORTRAIT © ALISTAIR HEAP/ALAMY

Did you enjoy renovating your home?

When we bought this house it was a ruin – no roof, electricity, running water or sanitation. It took 10 years to finish the initial building work but it has been a privilege and joy to restore.

Which room are you happiest with following the renovation?

I suppose opening up what we call ‘the big hall’ – which is the medieval hall at the heart of the house, that was subdivided into four rooms when we bought it – has made the most dramatic change and sets the tone for the house. It is spacious, airy, dramatic, inspiring and pretty impractical in terms of bedrooms and the more conventional ways of organising a house.

Is there a room you naturally gravitate to?

The kitchen, I suppose, but that is for practical reasons. It is a large farmhouse

Where do you write?

In my workroom, which is the upstairs floor of a converted hop kiln. The floor beneath is the tool shed and above me a 30ft-high conical ceiling ending in an oculus. I have written here most days for the past 20 years.

Do you have cut flowers in your home?

Yes, everywhere. As well as small posies on bedside tables, windowsills and sideboards, we like huge but very simple displays using teasels, cow parsley, foxgloves, branches of blossom or whatever the garden is offering.

There is always something.

Do you share the nation’s love of house plants?

I am just coming round to them. Although I, like many people of my generation, disliked house plants and associated them with rooms belonging to our Victorian grandparents, that were simultaneously stuffy and cold, I now have quite a lot – scores, in fact – in the darker parts of the house.

Have you approached creating your garden as you might a home, with ‘rooms’ that have an individual purpose and style?

The garden relates closely to the house and does have many different areas or ‘rooms’.

However, with the garden we started from scratch with an empty field so could do whatever we wanted, whereas the house was loaded with the weight of history that we were bound to honour.

If you did not live in the countryside, could you live in the city?

No. Under no circumstances. I am a countryman through and through. I hate crowds, traffic, bustling streets, pubs and restaurants and crave silence, solitude and

the natural world. I quite often don’t leave the house and garden for a week or more and scarcely notice. By and large, my family and a handful of friends and colleagues provide all the society I need.

Do you have any memorabilia from your travels dotted around your home?

I have bits and pieces, but I am not in any way a collector nor at all sentimental about my past – my next project is always the most interesting. Sarah has a lot of artefacts from Papua New Guinea, where she lived for five years in the 1970s before we met.

Do you collect anything?

Not deliberately. I have many thousands of books, but each one is bought individually purely because I want to read it. If I like things – books, penknives, secateurs, guitars, clothes, notebooks, pens – then I happily buy the various ones I want, which sometimes accrue, by default, into a small collection, but I have none of the true collector’s urge to have every kind of anything.

Now you have lived in the house for 30 years, are there any changes you would like to make?

I would not like to change anything. The house feels easy in its skin and has been organised entirely to suit us – we never plan to sell it. Although there is one room that has never really had its potential realised; a storage barn dating from about 1600 which was rat--infested when we first arrived. It then became my tool shed before being incorporated into the house and for many years used as a gym. The plan, now, is to make it into a garden room, which may or may not happen!

What does home mean to you?

Love, happiness, peace, family, creativity, health. The centre of my world. I never want to be anywhere more than I want to be at home. Leaving it is always a wrench.

To what would you never give house room?

A microwave. Hideous things and utterly pointless.

Finally, what should no English home ever be without?

A dog or two. montydon.com n THE ENGLISH HOME 65

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STYLE INSPIRATION

Our special section dedicated to design and decorating inspiration begins here

RURAL CHARM

FEATURE KATY MCLEAN

This calm, sophisticated bathroom in dove grey would look equally at home in town or country. It is lent a little rustic character by the delightfully pretty homemade shower curtain, complete with layers of ruffle, and natural floorboards painted with a quirky, clever chequerboard effect in place of tiles.

Walls, Paris Grey, £41.95 for 2.5l Wall Paint; bath and floor, Old Violet, from £5.95 for 120ml Chalk Paint; shower curtain, Linen Union, Antoinette & Old White, £39.95 a metre, all Annie Sloan

THE ENGLISH HOME 67

DESIGNERS AT HOME with their dogs For many, four-legged friends are as essential to rural life as wellingtons.

These devoted designers have designed their inspiring homes in the English countryside to share happily with their hounds WORDS SUSANNA SALK PHOTOGRAPHY STACEY BEWKES

Bridget Elworthy & Henrietta Courtauld

The entrance to Wardington Manor, just a few hours northwest of London in Oxfordshire, does its best to stay humble. Visitors are cautioned by a faded sign to go ‘very slow’ for dogs and horses, and the Jacobean house reveals itself shyly, set back behind rust-hued gateposts and accessed by a short driveway off the village lane. Its unremarkable side entrance defers to the gravel courtyard with its array of wheelbarrows, tractors, and even the odd pony.

But just a few steps into this sixteenth-century structure fashioned from Horton stone, which was later combined with Arts and Crafts-style reconfigurations in the 1920s, one realises that this is no ordinary country house. There is an explosion of flowers throughout the property: many magnificent cutting gardens are surrounded by high hedges, which have been topiarised into exotic birds.

When one steps inside the outdoor entry hall, dazzling blooms continue everywhere, whether merrily clustered in buckets waiting to be arranged or already in romantic bouquets that reflect just the right amount of human touch, from pale pink Japanese anemones in antique silver cups to scarlet dahlias in old Fulham Pottery vases.

Walking past the beautiful plasterwork of chevron zigzags and pastoral friezes into the doubleheight library with its panelled walls displaying rare books, the Arts and Crafts fireplace, and worn chintz armchairs in pale pinks and blues, is to be transported to an enchanted past where time moves as leisurely as the tendrils of wisteria twining around the loggia in early summer. This has been Bridget Elworthy’s home for the past 10 years, which she shares with her husband, Forbes Elworthy, and their three children. Her business partner, Henrietta Courtauld, who lives in London with her husband, Toby Courtauld, comes up regularly as Wardington Manor is also the base of their enterprise The Land Gardeners’ operations.

68 THE ENGLISH HOME

DESIGNERS

Bridget Elworthy and Henrietta Courtauld, landscape designers and founders of The Land Gardeners

DOGS

Iris, age eight, Labrador Retriever Arthur, age nine, long-haired Jack Russell

Elworthy and Courtauld are always followed by their faithful and friendly dogs Iris, an eight-year-old black Labrador who belongs to Elworthy, and Arthur, a nine-year-old long-haired Jack Russell who belongs to Courtauld. The women launched their gardening business in 2013, and the dogs spend each working moment at their sides either here or in their Notting Hill design studio in London.

Elworthy and Courtauld don stylishly practical work uniforms of navy linen smocks, with generous pockets emblazoned with The Land Gardeners’ monogram, over leggings and leather jodhpur boots.

Activities such as turning microbial aerobic compost, teaching ardent followers about healthy soil, restoring walled gardens for clients from France to Zimbabwe, or ferrying organically grown blooms into some of London’s smartest homes and boutiques keep this working duo busy.

“We design productive gardens that are wild, romantic, and joyful,” says Elworthy, who met Courtauld when their children attended the same nursery school a dozen years ago. 

ABOVE In the kitchen at Wardington Manor, a cream Aga and stone flooring are cheerful companions to open shelving that casually displays everything from tableware and trays to artwork and condiments.

LEFT In the flower room, Jack Russell Arthur and black Labrador

Iris are on hand whilst Courtauld and Elworthy arrange the garden’s bounty for The Land Gardeners’ weekly deliveries to London.

BELOW The Jacobean structure, fashioned from Horton stone in the seventeenth century, was later altered with Arts and Crafts-style reconfigurations in the 1920s.

THE ENGLISH HOME 69

Carlos Sánchez-García

It is not often that dogs are lucky enough to receive lyrically long names inspired by iconic figures in music and literature and a beloved family uncle, but Theodora Oriane Cécile de Beaulieu, Tristan Peregrine Sebastian d’Arundel and Alfred more than live up to their unique callings in the country. They eat out of limited-edition antique Spode porcelain bowls, sleep on cushions made with vintage Welsh blankets stuffed with feathers, fully covered with tartan rugs, and sport leather collars hand-stitched by a local craftsman, cushioned with soft lambskin.

Yet life is never too precious to sneak into the utility room and cause havoc by raiding desserts set aside for the night’s dinner party. It is all part of a glorious day in the country.

“We were not particularly looking for a weekend house,” says Carlos Sánchez-García, having lived in London with his partner, Michael Newman, for the past 19 years. “When we arrived, the lady who showed us around the house welcomed us with a bag of wild mushrooms she had picked. She handed over the keys and told us to leave them under a pot when we had finished. Then she left. As we opened the door, Theodora and Tristan ran wild up and down.

That’s when Michael and I knew the house was meant to be ours.”

It is a quintessentially English, early seventeenthcentury manor farmhouse within the Barningham Estate, on a remarkably quiet bend of a narrow country lane, near the village church, surrounded by farmland. The main body of the house has a beautifully chequered brick facade, with original glazed roof tiles. The eighteenth-century extension was built in vernacular flint. “From the outset, I was determined that the house should look as if it had always been decorated that way,” says Sánchez-García, who has had his own design practice in London since 2008. He has achieved this with a careful yet playful mix of antique furniture and textiles from different periods, with heavy Middle Eastern influences. “I added pattern and texture to the rooms to give that

70 THE ENGLISH HOME

DESIGNER

Carlos SánchezGarcía, interior designer

DOGS

Theodora Oriane Cécile de Beaulieu, age nine, whippet Tristan Peregrine Sebastian d’Arundel, age eight, whippet Alfred (often called Alfie), age seven, a mongrel cross between a pug and a chihuahua ABOVE The sitting room hosts antique furniture, including the William and Mary cabinet, and textiles with heavy Middle Eastern influences.

indispensable generational layering so inherent to the English country house.” A nineteenth-century Djizak suzani from Uzbekistan, antique cushions in vintage silk velvet ikats (bought on his travels to Istanbul), curtains in a print velvet fabric by Robert Kime (with an almost two-metre repeat), a bedcover (handmade of raised roses and crocheted bullion-like fringe) and a window seat with vintage Colefax and Fowler chintz are just a few examples.

Layering proves a literal necessity in the house.

Sánchez-García put rush matting over the original stone flooring to protect them from the cold. He added a backdrop tapestry in the dining room to pad the very old walls. This room has no electricity, so lucky party guests are lit by candlelight.

The kitchen, which was originally the tack room, hosts “one of those quintessentially British institutions without which my life would not be the same,” says Sánchez-García of his Aga. “It keeps the kitchen constantly warm, including the dogs. They would not sleep anywhere else unless there’s a roaring fire on.”

Antique pottery, such as plates from France, Scottish spongeware, and Eastern European bowls, are stacked nearby. Sánchez-García and Newman also love to fill the pantry with homemade jams and chutneys, which they prepare at weekends. “It is not only therapeutic, but it uses the produce we have in the garden, from blackberries to plums, and it sorts out all those Christmas presents,” says Sánchez-García.

ABOVE Despite being nearly 400 years old, the manor farmhouse exterior was in good condition and so Sánchez-García opted for a gentle intervention, merely repainting windows and doors, thus maintaining its character and idiosyncrasy. The front door and kitchen entrance are painted in Stiffkey Blue by Farrow & Ball, which takes its name from the nearby village of Stiffkey, where the salt marshes have a particular deep navy hue.

In the snug, a jewel box of a study, complete with an ottoman covered in an antique Qashqai blanket, Sánchez-García commissioned a special fireplace from a local artist to honour – through a set of handmade and painted Delft tiles – the bright parts of the couple’s life in the country, from their church to dahlias, Mocha Ware, tulips, the owl that lives in their barn, and most especially, Theodora and Tristan.

Alfred came to the family after the fireplace was completed, having first belonged to Newman’s late mother, who became too ill to care for him.

The now trio of dogs adore the sense of freedom they have in the country. “It’s noticeable in their faces,” says Sánchez- García. “And Michael and I feel the same way. The dogs are part of our life here and use every part of the house just as we do. Is there any other way?” 

ABOVE “This room is very informal and deeply personal,” says Sánchez-García of the study. “It features many of the things I cherish most: Eastern fabrics and sentimental objects.”

The ottoman is covered in an antique Qashqai blanket. The table in between the Victorian armchairs is covered with an antique Uzbek kilim.

THE ENGLISH HOME 71

Sophie Conran “Mouse is truly the lady of the manor,” says Sophie Conran of her lurcher. “She does not love London life and much prefers the open fires and the rolling downs a country house provides.” For the past five years, a Georgian manor has been a resplendent abode for both dog and her human family. “It is a large, gold box full of symmetry, with incredible architecture and a bow frontage,” says Conran.

“It is made of Bath stone, so it has a nice soft honey colour.” She and Mouse share it with Conran’s husband, Nick Hofgren, and children Felix and Coco. “When I bought it, I was looking for a project and this definitely is,” says Conran.

“We have uncovered asbestos and rotten supporting beams, but also an incredible stone staircase and original Georgian ironwork. The hard work has been more than worth it.”

However, no undertaking seems too formidable for Conran. In her youth, she excelled at various stylish stints: as apprentice for couture milliner Stephen BELOW Conran and Mouse relax in the master bedroom on a bespoke four-poster bed. Another spot to hang out is on the small sofa covered with Turkish silk velvet pillows.

72 THE ENGLISH HOME

Jones; assistant to her brother, fashion designer Jasper Conran; dresser of her father Sir Terence Conran’s UK restaurants; and even maker of handmade lollipops. Her adult design life bursts with creativity, from authoring cookbooks to designing wallpaper, cutlery and garden tools.

When she is not spearheading her London interior design business and online home accessories shop, Conran joins Mouse in the country four days a week. Mouse lives full time in Wiltshire and is cared for by devoted housekeepers whenever Conran is away. Once together, they roam the surrounding countryside punctuated with Iron Age hill forts, Roman roads and neolithic standing stones. “Mouse always stays close by my side, as if she is worried that I am going to wander off,” says Conran. “She is incredibly fast and loves to jump about.”

In Mouse’s immediate backyard, there is constant fascination and temptation: a vegetable garden; woodlands filled with deer, squirrels, and rabbits; and a pond that she likes to swim in. “She’s a bit scared about the grass carp fish we have put in, however,” says Conran.

One of the first things Mouse enjoys when she returns from her outside excursions is to lie on her back in the front hall on a large cushion in red and purple. “Basically, she likes to place herself where she gets the most tummy rubs,” says Conran.

The house’s seven bedrooms and simple grandeur allow for plenty of easy playtime and no fuss. “I wanted to keep the decor quite simple and fill it with antiques and finds from local auction houses,” says Conran. “I don’t want it to be too formal. It is a house that is great for lots of people and their dogs.”

There is plenty of entertaining on weekends in the east-facing dining room, with its icing-like cornicing, floor-to-ceiling sash windows and large marble fireplace, which is almost always lit. Even with the room’s imposing Venetian glass chandeliers and seven hand-painted Chinese panels, dogs are as much invited to the party as humans.

Conran’s mother, food writer Caroline Conran, lives nearby and is a frequent guest with her dogs, Mouse’s best friends Ralph, a Jack Russell, and Dolly, a rescue dog who is the spitting image of ‘Duchess’ from Beatrix Potter’s The Pie and the Patty Pan. “My mum always had a dog whilst I was growing up, so it is wonderful for me to have my first dog play with hers,” says Conran. “Mouse is such a positive little spirit. She is part of what makes the house a home.” n

DESIGNER

Sophie Conran, designer and cookery author

DOG

Mouse, age four, lurcher ABOVE Mouse in the sitting room, which has views across the gardens at the back of the house.

RIGHT Conran and Mouse walking towards the Grade II listed home, built in the late 1700s and altered in 1807 by neoclassical architect James Wyatt. It was once owned by the Duke of Wellington.

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At Home in the English Countryside: Designers and Their Dogs by Susanna Salk, with a foreword

by Nina Campbell, is published by Rizzoli, priced at $50.00.

THE ENGLISH HOME 73

The key to COUNTRY HOTEL STYLE From classic luxury to pastoral charm, timeless appeal and a cossetting ambience are key to country house hotel interiors. Here, four top hotels divulge their style secrets

T

he ethos behind many country house hotel interiors is to engender a personal connection to the countryside and an enveloping, relaxed informality. “The approach is very much about the guest experience and creating the impression that guests are visiting a friend’s grand country home, rather than a hotel,” explains Francisco Macedo, general manager at Cliveden House in Berkshire.

At Thyme in the Cotswolds, founder and creative director Caryn Hibbert explains how decor has been inspired by the soft colours found in the gardens to create “harmony and fluidity between inside and out”. This relationship works both ways as Thyme nurtures winter and spring bulbs inside to grow and bloom, then transfers them to the hotel’s gardens when the time is right.

Meanwhile at Heckfield Place in Hampshire a connection is made to local artisan country trades through thoughtful details sprinkled around the hotel. These include corn dolly ‘do not disturb’ signs, alpaca covers for hot water bottles and hangers, and bathroom lotions made with ingredients from the hotel’s estate.

Eclectic country style, too, creates a welcoming and informal atmosphere through quirky details and characterful one-off pieces that charm and surprise guests. For instance, at Hotel Endsleigh in Devon, a wooden dog even fooled the night porters into thinking it was a well-behaved waggy-tailed friend (see page 78).

As the changes in the seasons are often more noticeable in the countryside than in the city, so country house hotels consider guests’ needs to ensure the rural landscape can be fully enjoyed, whatever the weather. For some, this includes providing wellington boots. “We have a Hunter boot room that is available for guests to borrow wellies from and enjoy the National Trust grounds throughout the year,” says Macedo.

This holistic approach to country life and interior design imbues a sumptuous, relaxed environment. Overleaf, we glean insights from experts and look at how to emulate the look and achieve a similar mood at home. 74 THE ENGLISH HOME

The wood-panelled library at Hotel Endsleigh in Devon provides a range of reading materials and cosy chairs in which to relax.

THE ENGLISH HOME 75

Classic luxury

Indulgent, with classic decor, these grand country house hotels embrace the good life in opulent style yet with practical considerations

Cliveden House Located within 376 acres of National Trust gardens and woodland in Berkshire, Cliveden House is a luxury hotel set in a Grade I listed property that is steeped in history.

The Nancy Lancaster room (above right) pays homage to the interior designer and former house guest of the same name, who was considered to be the doyenne of the English country house look, celebrated through her company Colefax and Fowler. The room reflects Lancaster’s love of playing with scale and colour.

The handmade king-size bed fits this elegant bedroom in the Garden Wing of the hotel perfectly, leaving plenty of floor space for other furniture. Considering the angles a bed can be positioned in relation to windows or doors helps ensure the best natural vista for relaxed lie-ins, and this bed is deliberately positioned adjacent to the French windows. “The guest rooms in the Garden Wing overlook the walled spa garden, evoking a feeling of being connected to nature, as they are submerged in greenery,” says Macedo. The tall headboard, a predominant feature of the room, cleverly makes the ceiling seem closer, making the mood cosier and more relaxed. Note how wall lights are attached to the side of the headboard for ultimate convenience.

The hotel’s design philosophy celebrates Cliveden House’s original features and, here, a delicate, soft rose hue brings colour to the room without masking them. “The colour palette, textures and tones highlight the grandeur and history of Cliveden House whilst also allowing the space to feel warm and cosy – in the country style,” says Macedo.

Antiques are happily juxtaposed amongst modern pieces within this bedroom scheme, but Macedo also advocates taking a custom approach, befitting of classic country interiors: “There is a focus on bespoke, high-end detail with many of the fabrics, carpets and pieces of furniture designed specifically for Cliveden.” clivedonhouse.co.uk 76 THE ENGLISH HOME

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT • Bellini scatter cushion, £30, Sofology • Middleton Pink, £47.95 for 2.5l Estate Emulsion, Farrow & Ball • T4-020 bow-legged column lamp, distressed brass, £309, Besselink & Jones • Sandrine wallpaper, £92 a roll, Colefax and Fowler

• French two-drawer narrow console table, from £315, The Dormy House • Gold, mirrored drinks tray, £32, Dibor • Soho Home Clarence headboard, rose cotton, £745, Soho Home • Sargent sofa, from £2,500, I&JL Brown

Heckfield Place Nestled in the gentle Hampshire landscape, Heckfield Place is a family-home-cum-luxury-hotel with interiors celebrating the work of local craftsmen. Designed by Ben Thompson, the Morning Room scheme (right) blends one-off artisan pieces with vintage finds and original details of Georgian architecture.

The focal point of the Morning Room is its original chandelier, which reflects light from the garden. “My favourite view of it is at dusk, when walking in the grounds and returning to the glow of the chandelier through every window,” says Olivia Richli, general manager at Heckfield Place.

This room dates from 1760 and the grand architecture is sympathetically painted in neutral tones. By contrast, the tonal backdrop is layered with colourful decor, demonstrating how to bring natural life and a relaxed mood to classic schemes. On key surfaces, tall stems are naturally arranged and colourful roses catch the eye. “The flowers are seasonal and grown in our cutting garden, so they change throughout the year,” says Richli. “The neutral palette of the room allows for this changing perspective and reflects the beautiful outdoors of Heckfield Place.”

Earthy colours are also seen in the painting by Simon Laurie and its tones are skilfully reflected in the colourways of the cushions on the sofa. “The textures and colours of the fabrics add a layering that softens the atmosphere and invites our guests to settle into the sofas for the afternoon for a long game of Scrabble to go with their tea and cake.”

Hand-crafted pieces sourced from local artisans are given space to be admired, and are of a size that allows room on tables for guests to set down their drinks. heckfieldplace.com 

CLOCKWISE FROM RIGHT, TOP LEFT • Carlton chandelier, £10,979.80, Christopher Hyde • Inox, £47 for 2.5l Absolute Matt Emulsion, Little Greene • Indus Denim cushion, £79, Andrew Martin • Louis De Poortere Fading World rug, £361, Modish Living

• Elena sofa in white leather, £968.50, Darlings of Chelsea • Venezuela fossilised wood coffee table, £1,395, Decoville • Wells Column vase, £25, Garden Trading • Gold lustre porcelain bowls by Penny Little, from £50, madebyhandonline.com

THE ENGLISH HOME 77

Pastoral charm Embracing natural textures and country motifs, these rural hideaways have plenty of character and charm along with smart details

Hotel Endsleigh Embracing its peaceful setting overlooking the River Tamar in Devon, Hotel Endsleigh is set in over 100 acres of gardens and woodland. The Drawing Room scheme (above) reflects the hotel’s colourful and individual style.

CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE LEFT • Palmer chair, £2,290 (excluding fabric); six metres fabric and barrier cloth, £210, all William Yeoward • Green Grotto, from £32 for 1l Matt Emulsion, Sanderson Paint • Sibylla Amethyst fabric, £70 a metre, Designers Guild • Somerton round log basket, from £135, Neptune • Fireside dog sculpture, £50, Artisanti • Relief Sven vase, £148, Jonathan Adler 78 THE ENGLISH HOME

Connecting a room scheme with nature need not always be about a country landscape; inspiration can be much closer to hand. “The greens and the flowers used in the Drawing Room reflect the Repton gardens outside,” says Olga Polizzi, owner and designer of Hotel Endsleigh.

The quirky and playful character of this room has been built up carefully, with items often sourced from antiques fairs and auctions. “I got the lovely iris prints on the walls at the Decorative Antiques Fair in Battersea,” Polizzi says.

“We have a lot of irises in the garden, so there is a connection with the outside.”

The individual and bespoke touch is key to the personal sense of place. “We have our own specially designed china,” Polizzi says. “Our pretty Endsleigh plates have leaf designs from the trees in the garden, such as oak and beech.”

Practicality and atmosphere marry in this room, particularly during the colder months. “We have roaring fires in all the downstairs rooms, which really makes a difference to the atmosphere,” says Polizzi. “The Drawing Room is more of a winter room than a summer room. It feels so cosy, and you can look out at the glorious view whilst snuggled up by the fire.”

As guests are continually coming in and out from enjoying walks, durability is important and the ottoman by the fire is cleverly covered in a hard-wearing kilim rug. Elsewhere in the scheme, Polizzi only uses fabrics with a rub test (a measure of a fabric’s durability) of at least 30,000. She also advocates natural flooring for areas with a high footfall. “The Drawing Room has an original wooden floor,” Polizzi says. “I like to have wooden floors wherever possible – so much more practical for cleaning than carpets.” hotelendsleigh.com

Thyme

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT • Medway reading light in brass, £389, Vaughan Designs • Drab Green, £49.50 for 2.5l, Edward Bulmer Natural Paint • Antique gold feather-effect wall mirror, £51.95, Windsor Browne • Three-drawer bedside chest, £152.95, Windsor Browne

• Bordallo Pinheiro cabbage leaf dish, £77, Amara • Tootsie occasional chair in soft green, £1,055, Loaf • Duchess Paisley, wool and cotton fabric, £240 a metre, de Le Cuona

With nettles changing colour from a bright to a richer green, the decorative inspiration for this room offers a range of tonality.

However, that is not the only virtue of the hue: “Green nurtures happiness and tranquillity and is a remarkably versatile and fluid colour. We use it as a neutral foundation upon which to layer colour and pattern,” explains Caryn Hibbert, Thyme’s founder and creative director.

The natural theme is continued with smaller details, such as plants and sheepskins rugs, representing the area’s heritage.

“A potted fern or plant is always a calming addition, as well as aiding air purification in the room,” Hibbert says. “We also have a carefully curated selection of books. It is such an important feature, making it feel homely and thoughtful. We have books on botanicals and evolution to engage our guests in nature.”

Cosy areas are created within the open-plan design. “The two chairs invite conversation and shift the focal point of the room,” Hibbert says. “They act as less of a barrier to circulation than a sofa does, allowing people to move freely around the room.”

Practicality for country living takes the form of a natural resin floor, which is easy to keep clean and contemporary. The dressing table also provides functionality: “Designed in keeping with the room’s calming aesthetic, the dressing table chair is very comfy, and, although practical, the desk does not feel at all ‘worky’ – especially with the mirror mounted above it,” says Hibbert.

Mirrors placed above the bedside lamps cleverly bounce the outside light from the floor-to-ceiling windows around the room, as well as light from the lamps in the evening. When less brightness is required, there are layered levels of light filtration with both muslins and heavier curtains at the windows. thyme.co.uk n THE ENGLISH HOME 79

FEATURE SUZANNA LE GROVE PHOTOGRAPHS P74/75 © PAUL MASSEY; P77 (HECKFIELD PLACE IMAGES) © HECKFIELD PLACE; P78 (HOTEL ENDSLEIGH IMAGES) © THE POLIZZI COLLECTION; P79 (VAUGHAN) © ANDREW SMART; (THYME IMAGES) © THYME

Described as an ‘English country idyll’, Thyme in the Cotswolds dates back to the Roman era and has been carefully restored by the Hibbert family. Nettle (above) is one of the hotel’s five Garden Rooms, its scheme inspired by its herb namesake.

This drawing room in a Georgian townhouse was designed by Jamb, and employs eighteenth- and nineteenth-century blue-and-white pots and an antique Ziegler carpet, all from Hawker antiques, to add touches of colour and pattern.

decorative antiques

BUYING & USING

The addition of a good-looking antique or two can have an incalculable effect on a room’s overall style and atmosphere. Discover which pieces are popular and why they make such a difference to a home

T

he most desirable pieces of furniture are not only beautiful and useful, but also possess something else – a certain magic in the form of an unexpected shape or texture, perhaps, or a fascinating back story; a charm that is somehow more than simply the sum of its parts. With this je ne sais quoi, an antique piece is not simply run of the mill, but elevated to being what might be called a ‘decorative’ antique, its value lying in its visual appeal just as much as its age, provenance or functionality.

Antiques dealer Lennox Cato explains that the term ‘decorative’ once meant something very different to how it might be interpreted today. “A good dealer or advisor will always tell you whether a piece is ‘right’,” he says. “Years ago, if a dealer had a piece that wasn’t of the original form, perhaps enhanced or altered to make it more user-friendly, they would say that it wasn’t ‘right’; it was ‘decorative’. It was word play, but it implied something derogative.” Today, however, Cato says that, generally, the term ‘decorative’ implies that a piece has colour and spirit – in a good way.

“People are going for the look, and not necessarily the authenticity,” he states.

Marc Weaver of antiques dealers Guinevere says: “It’s a question of carving, form, proportions, of the piece being well executed, having gravitas, and being good enough quality to use. For a piece to be special, it is hard to describe exactly, but it’s about what pleases the eye and how the proportions work.”

LAYER OF INTEREST Such pieces, when employed thoughtfully in a design scheme, contribute enormously to its variety and interest, adding to the feeling that a room has been added to gradually over the course of years.

“I really believe that antiques are an essential part of a home,” says Charlotte Hughes of Sutton House Interiors. “They reflect the personality of the people who live there, elevating a room out of the ordinary and giving a sense of understated luxury. Their richness of colour and patina, and quality of line, look wonderful juxtaposed against more modern pieces, and give a home a sense of having been assembled over time, linking the past and the present.”

These sentiments are echoed by Martin Waller, founder of Andrew Martin, who advises: “Collect things which build a store of memories, rather than just being furnishings.” Meanwhile, interior designer Nicky Dobree says: “Antiques evoke interest. Each piece has a story to tell, whether it be inherited or sourced from an antique dealer. The joy of antiques is that they are always well made with high-quality materials, adding a richness to any room.”

PERENIALLY STYLISH The market in decorative antiques is hugely eclectic, covering all periods and every part of the world. There are, however, some items that are perennially popular with interior designers. Mark Gillette likes bureaux-plat  THE ENGLISH HOME 81

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(French writing desks), which he says work well in both traditional and contemporary settings: “They look great behind a sofa in a sitting room, as well as in a dressing table scenario.” Max Rollitt points out that antique lamps, whether ceiling or table, offer a variety of design and style.

Weaver finds “large gilt mirrors are popular, as are Regency mirrors with a glass border”. He adds that Louis XV or XVI consoles, either rococo or neoclassical in style, create a fantastic centrepiece around which to build a room. “We find narrow ones are especially in demand, as they are useful in hallways,” he says. “Pairs of armchairs, maybe leather club chairs, also always sell well, as do French chandeliers, in bronze or iron with crystal drops, and English chandeliers with glass arms.”

THE APPEAL OF THE UNIQUE Charlie Thomas, director of house sales at Bonhams, finds that the best-selling items at auction are often the specialist items, one-offs with great individuality.

At the Christopher Hodsoll Collection sale last October, for example, a late-eighteenth/early nineteenth-century carved and decorated Indian rhinoceros head sculpture sold for £6,062. “Howard armchairs or sofas always do incredibly well,” he adds, “and people like the history of a campaign chest – they are a talking point. Persian rugs are also very popular – they change the room instantly, are incredibly forgiving of damage and often look better for wear.”

BUY FOR LOVE… AND SUSTAINABILITY Since the entire market for antiques has, in recent years, not been as buoyant as it once was, Henriette von Stockhausen, co-founder of VSP Interiors, advises: “Anything you like is always a good choice. Go with your gut feeling, and don’t be afraid to mix it up. I buy a lot at auction. You can still pick up great pieces at good prices, especially if you have a little time.”

Not in high demand at present, says Thomas, are large Victorian wardrobes, chest-on-chest sideboards and dining tables – pieces that take up a great deal of space (too much to fit in many homes). These can be picked up for a good price.

“When buying, you should be driven by what you are drawn to, rather than by cost,” says Cato. “There is a reason why something is cheap, and good items will always be more expensive. Buy what you like and buy the best you can.” He advises caution when buying specifically ‘decorative’ pieces. “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and fashions change,” he says. “If something is decorative, it may have limited appeal, because what attracts one person may not attract another, or may not attract in years to come when the wheel of fashion has turned again. Buy because 

ABOVE Interior design studio Salvesen Graham has combined this antique wooden chest of drawers with a bright, contemporary lacquer tray, cut glassware and a vivid painting in a juxtaposition of surface pattern and texture that creates balance and interest.

RIGHT A Louise XV bombe commode from Lorfords provides a glorious contrast to a softly curving armchair upholstered in pale blue velvet in a room designed by Joanna Wood.

THE ENGLISH HOME 83

you love a piece and want it, and if it goes up in value, that’s a bonus.”

Toby Lorford of Lorfords Antiques considers decorative antiques to be a great investment – but not from a monetary point of view. “They last a lifetime, so reduce one’s overall cost of ownership, they are well made and they do retain some value, unlike contemporary furniture,” he says.

“It does make sense if you think that you are buying them as an investment in the planet,” he continues, “because a piece of antique furniture will last for another 200 years, whilst its carbon footprint is miniscule. If you love a piece, and you want to use it, that is a good reason to buy it. However, very, very few decorative antiques (or any antiques for that matter) are a good investment in the traditional, financial sense of seeing an increase in value.”

Whilst times have changed and we may no longer all want to live in a house crammed full of antique furniture, there is still widespread appreciation of carefully selected, beautiful old pieces, says Thomas.

“There has been a seismic change in fashion in terms of what people love and what they want to be surrounded by,” he says. “Antiques have to work hard, and be both practical and a talking point.

People are definitely buying for love more – and you can’t put a price on love.” n

84 THE ENGLISH HOME

Interior designer Mark Gillette mixes periods to give an evolved flavour. Here, he has combined a French 1940s walnut desk with a nineteenth-century French chair to create a dressing table area.

FEATURE KATHERINE SORRELL PHOTOGRAPHS P80 © SIMON UPTON

ABOVE In this bedroom designed

by Tara Craig, interior designer and founder of Ensemblier, the addition of a small Georgian mahogany fret mirror, with gilt slip adds to the intriguing combination of colours, patterns and textures.

ABOVE RIGHT Large, gilt mirrors and dramatic chandeliers are among the most popular decorative antiques, as they make an impact in any room.

The Spey cast-iron bath with polished exterior, from £3,570, Drummonds

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QUINTESSENTIALLY

Inspiration for seasonal pastimes and making the most of life at home starts here

PHOTOGRAPH © THE PICTURE PANTRY/JEN RICH

LET THERE BE CAKE

Nothing delights at tea time quite like a home-made cake. Whilst it is reassuring to bake tried-and-tested recipes, late summer and autumn bring an opportunity to use produce growing in abundance and for new combinations. Try Prue Leith’s Best Carrot Cake, from her Vegetarian Bible or the National Trust’s Lemon Courgette Cake (nationaltrust.org.uk/recipes). For those wishing to add an exotic twist to home-grown flavours, try adding pureed mango or passion fruit to a classic cream cheese icing for a carrot cake (as pictured).

THE ENGLISH HOME 87

MY ENGLISH HOME

Matthew Fort FROM PATCH TO PLATE

Passionate about growing and cooking seasonal produce at his Cotswolds home, the renowned food writer and critic tells of his passion for the home-grown tomato

S

ummer is beginning to shade into autumn. I know because I’ve started picking my tomatoes.

In some ways, tomatoes are the quintessential summer vegetable (although technically a fruit), but when it comes to growing them, given our weather, I’ve had to accept that they signal summer’s last post rather than summer’s charge. So what?

When they come, they come in glory and in indisputable variety. Is there another vegetable (or fruit) with the diversity of the tomato? I think not; not even the onion.

Tomatoes are delicious raw, delicious cooked, delicious cold, delicious hot.

Delicious whole or in parts. Delicious sliced and dressed with shredded basil, olive oil and salt. Delicious in multi-layered salads. Delicious full and round, softened with heat and then piled on toast or added to pasta. Delicious stuffed with chopped up leftovers or cooked to a pulp.

When I was growing up, tomatoes seemed symbolic of the English summer to me, part of that tapestry of golden days, the scent of lavender and lime trees, hazy sunlight, cool ice creams and water ices, cold chicken and potato salads and tomato and cheese sandwiches or tomato and cucumber sandwiches. Tomatoes were as English as English could be.

In those dreamy days, all tomatoes were round and the red of a guardsman’s tunic.

Of course, now I know they come in many other shades and shapes, and aren’t British in origin at all, but come from the Americas – along with potatoes, chillies, turkeys, tobacco, chocolate and corn, which all arrived on

these shores in the fifteenth century (it makes you wonder what we ate before then; our forebears’ diets must have been pretty boring).

Tomatoes got to this country relatively late, in the 1590s, and even then were treated with some suspicion by, amongst others, the botanist John Gerard, who mentioned them in his Herball, published in 1595, and claimed they were poisonous.

It wasn’t until the eighteenth century that tomatoes began to take their place amongst the pantheon of vegetable essentials. In 1758, in one of the first English recipes using tomatoes, cookery writer Hannah Glasse advised dressing haddock with tomatoes – she called them ‘love apples’ – ‘in the Spanish way’.

It was those inventive, ingenious and energetic Victorians, with their passion for greenhouses, who put mind and muscle behind expanding tomato production, building vast greenhouses along the south coast of England. Worthing and the Isle of Wight were both noted for their tomatoes.

Although things have improved in recent years, I can’t honestly recommend any supermarkets for their tomatoes, no matter what the variety or on the vine or off.

They always seem to me to a bit short in the flavour department compared to my own (and not just because they’re my own).

As every tomato grower knows, different tomatoes have different thicknesses of skin, ratio of flesh to seeded pulp, levels of sweetness and acidity, and so on. And not every tomato is good for every kind of treatment. A tomato that is good for salads, may disintegrate into a watery pulp when fried.

Amongst my favourites this year are Sungold (for popping in the mouth like a sweet); Red Zebra (a striped number that looks and tastes very good in salads);

CLEAR TOMATO SOUP (from Kitchen Essays (1922) by Lady Jekyll; reprint by Persephone Books) INGREDIENTS 1lb [approximately 450g] tomatoes stock cream croutons

METHOD • Cut in slices 1lb of fresh tomatoes and put into enough wellflavoured clear stock for, say, six people.

• Simmer gently for one hour, strain through a clear cloth,reboil.

• Serve with fried croutons, about two-shilling-piece size, piled with stiffly whipped cream, one to each person on a separate plate.

• The cream softens the acidity of the tomato and greatly improves the flavour.

Bloody Butcher (salads and sauces), Gardener’s Delight, (quintessential English red cherry); and Noire de Crimée (for an exotic touch; originally from the Crimea; booming, meaty flavour). n About Matthew Best known as a judge on BBC2’s Great British Menu. Matthew is an award-winning food writer and critic.

He was the Food & Drink Editor of The Guardian for 15 years and is the author of four books.

PHOTOGRAPHS P88 (PORTRAIT) GRANT SCOTT. P89 IAN WALLACE/STOCKPHOTO ILLUSTRATIONS DIVIART/SHUTTERSTOCK

GREEN TOMATO CHUTNEY This is perfect for the tomatoes that won’t, don’t, can’t ripen...

Makes approximately 2kg chutney

INGREDIENTS 1.5kg green tomatoes 250g apples 2 medium onions 150g sultanas

1kg demerara sugar 2 tsp salt 750g cider vinegar a quantity of jars, sterilised

METHOD • Chop the tomatoes. Peel, core and chop the apples.

Peel and chop the onions.

• Put them all into a pan, plus the salt, vinegar and sugar.

Bring to the boil gradually.

• Simmer gently until the desired pulpy quality is

reached, about one to one-and-a-half hours.

• Add the sultanas.

• Rinse out the jars with boiling water and fill with chutney.

• Store in a cool place and leave undisturbed for at least a month.

THE ENGLISH HOME 89

THE SEASONAL HOME: Autumn Celebrate the beauty of autumn’s bounty by gathering the last of the fresh blooms and creatively arranging dried seed heads, grasses and other produce from this rich season

A

s late summer fades into autumn, so floral hues start to change to a richer palette that is full of textures. There are plenty of fresh flowers to be had in September and, as the season progresses, many varieties can be dried and mixed with foliage and seed heads to produce characterful arrangements that last for months.

“I love autumn,” says Rosebie Morton, founder of The Real Flower Company. “It is the climax of all the seasons rolled into a world of riches.” Though they have been flowering through summer, dahlias are a September favourite of Morton’s as they evoke an autumnal palette “in lovely rich purples and reds, which work so well with the changing foliage that is starting to dry and provide contrast to sculptural seedpods.” Hydrangeas, too, are a summer flower that continues to enrich borders with its beauty through early autumn. “They have looked incredible since early summer,” explains Morton, “but then start to dry, taking on that lovely faded, antiqued colouring.”

British flower grower Liz Fallon, owner of the The Cotswold Posy Patch, enjoys the beauty of heirloom chrysanthemums in October. “They are much more beautiful than the spray varieties found in supermarkets and have real character and impact, flowering late in the year,” she says. A simple display of potted chrysanthemums can brighten a doorstep for a welcoming entrance in cooler months. “Some varieties can flower until Christmas if you can grow them in a protected place,” advises Fallon.

90 THE ENGLISH HOME

For indoor arrangements, late sunflowers or their dried seed heads can add an interesting shape to a display. Gardening author Clare Nolan admits she lets “some flowers go to seed, just to harvest for their seedpods”. She lists honesty, alliums and love-in-a-mist as particular favourites. “Most grasses, too. These are invaluable to add texture to mixed arrangements. My favourite is Panicum ‘Frosted Explosion’, which I use dried pretty much year-round.”

A favourite of Morton’s are rosehip seed heads. “We have a lot and they are very popular,” she says. “They come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, from long thin ones to big fat tomato-like ones. We like to leave some outside to support bird life, but also pick them, put them in glycerine and dry them to use through winter.” Morton adds that Chinese lanterns, (Physalis alkekengi) are useful in arrangements, particularly around Halloween. “You can also take a needle and thread to string them up as garlands that will last for months – you just need to dust them!” As scent is not as abundant in autumn blooms as in those of spring and summer, Morton uses herbs to add beautiful aromas. “Sage and mint are still going strong,” she says.

Other autumnal produce can also be used for displays. “Autumn is all about foraging and gathering for the winter ahead,” Morton says. “There’s a lot going on in the hedgerows to collect – such as old man’s beard, Queen Anne’s lace (wild carrot) and dog rose.” Foliage and feathers can also work for added texture in autumnal vignettes.

ABOVE LEFT Dahlias, pyracantha berries and verbena in autumn hues of orange, red and purple combine beautifuly in this arrangement.

RIGHT The contrast of deep purple chrysanthemums and faded hydrangea petals work well with the pale-skinned pumpkins in this arrangement.

Miniature varietes of squash or pumpkin can be added to a still-life tablescape along with pine cones, conkers and chestnuts.

THE ENGLISH HOME 91

WREATHS AND GARLANDS Working with dried flowers, foliage and seed heads can offer extra creativity for arrangements and decorative flourishes.

Fallon says, “With dried flowers, you don’t need a container that holds water.

Wreaths, hanging flower clouds and hand-tied sheaves made of dried flowers are nice additions to the house in the autumn and winter.”

Morton agrees that a favourite idea in autumn is to make a garland or wreath.

“It doesn’t have to be for the door, it could be for the table or on a wall,” she says. “There is such a wealth of materials to use, and the beauty is that dried pieces will continue to dry through the season and become more beautiful.” She adds that fresh flowers can be worked in, too.

“Our roses keep going until the first frost, so I would use roses amongst the dried seed heads and flowers. They will fade gradually and can be removed.”

Use old man’s beard gathered from hedgerows for a simple yet beautiful wreath or hanging bough. Morton advises using hairspray to keep it in place.

RIGHT Wreaths can still be full of colour using dried flowers such as statice to add pastel hues.

This wreath by Cotswold Posy Patch contains: Limonium latifolium, Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’, Dahlia ‘Linda’s Baby’ and ‘Gerrie Hoek’, Helichrysum ‘Silvery Rose’ and ‘Salmon Rose’, Statice ‘Sunset Mix’, nigella seed heads, honesty seed heads, sweet pea seedpods, lavender, Larkspur ‘Cannes White’ and ‘Cannes Pink’, Scabiosa atropurpurea seed heads

TABLE SETTINGS Dried and fresh flowers can be used for flourishes to dining indoors. Attaching sprigs of herbs, foliage or flowers to napkins is a pretty touch – heather and lavender are good for a hazy purple scheme – as is filling jam jars with assorted stems. Or consider tying dried stems around the outside with wire or string to create candle holders. Dried leaves in assorted colours can be used underneath for extra detail, as well as to decorate cakes or garnish platters of food. Pumpkins and ornamental squashes and gourds are also useful for a seasonal display. Large pumpkins can be hollowed out 92 THE ENGLISH HOME

LEFT Use heather to adorn the outside of glass votives for a charming table decoration. Simply wrap thin wire around to hold in place.

LONG-LASTING ARRANGEMENT A celebration of autumn, a bouquet such as the Wild Autumn bouquet from The Real Flower Company contains an assortment of textures and colours. Morton explains that along with grasses and leaves, including Queen Anne’s lace, bright rosehips and Chinese lanterns add autumnal colour and interesting shapes.

Aromatic purple sage flowers work well with copper foliage. Eucalyptus also adds appealing scent and dried hydrangea heads

bring a delicate, antiqued colour that will continue to fade.

At the heart of the bouquet are fresh pink nerines, a late showstopper adding vibrant colour. These fresh elements can be removed as they go over and the arrangement can be left to dry out and fade in a graceful fashion to last through winter.  ABOVE The Wild Autumn bouquet from The Real Flower Company celebrates the textures, colours and scents of the season.

and used as a vessel for arrangements of dahlias and chrysanthemums. Placing a couple of miniature varieties by a vase or in a bowl can add colour and texture. Apples, pears and other autumn harvest fruits also make good table decorations and can be sprayed in metallic paints for a touch of glamour.

RIGHT Sprigs of heather, lavender or other flowers, herbs or foliage can elevate table settings for autumn entertaining.

FAR Right Make an occasion even more special by decorating a cake with fresh or dried flowers and leaves in a burst of all the changing colours of the season, from yellows and oranges to reds and browns.

THE ENGLISH HOME 93

FOCUS ON HYDRANGEAS Hydrangeas are a hero of autumn arrangements, lasting for months from fresh blooms to dried heads that can be used in wreaths and table arrangements throughout autumn and winter. Nolan heralds hydrangeas as “one of the hardestworking plants going, with some blooming from early summer right through to winter”. She adds that they are “chameleons of the garden and offer an enormous variety in terms of colour, with varying shades even on the same plant as their colours change through the season and they continue to fade and age beautifully once cut”. The colour of hydrangeas depends on the soil they are planted in. Acidic soils produce blue blooms, alkaline will turn petals pink, and white varieties emerge in neutral to alkaline soils. Planting in pots can help to achieve the desired colour.

Here, Nolan offers tips on working with hydrangeas, from her book ‘In Bloom: Growing, Harvesting, and Arranging Homegrown Flowers All Year Round’ • Hydrangeas are prone to wilting, so they need a little special treatment. The key is really in picking the flower at the right stage of maturity. Newly emerged flowers do not last as long as the older ones.

• Always bring a bucket out to harvest and put the stems straight into water after cutting.

• Remove most of the leaves (all would be ideal) as this gives each flower the best chance of staying hydrated.

• Condition the flowers by plunging them right up to their necks in water (just below the flowerheads) with added flower food, and put them somewhere cool and out of direct sunlight for 12 hours. If it is a warm day, I will also drape some wet kitchen towel over the heads as an extra measure.

Alternatively, give cut hydrangeas a bath in cold water overnight. This also helps to revive them if any start to wilt after they have been arranged.

• Recut when coming to arrange the hydrangeas, and keep them out of direct sunlight. Mist the flowerheads each day if it is particularly warm, to help prevent drooping.

HOW TO DRY HYDRANGEAS “I find the best way to dry hydrangeas is to arrange them in

a vase indoors with 3–5cm of water. The water will gradually evaporate, allowing them to dry gently and not lose too much colour. This works for me nine times out of ten. The key is to pick the flowers at the right stage; they need to be mature and feel a little papery if you cup your hand over the top. Alternatively, you can leave the flowerheads on the plant to dry if you have a dry late summer or early autumn. However, prolonged rain will turn the flowers brown before they have had a chance to dry properly,“ says Nolan

94 THE ENGLISH HOME

ABOVE LEFT This hand-tied bouquet features ‘Sweet Annabelle’ hydrangeas picked in late summer as they begin to fade to autumn colours, along with sunflowers stripped of their petals and copper beech foliage.

LEFT ‘Sweet Annabelle’ hydrangeas start out raspberry pink, fade to green and dry into elegant, sculptural flower heads through autumn.

“Style a serene autumnal dining table by pairing vintage crystal glassware and mercury glass candlesticks, with elegant dried hydrangea heads in fading colours. Use beautiful old linen sheets as a tablecloth, and for a special dinner party, suspend glass tubes containing single dried blooms for a magical touch�

Tamsyn Morgans, stylist & photographer

Stylist Tamsyn Morgans has used hydrangeas to beautiful effect for an autumn dinner party.

THE ENGLISH HOME 95

Autumn lends itself to drying flowers, seeds, berries and grasses, preserving the textures and allowing colours to fade gracefully in arrangements that can last for months, even years. Morton has noticed that dried flowers are seeing a resurgence in popularity. “It is on trend not to be wasteful and to be able to reuse, so dried flowers are becoming more sought after,” she says. Other elements, such as feathers, twigs and branches, can be added to create still lifes or tablescapes, perhaps styled with some antique or vintage books, pine cones, pumpkins or fruit for a seasonal and rustic scene.

Many seed heads and grasses are best left to dry naturally in the garden. Alternatively, Nolan offers the following advice for harvesting and drying flowers: • Keep out of sunlight once the stems are cut, to maintain colour. A position in the dark but still warm, with good circulation, is good.

I dry mine hanging from the rafters in my garden shed in summer.

• Most blooms can be tied in a bunch and hung upside down, but some flowers, such as love-lies-bleeding, with its long heavy tassels, are best left in an empty vase to dry, to preserve the natural beauty of their form. n LEFT This rustic arrangement by Clare Nolan features sculptural stems of angelica in an urn, with mixed grasses, alliums and gathered feathers nearby.

“Hydrangea and rose petals, leaves and berries, can all be saved and stored in vintage baking tins (right).

I then use these garden jewels to decorate luggage labels and gift wrap,” says Morgans 96 THE ENGLISH HOME

FEATURE KATY MCLEAN PHOTOGRAPHS P90 © SARAH GARDNER; P91 © FLORA PRESS/EWA; P92 (WREATH) © LIZ FALLON/COTSWOLD POSY PATCH; (TEALIGHTS) © FLORA PRESS/EWA; P93 (BOUQUET) © THE REAL FLOWER COMPANY; (NAPKINS) © ELENA SCHWEITZER/SHUTTERSTOCK; (CAKE) © KAYLA ENWRIGHT/SHUTTERSTOCK; P94 (TOP LEFT & BOTTOM RIGHT) © IN BLOOM: GROWING, HARVESTING AND ARRANGING FLOWERS ALL YEAR ROUND © CLARE NOLAN (KYLE BOOKS); (BOTTOM LEFT) © JAN J PHOTOGRAPHY/SHUTTERSTOCK; P95 © TAMSYN MORGANS; P96 (TOP LEFT) © CLARE NOLAN; (BOTTOM RIGHT) © TAMSYN MORGANS

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The modern COTTAGE GARDEN From growing fruit and vegetables to entertaining friends and family, today’s gardens are taking on ever more important roles, which, with careful planning, can provide what the heart desires

A meandering gravel path winding between apple trees and loose, airy planting lends this garden designed by Jinny Blom a calm and ethereal charm.

THE ENGLISH HOME 99

T

oday’s cottage gardens have grown from simple outside plots filled with incidental plants, pots and furniture, into mindful retreats that are being planned and appreciated on a daily basis.

With a recent surge in sales of seeds, plants and all things garden related, it is clear that our love of nurturing a personal patch – or the desire to at least try and shape it – is deeply embedded in our psyche. Besides being a vital support for our mental well-being, our gardens provide the opportunity to raise home-grown produce for the table; a place to socialise and celebrate with loved ones; a quiet spot for pastimes; a place to engage with nature; and a new setting to develop decor ideas. It is the way in which these different needs and desires come together that make a modern cottage or cottage-style garden truly special.

A NEW WAY OF PLANTING Just like interior decor, horticulture is subject to new style ideas and design influences, and in a modern cottage garden flower borders favour a relaxed approach. “The essence of a ‘country’ or ‘cottage’ garden is a spirit of freedom and looseness within the planting,” explains Greg Loades, author of new book The Modern Cottage Garden. “Plants seed around, climbing plants scramble to soften hard surfaces, and herbs, annuals and flowering perennials mingle together as nature permits. It is largely a laissez-faire garden, where the gardener only intervenes when one plant encroaches at the expense of others.”

Tom Brown, head gardener at West Dean Gardens in West Sussex, adds: “Repetition is very important for adding a naturalistic feel to borders. Plants such as foxgloves, Verbena bonariensis, alliums and poppies can be woven in small groups between other plants front and back to suggest natural self-seeding and give the impression of an effortless rhythm.”

Popular colour choices of flowers and foliage tend to wax and wane too. Recent favourites have been pale blooms offset against green, with warm rust and copper tones emerging last year. This year, strong jewel tones are reappearing as new introductions such as Gaura lindheimeri ‘Whiskers Deep Rose’ and Nemesia ‘Berries and Cream’ show.

Garden designer Ann-Marie Powell also notes the return of cottage garden classics. “It is a joy to see more people experimenting with geraniums, lupins, alliums, foxgloves, peonies and roses to produce an ever-changing kaleidoscopic plant palette,” she says.  TOP Choose quality planters that borrow details from our agricultural past. Shelton Planters, from £36, Rowen & Wren MIDDLE LEFT aise rodu e ro seed with e eas to grow arieties Easy Summer Veg seed collection, £7.95, Sarah Raven MIDDLE RIGHT n ourage ollinators and en o a dash o i rant olour too i ing eas growing a ourites su h as alendula and orage RIGHT lend wor areas into the rest o the garden with hee owl planting, mellow brickwork and soft paint hues such as this sage green.

Tradition 8 Planthouse, £POA, Hartley Botanic

100 THE ENGLISH HOME

This sleekly designed sofa set brings a modern edge to a country garden.

Portofino two-seat sofa, two sofa chairs and coffee table, £1,732, Bramblecrest

THE ENGLISH HOME 101

Soft, naturalistic planting spills out on to the gravel path leading up to the idyllic Apple Store at West Dean Gardens in West Sussex.

102 THE ENGLISH HOME

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GROWING FOR KITCHEN TABLE & SOUL Raising delicious produce from tiny seed to being kitchen-ready is not only one of life’s simple pleasures, but it is also hugely rewarding. It instils satisfaction and pride, and engages the grower with the seasons. Little wonder, then, that recent years have seen renewed interest in growing produce at home – vegetable seed sales have soared.

Where fruit and vegetables were once banished to a kitchen garden or a carefully screened patch, in the modern cottage garden they sit comfortably amongst the flower borders or proudly in

containers on a terrace. “Cut flower annuals, roses, edible flowers and companion plants – such as dahlias, tagetes and nasturtiums – add splashes of colour through tomatoes, courgettes and towers of beans on woven frames, to give a feast for the eyes as well as the plate,” says garden doyenne Sarah Raven.

“I like to mix fruit trees into the planting schemes,” says awardwinning garden designer Jinny Blom. “Apples in particular sit very well within a frothy tumbling melange. Their scale and seasons of interest apart, they also prune into wonderful shapes over time, bringing poetic character to the place.” 

TOP LEFT Showcase a focal point with stone paving and an arch laden with twining clematis and roses. The Inverted Pedestal with Zenith Armillary Sphere, £2,400, Architectural Heritage; Silas Marner is an English shrub rose with cup-shaped blooms in purest pink. £29, David

Austin Roses; Sculptural wirework planters are perfect for growing fragrant herbs. Hanging plant cage, £34.99, Crocus; Replicate interior comforts outside with soft furnishings made from recycled plastics.

Diamond cushions, £50 for two; Diamond throw, £40, both Pepper Sq THE ENGLISH HOME 103

A SPACE FOR FRIENDS & PASTIMES Outside space deserves to be enjoyed and revered and any substantial garden feature is key to its success. Summerhouses, garden rooms, orangeries and tea pavilions are all ideal for regular, year-round entertaining, particularly when catering for large parties. For smaller, more intimate gatherings, open-sided gazebos, secluded follies and dreamy Indian-style tents make magical venues and add a dash of quirky charm. Smaller hideaways, such as a traditional shepherd’s hut or bothy overlooking pasture or tucked away within an orchard, can become treasured spots for writing, painting or a quiet read.

When it comes to furniture, high-quality materials should be a key consideration. “We use a lot of acacia wood in our products,” explains Dani Taylor from Cox & Cox. “It is often used in ship building, so it has to be weatherproof, strong and hardwearing.

We try to echo the look of our indoor furniture outdoors, using elegant shapes and muted colours so that the outdoors is an extension of your interior tastes.”

Successful decisions regarding surfaces and furniture often take their cue from the interior decor. “A modern country garden has an uncluttered look and tends to have smoother surfaces on paving, fencing and planters, as opposed to more riven, rustic ones,” Paula Cole from Bramblecrest explains. “Outdoor furniture choices for these spaces reflect this with modern-looking materials and strong colours. Lightweight, low-maintenance, durable aluminium frames in dark colours with contrasting deep, comfortable, season-proof cushions make a design statement that often emulates the interior style of the property.”

104 THE ENGLISH HOME

THE FINER DETAILS Carefully chosen features – be it a wirework arch or finely worked bench – not only pull a garden together but add character too. “A garden is now, more than ever, an expression of your personality,” explains Laura Turfrey from reclamation specialists Architectural Heritage. “Through design, all the elements – be they formal, relaxed or wild – are laid out in plan but visualised in elevation, and at times require an axis, frame or focal point… these are the elements we hope to provide.”

Skilfully crafted products have long played a part in English gardens, and this remains so today. Lending a personal touch of the artisan, as well as harking back to past rural and agricultural heritage, these items blend practicality with beautiful design.

Plant Belles sculptural plant supports are designed by Jenny Maddock and hand-crafted in a rural workshop in Devon.

“They may appear to be designed for the Victorian era, but they are very much designed for today’s gardens and blend functionality with elegance,” Maddock says.

Al fresco decorative features provide an opportunity to experiment with tactile materials that can emphasise and highlight favoured blooms and foliage. “One of the ways we like to approach planting in the garden is to not just consider the texture and scale of the flora, but of the containers themselves,” says Lucy Uren from Rowen & Wren. “We’re rather fond of mixing materials, from galvanised iron troughs to terracotta pots, as well as baskets.

I’ve also been known to pot herbs inside our linen bread bags on a decked area. They’re not designed for outdoor living, but it’s refreshing watching nature take over.” n

FEATURE JILL MORGAN PHOTOGRAPHS P98-99 © ANDREW MONTGOMERY. P100 (SARAH RAVEN) © JONATHAN BUCKLEY.; (RHS) © RHS/TIM SANDALL; P103 (DAVID AUSTIN ROSES) © HOWARD RICE; (CROCUS) © JULIA LEAKEY; P104 © EMMIE SCOTT

A sweeping roof line and tactile weatherboarding imbue this garden hideaway with elegant country charm.

Sussex Folly, £12,500, A Place In the Garden

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PROPERTIES FOR SALE

HOUSES WITH CHARACTER Our selection of some of the most appealing properties on sale.

This month, homes in the Cotswolds

1

PERIOD DETAIL Occupying a rural location on the outskirts of the village of Nettleton in the Cotswold countryside, Little Fosse Farm is a Grade II listed residence dating from the fifteenth century. The reception rooms are well proportioned and full of period detail, including exposed beams, mullioned windows and fireplaces, such as the one in the sitting room, which has stone believed to have been taken from Malmesbury Abbey.

The kitchen has French windows opening to the sunny garden, which has been landscaped to reflect the English country setting, featuring a fragrant rose garden enclosed by box hedging, as well as terraces that lead up to an expansive lawn. Equestrian enthusiasts will delight in the generous stabling facilities and paddocks of the five-bedroom property.

Little Fosse Farm, Wiltshire, ÂŁ1,450,000, James Pyle & Co

2

3

2

COUNTRY COTTAGE Quaint and characterful, Barn Cottages is located on the edge of the charming Cotswold village of West Kington. The sitting room features a wood-burning stove and looks out onto the period property’s rural surroundings. The timber-detailed kitchen benefits from an Aga and incorporates a dining area for cosy nights around the dinner table.

There are two bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs. A detached barn has the option to be converted into an annexe for further accommodation. The stone house’s lawned gardens border the Broadmead Brook, from which there is a network of footpaths to explore the wooded valley and the countryside beyond, as well as the nearby historic village of Castle Combe.

Barn Cottages, Wiltshire, £650,000, Knight Frank

3

GEORGIAN GEM Grade II listed Teaspoon House in Little Comberton is a fine example of a Georgian residence that blends traditional features with modern comforts. In the oldest part of the four-bedroom house is an elegant drawing room, and a snug, which both benefit from a wood-burner. A newer addition is the glass-fronted kitchen, which not only adjoins the formal dining room but is connected to a two-storey, thatched outbuilding with a workshop and first floor studio. The garden has been designed with various areas of interest, from the paved terrace and water feature to the upper lawn, barbecue and summerhouse. The village is situated at the foot of Bredon Hill, a beautiful part of the Cotswolds, and over which are many rewarding walks.

Teaspoon House, Worcestershire, £755,000, Hamptons International THE ENGLISH HOME 109

4

5 6 PRIME LOCATION Lying within the conservation area of Longborough village, The Well House has idyllic views across the Evenlode Valley.

The four-bedroom residence is typical of the local vernacular style, built from Cotswold stone beneath a tiled, pitched roof. There is a sitting room with windows onto the garden, exposed beams and an inglenook fireplace with log-burning stove.

There are three other reception rooms, including a snug which leads to a welcoming kitchen/dining room that opens to the outdoors. Make the most of warm, sunny days on the elevated seating area at the top of the garden, or take a leisurely stroll from the pathway at the property into the village, which is conveniently situated between the market towns of Stow-on-the Wold and Moreton-in-Marsh.

The Well House, Gloucestershire, £1,200,000, Pritchard & Company

110 THE ENGLISH HOME

5

ARTS AND CRAFTS Newbold Farmhouse is a Grade II listed property in Duntisbourne Abbots, the largest of the four attractive Duntisbourne villages that are situated along an unspoilt valley in the Cotswolds. Believed to have been built in the late seventeenth century with some later Arts and Crafts additions, the Cotswold stone house retains a wealth of period features, including exposed beams, wooden floors and lead-lined windows. The sitting room is particularly appealing, as there is a wood-burning stove in the inglenook fireplace and an original window seat that overlooks the garden.

There are five bedrooms upstairs, one of which has the potential to be converted into an annexe. The garden is mostly laid to lawn, with views of the village and its medieval church.

Newbold Farmhouse, Gloucestershire £825,000, Strutt & Parker

6

RURAL RETREAT Hill Farm Cottage is situated in Milton-under-Wychwood, one of three Cotswold villages, including Shipton-underWychwood and Ascott-under-Wychwood, named after the ancient nearby forest of Wychwood, which was cleared in the nineteenth century for agricultural land.

There is ample opportunity to enjoy the far-reaching rural views from this residence, whether from the kitchen, the light-filled garden room, or upstairs in any of the four bedrooms. There is also a terraced rear garden where there are various seating areas to soak up the sunshine and take in an elevated outlook of the surrounding countryside. Spend a day exploring the Evenlode Valley, renowned for its scenic beauty, and return to an evening by the open fire in the property’s sitting room.

Hill Farm Cottage, Oxfordshire, £950,000, Savills n

FEATURE JANINE JORGENSEN

4

Mrs Minerva writes...

The art of

COUNTRY LIVING IN LOCKDOWN Passionate about quintessential English customs, our incognito columnist reminds us to do the best things in life in the most elegant fashion, always with a twinkle in her eye

BELOW When a little comfort is needed, Mrs M turns to baking and is partial to banana bread. If seeking inspiration, try Mary Berry’s Banana Loaf recipe at thehappyfoodie.co.uk

N

ever have I felt so fortunate to live in the country as when the announcement came that we were going into lockdown. Mr M and I are extremely lucky to have a huge garden and beautiful walks straight from the front door.

I have tried hard to view with positivity the pause on life brought about by the coronavirus pandemic.

I have been baking sourdough, focaccia and banana bread, tending to the roses and taking time to batchcook delicious suppers for the elderly and vulnerable residents in our village.

That is not to say I am finding every aspect of it easy. These days are also awash with heartache and the daily news briefing makes for chilling viewing. A stiff upper lip and a healthy dose of stoicism is absolutely the way forward.

Mr M, on the other hand, is struggling somewhat.

Whilst he seems almost happy to social distance from me, he is finding having his freedom curtailed rather more trying. It took him quite a while to come to terms with the Rose & Crown being closed, although he rallied slightly when Tom, the landlord, quickly adapted to these challenging times and offered takeaway beer through one of the pub’s windows.

This concession to the new normal is, I feel, one of the main reasons harmony has remained in the village.

A trip to the pub is certainly regarded by Mr M and his friends as essential travel.

Indeed Mr M feels any trip can be deemed vital during the lockdown as long as it is taken in the Land Rover. Starting up the Morgan for a spin would, in his own words, be “quite inappropriate and almost frivolous” but with the handwritten ‘essential worker’ stickers placed in the front and back windows of the “Landie” Mr M trundles through the village with the zeal of a spy on a crucial mission.

He did once visit Waitrose for me. Sadly, he stood in the queue – gloved and with a face mask on – for more than an hour and a half and then quite forgot what he went in for. He came home with three bottles of pink gin, a family-size bar of chocolate and, rather oddly, some rabbit food. We have not kept rabbits since the children were at prep school.

The village has come together to support each other in a way that has been utterly heart-warming. The old red telephone box by the green has been transformed into a community larder, with people leaving homemade jam and cakes, herbs they have dried, books they have enjoyed and other small luxuries for the rest of us to share. I have been leaving bread, little pots of my sourdough starter and lemon curd.

Mr M has availed himself of several of the books, although he seems to have lost his sense of taste when it comes to these. I recently saw him in the potting shed reading what can only be described as a modern-day take on the bodice ripper. I suspect it might originally have belonged to Janice, who teaches Pilates in the village hall.

We have all been helping each other out in various ways and have set up a buddy system for those in need.

I have been helping Mrs Warner, who used to run the post office. She is 92 now and a little hard of hearing.

Once a week I do a shop for her and collect her medicine from the chemist. The village held its collective breath when she came down with a cough, but it turned out to be an allergy to the essential-oil burner her daughter in Melbourne sent as a gift.

I called the doctor when Mrs Warner’s symptoms began and he asked if the cough was irritating and unproductive. It was not, but the more I pondered on the subject the more I came to realise that these are two adjectives that could be applied to Mr M’s  THE ENGLISH HOME 111

Mrs Minerva Writes...

LEFT Life at a slower pace has resulted in more time to appreciate wildlife – the hedghogs have never been better fed.

112 THE ENGLISH HOME

The Barbour jacket is a classic English country necessity, ensuring one stays warm and dry in our somewhat unpredictable climate.

PERFECT COMPANIONS Mrs M’s shopping list for the little luxuries that have made lockdown in the countryside more pleasurable A NEW PERSPECTIVE

A month before the lockdown came, Katherine May’s marvellous book Wintering was launched.

It couldn’t be more timely, as collectively we have all spent the past months wintering. In the book the author recounts her own year-long journey through winter, sparked by a sudden illness in her family that plunged her into a time of uncertainty and seclusion. Beautifully written and perspective-shifting, it teaches us to draw from the healing powers of the natural world and to embrace the winters of our own lives. It is published by Ebury, priced at £14.99.

COUNTRY CHIC

No English country autumn would be complete without a Barbour jacket. Mr M is still wearing one from before we met.

It is held together with dog hair and sweet wrappers and has most definitely seen better days. I, on the other hand, am rather taken by the new Barbour Marina Fogle Endicott Waxed Cotton Jacket (right), which offers a contemporary twist on an enduring classic.

It costs £239 and more information can be found at barbour.com

STYLISH ESSENTIAL

Picnicking – even in colder weather – is sure to become a way of life for many, with flasks of soup, warm slices of pie and hunks of freshly baked bread to warm the cockles of the heart. A decent blanket, either to sit on or wrap oneself in, is a must have for autumn picnics. My favourites come from Toast. The gorgeous Chevron Blanket in Caramel (left) costs £85. Visit toa.st for more information.

PHOTOGRAPHS (BANANA BREAD) © MSHEV/SHUTTERSTOCK; (HEDGEHOG) © DIOGEN/SHUTTERSTOCK

demeanour during lockdown. He constantly complains about being “confined to barracks” and the poor dog is rather exhausted now he is being taken on endlessly long walks.

One of the things that has been rather marvellous, for me at least, is having the time to notice nature.

Before the world stood still, I was always rushing from one commitment to the next. I never had time simply to be. A few days after the lockdown was announced, the cherry tree outside my bedroom window sprung into bloom. For a fortnight I felt so cheered when I opened the curtains each morning. Cherry blossom really is a huge treat to see and its fleeting nature makes one reflect on the transience of being.

I mentioned this to Mr M, but he simply rolled his eyes and went back to his book.

I have also enjoyed hearing the birdsong. The traffic noise has been much more muted; in the early weeks of the lockdown there was barely a car to be heard and the robin that regards our garden as very much his territory has been very vocal.

Wildlife has offered great solace. A regular visitor to the bird table is a great spotted woodpecker that revels in its dominance of the banquet on offer. The famously shy deer seem to have become bolder since traffic has reduced and we have even had roe deer in the garden. We have also been leaving food out for the hedgehogs and it has been a delight to see clean dishes in the morning.

I have enjoyed going for walks in the country and, when it was announced we would be allowed to have picnics, my heart soared. There is nothing I love more than sitting by the river with a basket full of delicious food. Even Mr M perked up at this news and attached the wine carrier to his ancient Pashley bicycle.

When the government announced we were allowed to meet in groups of six, I became quite giddy with joy.

I have missed my friends so much and the idea of a socially distanced book group meeting on the village green suddenly held all the glamour of the Grand Tour.

It is, though, the simple pleasures that have been getting us through this awful time. Nature, the kindness of strangers, community, handwritten letters and delicious home-cooked food have all been at the heart of what has been getting us through the days when it feels all too dark or dreary. n

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THE ENGLISH HOME 113

THE FINAL WORD...

PHOTOGRAPH Š RAY MANN

Make the most of long, lazy days in the country by dining outside in style. Whether marking a celebration for two, the family or simply elevating the everyday, a relaxed but beautifully set table, such as the one shown here by interior designer Katharine Pooley, will transform it into a delightful occasion.

Take design cues from the great English countryside with a soft palette of colours and spriggy floral prints on crisp cotton table linen. Add an array of wildflowers in an antique planter and use pretty crockery, perhaps mismatched vintage china, alongside sturdy glass cloches and jugs for practicality. Have large lanterns and candles (and, of course, something to light them with) at hand should lively conversations last into the night.

114 THE ENGLISH HOME

Crewel embroidery kits from beginner to advanced www.crewelwork.com

Rupert Till S

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