Cotswold Homes Autumn / Winter 2018 Edition

COTSWOLD-HOMES.COM THE PROPERTY & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE FOR THE NORTH COTSWOLDS

AUTUMN / WINTER 2018 COMPLIMENTARY COPY

Tweedy The Cotswolds’ Favourite Clown Michael Foreman Award-Winning Illustrator Jane Ford Painter of Gothic Curiosities Cotswold Calendar Unmissable Winter Events Competitions The Royal Shakespeare Company, Cheltenham Racecourse, Everyman Theatre & More Hot Property Beautiful Homes, Expert Advice

CONTENTS

Turning the Page It is a distinctly sombre 15th October. Suddenly concluded, the Cheltenham Literature Festival quietly packs itself away, its enchanting guests vanishing into the wind and rain. Come back, David Attenborough, and tell us another one about the elephants! Won’t you stay for a cup of tea, Caitlin Moran? The house feels so empty without you…

Contents 04 Competitions

Win tickets to the races, the theatre – and so much more

12 Jane Ford’s Gothic Delights Enter the curious, dangerous world of our featured artist

18 Now Showing at The Royal

Shakespeare Company

One must look ahead. How about the November Meeting at the Cheltenham Racecourse? We hear it’s going to be pretty special this year. (More on that over on page 28). Oh, and apparently there’s all these cheerful shows opening soon, too – at The Theatre Chipping Norton, at the Everyman, at The Roses, at The Royal Shakespeare Company…And yes, yes, of course there’ll be plenty of festive fetes and things like that. (Haven’t you ever heard of our venerable events section? The one beginning on page 34?)

A bloodthirsty tyrant and two lovers under siege – peek behind the scenes of the RSC’s latest productions

There’s really no reason to be doleful, you see – not during a Cotswold winter. Why, just turn to page 32 and there’s good old Tweedy the Clown, and he’s got some new treats in store for you. (And if you really must insist on curling up under the duvet, we’ve picked some books for you to read on page 48).

Listen. I know just the thing to cheer us up. How about we enter some of those competitions? We only have to turn the page, and we could win big. A day at the races, perhaps - or the theatre… or…well, there’s loads of prizes, actually. Too many to list here.

Just see for yourself.

If all else fails, we could always look at some of those nice houses in the back of the magazine…

22 An Interview with Illustrator

Michael Foreman

Meet the unforgettable Sergeant Stubby – WWI’s canine hero

32 Tweedy’s Delightful Double Bill

The Cotswolds’ favourite clown has two new shows up his sleeve

34 Events

Browse our handpicked seasonal highlights

48 Winter Reads

Featuring Cheltenham Literature Festival’s best

66 Hot Property

Our pick of the North Cotswold market – plus expert advice

Enjoy!

Cover Artist Cover image: High Flyer by the ever-delightful Lucy Pratt, who is represented by Stow on the Wold’s Fosse Gallery (as is Jane Ford, who we visit over on page 12). Visit Lucy’s website at www.lucypratt.com.

Cotswold Homes Magazine Our next edition, Spring 2019, will bring you more upcoming events, competitions and articles showcasing the local area – helping you get more out of life in this beautiful part of the world.

To speak to a member of the team, please call 01451 822977 or email: Editor’s Desk: matt@cotswold-homes.com Property: karen@harrisonjameshardie.co.uk Marketing & Sales: keelin@cotswold-homes.com Website & Admin: rachel@cotswold-homes.com

COTSWOLD-HOMES.COM THE PROPERTY & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE FOR THE NORTH COTSWOLDS COTSWOLD-HOMES.COM

3

COMPETITIONS

WINTER COMPETITION GIVEAWAY ONLY WITH COTSWOLD HOMES WE’VE GOT SOME FABULOUS PRIZES TO WIN THIS SEASON! WE GIVE YOU THE CHANCE TO HAVE A THRILLING NIGHT OUT AT THE THEATRE OR CINEMA, TAKE THE FAMILY TO SEE SOME TOP-CLASS RACING ACTION OR WIN A GREAT CHILDREN’S BOOK. ENTERING COULDN’T BE EASIER - JUST HEAD TO OUR WEBSITE WWW.COTSWOLD-HOMES.COM

WIN! AN OVERNIGHT STAY AT THE ARDEN HOTEL IN STRATFORD UPON AVON + TICKETS TO TIMON OF ATHENS AT THE ROYAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY AND DINNER FOR TWO

What a fabulous prize we have for theatre lovers! Win tickets* to see Shakespeare’s rarely performed Timon of Athens at The Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford upon Avon this January, plus dinner for two in the RSC’s Rooftop Restaurant and an overnight stay at The Arden Hotel.

Following his smash hit award-winning production of Hamlet, Simon Godwin returns to direct Olivier Award-winner Kathryn Hunter in this dark and gripping satire.

To be in with a chance of winning this great giveaway, just head to the competition section of www.cotswold-homes.com. The prize draw closes on Thursday 22nd November.

*Prize Terms & Conditions 1. The Competition is open to anyone resident in the UK aged 18 or over 2. The winner will be contacted by e-mail. If we are unable to contact the winner by email after 3 attempts over a period of 2 weeks, then an alternative winner may be selected 3. The winner will be selected at random in November 2018.

4. The winner will be entitled to two tickets to Timon of Athens at the Swan Theatre for the performance of the winner’s choice subject to availability, plus a two-course dinner in the RSC’s Rooftop Restaurant and an overnight stay (bed and breakfast) at The Arden Hotel in Stratford-upon-Avon. Transport costs to the theatre are not included and there is no cash alternative 5. The RSC reserves the right at any time and from time to time to modify or discontinue, temporarily or permanently, this Competition with or without prior notice due to reasons outside its control 6. The Promoter of the Competition is The Royal Shakespeare Company (registered charity no. 212481) whose address is The Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Waterside, Stratford upon-Avon, Warwickshire, CV37 6BB The Arden Hotel Terms and conditions • Terms and conditions apply • Prize offered subject to availability • There is no cash alternative and the prize will not be transferable • The stay must be taken within January 2019 and booked by 12 December 2018 • Prize not valid on bank holidays, key dates excluded at the General Manager’s discretion • Any other purchases to be settled on departure • Cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer

4

COTSWOLD HOMES MAGAZINE

COMPETITIONS

WINTER COMPETITION GIVEAWAY ONLY WITH COTSWOLD HOMES WIN! two tickets to see Just So – The Musical at the Barn Theatre, Cirencester on a date of your choice

WIN! 4 TICKETS to see DICK WHITTINGTON & HIS CAT at Oxford Playhouse on 24th November 2018 Dick Whittington’s heading to town to seek his fortune – he’s heard the streets are paved with gold. But when he gets there, it’s hard to see the gold beneath the grime and King Rat is out to get him!

And that’s just the start of his adventures. With his trusty cat in tow and pirate ships on the horizon, Dick’s going to need a little help from you if he’s going to win the day.

It’s going to be a Whitting-tonne of fun!

To be in with a chance of winning 4 tickets to see Dick Whittington & His Cat at the Oxford Playhouse on Saturday 24th November at 7pm, simply visit the competition section of www.cotswold-homes.com. Good luck! Competition closes on 12th November.

Just So at The Barn Theatre, Cirencester promises an enjoyable and uplifting show for all of the family!

In this children’s classic by Rudyard Kipling, five of Kipling’s Just So Stories are woven together into a wondrous tale of personal courage, individuality and friendship.

Everything is Just So until Pau Amma the Crab starts playing with the ocean, which causes the land to flood, putting the other animals in danger. While the rest of the animals accept their sad fate, Elephant’s Child embarks on a journey to challenge and overcome the disobedient crab. Along the way, he meets other creatures and discovers how they came to be the way they are.

Set to an eclectic, upbeat score; you’ll be taken on a song-filled journey through the jungle. Stiles and Drewe (Honk! and Mary Poppins) bring us an imaginatively empowering piece of theatre in Just So. With an underlying message that one determined individual can make a real difference in this world, Just So is a fitting production to round off the Barn Theatre’s second season.

Just So - The Musical is showing at The Barn Theatre from 5th December 2018 - 13th January 2019.

To enter our draw to win two tickets to see Just So on our date of your choice, subject to availability, simply head to the competition section of www.cotswold-homes.com. Competition closes on Thursday 22nd November.

WIN! 2 x PAIRS OF TICKETS to the OPENING NIGHT of WAITING FOR GODOT starring TWEEDY THE CLOWN at The Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham on 2nd February 2019 Samuel Beckett’s undeniable triumph of 20th century literature comes to the Everyman Theatre for the first time ever. Don’t miss your chance to see this essential modern classic starring Tweedy.

Two hungry, battered drifters wait by a dead tree. They might have been here yesterday. And they might well come back tomorrow. Unless Mr Godot arrives first. Which he might, if they’re lucky. Which they don’t tend to be.

The Everyman Theatre company presents Samuel Beckett’s iconic play about the struggle for purpose, the power of friendship and the hunt for a pair of decent boots. Fresh and urgent as ever this new production is brought to you by the team behind Quartet, Mrs Warren’s Profession and The Glass Menagerie and stars Alan Digweed (better known to Gloucestershire audiences as Tweedy) the star of Giffords Circus and The Everyman Theatre’s acclaimed pantomimes.

To enter our draw, simply head to the competition section of www.cotswold-homes.com. Competition closes on Thursday 6th December.

COTSWOLD-HOMES.COM

5

COMPETITIONS

WINTER COMPETITION GIVEAWAY ONLY WITH COTSWOLD HOMES WIN! 4 TICKETS to see Mary Poppins at The Cotswold School on 8th November

WIN! two tickets to see THE LONDON SWING ORCHESTRA at the Roses Theatre, Tewkesbury on 12th January 2019 The London Swing Orchestra (LSO) was founded in 1985 by Graham Dalby to recreate the sounds of The Jazz Age and gave its debut performance at the Hammersmith Palais on VE Day, celebrating 40 years of peace in Europe.

Quickly establishing a reputation for excellence, the Orchestra gave their first overseas performances in Berlin appearing with Gloria Gaynor and James Last. The following year, they were signed by President

Records and a documentary film about them was screened on BBC2. In 2015 the orchestra performed with the BBC Concert Orchestra in a live radio broadcast to celebrate thirty years.

We’ve snapped up a pair of tickets to see the orchestra in action on Saturday 12th January at 7.30pm at the Roses Theatre in Tewkesbury.

Just head to the competition section of www.cotswold-homes.com for your chance to enter. Competition closes on Thursday 13th December.

WIN! A PAIR OF TICKETS TO SEE A FILM OF YOUR CHOICE AT EVESHAM’S RENOWNED ART DECO CINEMA, THE REGAL The Regal Cinema in Evesham is a lovingly restored art deco style cinema with a coffee shop and licensed bar that attracts moviegoers from across the region. It hosts a wide variety of events that include live music and comedy performances, live sports broadcasts and transmissions of live theatre productions, as well as the latest blockbuster films!

The lucky winner of this pair of tickets will be able to see a film of their choice for free (subject to availability).

To enter our draw, visit the competition section of www.cotswold-homes.com. Competition closes on Thursday 6th December.

6

COTSWOLD HOMES MAGAZINE

Come along and enjoy The Cotswold School’s production of the perennial favourite, Mary Poppins – the world’s favourite magical nanny!

Performances of Disney & Cameron Mackintosh’s Mary Poppins take place on 6th, 7th and 8th November in the school hall in Bourton on the Water.

To be in with a chance of winning 4 tickets to see Mary Poppins for the finale evening at The Cotswold School on Thursday 8th November at 6.30pm, simply visit the competition section of www.cotswold-homes.com.

Good luck! Competition closes on 1st November.

COMPETITIONS

WINTER COMPETITION GIVEAWAY ONLY WITH COTSWOLD HOMES

WIN! 4 x TICKETS TO NEW YEAR’S DAY at CHELTENHAM RACECOURSE Start your New Year in style at the Home of Jump Racing! New Year's Day hosts seven quality races, including two Grade 2s with trainers, jockeys and racegoers all hoping to get their year off to a flyer.

Come along for a fantastic day of racing, with bars and restaurants open to suit all palates throughout the day.

The Racecourse’s famous Family Fun Zone will be available throughout the day with plenty of complimentary children's activities, plus, Paw Patrol's Chase and Marshall will be making personal appearances at intervals throughout the day. More onthe-day raceday information will be released in due course.

Enjoy live music in The Centaur after racing from The Hipcats Big Band. The Hipcats are well-known for their brilliant performances

of upbeat jazz and swing with a cool and contemporary twist – songs you know and love with a few surprises too. Their stellar line-up of musicians have performed at top venues across the UK and they are always a great hit. Make sure you don’t miss these kings of swing.

You can also win a £50 voucher to spend on the day at the Tote betting outlets on-course. The profits from the on-course Tote are returned to the sport, meaning that betting with the Tote when you go racing supports racing and the racecourses.

To enter our draw to win this great prize, simply head to the competition section of www.cotswold-homes.com. Competition closes on Thursday 6th December.

COTSWOLD-HOMES.COM

7

COMPETITIONS

WINTER COMPETITION GIVEAWAY ONLY WITH COTSWOLD HOMES WIN! 2 adult tickets to the Cotswold Farm Park and 2 children’s tickets to the Father Christmas Experience

Father Christmas and his cheeky elves are going to be very busy this festive season as they’re dropping into the ever-popular Cotswold Farm Park across several dates in November and December.

We’ve got a great prize* for all the family. Be in with the chance of winning two adult tickets to the Farm Park and two young adult/child/ toddler/baby tickets for the Father Christmas Experience (includes gift, Christmas Eve box and Farm Park entry).

To enter our draw, simply head to the competition section of www. cotswold-homes.com. Competition closes on Thursday 22nd November.

WIN! A FAMILY TICKET INCLUDING LUNCH TO COCKLEBARROW RACES on 27th JANUARY 2019 We’re offering another great Cocklebarrow prize this year courtesy of the Heythrop Hunt. Enjoy all the Point-to-Point action on Sunday 27th January 2019, taking place on the Cocklebarrow racecourse of Aldsworth, just south of Northleach.

The Point-to-Point, sponsored by Harrison James & Hardie Fine & Country North Cotswolds, is always a popular event and winners of the prize will receive lunch as well as a free car park pass.

This year there will be even more entertainment for visitors to enjoy, including the Tough Mudder challenge, terrier racing, Bucking Bronco, children’s entertainment and much, much more.

Gates open 10.30am.

*Terms and Conditions: • Valid for one visit between 24th November – 24th December. The Father Christmas experience is available on selected dates in November and December. For a full list of dates, please visit the Cotswold Farm Park website.

• Father Christmas Experience is subject to availability.

• No cash alternative.

8

COTSWOLD HOMES MAGAZINE

To enter our draw, simply head to the competition section of www.cotswold-homes.com. Competition closes on Thursday 6th December.

COMPETITIONS

WINTER COMPETITION GIVEAWAY ONLY WITH COTSWOLD HOMES WIN! two free tickets to the Annual Kate’s Home Nursing January Quiz Night including a glass of wine and a fish ‘n’ chip supper provided by Greedys!

Win two tickets to this very special Quiz Night, kindly sponsored

by Harrison James & Hardie, held on Saturday 19th January at St Edward’s Hall, Stow on the Wold from 7pm – 10pm.

WIN! A COPY OF MICHAEL FOREMAN’S NEW CHILDREN’S BOOK STUBBY: A TRUE STORY OF FRIENDSHIP

Local charity Kate’s Home Nursing - based in Stow on the Wold makes provisions for local people who choose to die in the comfort and familiarity of their own homes. The charity was started when Kate King (a resident of Stow, who died in 1995) became aware of the lack of nursing care available to patients wishing to die at home - and challenged her nurses and doctors to do something about it.

So come along for a night of knowledge and entertainment – all for an excellent cause.

To enter our draw, simply head to the competition section of www. cotswold-homes.com. Competition closes on Thursday 6th December.

WIN! 1 Month Free Entry passes for two children (aged 0 – 11yrs) to Cotswold Clubhouse Soft Play in Bourton on the Water What better way to keep the children happy than with this fabulous prize offered by the Cotswold Clubhouse? (Please note: the winner must provide the Clubhouse with names & dates of birth of children to receive free entry after notification of their win, as well as details of parent or guardian. This information will only be used for the free entry pass and will not be shared with another party).

Read all about the clubhouse in this edition. To enter our draw, simply head to the competition section of www.cotswold-homes. com. Competition closes on Thursday 22nd November.

Stubby was a brave soldier, a loyal friend... and a dog. From an army training camp to the trenches in France, this is the incredible true story of Sergeant Stubby, the dog who served bravely in the First World War, sniffing out gas attacks, catching spies and winning the hearts of his fellow soldiers.

To find out more about the author and illustrator, Michael Foreman, and the background to Stubby: A True Story of Friendship, turn to the interview with him further on in this issue.

We’ve got five copies of Stubby to give away to five lucky winners. To be in with the chance of snapping up this prize, head to the competition section of www.cotswold-homes.com.

Competition closes on Thursday 6th December.

COTSWOLD-HOMES.COM

9

INTERVIEW

JANE FORD’S GOTHIC DELIGHTS Murder, folkore and mischief collide with British wildlife in artist Jane Ford’s eccentric and darkly humorous paintings. We interview Jane ahead of her 2018 exhibition at Stow on the Wold’s Fosse Gallery

Creativity often seems to run in the blood.

Do you come from an especially artistic family?

My family come from the Potteries and I was born in Newcastle under Lyme. My father and his brother both went to the Royal Northern School of Music in the ‘30s - my father studied as a bass baritone with his brother, who played piano and often performed recitals in the region.

After the war he was offered a place with the Carl Rosa Opera Company but unfortunately developed cancer of the tongue so was unable to take up the position. However, he went on to become Choirmaster with a well-known choir and held that position for over 40 years, his voice remaining spectacular throughout.

My maternal uncle was the Head Designer for Spode Pottery and it was through his influence I started to draw, and as an 7-8 year old I was allowed to paint with his oils.

Where did you train? And what were your early experiences working in the world of art and design?

There were several Art Schools in Stoke in the ‘70s, all mainly catering to the needs of the pottery industry. I didn't want to enter that industry but originally hoped to work at the College of Heralds. With this in mind, I went to a smaller art school in the area, the

12

COTSWOLD HOMES MAGAZINE

Newcastle School of Art which was a mainly Fine Art School.

I was only there for a year when the opportunity arose to become an apprentice at what was then a huge printing and design company. It was a formal apprenticeship of 7 years and encompassed Graphic Design, Illustration, Pottery Design and the general production of Artwork.

My first exhibition as a solo artist came when I was 18 thanks to the Curator of the Newcastle Museum and Art Gallery.

Who are your primary artistic and literary influences?

The primary artistic influence was my uncle who designed for Spode. He guided my abilities from a very early age and was also

JANE FORD

Pictures This page, clockwise from top left: MR. BLUE SKY PISTOLS AT DAWN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH CRY WOLF

Overleaf: OBSERVATIONS OF A CURIOUS NATURE THE POOR OF THE PARISH ANTICIPATE ALMS

Final page: TOO MUCH LOVE CAN KILL YOU

a huge influence on my interest in wildlife.

His passion and knowledge of British wildlife was immense and spent hours telling me about the lives of creatures we came across.

The other very important influence in my career was my wonderful art teacher, Gerald Sabin. If it was not for his patience and practical way of teaching I would never be painting today. After my dismal

failure in my O-Levels, he fought for my place at Art School, both with the school and my parents, arguing that my ability in painting outweighed my ability in exams! He remained a friend and mentor throughout my life right up until his death last year. I owe him everything.

My Dad was a brilliant storyteller. He read from books like Brer Rabbit and Toad of

Toad Hall and he also made up stories using animals which spoke. His sense of humour was paramount in these stories. I guess the earliest memory of humanised animals was Rag, Tag and Bobtail on Watch with Mother. As I grew up my tastes leant more towards Edgar Allen Poe and, of course, The Lord of the Rings and Gormanghast. The Goon Show has also got a lot to answer for.

COTSWOLD-HOMES.COM

13

INTERVIEW

Your compositions are fantastical and uncanny, and yet the creatures feel so naturalistic and full of life. How did you arrive at this distinctive style?

My training throughout has been very traditional and I have always portrayed my subjects in a realistic style. When you look at a bird or animal you can see their individuality in the body movements and expressions. Each one has a distinct character and those people who work with animals know this to be true. So it is relatively easy to convey this in a painting as I treat the creature model as a formal portrait.

I decided to experiment, adding things into the painting that are of interest to me (such as vintage instruments) and pairing

predator and prey in opposite or enticing situations. The paintings also reflect elements of emotions, from love to murder - and that involves the inevitable dark, Northern sense of humour.

Tell us about the Kentish wildlife that appears in your art…

I am lucky to live in the marshes in Kent near Sandwich where there are a variety of birds both indigenous and migratory. There have been nesting little owls this year as well as tawny and short-eared owls. There are marsh harriers, kestrels and a sparrowhawk downed a pigeon in our garden this year.

I feed a crow daily on an egg from our hens and he is a real bad boy. I have called him Mr. Flay after a character in Gormanghast.

The featured animal or bird has to be right, both in pose and anatomy. Coupled with whatever is going to be added into the painting, I can be on the computer for hours.

14

COTSWOLD HOMES MAGAZINE

If his egg is not on the grass by 8am he is jumping up and down on the studio roof until it’s delivered. He allowed me to photograph him just once taking his egg.

Foxes abound as in most areas but we are seeing a decrease in hares which is very sad…they are such secretive and magical creatures.

Each image you create is rife with allusions to folklore and fairytales. How intensive is the research involved when considering a painting?

The research can be consuming and intense.

The featured animal or bird has to be right, both in pose and anatomy. Coupled with whatever is going to be added into the painting, I can be on the computer for hours. I do try to use my own photography where possible and have lovely models in my bantams. I have a great deal of books, too, relating to the folklore and behaviour of the animals, which help in the composition of a painting.

The main research is the anatomy - it has to be spot on and my friendly farmer often brings me an offering (deceased) to have a look at. It was only when I started painting foxes I found their claws are similar to a cat… partially retractable.

JANE FORD

The names of your pieces and series are as enjoyable as the work itself, and are always the ‘key’ to understanding the pictures…Are they usually at the forefront of your mind when beginning a painting or do they emerge towards the end of the process?

The titles of the work are imperative to the understanding of the painting. It’s not always the case that the title comes first, though it is by far the easiest way. They derive from song titles or old movies or just pop into my head. The struggle comes when I have done the painting and the title is

elusive. I do a lot of miles driving all over the country and it’s the perfect way to think of a title.

The Murder and Mayhem series of deadly robins comes from watching a friendly robin dispatching a rescued caterpillar in our garden. A very Sherlock Holmes title for the

series - and I try to emulate that in the way each ‘murder’ is committed.

The main thing is that the observer looking into the painting is given a story to enjoy, a creature to appreciate and - even though the overall image can be a little dark - they walk away with a small smile on their face.

Jane Ford – Observations of a Curious Nature runs from Sunday 4th November 2018 - Saturday 24th November 2018 at the Fosse Gallery in Stow on the Wold Visit the artist’s website at www.janefordart.com COTSWOLD-HOMES.COM

15

INTERVIEW

ATYRANTRISES Q&A WITH TAMBURLAINE DIRECTOR MICHAEL BOYD Former Artistic Director Michael Boyd returns to the RSC with his five-star smash-hit production of Christopher Marlowe’s Tamburlaine.

PPPPP ‘Magnificently grotesque…triumphant’ The Times

You first directed Tamburlaine in New York in 2014. Have you made changes for this version?

We had a lot of success with Tamburlaine in New York, so it wasn’t a straightforward decision to revisit the play for the RSC, but in the end I felt that the world and our understanding of the nature of tyranny have changed so much since 2014 that we would have no choice but to re-read the play anew for a contemporary audience.

The story has been likened to House of Cards because of all the politics and power play. Do you agree?

18

COTSWOLD HOMES MAGAZINE

Tamburlaine makes House of Cards look like the Green Party AGM...

Why do you like working with Tom Piper on designs for your shows?

How would you describe Tamburlaine as a character?

There are probably quite a few designers as exciting as Tom in two dimensions, but few can match him in three, and very few in four. He understands space, he understands time and story, and, thank god, he understands me!

Tamburlaine begins as a brilliant, playful and almost chivalrous underdog, ideally qualified to exploit the corruption and weakness of moribund rulers to the point where he himself emerges as a ruthless potentate. He is the ultimate victor in the survival of the fittest, winning all that he desires, until he discovers that desire is infinite, ultimate victory is ultimately lonely, and victims never really sleep or go away.

How do you tackle staging such a sprawling epic?

The more I work on the two plays, the more I admire their giddy but taut construction and the more I see Part Two as a genuine and radical development beyond Part One.

RSC - MICHAEL BOYD

Tamburlaine makes House of Cards look like the Green Party AGM...

That said, I have edited the plays quite tightly to bring them down to one evening of no more than three hours’ playing time, and rationalised the huge cast of characters into a smaller number of recognisable, returning people who “survive” their deaths to challenge and pursue the seemingly invincible Tamburlaine with ever-increasing authority and resonance, much as I did in The Histories 2006-8.

How do you plot the journey of an actor when they have to play multiple roles in a performance?

As an audience member, I like to form a relationship with an actor, and I try as director/editor to respect the relationship between each actor and the audience and nurture its development and meaning through the course of the production. With some plays of great scale, a lot of doubling is financially necessary, and, like most limitations, that can also be liberating, giving you greater access to deeper, archetypal qualities in the characters and the story than

might have been possible with a cast of thousands.

Why should audiences come and see the show?

Do you want the audience to feel culpable in this production, such as when Tamburlaine addresses them directly?

We are living now through a time when angry rhetoric and determined selfdramatising men hold increasing sway over our lives. The received wisdoms of western liberal democracy can look weak and even moribund when faced with the strong men of the American, Russian and Chinese right.

In this context, Tamburlaine seems to be an urgent play for our time. At any time, it remains one of the great plays of the English Renaissance and I don’t know why it is rarely produced. Perhaps it has offered a portrait which the English have preferred not to recognise.

Not culpable but implicated. Tamburlaine is not just a portrait of tyranny but also of the “tyrannised”, and I wouldn’t like the audience to just leave the show depressed or laden with passive horror. Marlowe doesn’t flinch in his vivid dramatisation of the seductive nature of autocracy and rule by fear but he reveals, more than anything, its bankruptcy in the end.

Tamburlaine is now playing in the Swan Theatre until 1st December. For more information and to book tickets, visit rsc.org.uk Photos by Ellie Kurttz © RSC

COTSWOLD-HOMES.COM

19

EVENTS

GET A BEHIND-THE-SCENES LOOK AS VIRTUOSO PERCUSSIONIST DAME EVELYN GLENNIE PREPARES FOR TROILUS AND CRESSIDA AT THE ROYAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY

20

COTSWOLD HOMES MAGAZINE

RSC - TROILUS AND CRESSIDA

Shakespeare’s epic tale of war-crossed lovers has been transported to a post-apocalyptic world in this new production directed by RSC Artistic Director, Gregory Doran. Set in the seventh year of the battle for Troy, young Trojans Troilus and Cressida spend a passionate night together, swearing they will always be true to one another. But when Cressida is traded as a prisoner of war and enters the Greek camp, her head is turned.

A selection of instruments from the Evelyn Glennie Archive Collection. Hanging up are bamboo chimes, on the floor are a range of gamelan, in the centre are hi-hats and to the left of the golden discs are crotales

An elaborate carved frame used to support gongs, from the Evelyn Glennie Archive Collection. Hanging above the frame is a very large mark tree

Working alongside co-composer and sound designer Dave Price, Evelyn Glennie has been tasked with capturing the rhythm of battle for the play’s Trojan War setting.

Speaking about writing the music for the show, Evelyn said: “This is my first experience of writing for theatre and it’s been fascinating, scary and a huge learning curve!

“Time scales are very different, there’s a larger pool of people to co-ordinate with, certain decisions cannot be made until all elements come together in the actual theatre, balancing between live music and the spoken word…

It’s always so different to experience the sound for the first time when reciting lines so until everything comes together we all have to keep an open mind as regards to making adjustments.

“It’s always so different to experience the sound for the first time when reciting lines so until everything comes together we all have to keep an open mind as regards to making adjustments. The actors’ projection of their characters can have an impact on what level the music may be or how thick or thin a score may need to be or how that may be played physically.”

Evelyn has had a love of music all her life, despite becoming profoundly deaf at the age of 12. She has performed all around the world, taking part in events ranging from the Rio Carnival to the 2012 Olympic opening ceremony in London, and is credited as the first musician to sustain a full-time career as a solo percussionist.

Evelyn Glennie at work in her studio

Co-composer Dave has had an equally varied career. He is well known as a theatrical composer, previously working with the RSC on the 2016 production of Cymbeline, and has also released five albums with pop group Aqualung.

Troilus and Cressida is now playing for a strictly limited run in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon until 17 November. For more information and to book tickets, visit rsc.org.uk

COTSWOLD-HOMES.COM

21

INTERVIEW

Michael Foreman I L L U S T R ATO R Award-winning illustrator Michael Foreman has been making pictures and writing books for over fifty years. Over the course of his career, he’s worked with Michael Morpurgo, JG Ballard, Angela Carter and Terry Jones. Several of his best known picturebooks touch on the impact of war - which he experienced in his infancy when a bomb fell on the family home.

Michael’s new book Stubby: A True Story of Friendship brings to life the exploits of a diminutive dog who served in eighteen battles on the Western Front. We interviewed Michael ahead of his appearance at the 2018 Stroud Book Festival (7th – 11th November 2018).

22

COTSWOLD HOMES MAGAZINE

MICHAEL FOREMAN

Growing up in my mother’s shop I saw troops from all over the world - they came for cigarettes and cups of tea, and inspired in me the desire to travel.

Tell us about Sergeant Stubby, the hero of your latest book.

Stubby was a stray who wandered into an American army training session one day, attracted by the smells of cooking. He made a friend of a particular soldier, and became quite popular amongst all the other soldiers.

When the time came to embark on the train to go to the troop ship, the officer tipped a wink and Stubby was smuggled aboard.

In the trenches, Stubby would bark to warn

of approaching enemy soldiers, and his sense of smell was so good he could even detect mustard gas attacks. By the time he came home, he was a bit of a hero. (As you can see at the end of my book, he leads the Victory Parade through Boston!)

at night, 1941 - and unfortunately it was an incendiary bomb, a fire-bomb, which missed my bed by inches. It ended up in the fireplace, of all places, so the worst went up the chimney before my brother could put it out with a bucket of sand and a hearth rug.

A number of your previous books have dealt with the subject of war; in fact, a bomb fell on your home when you were only three years old…

The war really did seep into my childhood. I talk about this in War Boy, which is the story of my childhood. Growing up in my mother’s shop I saw troops from all over the world they came for cigarettes and cups of tea, and inspired in me the desire to travel.

Yes. I was asleep in bed - it was ten o’clock

COTSWOLD-HOMES.COM

23

INTERVIEW

So I often say to the children: you never know when you’ll meet the person who’ll have such an influence on you. (Very often, that person will turn out to be a good teacher).

My concern with all kinds of warfare has been a major thrust in my career. I always want to write about things that I feel are important.

How did you get your start in the world of art?

I was extremely fortunate. My mother ran the village shop, so my friends and myself were newspaper boys. Because I didn’t have a bicycle, unlike some of the other boys, I delivered to our customers who lived closest to the shop. One day I had a new customer on my round - a man who asked me about the clay in the local cliffs.

This man, whose name was Tom Hudson, turned out to be an art teacher. He asked me to bring him a bucket of clay to the Art School, so his students could make some pottery and sculpture. The stuff I brought was too gritty for modelling, but Tom suggested I join a Saturday class for schoolchildren. So I did, and I absolutely loved it.

24

COTSWOLD HOMES MAGAZINE

Now, if I’d ever had a bicycle back then, I’d never have met this man, because I’d have been delivering papers elsewhere - and I’d have become a fisherman, or worked on the fish docks. So I often say to the children: you never know when you’ll meet the person who’ll have such an influence on you. (Very often, that person will be one of your teachers).

That was only the beginning of a career that’s lasted over fifty years, and in that time you’ve done a remarkable number of very varied projects. Which of your books do you remember with particular fondness?

It would be War Boy, because that was all about my mother and my family and my schoolfriends. My father died about a month before I was born, so my mother was large in my life - she was a fantastic character, very strong.

MICHAEL FOREMAN

In the trenches, Stubby would bark to warn of approaching enemy soldiers, and his sense of smell was so good he could even detect mustard gas attacks.

So that’s the book I’m most fond of, but there are many others I like for the fun I had doing them. I’ve been very lucky, at certain periods, to have travelled a lot, as when I did some books on the legends of different cultures, and sometimes accompanied by all sorts of interesting people - I travelled India with Madhur Jaffrey, France with Terry Jones and Tiri Te Kanawa in New Zealand, for example.

I’ve been very fortunate to work with Michael Morpurgo - we’ve done more than thirty books together. There’s a new one that’s just come out about the poppy, and how it became a symbol of armistice and peace.

And that’s all come down to meeting one man on my newspaper round.

Michael will be speaking with Tony Ross at the 2018 Stroud Book Festival.

First World War Stories is a very special family event with two giants of children’s book illustration, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War. (11.30 - 12.30 Saturday 10th November Lansdown Hall, Tickets £5 - Available from Stroud Subscription Rooms. See www. stroudbookfestival.org.uk for further details on the event and the festival).

Stubby: A True Story of Friendship is published in Great Britain by Anderson Press Ltd. Read more about Michael’s life and work in War Boy and A Life in Pictures.

COTSWOLD-HOMES.COM

25

NEW YEAR’S DAY

FAMILY FUN DAY CH E LTE N HA M R AC ECO U R SE

ay! ed th

Com ea nd se e

shall at interv als Mar d th an ro e s u ha

t ou gh

C

KIDS GO FREE FRE E C HI L DR EN’S ENTERTAINMENT

T UESDAY 1 J A N U A R Y, 2 0 1 9

RACING AT WARWICK 2018/19 SEASON 2018 Sporting Icon Raceday – Friday 9th November Winter Warmer – Wednesday 21st November Christmas at the races – Thursday 13th December New Year’s Eve Raceday – Monday 31st December

2019 Classic Chase Day – Saturday 12th January Midlands Raceday – Monday 21st January Gentlemen’s Raceday ft Kingmaker Chase – Saturday 9th February Fabulous Fiver Friday ft Budbrooke Chase – Friday 22nd February Countryside Raceday – Sunday 10th March Spring Raceday – Thursday 28th March St Mary’s Lands Cup Day – Wednesday 10th April Charity Raceday – Thursday 25th April MAY RACING CARNIVAL Kids Carnival Day – Monday 6th May Ladies Night – Saturday 11th May Proudly Warwick – Wednesday 22nd May Celebration Race Night – Wednesday 29th May

WARWICKRACECOURSE.CO.UK

COTSWOLD-HOMES.COM

27

EVENTS

GLOUCESTERSHIRE AND RACING

REMEMBER

Cheltenham Racecourse is putting on a spectacular programme of displays and tributes to commemorate the Armistice. Find out what’s in store at The November Meeting this year.

To mark the centenary of the Armistice, Cheltenham Racecourse will be holding a tribute to both horse and soldier on Sunday 18 November - the final day of The November Meeting. The November Meeting is the only Sunday in the racecourse’s racing calendar, and this year it will have a very special meaning indeed.

Gloucestershire made a huge contribution to supporting the war effort - as did the world of racing, with thousands of horses gathered from around the country. The racecourse itself certainly played a vital role, its stands serving for a time as a Voluntary Aid Detachment Hospital.

Cheltenham’s staff of volunteer nurses worked to rebuild the lives of men wounded and gassed in the conflict and by the end of the war, over 3,000 soldiers had passed through the racecourse hospital.

This year the racecourse gates will open earlier than normal to allow the public to enjoy some spectacular pre-racing displays.

A party of uniformed Glosters will lead a parade from the railway station up the racecourse accompanied by a military band; meanwhile, a mounted contingent of the Royal Gloucestershire Hussars will lead an act of remembrance in the Parade Ring.

28

COTSWOLD HOMES MAGAZINE

Cheltenham Racecourse’s service as a Voluntary Aid Detachment Hospital is captured in a newspaper article

Perhaps most thrillingly of all, there will be a demonstration of aerial combat by biplanes of the era, while vehicles and equipment from the battlefield will also be on display.

The Centaur will be turned into a field hospital and there will be displays of medals, uniforms and equipment as well as poems by local war poets being recited, war songs sung by local schools, photographs of munitions and aircraft factories - and so much more.

Racegoers are encouraged to partipate: the racecourse is inviting the public to dress in the manner of 1918.

THE SCHEDULE (timings of the day are approx):  At

10:50, a mounted party of the Royal Gloucestershire Hussars dressed in WW1 uniform will enter the Parade Ring  At 11:00, the Cheltenham Steam Train will arrive with a contingent of Glosters on board, followed by an Act of Remembrance in the Parade Ring at 11:15  At 12:30, there will be an aerial combat display above the Racecourse  1:30 will see a parade on the racecourse - to include the Glosters, the Royal Gloucestershire Hussars and Cadets

RACECOURSE

Sunday 18 November is also Family Fun Day at Cheltenham Racecourse, with all the family favourites, such as Peppa Pig who will be making appearances throughout the day along with Showtime Shane.

YOUR RACING DIARY There’s plenty of racing action ahead at Cheltenham Racecourse.

Here are the highlights of the season.

CHELTENHAM RACECOURSE THE NOVEMBER MEETING Friday 16 November 2018 Saturday 17 November 2018 Sunday 18 November 2018

THE INTERNATIONAL Friday 14 December 2018 Saturday 15 December 2018 NEW YEAR’S DAY Tuesday 1 January 2019 FESTIVAL TRIALS DAY Saturday 26 January 2019 THE FESTIVAL™ Presented by Magners Tuesday 12 March 2019 Wednesday 13 March 2019 Thursday 14 March 2019 Friday 15 March 2019 THE APRIL MEETING Wednesday 17 April 2019 Thursday 18 April 2019 RACE NIGHT, FEATURING HUNTER CHASE RACING Friday 3 May 2019

For further information and bookings, please visit: www.cheltenham.thejockeyclub.co.uk

COTSWOLD-HOMES.COM

29

PEPPER RETURNS TO PANTO

It just wouldn’t be Christmas without seeing a few well-loved old faces – and The Theatre Chipping Norton is about to welcome one of its brightest, funniest stars back to the stage

The Theatre Chipping Norton is pleased as punch to welcome back the incredible Andrew Pepper as the dame for this year’s hilarious new panto, Aladdin.

‘Another Christmas at my favourite country retreat?’ says Andrew. ‘Yes please! 32,612 performances of Aladdin? Bring it! Chippy, I’ve missed you and am beyond thrilled to be coming back. Let the shenanigans commence!’

Andrew’s riotous past performance as Connie Clatterbottom in 2015’s Robin Hood (pictured) - his debut as a dame - won him many new admirers. But as a longestablished star of London’s cabaret scene, Andrew already had all the skills required to command Chippy’s cosy stage.

‘I didn’t feel especially qualified to do it,’ Andrew told us at the time. ‘I hadn’t spent lots of time as a grown up watching pantomimes - but Abigail Anderson, our director, said that every dame is personal to the performer, so just think of it as like your cabaret work: find yourself in the character.

‘I went through lots of videos on YouTube, watched interviews with various dames -

and every dame was completely different, you could see that. Some were more traditional; others played with the idea of a man in a dress. There were no rules: the role of dame was just entirely personal to you.

‘So I thought - I’m just going to go in and trust my instincts. There wasn’t any process where I studied specific people or certain women. I just went and started reading the script and when people started laughing, I’d think: ‘Oh, that works, I’ll keep doing that.’

Of course, the Dame is only one ingredient (albeit a vital one) of the winning Chippy panto formula. Andrew is joined this year by a number of returning creative talents – including the writer Ben Crocker (Mother Goose, Robin Hood, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast) and John Terry as director.

Chippy are also pleased to introduce music by Steve Edis to the Chippy Panto audiences (A Christmas Carol, Hackney Empire; Love’s Labour’s Lost, NT Olivier, Trevor Nunn; Volpone, RSC Swan, Trevor Nunn; Cinderella, Old Vic, Fiona Laird).

Aladdin is guaranteed to be a blast. Book now to avoid disappointment!

Far, far away in a mysterious land, Aladdin is about to embark on the greatest adventure of all time... With dancing mummies, disappearing pyramids and a deeply daft genie, expect a laughter-filled spectacular. This is Aladdin as you’ve never seen it before!

When Aladdin meets Jasmine, both are sure their luck will change, but the wicked Abanazar has other plans.

For more information and for booking, visit www.chippingnortontheatre.com

COTSWOLD-HOMES.COM

31

TWEEDY’S DELIGHTFUL DOUBLE BILL

Tweedy’s

Delightful Double Bill Our favourite clown sure is spending a lot of time in Cheltenham’s Everyman Theatre over the coming months - he’s just about to star in the riotous Christmas panto, Aladdin, before stepping out in Beckett’s iconic tragicomedy, Waiting for Godot, in February 2019. We caught up with the man himself shortly after the Giffords circus wagons stopped rolling.

32

COTSWOLD HOMES MAGAZINE

TWEEDY’S DELIGHTFUL DOUBLE BILL

Hello Tweedy. How have you been spending your time since the end of 2018’s Giffords Circus tour?

Building props for a new show that’s touring in February.

I’ve got no other time to do it so I’m doing it now!

During our last interview - three years ago! - you told us that you’d long wanted to do Waiting for Godot. How would you describe the play to somebody unfamiliar with the material?

That’s a tricky question. There’s a classic quote about Godot: ‘Nothing happens - twice.’ And nothing much does happen, but it’s what the characters do and how they do it that makes it interesting. I’ve always been drawn to the characters - they’re very low status, down on their luck, just trying to pass the time.

As we all do.

I should tell you how I became familiar with the play. Every year there’s a special memorial service that clowns go to, the annual Grimaldi memorial service in Haggerston.

Around twelve years ago I went to the service and ended up chatting to the great award-winning clown/actor Bill Irwin (who is like a god to me!). Afterwards, we started hanging out a bit, and he got talking about the writer Samuel Beckett, and in particular Waiting for Godot, in which he’d once appeared alongside Steve Martin and Robin Williams.

Later, in 2009, I was in America performing at Madison Square Garden - while, at the same time, Bill was doing Waiting for Godot on Broadway.

Before Godot, of course, you’re starring in the Everyman’s Christmas pantomime, Aladdin. What’s the trickiest thing about pulling off a good Christmas panto?

Actually I had a meeting yesterday with the director Peter Duncan and the set designers and builders, who were in the middle of building a set. It’s great to have these big ideas, and the theatre behind your ideas, but when you get a big set built, you then have the pressure of actually making it work - to justify all the gadgets you’ve put in it. Making the grand idea physically work… that’s the tricky thing.

What was your first ever panto like?

My first ever panto was really one of my first ever jobs. I was seventeen; I’d just left school. I knew that I wanted to do clowning, but I was unsure how I’d get into it. So I was doing youth theatre when I was first offered a panto, in the very same theatre. That was when I first thought: ‘Wow, I can actually make money doing this!’ [Laughs]. That’s really what got me going, and made me determined to actually become a clown.

By our estimation, your clowning career is almost twenty-five years old…

Yeah! It’s got to the point where the people who saw me as kids are now bringing their kids, and that makes me feel very old. But it’s amazing at the same time to see that happening.

As an upstart, you researched the job by sending a questionnaire to well-known clowns. Now that you’re something of a ‘statesman’ of clowning yourself, are you ever approached for advice?

I’m about to do the old man thing, and go: ‘Oh, it was much harder in my day!’ But it really is so much easier now - now you can just Google it. But yes, I do get asked for advice… which I’m happy to give, as I was once in the same situation.

So tell us a little about this new touring show you’re working on.

It’s called Tweedy’s Illusion Confusion. It’s a magic show with lots of new tricks and illusions. The premise is that my assistant never turns up, so I have to do lots of tricks without the help of my assistant. It’ll be at the Everyman in Cheltenham, at the Chipping Norton Theatre, at Swindon, Banbury and the Subscription Rooms in Stroud. [Keep watching www.tweedyswebsite.com for dates!]

There’s a question we’ve been dying to ask about Keef, your pet clothes iron, co-star of many Tweedy performances - is he the same model every time, or do you get the occasional upgrade?

Keef is like Doctor Who. He needs a ‘refresh’ every now and again.

ALADDIN plays at the Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham from 30 Nov 2018 - 13 Jan 2019.

WAITING FOR GODOT plays at the Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham 7-16 Feb 2019.

Visit www.everymantheatre.org.uk for booking and for more information.

COTSWOLD-HOMES.COM

33

COTSWOLD WINTER HIGHLIGHTS

TAMBURLAINE

Cotswold Winter Highlights There’s plenty of festive treats in store for Cotswoldians this Winter.

Read on for our seasonal favourites.

Tamburlaine

The Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford upon Avon Until 1 Dec www.rsc.org.uk A portrait of absolute power at its most charismatic and violent, Tamburlaine was one of the first big hits of the English stage.

Tamburlaine is a poor shepherd who rises to power to live out his blood-soaked fantasy of conquering the world. His extravagant savagery shows what horror can result when unlimited political libido is let loose upon the world. Michael Boyd returns to the RSC to direct this ambitious epic.

34

COTSWOLD HOMES MAGAZINE

Shakespeare in Love

Oxford Playhouse 30 Oct – 3 Nov www.oxfordplayhouse.com Winning no less than seven Oscars, the film of Shakespeare in Love, starring Judi Dench, Joseph Fiennes and Gwyneth Paltrow, became an instant classic. Adapted by Lee Hall for a triumphant West End run, this epic Elizabethan extravaganza is exuberant, witty, funny, and a beautiful homage to love, art, and theatre itself.

Observations of a Curious Nature: Works by Jane Ford Fosse Gallery, Stow on the Wold 4-24 Nov www.fossegallery.com

British wildlife portrayed in the raw using ink and a secret ingredient, alongside oil studies of birds and animals of Britain in quirky, obscure tableaux. Hailing from Staffordshire, Jane trained for eight years both at Art school and as an apprentice illustrator.

Now living in the marshes of Sandwich, she takes the wildlife surrounding the studio as her models.

Wonderlust: Works by Mike England 1793 Gallery, Stow on the Wold 6 Nov - 23 Dec www.1793.co.uk

Oxfordshire-based artist Mike England’s works are characterised by symphonies of sometimes riotous, sometimes harmonious colour, capturing the poignant moments in the life and travels of the artist.

Evoking the atmospheric street lights of London before dawn, the warm sun and noise of Seville and the vibrancy of the South of France to the ‘frantic serenity’ of India, these evocative oil paintings are a delight to the senses.

COTSWOLD WINTER HIGHLIGHTS

Stroud Book Festival

7 - 11 Nov www.stroudbookfestival.org.uk Stroud Book Festival brings the best in new writing from some of the finest novelists, non-fiction writers, poets, children’s authors and storytellers from Gloucestershire and beyond.

The Festival is joined this year by Mary Portas in conversation about her new book, Work Like a Woman; Will McCallum, Head of Oceans at Greenpeace, on how to give up plastic; acclaimed novelist, Patrick Gale, talking about his latest novel, Take Nothing With You. Also, there’s former Labour Home Secretary, Alan Johnson, on his memoir In My Life and authors, Christie Watson and Sam Guglani. Prue Leith and Oz Clarke will both have events at the Festival, providing a fabulous foodie finale. Events for younger readers will include acclaimed illustrators Tony Ross and Michael Foreman.

Aladdin

The Theatre Chipping Norton 14 Nov - 13 January www.chippingnortontheatre.com Calling all intrepid explorers! Grab your compass and hop aboard the bi-plane as the nation’s favourite traditional panto heads for Egypt.

With dancing mummies, disappearing pyramids and a deeply daft genie, expect a laughter-filled spectacular. This is Aladdin as you’ve never seen it before! When Aladdin meets Jasmine, both are sure their luck will change, but the wicked Abanazar has other plans.

Family friendly from start to finish, and packed with magical marvels and toe-tapping tunes, this is the Chippy Panto you’ve been wishing for.

The November Meeting

Cheltenham Racecourse 16 - 18 Nov www.cheltenham.thejockeyclub.co.uk As the National Hunt season hits full speed, The November Meeting takes centre stage. Day Two of the biggest Jump racing fixture before Christmas features the iconic BetVictor Gold Cup at Cheltenham Racecourse.

The racing highlight of The November Meeting always draws a large, high-class field and was won last year by the popular Splash Of Ginge and Tom Bellamy for local trainer, Nigel Twiston-Davies.

COTSWOLD-HOMES.COM

35

COTSWOLD WINTER HIGHLIGHTS

Illuminated Christmas Trail at Blenheim Palace Woodstock 23 Nov - 1 Jan www.blenheimpalace.com

The Blenheim Palace winter trail will be brighter than ever before with lasers, projections, and thousands of pea-lights. From the delicate and twinkling to the grand and spectacular, the Formal Gardens will light up once again for a festive journey of exploration and wonder.

Wander beneath unique tree canopies drenched in seasonal colour, shards of light, frosty snowflakes, stars and glistening baubles.

Highlights include a new Field of Light, scented Fire Garden, Canopy of Light, and the mesmerising voices of the Singing Trees.

Christmas at Cotswold Farm Park Bath Christmas Market

22 Nov - 9 Dec www.bathchristmasmarket.co.uk Set between the Roman Baths and Bath Abbey, Bath Christmas Market is sure to draw massive crowds once again. Hundreds of handmade products will be displayed and sold in around 200 traditional wooden chalets.

Cinderella - A Festive Fairy Tale Experience Blenheim Palace 23 Nov - 6 Jan www.blenheimpalace.com

Wander along colonnades and through historic rooms filled with hidden surprises, the sights and sounds conjure up much-loved fairy tale characters.

The Stepmother’s drawing room set for Afternoon Tea, the Ugly Sister’s room is bright and bold, scattered with clothes, books and shoes. Whilst Cinderella’s room is home to her delicate hand-made gown. Walk further into the crystal world of The Fairy Godmother, then along to the Prince’s charmingly grand room.

Midnight strikes, the clocks all chime, and as the story ends, hang your own wish upon the Wishing Tree in the romantically candlelit chapel.

Dick Whittington & His Cat Oxford Playhouse 23 Nov – 6 Jan www.oxfordplayhouse.com

Dick Whittington’s heading to town to seek his fortune – he’s heard the streets are paved with gold. But when he gets there, it’s hard to see the gold beneath the grime and King Rat is out to get him!

And that’s just the start of Dick’s rat-packed adventures. Book now for this fabulous festive treat - it’ll be a Whitting-tonne of fun!

36

COTSWOLD HOMES MAGAZINE

Selected dates during Nov and Dec www.cotswoldfarmpark.co.uk/christmas-is-coming Once again the ever-popular Cotswold Farm Park near Temple Guiting will be hosting Father Christmas and his cheeky elves on selected dates throughout November and December. This gets booked up fast so advance booking online is strongly recommended.

COTSWOLD WINTER HIGHLIGHTS

Mozart Concert

St John the Baptist Church, Burford 25 Nov www.burfordsingers.org.uk Featuring soloist Ben Goldscheider, Winner of the Brass Category Final of the 2016 BBC Young Musician Competition with the Cotswold Chamber Orchestra. Concert starts at 7.30pm. Please see the website for booking and further information.

Bourton on the Water Late Night Shopping 1 Dec

Bourton on the Water is certainly a magical place to be at Christmas time, with the famous Christmas tree in the river presiding over festivities - and many of the shops and eateries staying open late to launch the festive season. It’s also one of Father Christmas’ traditional stopping points. Don’t miss the festive fun this December!

Broadway Late Night Christmas Shopping Broadway High Street 30 Nov and 7 Dec www.visit-broadway.co.uk

Once again, Broadway sets winter aglow with its traditional assortment of music, street entertainment, double-decker bus rides, a Tree of Light, mulled wine - and, of course - festive food. All brought to you by Broadway’s great shops and eateries. Don’t forget to visit one of the Cotswolds’ most attractive villages this Christmas!

Aladdin

Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham 30 Nov – 13 Jan www.everymantheatre.org.uk Don’t miss the all new, bigger-and-better production written and directed by legendary Blue Peter presenter and actor Peter Duncan – and featuring the Cotswolds’ very favourite clown, Tweedy!

Polish your lamp and book a magic carpet ride to the Everyman Theatre for the highlight of the season... Aladdin, the pantomime where wishes do come true.

Santa Railcar Specials and Santa Steam Specials GWSR Steam Heritage Railway From 1 Dec www.gwsr.com

Take the family for a festive train ride, where Santa himself will visit your carriage! This extraordinarily popular event has limited spaces available - we strongly encourage you to view details and book online.

Dick Whittington

The Roses Theatre, Tewkesbury 1 Dec – 5 Jan www.rosestheatre.org Once again produced by The Roses’ team, with Ben Crocker at the helm, this year’s panto sees Dick embark upon the adventure of a lifetime as he seeks his fortune on the streets of London! Don’t miss this festive Tewkesbury treat.

COTSWOLD-HOMES.COM

37

COTSWOLD WINTER HIGHLIGHTS

9th Aldsworth Christmas Fayre

Winchcombe Christmas Festival

Pop along to Aldsworth this December for locally-produced Christmas food items and gift ideas. There’ll be raffle, refreshments and festive cheer with a café offering sausage rolls, mulled wine, mince pies and home baked cakes. £2 programme entry & children FOC. Proceeds to village church.

Over 70 Christmas trees will be sparkling in Winchcombe this Winter as the town’s shopkeepers, pubs, cafe-owners, stallholders and local people get into the festive spirit.

Aldsworth Village Hall 2 Dec

Festive Weekends at Chastleton House

4 Dec www.winchcombe.co.uk

There’ll be over 40 market stalls laden with gifts, festive food, shops open late, carol singing, live music and a Morris dancer or two to get you feeling seasonal. Come join the fun!

2 - 3 December, 9 - 10 December, 16 - 17 December www.nationaltrust.org.uk/chastleton-house Come and visit a splendid Jacobean manor for a Victorian-themed Christmas. You’ll enter the house through the basement and kitchen with a feast of smells and Christmas aromas, and experience the preparation for Christmas. Climbing up the stairs you’ll make your way through some of the rooms adorned with decorations, festive foliage and memories of times gone by.

Finally, a warm and toasty fire and a towering Christmas tree will fill the Great Hall with a warm atmosphere. Chastleton House opens its doors for festive merriment on select weekends 11.00am to 3.00pm, with final entry into the house at 2.45pm.

A Christmas Carol

The Royal Shakespeare Company 4 Dec - 20 Jan www.rsc.org.uk In one ghostly Christmas night, cold-hearted businessman Ebenezer Scrooge learns to pity himself and to love his neighbour – but is that enough?

The smash hit of Christmas 2017 returns to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. This festive tale of redemption and compassion is one of the most loved short stories ever written, adapted by one of our greatest living writers - David Edgar.

38

COTSWOLD HOMES MAGAZINE

Timon of Athens

The Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford upon Avon 7 Dec - 22 Feb www.rsc.org.uk Timon has it all – money, influence, friends. Surely it can’t last?

When the money runs out, Timon soon finds her influence and friends have also gone. Left alone, she flees Athens to take refuge in the woods, cursing the city she once loved.

This is a rare chance to see Shakespeare’s comic tragedy, which asks us to question our values and the credit culture we inhabit in 2018. Simon Godwin (The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Hamlet) returns to direct Kathryn Hunter as Timon in this dark satire, which forces us to question where happiness really lies.

COTSWOLD WINTER HIGHLIGHTS

Spectacle of Light at Sudeley Castle

8 - 9 December, 13 - 23 December, 27 - 30 December www.sudeleycastle.co.uk Experience the nocturnal magic of Sudeley through this beautiful new illuminated trail. Follow the White Rabbit and discover some of the amazing characters from Alice in Wonderland. Marvel at the glorious Field of Poppies, Meteors, Moroccan Lanterns - and much more!

Explore the trail around the castle’s stunning grounds, marvelling at the majestic trees and romantic ruins all lit up underneath the stars.

The International

Cheltenham Racecourse 14 - 15 Dec www.cheltenham.thejockeyclub.co.uk It’s always a festive Friday at The International as racegoers are treated to the finale of the Crystal Cup. The race concludes a series of unique races across Europe which encapsulates and celebrates the rich heritage of the sport.

Day two of The International is the perfect way to get you into the festive spirit. With Christmas just around the corner, come along and enjoy a day of racing and finish off your last minute shopping with a variety of carefully selected trade stands bursting with quality gifts.

New Year’s Day

Cheltenham Racecourse 1 Jan www.cheltenham.thejockeyclub.co.uk There is only one place to start your 2019 - a day at the races here at Cheltenham Racecourse. New Year’s Day hosts seven quality races, including two Grade 2s with trainers, jockeys and racegoers all hoping to get their year off to a flyer. Come along for a fantastic day of racing, with bars and restaurants open to suit all palates throughout the day.

COTSWOLD-HOMES.COM

39

THE PERFECT FIREWORKS PARTY

HOW TO THROW THE PERFECT FIREWORKS PARTY Event Manager Julia Sibun on how to light up your night this winter – or indeed on any other night of the year

If you are nervous about a having a party at home, Bonfire Night is far and away the best night to get on and do it. But you don’t need to limit yourself to 5th November - a well-planned fireworks party can light up any night of the year.

Fireworks are always popular, and there’s something about fun outdoor parties that make people drop their inhibitions and relax.

We are all children at heart and there is still a wonderful fascination and excitement with holding a sparkler, or waiting and watching an exhilarating and colourful firework display in the dark of the night.

You will need to allocate some space at the far end of your garden for the display to be set up – please note that all firework packaging will come with the recommended safety distances (don’t forget to check the small print). But you don’t have to have a large garden, in fact there is a company,

40

COTSWOLD HOMES MAGAZINE

www.indoorfireworks.co.uk, that allows you to have a fireworks display on the kitchen table!

For the real deal in the garden, though, you will need to measure the safety distances.

The safest way to set up a firework display is to choose the area where your guests are going to stand, then measure out a ‘clearance distance’ which should be a minimum of eight metres (it may have to go up to twenty-five metres depending on how big a bang you are planning!). Once you have measured out your clearance area to the ‘take off’ point, you will the need to measure out a similar amount for a fall-out space. If your fall-out space happens to include your neighbour’s garden as well it is polite to either invite them to the party, or just to let them know.

After you have allocated your area have a think about the kind of fireworks that you like – modern firework companies such as

Jonathan’s Fireworks and Kimbolton Fireworks stock amazing and inventive ranges of fireworks, and you can even watch videos of some of the fireworks before you buy them.

You can purchase multi-shot cakes where you only need to light one fuse which will set the fireworks off one by one, and also roman candles where you have multiple shots in them, rather than the single shot of the past.

Of course there are also the old favourites fountains, Catherine wheels and sparklers.

Now to providing your guests with rich, filling autumn food to help them enjoy the festivities!

The food ideally needs to be held in one hand with the other free for a glass of hot, spiced cider, mulled wine, or a bottle of the local brew. Spicy sausages work well, especially served in fresh French bread with lots of mustard, ketchup and caramelised onions.

Homemade burgers are ideal, too - use high

JULIA SIBUN

Keep everyone warm during the chilly evening with delicious hot drinks such as gingerbread lattes, chilli hot chocolate with marshmallows, salted caramel hot chocolate and Naughty Nutella hot chocolate. quality beef mince and mix in some finely chopped onion, parmesan cheese, finely grated carrot, an egg yolk and pepper and salt. Leave the patties for an hour or so in the fridge before popping on to the BBQ if cooking outside. Alternatively, you can put large field mushrooms into the oven covered with butter and chopped garlic and then pop them into crunchy bread sandwiches.

Eco-friendly cups of pumpkin or squash soup are always popular and can be served out of the pumpkin – very easy to make from the leftover pumpkins from Halloween.

Other delicious eats include parmesan garlic baguettes, baked camembert in their wooden boxes with plain bread to dip, honey-glazed chicken wings and cheesy sausage rolls.

Your guests will certainly want to follow on with a touch of sweetness – why not hand round plates of sticky ginger cake,

gooey chocolate brownies or Rocky Road, as well as those time-honoured children’s favourites - bonfire toffee apples and giant marshmallows on toasting fork.

But we must not forget the best part of the evening – standing around the bonfire! If you have enough room for fireworks, you have enough room for a bonfire for everyone to sit around after the fireworks are finished.

Guests standing at a roaring bonfire at the beginning of the evening, or staring into glowing embers at the end of the night is perhaps the best time for a bit of a chat and some banter. What a better way to be with family and friends and begin the long dark nights of November?

Don’t forget the fuel supplies for the bonfire – wooden pallets are perfect as they allow the air to get into the bottom of the heap and create a good updraught. If you are using logs you need to stack them in a log cabin style, square with

plenty of space between them and in the centre, which you then stuff with newspapers and other kindling. Keep an eye on the fire throughout the evening to ensure that it does not go out, and of course keep the young ones at bay.

If you do not have an ideal location for a bonfire then it is definitely worth purchasing one of the Kadai fire bowls to keep the fire safe and contained. The fire bowls are available in all sizes, and as well as keeping you warm you can also cook your sausages and burgers on them!

They are in fact useful all year round as they are excellent for summer BBQs. Keep everyone warm during the chilly evening with delicious hot drinks such as gingerbread lattes, chilli hot chocolate with marshmallows, salted caramel hot chocolate and Naughty Nutella hot chocolate.

Finally, hanging colourful festoon lights around the garden makes for a lovely atmosphere, together with adding paraffin garden flares dotted along the pathways and driveway – they’ll show your guests the way home after enjoying a wonderful festive evening on a chilly winter’s night.

For more information about weddings, parties and events please contact Julia Sibun www.juliasibun.co.uk, or on 07974 778 806.

COTSWOLD-HOMES.COM

41

PAYING FOR CARE

Paying for Care Planning and paying for later-life care begins with getting access to information and support, writes Kerry Dearden, Deputy Chief Executive of The Orders of St John Care Trust

Moving in to long-term care can be a daunting prospect, especially when it comes to the financial implications that such a commitment can bring. Accessing the right advice at the right time can prove invaluable to people who are faced with the complexities of paying for their care in later life. This is particularly true in the current economic environment, with the pressures confronting public social care funding never far from the media headlines.

Local Authority funding If you or your relative are not eligible for NHS-funded care, your Local Authority will assess your care needs as well as your ability to fund them looking at both your income and capital. Individuals should look at their Local Authority website for further information including contacting the Adult Social Care Financial Assessment team in your area to find out more.

Here at The Orders of St John Care Trust (OSJCT), one of the UK’s largest not for profit care providers for older people, we pro-actively support prospective residents and their families to obtain helpful information and advice about funding for long term care.

Self-funding Finally, if you’re not eligible for NHS or Local Authority support, there are several funding options to consider using your income and personal assets.

Generally, there are three ways to meet the costs of your care.

NHS funded nursing care In some cases, the NHS may be responsible for funding all or part of your care. An assessment will be carried out, under national guidelines, to decide whether this is the case.

Moving into a care home is a significant commitment. We recommend that individuals utilise the services of the Society of Later Life Advisers (SOLLA) who offer independent professional financial advice and are specialists in care fees financial planning and knowledgeable on the regulations surrounding adult social care. Many of their advisers offer the first hour of their time free. You can call them on 0333 2020 454 or visit their website at www.societyoflaterlifeadvisers.co.uk

Alternatively, visit www.osjct.co.uk to find out more and download the guide ‘Paying for Care’

COTSWOLD-HOMES.COM

43

REVIEW

A twist on a classic – the first ever Range Rover plug-in hybrid Alexandra Tilley Loughrey takes a little local road trip to The Cotswolds Distillery Love or loathe the most classic of ‘Chelsea tractors’, the Range Rover is a not uncommon sight, especially in the Cotswold lanes and car-parks. I have tended to fall into the loathe camp. I find that I am often the one driving up the verge in a considerably smaller motor, making way for a driver who - while driving a car capable of going over a ploughed field - often appears to be worried about their paintwork.

However - a Range Rover that has such low emissions and claims you can get up to 83 miles to the gallon because it’s a plug-in hybrid (a car with both electric and petrol modes)…that’s got to be worth a drive, surely?

So where better to go and try out this twist on a classic than The Cotswolds Distillery – our local distiller, putting their own spin on classic British gin and whisky – and winning awards in the process. My husband

44

COTSWOLD HOMES MAGAZINE

and I dumped the children on some unsuspecting neighbours and took a trip along the wide rolling lanes of Todenham and Cherington – arriving at the pretty village of Stourton, near Shipston on Stour.

As soon as we turned into the gravel driveway and parked up, the smell of really good booze (definitely not to be confused with the sort of smell you get from going into a bar the morning after the night before) hung in the air. Divine!

We had a nosey around, admiring their two beautiful copper gin stills (as stunning as an Anish Kapoor sculpture) and breathing in the barley for the whisky. I was particularly taken with the smell of their version of London Dry gin, a classic tipple infused with juniper berries, to which one of their added ingredients is Snowshill lavender. As I was more than happy to be behind the wheel, I watched my husband enjoy the tasting – and like all drivers who visit the distillery,

was given samples to enjoy at home.

I drove all the way there (and nearly back) on pure electricity. You just press the EV button and it all gets incredibly quiet. It is a remarkable feeling that such a beast of a car can climb steep hills or glide along effortlessly without the turbo charge of fossil fuel.

As with most plug-in hybrid cars, charging is easy. As long as you have access to a charge point, it’s as easy as charging a mobile phone, which we all do, at various points throughout the day – with a full-on boost overnight. On a regular socket, a full overnight charge takes 7.5 hours, but if you owned one of these you’d have your own fast charger which will get you up to full in 2.5 hours. Of course, being a hybrid car, if the electricity runs out while you’re away from home, the car automatically opts for the petrol engine. And yes, you can charge it in the rain. Nothing will go bang.

DRIVING MISS DASHBOARD

Fast facts Fuel consumption – Jaguar Land Rover claims the car can do up to 83mpg. On pure electric mode you can travel up to 31 miles.

Road tax – As a sweetener £15 for first year then £440, as opposed to over £1,000 for a traditional Range Rover.

Safety – Depending on the model there are features like Lane Assist (stops you from veering our of lane on motorways), blind spot monitor, air bags a-go-go.

Media - A traditional looking (i.e. not sci-fi) touch screen system to access DAB radio, satnav, blue-tooth connection, you get the picture.

That Bling Thing – Being the ultimate in bling, it sure is flash inside. The seats recline so far you could actually sleep in it.

This season’s colours – A whopping 32 colour options. Well, you wouldn’t expect anything else from a Range Rover, surely.

As you’d expect from Range Rover, the interior is luxury incarnate. Before the car was delivered I was telling my children what I particularly liked about it – and mentioned the fridge (the hot and cold box in the middle of the two front seats). On first inspection one of my kids was verging on indignant - “but you can’t fit a chicken in there, mummy!” Point taken, but it does chill chocolate to create that perfect snap!

So where better to go and try out this twist on a classic than The Cotswolds Distillery – our local distiller

So yes, it is a most luxurious “motor”.

What other (not uncommon) car has the smoothest of leather seats, with leg rests for all passengers and the driver, coupled with a steering wheel as smooth as the proverbial silk?

But did I feel like I was joining the eco green revolution driving it? Well, in a word, no. It’s a huge whale of a car that still smacks of ostentation and tradition, not innovation. At least the car’s manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover are moving in the right direction, so when they’ve perfected their ingredients for a pure electric version I’ll look forward to toasting that. Cheers!

The drive – Incredibly comfy to sit on those fine ‘perforated Windsor’ leather seats – and a dream for those in the back – as long as you’re not travelling around too many country lanes, as it can roll about quite considerably – and made a couple of my passengers feel a tad nauseous (cue comments about my driving style).

Trim – Three price options of Vogue, Vogue SE and Autobiography, offering soft, luxurious leather upholstery and a range of alloy wheels and added extras – from safety features to widgets. And the usual beeping parking sensors a-plenty – rear and side. Beep beep beeeeep!

Automatic or manual – Being a twin engine or hybrid, it’s automatic – with an 8-speed 4-wheel drive gearbox. As you’d expect, there are loads of touch button options so that you can opt to save your electricity for driving in town, as well as buttons for driving across raging rivers and deserts….(say no more!)

Optional extras – The one that really did it for me was the ‘hot stone massage’ seats. It’ll cost ya though. But for the ultimate in footballers’-wives-style bling, you can have your name engraved on the treadplates!

Warranty – A lengthy 8 year or 100,000 mileage Price – from £87,600

Tasting tours of Cotswolds Distillery are available every day.

See their website for information cotswoldsdistillery.com Follow Alexandra on Twitter @MissDashboardUK and Instagram @MissDashboard for a refreshing take on cars.

COTSWOLD-HOMES.COM

45

EVENTS

and Useful

Beautiful

Founded in 1933, the Gloucestershire Guild of Craftsmen is the oldest craft guild in the country. Today, it is a co-operative formed of over 60 practising makers, including ceramicists, metalworkers, jewellery-makers and bookbinders.

‘Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful’ - so thought William Morris, the designer/poet/novelist extraordinaire closely associated with Britain’s Arts and Crafts movement.

No doubt Morris would have approved of the Gloucestershire Guild of Craftsmen, who - as these photos demonstrate - are busily producing handmade masterpieces in an age of mass-production.

Pictured are works taken from some of the 25 Guild members who participated in the Guild’s 2018 exhibition Guild Crafts Cheltenham and which ran in tandem with The Times Cheltenham Festival of Literature in early October.

Visitors to Cheltenham can browse the Guild’s retail outlet and gallery, The Guild at 51, for affordable pieces from the Guild’s range of makers and craftsmen.

Also found on Clarence Street - right next door, in fact - is the Wilson Museum, where you’ll find Cheltenham’s world-leading Arts and Crafts collection, founded by librarian-curator Daniel Herdman. The collection includes pieces from William Morris, Eric Gill, Archibald Knox, C.F.A. Voysey and M.H. Baillie Scott.

Those interested in the Cotswolds’ Arts and Crafts links should also visit the Court Barn Museum in Chipping Campden, which provides a comprehensive look back at C.R. Ashbee and the other craftspeople who left London for the country.

And don’t forget Hart Silversmiths and the Robert Welch Chipping Campden Studio and Shop, also found in Chipping Campden.

46

COTSWOLD HOMES MAGAZINE

USEFUL AND BEAUTIFUL

Visit the Guild’s website at www.guildcrafts.org.uk COTSWOLD-HOMES.COM

47

YOUR WINTER READING LIST

Your Winter Reading List Looking to lose yourself in another world during the long, grey days in store? Or are you simply stuck for gift inspiration? This year’s reading list features the latest offerings from speakers who visited the 2018 Cheltenham Literature Festival. (And, in one case, the Science Festival).

Rosie: Scenes from a Vanished Life

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

by Rose Tremain

by Gail Honeyman The excellent Rose Tremain’s latest book is a memoir. Rosie is a brisk read outlining the remote world of the author’s childhood; there are few major revelations, but one can glimpse the roots of Tremain’s future novels in her largely joyless and disappointing relationship with her parents. (And her prose is as transporting as always).

Identity: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment by Francis Fukuyama Seismic disruptions to the Western political landscape have left a million talking heads still frantically jabbering away, mostly on the hysterical theme of WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED? Hold your breath and take a deeper dive with Dr. Fukuyama, who makes a detailed case that the desire to be recognised and respected is natural to every living person. How do we reassure those who feel excluded and disparaged the real power behind the upsetters?

48

COTSWOLD HOMES MAGAZINE

Author Gail Honeyman was discovered in a writing competition. Her debut went on to be a publishing sensation – it was translated into 30 languages and claimed the title of Book of the Year at the British Book Awards. Chronicling the awkward life of misfit Eleanor, Honeyman probes the problem of loneliness, turning the focus to the unheard, ordinary people who have slipped between life’s cracks.

Prue: My All Time Favourite Recipes

by Prue Leith The grand dame of the culinary world keeps trying to persuade us that she’s mostly a novelist these days (she’s now on her eighth novel, we believe) but that really hasn’t been helped by her star turn in The Great British Bake-Off. Still, Prue: My All-Time Favourite Recipes is her first cookery book in twenty-five years (!!) and as such is something of a cause for celebration. These are the very dishes Prue cooks for family and friends; in other words, these recipes are sure to satisfy.

YOUR WINTER READING LIST

Transcription by Kate Atkinson A recently bereaved young woman named Juliet Armstrong is recruited by a branch of the Secret Service during WWII. Years later, in peacetime, she seems settled with a new job at the BBC. Yet Juliet’s life is imploding, and a reckoning with the past approaches.

Kate Atkinson’s atmospheric new novel is certain to delight fans of her previous work, which includes the sensational Life After Life and A God in Ruins.

A Keeper by Graham Norton Cheeky screen mainstay Graham Norton unveiled his writerly credentials with his debut novel, Holding, in 2016. (‘…I didn’t think it was going to be very good,’ confessed novelist John Boyne in The Irish Times. ‘I was completely and utterly wrong...It’s possible that Norton has been wasted on TV all these years.’)

Norton’s follow-up promises dark family secrets and ruined coastal castles – plus more humour (surprisingly subdued in his first outing).

Women and Power by Mary Beard An eye-opening and devourable read formed from two lectures, Mary Beard’s Women and Power takes a lengthy look back at the exclusion of women from discourse and debate (taking as its starting point Homer’s Odyssey).

Resisting the ‘simple diagnosis of misogyny,’ Beard examines the cultural origins of the scorn levelled against a woman who dares to speak in public, and asks what we mean by ‘the voice of authority.’

Love is Blind by William Boyd William Boyd’s latest novel begins at the conclusion of the 19th century.

After escaping his tyrannical preacher father and insular rural surroundings, the brilliant young piano tuner Brodie Moncur pursues new opportunities to Paris, where he is swiftly consumed by his love for a Russian soprano. Readers traipsing around Europe with Moncur just might find themselves in dangerous circumstances…

Melmoth by Sarah Perry A female monster stalks the dark gothic third novel from Sarah Perry, whose previous book – The Essex Serpent – was a certified smash hit. The titular Melmoth is a 2,000-year-old woman, condemned to roam the world as a witness to sin (think the Wandering Jew, but with heaps more scares and suffering). Channelling the great Mary Shelley and Daphne Du Maurier, Sarah Perry attempts to bring her own nightmarish creation to life.

The Happy Brain by Dean Burnett A bit of a cheat, this; we first discovered neurologist/comedian/Guardian blogger Dean Burnett at the 2018 Cheltenham Science Festival. Burnett breaks down the mystifying world within our heads in an almost conversational style, deftly exploring the biological architecture that makes us…well, us. The mechanics of fear, anxiety and memory were explored in 2016’s The Idiot Brain. Now Burnett explores if there really is an elusive ‘key to happiness.’ There’s no better casual primer on neuroscience.

Adventures of a Young Naturalist

by David Attenborough We all know Sir David Attenborough as a snowy-haired, almost saintly figure; long established as the definitive wildlife expert and environmental campaigner. But what of his earliest expeditions, before his status as National Treasure was writ in stone?

Adventures of a Young Naturalist takes us back in time to visit an Attenborough few have ever known; not to mention a world of filmmaking left behind by technological progress.

For more information on 2019’s Cheltenham Festivals, visit www.cheltenhamfestivals.com

COTSWOLD-HOMES.COM

49

COTSWOLD CLUBHOUSE

Come Along to the Cotswold Clubhouse Bourton has a brand new centre for children to enjoy - and it caters to grown-ups, too

At the time of writing, it’s been just over two months since the opening of the Cotswold Clubhouse - a new soft-play, gymnastics and activity centre in Bourton on the Water.

Children are loving it. So too are their parents, who have a nice café stocked with locally sourced, natural food to unwind in, and classes of their own to sign up to.

It’s all down to the hard work and vision of Caroline Ardron - mother, PE teacher and specialist gymnastics coach extraordinaire who started to dream of the perfect activity hub after visiting tired and unclean play centres with her own children.

You may already know Caroline if your children have ever taken classes with the North Cotswolds Gymnastics & Trampolining Academy. ‘There was a real lack of gymnastics clubs in the Cotswolds, so I first set up a club five years ago operating initially out of a small primary school in Stow,’ she tells us. ‘My first class had five children…Now we have over 600 people coming through a week.’

Of course, Caroline couldn’t do it all alone. Jay Mosson of local business JM Roofing Contractors was essential to realising her Clubhouse dream. ‘I just want to give Jay and his company a special acknowledgement,’ Caroline says. ‘His fantastic work was really instrumental to our opening - he was a crucial part of the Clubhouse’s creation, and to this day he still comes and assists with things for us.’

‘With the Cotswold Clubhouse, I wanted to make somewhere really clean and inviting

50

COTSWOLD HOMES MAGAZINE

for both children and parents - somewhere with really nice coffee and healthy food, somewhere that offers a range of holiday classes and activities and fitness sessions.’

The Clubhouse works hard to deliver a range of holiday camps, classes and events to offer something for most children. The little ones can enjoy drop in Play Gym sessions, Gymfants classes, Messy Clubhouse and more. Once a month there is also a special event, Slumber Soft Play and Storyland, where the children can enjoy the Clubhouse after hours and cosy up with a hot chocolate and cookies while listening to a story or two.

(The next event will be 10th November details and booking are available online.)

Clubhouse Fitness continues to grow and new classes are being added throughout the term. With a mix of daytime and evening classes, there is something for everyone, whether you’re looking for a hard-core workout with Insanity or a relaxing session of Yoga. The creche facility is available for all classes before 5pm, booking is available online through the website. And now you can pick up a refreshing Pro-Juice smoothie from the café after your class.

Christmas is fast approaching, and Cotswold Clubhouse is excited to be offering a wonderful Christmas Clubhouse experience.

Your children get to meet Father Christmas

COTSWOLD CLUBHOUSE

My first class had five children…Now we have over 600 people coming through a week.

on his sleigh, receive a gift, pick some candy canes, and get involved in some Christmas crafts. (Booking is coming soon - follow on Facebook for up to date information).

Talking of Christmas, Cotswold Clubhouse are now offering soft play memberships, to cover peak and off-peak times. You can even purchase Clubhouse gifts cards.

Caroline’s already thinking of the future, with plans to make a climbing wall and introduce cookery classes. Beyond that, the sky’s the limit - there are plenty of places that might benefit from a clubhouse or two. ‘We’re really going from strength to strength,’ Caroline says.

See what’s on offer at www.cotswoldclubhouse.co.uk

COTSWOLD-HOMES.COM

51

EMMA LAWRENCE YOGA

A Seasonal Yoga Journey Following the rhythms of the seasons can be life-changing, writes Emma Lawrence of The Yoga Tree It’s easy to be consumed by work, children and family - but how many adults actually take enough time for themselves? Whether it’s learning something new, giving yourself enough relaxation time or changing to a career that you enjoy, spending time on yourself can yield a huge range of benefits.

A year long yoga course may not immediately sound like the answer to a hectic life, but it is amazing what taking that time for yourself can give you. Most people when told this will automatically decide that they are not flexible enough or find it too hard to lie still on the floor. But if I told you that it would be a year learning about your mind, impulses, relationships and happiness, would you think differently? If I was to tell you that your knowledge of yoga postures, breath work, mindfulness, meditation and anatomy would grow, allowing you to live your everyday life in a far more relaxed and calm way, would that help?

Yoga is the greatest form of exercise for both physical health and mental wellbeing!

You can practise at any time, any place, anywhere: home, on holiday, for a short time or for a long time. Free of charge with no equipment, it’s an anti-ageing practice that keeps you young internally as well as externally. Somehow you never get bored with noticing how your body responds to your self-practice.

The crucial thing is knowing how to have a self practice and how to integrate yoga into your daily life. Our lives (and the lives of those around us) seem to be forever changing whether in the form of new timetables, illness, age or politics. If you can learn to be more flexible in your mind as well as your body, you will find it easier to adapt confidently and calmly to life’s ever-changing shape.

Learning to tune into the seasons is one way of helping yourself. Seasonal Yoga is designed to align the changing energies of nature and the seasons in a practice that improves physical strength and flexibility, giving balance, harmony and an enhanced sense of well-being.

Created by teachers Julie Hanson and Sue Woodd in 1995, the practice is an antidote to the stress and anxiety of modern life. We all need to learn to bring balance and harmony into our lives a little bit more and practising Seasonal Yoga does just that. As the energy of the seasons change so too does the emphasis of our classes, and practice.

mirrored in a practice that strengthens and cleanses. This is the season of living life to the full with joy and happiness - and our practice reflects this.

LATE SUMMER works on immunity and consolidates the energy created in summer. Feeling physically strong from the core, together with a developing sense of self-awareness, helps us feel centred and peaceful.

AUTUMN’S focus is on breath/movement coordination. Concentrated and mindful in our practice helps us deals with the ins and outs of life.

WINTER means a gentle restorative practice. Here we stay longer and go deeper into each posture, increasing flexibility, rejuvenating the nervous system and creating inner peace. It’s also a time for meditation and reflection.

SPRING’S practice is all about energy building, stretching and strengthening the core

Moving our bodies with intention helps us to strengthen, rebalance and re-energise our minds, allowing us to reconnect with nature, realise our potential and feel wonderful.

Living with a healthy body and a peaceful mind is every bit as good as it sounds!

SUMMER brings deepening high energy practice to stimulate the circulation and energise the body. The heat of nature is

If you would like to dedicate some time to yourself in 2019 visit www.the-yoga-tree.com for more information.

Testimonials I have come from being a shy, awkward person who hated the limelight to being able to stand in front of people and deliver. Yoga has opened my heart, my mind and my hips!

I now have a thirst for knowledge and the desire to continue learning - a real Life Goal!

52

COTSWOLD HOMES MAGAZINE

Relationships have improved, my self esteem, my eating habits too. I have met a fantastic group of people and some wonderful inspirational teachers. I wish you all well and cannot thank you enough for starting me off on my journey. Jen x

Thank you for all of your help and support throughout the year and for introducing me to seasonal living - the start of a new and exciting journey. Rose

REV’D CANON KATRINA SCOTT

Rev’d Canon Katrina Scott on the significance of anniversaries for our communities

The amazing team of flower arrangers at Lower Slaughter have recently decked out the church with displays as a part of the Village Fete Celebrations. This year, they chose the theme of ‘Special Anniversaries marked in 2018.’ We had floral displays celebrating the 200th anniversary of Emily Bronte’s birth, the 100th anniversary of the formation of the RAF, and the 50th anniversary of Gardener’s World, among others.

Anniversaries are a good time to remember and to be thankful for significant events; to learn lessons from the past; and to shape the future. This autumn, our communities are marking in many different ways the Centenary of the Armistice in 1918 – a hugely significant moment as the First World War drew towards its close.

Our villages, towns, friends and neighbours may be ringing bells, holding ceremonies,

gathering memorabilia for exhibitions, offering times of prayer, and remembering with poppies, flowers, statues and silhouettes.

All of these individual acts will be good ways to help us remember.

This autumn, as we remember, we have a chance to give thanks for the lives of others, to appreciate the blessings of our lives today ...

This autumn, as we remember, we have a chance to give thanks for the lives of others, to appreciate the blessings of our lives today, to know more deeply the history of our locality, and to commit to the future of our communities.

Rev’d Canon Katrina Scott is a Rector of 7 churches at the heart of the Cotswolds (including Cutsdean, Farmcote, Temple Guiting, Guiting Power, Naunton, Upper Slaughter and Lower Slaughter) and also the Area Dean of the North Cotswold Deanery. She has lived in the Cotswolds since 2015, having previously served in Coventry for 15 years. Katrina loves being a vicar, and being a wife and a mother too.

COTSWOLD-HOMES.COM

53

DIARY OF A FARMER’S WIFE

Anna MacCurrach and offspring revisit a crucial life skill as a big change approaches It’s all change for us (again) this autumn as our eldest child makes the leap from primary to secondary school. Year 6 was emotional for me. I sat and watched her last Christmas service, last sports day, last school play, with all the previous years flashing before my eyes; suddenly it was her year sitting the exams, heading off on the residential, leading the leavers’ service. It is strange how it feels like we have been there forever yet at the same time it seems to have gone so quickly.

My daughter, however, is totally ready to make the move. The two taster days were enough to reassure her it would be brilliant but they alerted me to one life skill they are all somewhat lacking: crossing the road.

Whilst they have a fantastic awareness of the potential dangers of farmyards, and an acute sense of self-preservation when in a field of cattle, crossing the road isn’t something we do an awful lot of.

Even in the relatively quiet village where their primary school is located I turn into a

54

COTSWOLD HOMES MAGAZINE

With arms splayed out to protect my precious offspring from the dangers of placing so much as a toe on the road, I bark instructions highly militant she-wolf when we get to the extremely dangerous grass-triangle-threeway-junction-situation. With arms splayed out to protect my precious offspring from the dangers of placing so much as a toe on the road, I bark instructions “wait WAIT” “now go!” “go go GO!”. This has resulted in them having almost zero survival instinct, instead adapting to listen to what I am saying (shouting).

After seven years of walking her right to the door of her primary school, and the new plan being to drop her off in the village centre, you can imagine my anxiety levels were quite

high. On the first ‘taster day’ her group of her friends, many of whom we have known since playschool, were waiting for her and excitement levels were high. Unable to help myself I presented one with sole responsibility for getting my (completely mortified) daughter across the road safely, causing a flutter of giggles as they walked away from me.

I returned to my car to drive the other two to their primary school, almost hyperventilating at the thought of my precious firstborn crossing the - frankly deadly - Bourton High Street without me.

Later that day I drove to her friend’s house to collect her, longing to hear all about their first day. They had all had a great time, they said. Lunch was delicious, they said. Everyone really nice, they said. The funniest thing that happened all day? Jules nearly getting squashed crossing the road.

Find out more about Tagmoor Farm at www.lovemycow.com

COTSWOLD FARM PARK

Father Christmas is Coming to the

Cotswold Farm Park Christmas is coming to the Cotswolds, with all manner of fun and festive activities kicking off around Gloucestershire. And little ones will be happy to hear that the big man himself will soon be visiting their very favourite farm.

That’s right: Father Christmas will be at Cotswold Farm Park on selected dates in November and December. Special children’s tickets are available for these days, which includes Farm Park entry, a special time slot to see Father Christmas and their own choice of present from the toy room.

Father Christmas’s cheeky elves will be on hand to usher visitors and their children into the grotto, before giving them access to the toy room for the child to pick out their own present to take home. Children, toddlers and young adults with a Father Christmas booking will then be invited into the elves workshop to make their very own Christmas Eve box for the present.

As always, the usual Farm Park fun will be happening, including bottle feeding of lambs and goats and cuddling chicks and fluffy bunnies.

Advanced booking is recommended for the Father Christmas Experience to guarantee a slot. Bookings can be made on the Cotswold Farm Park website.

Visit www.cotswoldfarmpark.co.uk/christmas-is-coming/ for more information.

The Grotto Father Christmas will be here at the Farm Park between 10am and 3pm on the following dates: Saturday 24th & Sunday 25th November Saturday 1st & Sunday 2nd December Saturday 8th & Sunday 9th December Saturday 15th & Sunday 16th December Thursday 20th – Monday 24th December

COTSWOLD-HOMES.COM

55

ASK THE EXPERTS

Farming after Brexit What impacts will Brexit have on agricultural policy? I’m still uncertain of the consequences.

Payments will continue on the current basis, but subject to simplifications which will be rolled out further in 2020.

wildlife habitats; providing public access to the countryside; protecting the rural environment; flood-risk mitigation and carbon reduction.

What is the Agricultural Transition period?

Over seven years, from 2021 to 2017, BPS payments will be gradually phased out as the UK leaves the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

What are the implications for the supply chain?

It proposes strengthening transparency in the supply chain to help farmers get a better deal in the marketplace. It is hoped that better collection and sharing of data will enable food producers to respond more effectively to market signals, strengthen their negotiating position get a better return.

The Bill outlines the policy under which direct BPS payments will be stopped and how focus will be shifted towards rewarding farmers adopting positive environmental measures. Direct Payments during this transition period up until 2027 will be ‘delinked’ from the requirement to farm the land.

Sally McFadden is an Associate Solicitor in the Business Services Team at Thomson & Bancks LLP dealing with all commercial property matters for a mix of business, agricultural and notfor-profit clients. She also has niche specialist experience on agricultural matters and energy and renewables. To speak to Sally call 01684 299633 or visit www.tbsolicitors.co.uk

n 12th September 2018, the Government published the Agriculture Bill setting out its planned agricultural policy following Brexit and the UK leaving the Common Agricultural Policy. The 62-page document sets out the Government’s plans to move away from the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) and introduces its new Environmental land Management System (ELM). The Bill is split into 9 different sections and there are several key areas central to the new policy.

Direct payments under the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) will be simplified and finally phased out by 2027. During 2019, Direct

56

COTSWOLD HOMES MAGAZINE

The Government believes removing or ‘delinking’ payments from the farming requirement will help to increase productivity and fund investment in research and development – and provide practical gains for farmers to help improve profitability whilst reducing their environmental footprint.

The Bill proposes that under the new scheme investment may be available for a wide range of areas and could assist farmers with diversification and retirement plans. It proposes government support for investment in sustainable and green technologies and methods that help farmers reduce the use of fertilisers and pesticides, while maintaining or increasing production.

Rather than a payment scheme, support may be in the form of grants, loans, loan guarantees or capital allowances.

What is the Environmental Land Management system (ELM)?

From 2019, the government will work with farmers to design, develop and trial ELM and reward those providing the greatest environmental benefits. It is similar to Stewardship and is intended to be fully in place by the time Direct Payments stop.

Environmental measures which will be rewarded include: improvements to soil, air and water quality; protecting and enhancing

As well as encouraging collaborative working, the government plans to publish, maintain and enforce statutory codes of practice and provide for mandatory contract terms between farmers and suppliers. These are likely to be combined with new marketing standards.

The Bill sets out a framework of marketing standards aiming to protect farmers and consumers, and could include grading of eggs and/or classification of carcasses in slaughterhouses. Food provenance could also be considered.

How does the Bill deal with agricultural market problems?

The Government are granted powers to intervene in markets but only in times of extreme market disturbance. This could be by way of loans, guarantees or other payments.

How will the government support agriculture going forward?

The government has pledged to support innovation to improve productivity; improve investment in farming equipment, technology and infrastructure, and facilitate collaboration and pioneer the use of more innovative and efficient farming techniques.

Whilst the Agriculture Bill provides the framework and powers for the government to allocate funds to agriculture, this only sets out the framework and the detail will still need to be fleshed out with supplemental legislation. We are keeping our eyes and ears open - so watch this space!

DENTAL HEALTH MATTERS

Dental Health Matters Sports Mouthguards We all know about mouthguards that are used to protect teeth and soft tissues against injury during contact sports. In fact, many parents have had a letter from their child’s school asking for one to be provided before the start of winter term. But what type of sports mouthguard should a parent provide?

Dr. Trevor Bigg What are the types of sports mouthguards?

The ideal mouthguard fits firmly in place during action, allows for unimpaired speaking and breathing, and is comfortable, durable, odourless and tasteless.

There are three types of sports mouthguard: • Stock mouthguards, which are pre-formed and ready to wear. Although these are very cheap, they are not to be recommended as they are bulky and they make breathing and talking difficult because they require the jaw to be closed to hold them in place.

• Mouth-formed mouthguards are generally the ‘boil-and-bite’ kind. The mouthguard is placed in boiling water to soften the material and then moulded to fit the teeth by biting and using the fingers to apply the plastic until it cools and sets. While this type is much better than the stock mouthguard, they are still bulky and don’t fit

58

COTSWOLD HOMES MAGAZINE

and protect as well as they should.

However, these mouthguards do have a use. Younger children have baby teeth and adult teeth in their mouth. As they lose the baby teeth the mouthguard no longer fits, so a mouth-formed mouthguard protects the teeth but allows for a low-cost replacement as the teeth change.

• Custom-fitted mouthguards are more expensive than the other types of mouthguards, as they are made by the dentist from a cast of the teeth. Because they are made to measure they offer the greatest degree of protection to the teeth and soft-tissues and they are much more comfortable. They can also be made in different colours and with the name inserted, making them less easily lost.

What sports need a mouthguard?

Any sport that involves making contact with another individual or object. Rugby, hockey and martial arts immediately spring to mind,

but other less obvious sports could include gymnastics, skateboarding and squash.

Boxing and some martial arts require special treatment. As there are direct blows to the head, casts of the upper and lower teeth are used to make a thicker mouthguard that the lower teeth fit into. This reduces the chance of serious injury such as jaw fracture and concussion. Although it’s never considered, football should be played with a mouthguard, as most dentists have seen the damage that can be done to the teeth when heading a ball.

If you want more information about the contents of the article, go to https:// www.yourdentistryguide.com/mouthguards/, or contact Penny at Milton Dental Practice: 01993 831 396 or email reception@drbigg.com and come to see us for a consultation.

To accompany this article, we are offering a New Patient Examination, plus x-rays, at the reduced fee of £70.00 (normally £105.00) and a free Denplan Examination.

Eat in or Takeaway

Take away £1 off marked price

Margherita

Fiorentina

£8.50

£9.50

Hawaiian

Parma

£9.50

£9.95

Meat Feast

Diavola

£10.95

£10.50

Skinny Fries £2.50 | Sweet Potato Fries £3 Garlic Bread £2

The Hangar, Unit 4, Mitchell Way, Upper Rissington, GL54 2FL

T:01451 821107

PROJECT ONE CAMPUS

www.kingshighwarwick.co.uk

WARWICK INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS FOUNDATION

The Best of Both Worlds’ Education The Warwick Independent Schools Foundation, comprisingwww.kingshighwarwick.co.uk Warwick Preparatory School, King’s High and Warwick School, is heralding a new era for the future of the schools, and in particular, King’s High School, by relocating the School from the Warwick location it has had since 1879. The Foundation is unique in the Midlands, offering co-education for pupils aged 3 to 7, and The new shared Sixth Form Centre for single-sex education from age 7 onwards.

King’s High and Warwick School.

Project One Campus sees the move of King’s High School to the Myton Road campus, joining Warwick Preparatory School and Warwick School on one spacious, green campus. Building commenced in 2017, will be fully completed by 2020 and will see the creation of new school buildings that have been sympathetically designed within an enhanced pedestrian-friendly campus, linked green spaces and courtyards, and a new play area for our youngest pupils.

Science in Action, one of the joint activities.

The King’s High educational buildings, providing a stunning new home for the girls, will house large communal areas, specialist classrooms, pastoral bases and

Table tennis, one of the joint activities, on a Friday afternoon for girls and boys from Year 10 upwards.

administration functions. As well as the main school building, the new school will also include a Sports and Technology ‘wrap-around’ built onto the existing Bridge Sports Centre. The new purpose-built high-tech shared Music School for Warwick Prep and King’s High, will include a range of practice rooms, performance spaces and music technology suite.

Building work on the new shared Sixth Form Centre for King’s High and Warwick School was completed during the summer. The Centre is currently used for a variety of purposes including Friday Afternoon activities, clubs, lunchtime talks

and parent events, and will open as the shared Sixth Form Centre in September 2019 when the girls move down to the campus. The Centre has been designed to help pupils make the most of their Sixth Form years, and support their transition to life beyond school. It will provide space for quiet study, group work, social interaction and careers advice for both boys and girls in a truly shared facility.

Play and sport are a critical part of the learning process, vital to each and every pupil’s educational experience. The Myton Road campus boasts a wide range of sports facilities designed to enrich pupils’ lives and through Project One Campus, these will be further enhanced by five netball and six tennis courts for King’s High and a state-of-the-art 3G rugby pitch for Warwick School. There will be a new play space for Warwick Prep, due for completion by September 2019, which will provide a safe and stimulating place for a child’s imagination to flourish.

To find out more please visit: www.projectonecampus.co.uk or on Twitter: @POC_WISF.

INTERIOR DESIGN

Amanda Hanley’s Favourite Sources Cotswolds-based interior designer Amanda Hanley reveals her favourite sources of inspiration for home design and lifestyle

Interior Inspiration I regularly visit the Design Centre at Chelsea Harbour; it is an emporium of the most beautiful wallpapers and fabrics imaginable and provides endless inspiration for a wide range of projects - being there is like being a kiddie in a sweet shop!

In addition to project work, the Design Centre helps to guide selections for my interiors shop on Burford’s high street. My top choice this season is the Martyn Lawrence Bullard collection from Cole & Son; an eclectic offering of wallcoverings that celebrates skill and craftsmanship from cultures all over the world. From East to West, this worldly collection is full of detail and elegance.

I particularly love ‘Medina’, which is an intricate latticework with a sumptuous feel to it. It is designed to perfectly complement the ‘Fez’ lantern border. The two together with the golden glow give irresistible warmth to a room.

Cole & Son

64

COTSWOLD HOMES MAGAZINE

GP & J Baker

AMANDA HANLEY

Fabulous fabrics I adore the colourful collections from GP & J Baker – there are so many stunning designs, in many different styles and fabric types.

As well as their spectacular range, they are also an extremely nice company to deal with.

My personal favourites are printed velvets ‘Barcelona’ in the ‘Teal’ colourway, and ‘Rio’ in ‘Spice’, both from the same Rio Velvet collection. GP & J Baker’s description of the Rio range: “The glorious exuberance of the Mardi Gras has been captured in these two magnificent printed velvets. A riot of colour and pattern, BARCELONA is an extraordinary patchwork of fantasy blooms divided by bands of small decorative motifs, and the gorgeous RIO echoes the theme with a clever collage of abstract designs.”

modern British design. My personal favourite is his ‘Rhoscolyn’ hand-tufted rug in cobalt, which is available in three sizes. Wonderfully contemporary, inspiration for the design came from the North Wales coastline with natural sand and sea blue. This striking rug would look at home in a large range of interiors, from smart and modern to a beach house by the coast.

Flying off the shelves at the moment are William Yeoward’s ‘Paddy’ cushions.

Available in a zingy rainbow of colours, they are made from a luxurious, super soft velvet, and are fully lined and zipped. The simple design allows the rich texture and colourway to shine.

As well as cushions and rugs, William also makes furniture, upholstery, crystal, lighting, fabrics and wall coverings – all with a sense of purpose and personality that are the hallmarks of his brand.

William Yeoward

Dulux Chalky Downs

Phenomenal paint Dulux Chalky Downs (30YY 51/098) is one of my favourite paint colours right now. It is wonderfully versatile and practical, and a very stylish choice. It goes with virtually anything, so I’ve used it in the showroom throughout, as a great backdrop for the many fabrics and furniture we have on display.

Striking soft furnishings I absolutely adore William Yeoward!

Oozing with creativity, his products are stylish, sophisticated and original. Founded in 1983, the William Yeoward brand has an enviable reputation for innovation and

William Yeoward

Find out more about Amanda and her projects at www.amandahanley.co.uk www.amandahanley.co.uk | T 01993 822 385 | M 07976 353 996 Amanda Hanley by Design, The Gallery, 69 High Street, Burford, OX18 4QA COTSWOLD-HOMES.COM

65

ASK THE EXPERTS

Don’t Just List Your Home Online Launch It to the Local Market Place with Cotswold Homes We have a very desirable old cottage in a great village. According to the local agents, it sits somewhere between £950,000 to £1.1 million. Loathe to spend on a traditional treatment when we think our buyer is probably looking on the internet. Would you go online only?

iven that a buyer’s first port of call is usually online these days I understand why you ask.

A typical activity graph on Rightmove will show a huge surge of interest in the first 48 hours of uploading a new instruction, especially if it’s pretty. Two, three, four hundred views. It looks so exciting, at least for a few short days.

Karen Harrison is co-founder and director of Harrison James & Hardie. The company has a policy of continuous re-investment into the training and retention of local staff, and is committed to the use of new technologies and innovative marketing methods.

All agents ought to be able to reach your perfect buyer without any difficulty regardless of skill, right? It’s so tempting to think that it’s a waste to spend a couple of percent with a really good high street agent. You might get a flurry of viewings in the first week from internet activity. And an offer. Or not. Trouble is, how do you know, even if you get an offer without advice from someone who really knows, that it’s the right price to agree a sale?

The average online activity graph will also show, just as quickly as that lovely reassuring surge of curiosity came, that it will quickly flatline. If your property isn’t launched properly and if your agent is lazy, has no staff or resources, no buyers to communicate with other than the internet, all you have left if you don’t get an offer is to wait it out.

The largest online agency recently reported that 81% of their properties sold within a year. A year? That means one in five still hadn’t sold even after three hundred and sixty-five long days of waiting. Even if you eventually agree a sale, is it worth the risk if a 35% cancellation rate for the sake of

66

COTSWOLD HOMES MAGAZINE

saving a few thousand pounds, especially in your marketplace?

After a year you would be so demoralised you would probably sell your granny for a fiver. If your agent isn’t good at generating fresh activity (and most agents aren’t, I am afraid, even at the posh end let alone online) then the only recourse - given you simply can’t wait for the market to catch up - is to drop your price. Not the best place to be - in the hands of a cheap online agent with no registered applicants and sticky stock in a stodgy marketplace.

Far better to be with a great traditional high street agent with a constant source of foot traffic and a raft of registered buyers.

You won’t drop your price quickly enough because most people don’t until far too late.

Early days, you’ll say. Only when you’ve lost the house you were interested in, the next one too, and your child’s school place is under threat, when you have stopped looking because well, it’s just too painful, how much do you finally let them drop to prompt some more interest? £5,000? £10,000? £20,000? £30,000? More?

That’s an expensive bet on a cheap fee.

No one wants what no one else wants.

The longer you leave it, the worse it gets.

Buyers won’t even enquire about something that they perceive is just 5% overpriced and in your marketplace 5% is £50,000.

That ambitious ‘point 1’ of a million is one hundred thousand pounds. Could you be

ASK THE EXPERTS

10% overpriced? And how does that resolve without tears before bedtime after you’ve been languishing for months?

The really great estate agent will always be the one with all the Sold boards, the one you’ve dismissed as too expensive, who didn’t go high on price when invited out, who keeps ringing every so often just to ask how you’re getting on. It’s frustrating because he never gives up and you end up avoiding him in Tesco after work because it’s embarrassing, actually.

But the reason he persists, no matter the time of year, is that he will be working really hard. In November 2016, after months of torpor following the stamp duty change, we generated a fifth of our entire annual sales turnover and ended on a high when all other agents were bedding down for the winter. We barely had anything left to sell by December.

It’s still good old-fashioned hard work that sells houses - there’s truthfully no substitute.

Properly honed local knowledge, maturity, experience, charisma, great persuasive skills are what makes the difference. These qualities are increasingly rare. Such agents aren’t cheap.

I don’t know the ratio of serious to curious buyers online, but I would hazard it’s very low, especially for the prettiest properties.

The problem with relying on the internet to do your work is looking isn’t the same as

buying. Time to stop believing in portals as a substitute for great agency. Too many agents, let alone buyers, have simply forgotten (or never even knew after two decades of internet marketing) that their best port of call is not the internet.

Yes, a big shop window full of pretty baubles in a street full of passers-by will attract attention but most will say ‘I am just looking, thank you’ before they scuttle on past. They are window tappers. They won’t buy. We are interested in those who stride through the door and say: “I need to register”. And we will work really hard to find them something.

That’s why our online option is not just about being on Rightmove but also via Cotswold Homes. A structured launch campaign utilising every possible source of communication, including a local social media launch, dedicated phone-outs, all designed to provoke a build-up of interest with an Open Viewing Day providing it’s desirable enough, at the right price.

On the next page are just a few homes we have sold this year on the first Open Viewing Day, in every price range, with a choice of board and fee. We have the passion, the opportunities and the ability to reach our local marketplace via Cotswold Homes whether you choose Cotswold Homes Online, Harrison James & Hardie or Fine & Country North Cotswolds.

Our Cotswold Homes Launch Pad is a uniquely effective way of getting to the right people who live or visit here often - our potential best buyers. These people maybe aren’t thinking about moving at all, aren’t even looking at Rightmove, Zoopla, On The Market, or Prime Location. They might be registered on the database for news on forthcoming events, or for local competitions, but just like to see what’s going on with the local marketplace.

Chances are, with so many thousands of local people on that database, your buyer will see an e-mailer about an Open Viewing Day, or a boost on our Facebook page or our Twitter account, or even an editorial in the magazine, and they just get really excited about the house of their dreams. They find they are not alone. And then the fun starts.

Worth our fee? We know so.

For expert advice from Karen on how to launch your property to the marketplace, and how to benefit from Cotswold Homes’ marketing (even whilst tied to an existing agency agreement): Telephone: Bourton on the Water 01451 822977 / Moreton in Marsh 01608 65100 E-mail: karen@harrisonjameshardie.co.uk

COTSWOLD-HOMES.COM

67

ASK THE EXPERTS

Don’t Just List Your Home Online Launch It to the Local Market Place with Cotswold Homes Celebrating Cotswold Homes’ Unique Marketing Campaign Strategy in 2018 “Each property illustrated was launched via a co-ordinated and strategic marketing campaign with Cotswold Homes, resulting in an acceptable offer from a proceedable purchaser introduced on the first Open Viewing Day, in most cases agreeing a sale at or in excess of the guide price.” Karen Harrison, BA Hons, Principal Director

Colnbrook, Withington Guide Price £1.2 million Sold

London Road, Chipping Norton Guide Price £950,000 Full price offer received

Woodbine Cottage, Bourton on the Water £375,000 Sold

68

COTSWOLD HOMES MAGAZINE

Smith Barry Circus, Upper Rissington £695,000 Sold

ASK THE EXPERTS

Silverdale, Longborough Guide Price £850,000 Sold

Church Piece, Lower Swell £425,000 Sale agreed

Smith Barry Crescent, Upper Rissington £735,000 Sold

Russet House £730,000 Sale agreed

*with details correct on the day of going to press (16/10/18)

COTSWOLD-HOMES.COM

69

HOT PROPERTY

1 London Road, Chipping Norton 1 London Road is a substantial detached Victorian townhouse situated close to the centre of the ancient market town of Chipping Norton, originally built to the highest standard as an imposing family residence and today, benefitting from a comprehensive refurbishment by the present owners, restored to its former grandeur.

Exquisitely presented throughout, four floors of generous period living spaces are newly decorated in a tactile palette of warm Parisian

70

COTSWOLD HOMES MAGAZINE

whites accented with soft metallics, furnished with luxurious taste to create a stunningly beautiful home.

This is no timid restoration - the ground floor has been extensively opened out, enhancing the original architecture of soaring ceilings and tall double-glazed sash windows to flood in natural light, a large central kitchen / dining and living room perfectly arranged for eminently comfortable living and informal entertaining.

1 LONDON ROAD

It’s a fantastic party house, especially at Christmas. We opened up the main staircase too, so we place our tree in the stairwell, top branches stretching up to the second storey, the lights reflecting in the hall window – it’s so magical, like something from The Railway Children!

“It’s a fantastic party house, especially at Christmas. We opened up the main staircase too, so we place our tree in the stairwell, top branches stretching up to the second storey, the lights reflecting in the hall window – it’s so magical, like something from The Railway Children!”

It is also an eminently practical home. The lower ground floor is arranged into a number of cellars, each dry and well-lit, warmed by

central heating, offering capacious storage space, complete with a laundry room, boot room, games room and teenage den.

Above are five generously proportioned double bedrooms (with another quaint child’s bedroom tucked neatly into the eaves), served by three lavishly appointed family bath / shower rooms. The master bedroom is served by a separate dressing room, with double French doors opening onto a glamorous, gold-hued bathroom.

COTSWOLD-HOMES.COM

71

1 LONDON ROAD

As soon as the working day ends Chipping Norton becomes a really tranquil place, and out here is just a fabulously quiet contemplative place to unwind and relax.”

Much of the upper floors enjoy wonderful views over the town, looking out towards the adjacent Cotswold hills. Outside, in addition to off-road parking for two or three cars, is another piece-deresistance - a private garden room leading off the kitchen, complete with obligatory hot tub. Providing a wonderful sheltered sun trap during the day and illuminated beautifully from dusk by concealed lighting, it has proved a beeline for children and guests.

“Coming from London we imagined that town traffic would be consistent but it’s not. Remarkably, as soon as the working day ends Chipping Norton becomes a really tranquil place, and out here is just a fabulously quiet contemplative place to unwind and relax.”

Capacious enough to host numerous friends and family in relaxed luxury, equally it could be a fantastic holiday let. The one-bedroom self-contained annexe alone provides an income (via Airbnb) of around £1200 per month. Tom Burdett of Character Cottages is confident that the main residence would easily command a six-figure gross annual income.

72

COTSWOLD HOMES MAGAZINE

“Large period homes of this quality, ideally designed to host family get-togethers for special occasions, are by far the most desirable.

This is a first-class proposition, therefore certain to generate fantastic levels of income throughout the year. All the attractions of the town are right on the doorstep – rows of independent shops, great places to eat and drink, a rich literary culture and of course, the best attraction of all, a tiny independent theatre hosting one of the very best pantomimes in the country!”

Offered to the market at £950,000 with Fine & Country North Cotswolds. Following the initial launch date on Saturday 13th October, and at the date of going to press (16th October), an offer at the full asking price had already been received from an immediately proceedable purchaser. For more information, please contact Karen Harrison, Principal Director, at the offices of Fine & Country North Cotswolds on 01451 824977.

You are cordially invited to an

ASK THE EXPERTS

INVESTORS EVENING

Simon David

Ellen Roome

Tom Burdett

Jude Farrell

Abi Hemmings

kindly hosted by Harrison James & Hardie

on Tuesday 20th November 2018, 5.30pm – 7.30pm at the Wyck Hill House Hotel, Stow on the Wold

If you have ever wondered about investing in property either as a portfolio landlord or in the holiday let marketplace, meet our Cotswold Homes panel of local experts including: The lettings team at Harrison James & Hardie // The business management team at Thomas Legal The mortgage team at The Finance Roome // Tom Burdett of Character Cottages, the holiday let company

Discover more about: Investable properties // New homes’ multiple buys // How to maximise yields Taxation and finance // Legal tips and pitfalls // And much, much more…!

r.s.v.p.

Light refreshments provided limited spaces available - please book early to avoid disappointment Telephone Abi on 01451 822977 or Jude on 01608 651000

HOT PROPERTY

Woodland Lodge

Chipping Norton Woodland Lodge presents an exciting opportunity for a grand design as a modern individual detached four bedroom property within land approaching two acres. Situated in a desirable location, the property feels eminently rural but is just half a mile from all the amenities and attractions of the ancient market town of Chipping Norton. Surrounded with mature deciduous trees and set in an elevated position, the house sits above empathetically landscaped grounds including raised terraces, a lower lawn bordered by a copse and an ornamental lake fed by a natural stream, backing onto open countryside with a pedestrian gate to a country footpath leading to the church and fields beyond.

74

COTSWOLD HOMES MAGAZINE

Woodland Lodge was purchased just two years ago as two separate lots. Then a large expanse of overgrown and unkempt grounds was dominated by a huge neglected lake and an adjacent house was in need of considerable updating, extension and re-structuring. The present owners have spent a great deal of time and energy combining the whole and improving upon every element. The property itself has been refurbished and reconfigured to create the current living space. Decorated and updated throughout with flexible spacious split-level accommodation, there is current planning permission to extend substantially on the ground floor, offering plenty of scope for imagination to maximise its full potential.

Being of modern construction and set within a beautifully secluded setting, there would be value to be gained in extending the existing planning permission, perhaps with ground floor bedrooms and first floor living spaces opening out onto balconies in order to take best advantage of the lovely aspect over gardens and lake. Replacing the original short steep drive is a long gently sloping driveway onto the adjacent land, where a large level gravelled parking area now provides sufficient space for several vehicles, complete with planning permission for a detached double bay garage and ancillary accommodation above.

WOODLAND LODGE

Surrounded with mature deciduous trees and set in an elevated position, the house sits above empathetically landscaped grounds including raised terraces ...

Beyond, the extensive grounds have been comprehensively coppiced and landscaped to create a tranquil, ordered yet naturally eco-friendly environment. Half the original lake, teeming with wildlife, has been painstakingly reclaimed with many months of hard labour to provide a broad level expanse of lawn.

Orientated to enjoy the best of the day’s sun and blessed with a high degree of privacy the garden is ideal for a family, nothing short of a children’s paradise being full of places to hide and seek, to play football, paddle and climb, build dens, dams and camp fires, and for parties plenty of space to erect a marquee.

For anyone seeking the ultimate good life, Woodland Lodge offers the perfect

opportunity to enjoy the best of both worlds in tranquil splendour yet happily within five minutes’ walk of the nearest pub.

Offered to the market at £895,000 with Fine & Country North Cotswolds, the property is currently Sale Agreed. For further information and to book a time to view, please contact Martin Frost at the Moreton in Marsh office of Harrison James & Hardie Fine & Country North Cotswolds on 01608 653893.

COTSWOLD-HOMES.COM

75

HOT PROPERTY

THE

OLD GRANARY IDLICOTE

The Old Granary is a fabulous and imposing detached family home situated in an idyllic position within a plot approaching one and a half acres, enjoying outstanding panoramic views overlooking the Avon Valley towards Ilmington Downs and the North Cotswold countryside.

76

COTSWOLD HOMES MAGAZINE

THE OLD GRANARY

Exposed timbers and brickwork are balanced by the use of smooth plaster and new oak to create soaring light open spaces, with solid oak and flagstone floors throughout the ground floor and an exposed A frame above.

Approached by a pillared entrance and driveway, this original farm building, constructed of mellow brick under a pitched slate-tiled roof, was converted in 1998 by the renowned building firm Calarel of Chipping Campden to the highest possible standard. Quality materials and skilled craftsmanship have been employed throughout, designed to enhance and reflect the innate character and form of the building.

Exposed timbers and brickwork are balanced by the use of smooth plaster and new oak to create soaring light open spaces, with solid oak and flagstone floors throughout the ground floor and an exposed A frame above. An elegant galleried staircase is set within a vaulted central hallway, leading up to five bedrooms (two en-suite) and a family bathroom.

At the heart of the house is a large, beautiful and brightly lit traditional country kitchen-breakfast room fitted with a generous array of bespoke units and a central island topped by black granite. A separate utility / boot room lies beyond.

Warmed throughout by oil-fired central heating to cast iron radiators, additional comfort is provided by a five-oven Aga and an inglenook fireplace in the main sitting room, both prerequisites for a luxurious Cotswold country lifestyle.

Three generous reception rooms and a separate study enjoy the best of a naturally elevated position, doors opening out towards gorgeous countryside views. Raised split-level decking captures the best of the day's sun, perfect for dining al fresco in the summer.

Outside, a detached double garage is supplemented by generous parking, offering potential (subject to the usual planning permissions) for conversion to further ancillary guest / holiday let accommodation.

COTSWOLD-HOMES.COM

77

THE OLD GRANARY

Raised split-level decking captures the best of the day’s sun, perfect for dining al fresco in the summer.

Glorious and maturely landscaped gardens are laid mainly to lawn, thence to an orchard and a paddock with field shelters and natural ponds bounded by post and rail fencing, the whole affording considerable natural privacy.

Ideal for equestrian usage, there is also a livery opposite The Old Granary, and a right of way from the paddock to the road that leads on to fabulous local bridle paths in the open countryside.

78

COTSWOLD HOMES MAGAZINE

The rural and unspoilt hamlet of Idlicote lies just two miles from Shipston on Stour, which was voted the number 1 place to live in the UK 2018 by The Times newspaper. Idlicote is in the catchment area for both the primary and high schools at Shipston, providing main stream education to the age of 16. There are also other state and private schools within easy reach, including an Outstanding secondary state school at Chipping Campden and grammar schools in Stratford upon Avon.

Offered to the market at ÂŁ1.1 million with Fine & Country North Cotswolds. For further information and to book a time to view, please contact Martin Frost at the Moreton in Marsh office of Harrison James & Hardie Fine & Country North Cotswolds on 01608 653893.

HOT PROPERTY

BLAKEMANS HOUSE

CHIPPING CAMPDEN

80

Standing proudly in an elevated position on the highly esteemed Lower High Street in Chipping Campden is Blakemans House, a handsome double-fronted property constructed of Cotswold stone under a natural tiled roof. Dating back to the 18th Century this archetypal Cotswold home exudes character and charm, the traditional interior boasts an abundance of original features whilst maintaining a luxurious yet practical feel.

stove occupies the L-shaped study area of the room. At the rear of the living room a doorway leads to the well-appointed kitchen/ breakfast room complete with timbered ceilings, stone floors, granite worktops and a five burner Mercury gas range. To the rear of the property is a dining room, an attractive and largely glazed room with vaulted ceilings and bifold doors which lead on to an enclosed patio area with stone steps providing access to the garden and lawn beyond.

The house is entered from the street through a broad timber front door into the living room, a well proportioned room with large windows flooding the exposed stone and plaster walls with light. At one end is a traditional stone fireplace, timber beams stretch across the ceiling whilst a woodburning

From the sitting room stairs lead down to a utility room and up to the first floor, here there are two bedrooms; a good sized double to the rear with built in storage and a front facing double room boasting built in storage and a luxurious ensuite complete with shower and bath. The top floor is home

COTSWOLD HOMES MAGAZINE

BLAKEMANS HOUSE

THE TOP FLOOR IS HOME TO A BEAUTIFUL DOUBLE BEDROOM WITH ORIGINAL BEAMS SPANNING THE SEMI VAULTED CEILING, IT IS SERVED BY A FULL EN-SUITE BATHROOM AND BUILT IN WARDROBES PROVIDE PLENTIFUL STORAGE.

to a beautiful double bedroom with original beams spanning the semi-vaulted ceiling, it is served by a full en-suite bathroom and built in wardrobes provide plentiful storage.

This exquisite period home provides a perfect balance of traditional character and modern day convenience, the bustling high street of Chipping Campden is only a few steps away and provides a plentiful array of boutique shops, restaurants, pubs and hotels.

Blakemans House currently operates as a

highly successful holiday let, the property can be purchased as a going concern, with future bookings and contents by separate negotiation.

Offered to the market at £695,000. For further information and to book a time to view, please contact Martin Frost at the Moreton in Marsh office of Harrison James & Hardie Fine & Country North Cotswolds on 01608 653893.

COTSWOLD-HOMES.COM

81

HOT PROPERTY

Russet House

Great Rissington A stunning individual detached home situated in a tranquil location within the beautiful North Cotswold village of Great Rissington, Russet House is one of a pair of architectdesigned properties tucked quietly on a gravelled drive, provided with ample parking for several vehicles and an attached double garage (that might potentially provide scope for further extension subject to the appropriate planning consents).

Occupying a generous plot with a wellstocked secluded rear garden and enjoying some lovely far-reaching views from the first floor, constructed of natural Cotswold stone to a traditional vernacular and finished to a luxurious internal specification, the accommodation is presented in immaculate

82

COTSWOLD HOMES MAGAZINE

RUSSET HOUSE

decorative order throughout, cleverly arranged to provide flexible and sociable living spaces complete with four generous bedrooms and two bathrooms above.

We have really loved the sociable nature of the village, especially when the children were small and could happily walk to friends’ homes or to school, but we have also cherished the ability to disappear back to our hideaway when we needed peace and quiet ...

Great Rissington is undoubtedly a golden postcode, comfortably within the catchment for the Cotswold Academy, widely regarded as one of the finest state secondary schools in the country. As a much-loved family home for the last fifteen years, Russet House is serendipitously positioned within a fiveminute walk of The Rissington primary school (ranked Outstanding by Ofsted), a pretty country pub (The Lamb Inn), a popular cricket clubhouse and a traditional church, all regular meeting places for this settled and connected community.

“We have really loved the sociable nature of the village, especially when the children were small and could happily walk to friends’ homes or to school, but we have also cherished the ability to disappear back to our hideaway when we needed peace and quiet,” says the current owner. “It’s the perfect balance!”

The property offers a fantastic opportunity to investment buyers as it has great holiday

let potential, due largely to its position within this premium North Cotswold village with Bourton on the Water (approx. 3 miles) and Stow on the Wold (6 miles) both nearby.

Tom Burdett from Character Cottages says “As a sleeps ten property, available to let all year round and on the assumption that there are no restrictions such as ‘no pets’ or ‘no children’, I would expect to achieve a gross rental income per annum of £65,000 to £70,000.”

“An absolutely charming property, ideal for multi-generational use, situated in a golden postcode village and bordering two of the most sought-after destinations in the North Cotswolds, this could easily sleep ten using either the study or the dining room as a ground floor bedroom. As such it would be a great year-round income generator in the most lucrative part of the local holiday let marketplace.”

Offered to the market at £735,000, a sale was agreed in excess of the asking price following the Launch Open Viewing Day. For further information, please contact James von Speyr, Principal Director, at the offices of Fine & Country North Cotswolds on 01451 824977.

COTSWOLD-HOMES.COM

83

THE HOLLOWS, LONG COMPTON

PRICES FROM £750,000

*Only one plot remaining* A brand new five bedroom executive home built to an exceptional standard located on an exclusive development of just five homes.

STAMP DUTY PAID. Entrance Hall | Sitting Room | Study | Kitchen/Breakfast Room | Utility | WC | First Floor: Master Bedroom En-Suite | Two Further Bedrooms | Bathroom | Second Floor: Two Further Bedrooms | Bathroom | Double Garage | Garden | Parking | EPC Rating: C

Fine and Country, Harrison James & Hardie, Moreton in Marsh 01608 653893

NUMBER NINE, STOW ON THE WOLD

£600,000

Occupying a central position within this popular North Cotswold town is Number Nine, a quintessential 18th Century property offering generous accommodation and a host of original character features. Number Nine is currently used as a highly successful guest house but is equally well suited to both main or second home use.

Ground Floor: Entrance Porch | Living Room and Dining Area | Kitchen | Cloakroom | Dining Room | Snug | Cellar | First Floor: Master Bedroom | En-Suite Shower Room | Laundry Area | Cloakroom | Bedroom Two | En-Suite Shower Room | Second Floor: Bedroom Three | En-Suite Bathroom | Third Floor: Bedroom Four | Bathroom | Rear Courtyard Garden | EPC Rating: F Fine and Country, Harrison James & Hardie, Bourton on the Water 01451 824977

Moreton in Marsh | Bourton on the Water | Mayfair | Lettings

STRAWS, TODENHAM

ÂŁ475,000

A substantial period property occupying a central position opposite the village church, the property requires some updating and re configuring and boasts an attractive garden to the rear with stunning open countryside views.

Entrance Hall | Sitting Room | Dining Room | Kitchen | Conservatory | Cellar | Four Bedrooms | Bathroom | Garden | EPC Rating: F

Fine and Country, Harrison James & Hardie, Moreton in Marsh 01608 653893

2 GREYSTONES, COLD ASTON

ÂŁ485,000

2 Greystones is a charming period property part of which originally was a barn, centrally situated within the village and retaining many period features, ideal for use as a second home or holiday let property but substantial enough to be a lovely and eminently desirable family home.

Entrance | Living Room | Kitchen/Breakfast Room | Dining Room | Cloakroom | Master Bedroom with En-Suite | Two Further Bedrooms | Bathroom | Courtyard Garden | Parking | EPC Rating: F

Fine and Country, Harrison James & Hardie, Bourton on the Water 01451 824977

Country Homes from harrison james & hardie

HIGH CLERE, CHIPPING CAMPDEN

£699,950 – SOLD

An architect designed Cotswold stone detached residence occupying an elevated position on the edge of this highly sought after North Cotswold market town.

Entrance hall | Sitting Room | Dining Room | Kitchen/Breakfast Room | Utility Room | WC | Downstairs: Lounge | Two Double Bedrooms | Bathroom | Upstairs: Master Bedroom With En-Suite | Two Further Bedrooms | Bathroom | Garden To Front And Rear | Parking For Several Cars | Garage | EPC Rating: C

Fine and Country, Harrison James & Hardie, Moreton in Marsh 01608 653893

WINDRUSH COTTAGE, NAUNTON

£580,000 – SSTC

Windrush Cottage is a substantial attached barn conversion with a generous amount of living space predominantly arranged on one floor, enjoying the far-reaching views over the Windrush Valley.

Entrance Hall | Sitting Room | Kitchen/Breakfast Room | Cloakroom | Study | Dining Room | Utility Room | Drawing Room | Master Bedroom | En-Suite | Two Further Bedrooms | Bathroom | Shower Room | Garden | Walled Courtyard | Double Garage (with storage above) | Off Road Parking | EPC Rating: D

Fine and Country, Harrison James & Hardie, Bourton on the Water 01451 824977

Moreton in Marsh | Bourton on the Water | Mayfair | Lettings

FARTHINGS, ASTON MAGNA

£549,950 – SSTC

A substantial detached family home occupying an elevated position at the head of a serene cul-de-sac enjoying distant countryside views to the front and attractive gardens to three sides.

Entrance Hall | Sitting/Dining Room | Snug | Kitchen | Utility | W.C | Master Bedroom With En-Suite | Guest Bedroom With En-Suite | Three Further Bedrooms | Bathroom | Double Garage | Garden To Three Sides | Parking | EPC Rating: F

Fine and Country, Harrison James & Hardie, Moreton in Marsh 01608 653893

HAZELWELL, BOURTON ON THE WATER

£500,000 – SOLD

Occupying a secluded and desirable cul-de-sac location on the outskirts of the village, Hazelwell is a mid-century extended chalet bungalow constructed of natural stone under a steep pitch tiled roof of traditional Cotswold vernacular.

Entrance Hall | Sitting Room | Dining Room | Study/Bedroom 2 | Cloakroom | Conservatory | Bedroom 3/Studio | Shower Room | Larder | Attic Room | Garden | Off Road Parking | EPC Rating: E

Fine and Country, Harrison James & Hardie, Bourton on the Water 01451 824977

Country Homes from harrison james & hardie

HOT PROPERTY

SUFFOLK PLACE

88

COTSWOLD HOMES MAGAZINE

SUFFOLK PLACE

This truly exceptional, brand new fivebedroom detached property designed by the quality independent building firm Sherborne Homes, is the shining star of an exclusive development of just six homes, situated on the western fringe of the picturesque Cotswold village of Bourton on the Water.

Beautifully conceived and executed throughout, the property is approached by a private gravelled driveway, leading to delightful landscaped gardens and to a large single garage. High dry-stone walls provide natural privacy, constructed by E & M Joynes, an independent Cotswold company of the Guild of Master Craftsmen.

This attention to quality in the exterior is the first indication of commitment to the interior. There is no doubt that this gorgeous home – the only one of this design on the development – stands proud as an example of great design, character and craftsmanship and stepping through the front door it is simply impossible not to be impressed.

At its heart, with bi-fold doors opening out onto the garden and drenched in natural light, the piece de resistance is an open-plan kitchen / dining / family room. The kitchen itself has been fitted out by MD Harber, a company producing hand-crafted bespoke fitted designs for over thirty-five years, whose owner personally oversees everything from design to installation to ensure the best possible finish.

The ground floor is completed by two more spacious and light reception rooms, with a separate utility and downstairs cloakroom creating the perfect environment for modern families. Upstairs, the finish is similarly exceptional, complete with elegantly modern showers and bathrooms fitted out to the highest specification by Roca.

The large master bedroom is en-suite, fitted with walk-in wardrobes for an abundance of storage space. A second generous double bedroom is also en-suite whilst three more amply proportioned bedrooms are served by a stunning family bathroom.

Tom Burdett, of Character Cottages, says; “With a village that is the most renowned tourist destination in the Cotswolds there is great demand for gorgeous modern properties suiting multi-generational families.

All the bedrooms will all fit double beds, therefore can comfortably accommodate ten adults, as such there is clear potential to achieve £65,000 - £75,000 gross income per annum as a sure-fire successful holiday let proposition.”

Offered for sale by the Bourton on the Water offices of Harrison James & Hardie, for further information or to book a viewing, please contact James von Speyr on 01451 822977.

COTSWOLD-HOMES.COM

89

HOT PROPERTY

Porch Cottage Little Rissington

Porch Cottage, Little Rissington is a charming, semi-detached stone period Cotswold property dating back at least three hundred years, situated at the heart of a small rural hill village within easy reach of Bourton on the Water (2 miles).

With its striking external dovecot, this photogenic cottage would once have been part of the local manor estate and dairy farm. Now in need of general updating and reconfiguration, it has provided a much loved and happy family home over the last fifty years.

The main accommodation within is arranged on two storeys under a pitched stone tiled roof. Situated within an original

90

COTSWOLD HOMES MAGAZINE

PORCH COTTAGE

Situated within an original courtyard and complete with a small row of unconverted rustic barns, today it presents an exciting renovation and development project.

courtyard and complete with a small row of unconverted rustic barns, today it presents an exciting renovation and development project.

The cottage is approached via a private driveway with access to a neighbouring barn conversion. A traditional enclosed concrete farmyard provides ample parking for several vehicles and the possible creation of a private garden.

A large kitchen / family room and a separate sitting room provide the principal living spaces with utility rooms and storeroom / workshop beyond. Upstairs two large double bedrooms are tucked beneath the eaves, together with a family bathroom

and single bedroom / study.

Almost certainly there is an inglenook fireplace, perhaps two, hidden behind a more modern facade just waiting to be discovered, along with much original architecture. As a Grade II listed building, any works must naturally be carried out under the supervision of the appropriate authorities.

Planning permission has been granted for conversion and alterations of the barns, currently consisting of three small single storey fattening pens, a double height bull pen and adjacent store / workshop.

Planning Application Ref: 17/04706/ FUL. For more information, go online at Cotswold District Council.

NB. A separate walled garden with a single garage is accessed by the nearby lane. Only available by separate negotiation and not offered as part of the sale, no doubt this is also potentially suitable for development subject to the appropriate consents.

For further information and to book a time to view, please contact Karen Harrison at the Bourton on the Water offices of Harrison James & Hardie Fine & Country North Cotswolds on 01451 824977.

COTSWOLD-HOMES.COM

91

HOT PROPERTY

THE OLD MANSE

STOW ON THE WOLD Ideally positioned just a few minutes’ walk from the centre of Stow on the Wold, The Old Manse is an individual modern detached property of substance, enjoying a pleasing degree of natural privacy, set back within a generous plot and bordered to the front by dry stone walls.

Approached via a gated gravelled drive with ample off-road parking and benefitting from further vehicular access via Maugersbury Lane to a detached double garage,

92

COTSWOLD HOMES MAGAZINE

the property has been comprehensively modernised by the current owners and is presented in immaculate decorative order throughout.

Elevated on a raised terrace overlooking lawned gardens and surrounded by mature trees, the principal accommodation provides two reception rooms and a large kitchen, with three double bedrooms enjoying pleasing first floor views over rooftops towards open countryside.

THE OLD MANSE

Subject to planning regulations, there is clear opportunity to extend. One could make good use of a capacious roof (already boarded, insulated and lit by a Velux window) and / or create a full-length single or double height extension onto the existing footprint of the terrace.

Equally, the double garage could be converted for ancillary accommodation. As such the property is ideally suited to a wide range of buyers, eminently desirable for a retired couple, as a wonderful family home or a holiday let investment opportunity.

Tom Burdett of Character Cottages says: “Stow on the Wold enjoys worldwide renown as the natural centre of the North Cotswolds, generating reliable year-round income as a must-see tourist destination, provided with a host of attractions within easy reach and an ancient market square full of independent shops, tea rooms, quaint public houses and art galleries.

Offered to the market at £725,000 by Fine & Country North Cotswolds. For further information and to arrange a viewing, please contact James von Speyr, Principal Director, at the Bourton on the Water offices on 01451 824977.

“Currently sleeping six the property would generate an annual gross income in the region of £40,000 or so, but by converting the roof and garage as suggested, given multi-generational family properties provide the most sustainable income that sum could easily be doubled.”

COTSWOLD-HOMES.COM

93

Plot 3, Number 2, £525,000 Suffolk Place, Bourton on the Water

1 Gorse Close, Bourton on the Water

SOLD AS A BUY-TO-LET INVESTMENT AND LET WITHIN THE FIRST WEEK OF MARKETING THROUGH OUR LETTINGS DEPARTMENT

SALE AGREED WITHIN THE FIRST WEEK OF MARKETING

£449,950

The Rissington is a stunning, newly built, 4 bedroom detached house by Sherborne Homes in an exclusive development of just 6 houses.

A four bedroom detached house, requiring some modernisation, situated on a generous plot within walking distance of the High Street and The Cotswold School. No Onward Chain.

Entrance Hall | Cloakroom | Sitting Room | Open Plan Kitchen/Dining Room | Utility Room | Master Bedroom | En-Suite | Three Further Bedrooms | Family Bathroom | Garden | Garage | Off Road Parking | EPC Rating:TBC

Entrance Hall | Cloakroom | Sitting Room | Garden Room | Kitchen | Dining Room | Four Bedrooms | Bathroom | Front and Rear Gardens | Off Road Parking | Garage | EPC Rating: D

Harrison James & Hardie, Bourton on the Water 01451 822 977

Harrison James & Hardie, Bourton on the Water 01451 822 977

12 Bristol Road, Upper Rissington

£395,000

SALE AGREED FOLLOWING UNSUCCESSFUL MARKETING PERIOD WITH AN ONLINE AGENT A well-presented semi-detached five bedroom property situated in the village of Upper Rissington with front and rear garden, driveway parking and garage.

Entrance Hall | Kitchen/Breakfast Room | Sitting Room | Dining Room | Generous Conservatory | Four First Floor Bedrooms | Bath and Shower Room | Cloakroom | Second Floor Master Suite | En-Suite Shower Room | Front Garden | Driveway | Garage | Rear Garden | EPC Rating: E

Harrison James & Hardie, Bourton on the Water 01451 822 977

harrisonjameshardie.co.uk

88 Lamberts Field, Bourton on the Water

£375,000

SALE AGREED AT FULL ASKING PRICE A well-presented, recently extended, four bedroom detached house situated in a pleasant and sought after location.

Entrance Hall | Cloakroom | Utility | Sitting Room | Kitchen/Breakfast Room | Study/TV/Music Room | Boot Room | Store | Three First Floor Bedrooms | Bathroom | Second Floor Bedroom And Shower Room | Garden | Parking | EPC Rating: D

Harrison James & Hardie, Bourton on the Water 01451 822 977

Bourton on the Water | Moreton in Marsh | Mayfair | Lettings

8 Enoch’s Row, Stow on the Wold

£325,000

SALE AGREED FOLLOWING BEST AND FINAL BIDS FOLLOWING A SUCCESSFUL VIEWINGS LAUNCH DAY A beautiful Cotswold stone cottage, full of character and charm, which has been much improved by the current owners.The cottage is tucked away but within walking distance of the town centre making it ideal as a second home or holiday let.The property is offered For Sale with No Onward Chain.

Sitting Room | Kitchen | Bathroom | Master Bedroom with En-Suite W.C. | Further Bedroom | Rear Garden | EPC Rating: E

Harrison James & Hardie, Bourton on the Water 01451 822 977

9 Wright Road, Upper Rissington

£299,950

SALE AGREED AT FULL ASKING PRICE ON THE FIRST VIEWING A three bedroom semi-detached property situated on a no-through road within the popular Bourton Chase development.The property offers great living space and also benefits from a garage and further driveway parking.

Entrance Hall | Sitting Room | Kitchen/Breakfast Room | Utility Area Cloakroom | Master Bedroom | En-Suite | Two Further Bedrooms Bathroom | Garden | Garage | Off Road Parking | EPC Rating: B

Harrison James & Hardie, Bourton on the Water 01451 822 977

£265,000

SALE AGREED WITHIN FIRST WEEK OF MARKETING FOLLOWING UNSUCCESSFUL MARKETING WITH ANOTHER AGENT

15 The Park, Stow on the Wold

OIEO £250,000

SOLD IN EXCESS OF ASKING PRICE A Cotswold stone three bedroom property occupying a tucked away yet central position within the town and requiring some updating.The property benefits from a well-proportioned garden to the rear and a driveway providing off road parking. No Onward Chain.

An extended three bedroom semi-detached property with off road parking for several vehicles in the sought after village of Upper Rissington. Available with No Onward Chain.

Entrance Porch | Entrance Hall | Sitting Room/Dining Room | Kitchen/Breakfast Room | Three Bedrooms | Bathroom | WC | Garden to Rear | Off Road Parking | EPC Rating: C

Harrison James & Hardie, Bourton on the Water 01451 822 977

3 Woodpecker Close, Bourton on the Water

Entrance Hall | Sitting Room | Kitchen | Dining Room | Three Bedrooms | Bathroom | WC | Workshop | Gardens to Front and Rear | Off Road Parking | EPC Rating: D

Harrison James & Hardie, Bourton on the Water 01451 822 977

view all our properties at harrisonjameshardie.co.uk

The Hollows, Long Compton

£750,000

The Bull Pen, Ditchford on Fosse

£525,000

SOLD ONE PLOT ON OPEN DAY AND ONE OFF-PLAN

SOLD ON OPEN DAY

A brand new five bedroom executive home built to an exceptional standard located on an exclusive development of just five homes.

A beautifully presented barn conversion situated within a courtyard development boasting well-proportioned and characterful accommodation.

The property is accessed via a driveway with electric gates and enjoys a low maintenance courtyard garden and open fronted double carport.

Entrance Hall | Sitting Room | Study | Kitchen/Breakfast Room | Utility | WC | First Floor: Master Bedroom En-Suite | Two Further Bedrooms | Bathroom | Second Floor:Two Further Bedrooms | Bathroom | Double Garage | Garden | Parking | EPC Rating: C

Harrison James & Hardie, Moreton in Marsh 01608 651000

Red Lion Cottage, Blockley

Entrance Hal | Kitchen/Breakfast Room | Sitting Room | Dining Room | Ground Floor Bedroom | WC | Guest Bedroom | En-Suite | Bedroom Four/Study | En-Suite Shower Room | Master Bedroom | Dressing Room | En-Suite | Courtyard Garden | Double Carport | EPC Rating: D

Harrison James & Hardie, Moreton in Marsh 01608 651000

£385,000

36 Blenheim Way, Moreton in Marsh

£355,000

SOLD ON OPEN DAY, MULTIPLE OFFERS

SOLD ON ONE-OFF VIEWING

A beautifully presented Grade II Listed cottage situated at the highly sought after Dovedale End of Blockley High Street.This double fronted period property has undergone much improvement in recent years, it boasts an abundance of character and charm and currently runs as an extremely successful holiday let.

An immaculately presented four bedroom property situated on a much sought after development on the Northern edge of Moreton in Marsh.

Kitchen | Sitting Room/Dining Room | Two Bedrooms | Courtyard Garden | EPC Rating: Exempt

Harrison James & Hardie, Moreton in Marsh 01608 651000

harrisonjameshardie.co.uk

Entrance Hall | WC | Kitchen | Living Room | Master Bedroom | En-Suite | Three Further Bedrooms | Bathroom | Rear Garden | Single Garage | Off Road Parking | EPC Rating: D

Harrison James & Hardie, Moreton in Marsh 01608 651000

Moreton in Marsh | Bourton on the Water | Mayfair | Lettings

2 The Beeches, Moreton in Marsh

£350,000

21 Wellington Road, Moreton in Marsh

£280,000

SOLD WITH MULTIPLE OFFERS

SOLD ON FIRST VIEWING

A beautifully-presented three bedroom semi-detached house situated on the edge of town.

A substantially extended semi-detached family home with a detached garage located on the edge of this popular North Cotswold market town.

Entrance Hall | Kitchen | Sitting Room | Dining Area | Master Bedroom | En-Suite Shower Room | Two Further Bedrooms | Bathroom | Garage | Rear Garden | Communal Courtyard | Parking | EPC Rating: C

Entrance Hall | Sitting Room | Dining Room | Kitchen | Conservatory | Bathroom | Utility Room | Three Bedrooms | Shower Room | Attic Room | Detached Garage with Work Shop and Room Above | Garden to Front and Rear | Off Road Parking | EPC Rating: E

Harrison James & Hardie, Moreton in Marsh 01608 651000

Harrison James & Hardie, Moreton in Marsh 01608 651000

132 Fosseway Avenue, Moreton in Marsh

£275,000

Plot at 40 Park Road, Blockley

£130,000

SOLD ON OPEN DAY, MULTIPLE OFFERS

SOLD WITH MULTIPLE OFFERS

A rare opportunity to purchase an extended three bedroom home within walking distance of the town centre and requiring complete modernisation.

The property offers scope for further extension (subject to the necessary planning consents) with precedent having been set on other similar homes in the area.

A rare opportunity to purchase a building plot with full planning permission to construct a two double bedroom cottage with stunning countryside views in a highly sought after North Cotswold village.

Entrance Hall | Sitting Room | Kitchen/Breakfast Room | Bathroom | Three Bedrooms | Garage | Garden to Front and Rear | Parking | EPC Rating: C

Harrison James & Hardie, Moreton in Marsh 01608 651000

Harrison James & Hardie, Moreton in Marsh 01608 651000

view all our properties at harrisonjameshardie.co.uk

ASK THE EXPERTS

Talking shop Forget ‘location, location, location’, it’s communication that counts! have been an estate agent for well over twenty years and during that time I have worked in different agency environments, from the Cheltenham office where I was first trained (properly, at length) to owning my own independent business (selling up in 2006 to a local developer who wanted to cut out the middle man). It’s been a steep learning curve.

I have worked for different styles and sizes, from a sole practice on a shoestring to a huge corporate with different brands operating in separate sectors of the same marketplace, first in Chipping Campden and more recently in Broadway, and I have seen many ways of doing things - not all of them properly or well!

Martin Frost is the new Branch Manager at the Moreton in Marsh office of Harrison James & Hardie Fine & Country North Cotswolds. With many years’ experience and detailed local knowledge particularly in the upper quartile sector of the North Cotswold marketplace, should you wish to talk to Martin about selling your property, please telephone him directly on 01608 653893 or email martin@harrisonjameshardie.co.uk

I have watched my industry change beyond recognition. There was a time, ah I remember it well, when we stuck photos to typed details and then stapled. BluTac and Post-It notes everywhere. We faxed for speed.

We had stamp glue tongue. When the only tools I had but the post box were my hot list, a pen and a phone.

Computers? Internet? Que? My phone started ringing on a Thursday (when the Journal and Echo came out) and every Saturday there was a literal queue of people waiting to register. We flew from house to house, trying to fit in as many viewings as we could. Half the agents still closed at lunchtime, greeted by a redoubtable elderly lady with a wicked typing speed called Joy who was anything but.

There was a time when if you were good, really good at getting back to people, at picking up the phone, understanding

98

COTSWOLD HOMES MAGAZINE

needs not wants, energetic and passionate, communicating with your applicants by phone as soon as the right property came in – in those days when they couldn’t possibly know about it unless you told them and they really wanted to be your best friend for as long as it took - you were literally the best thing since sliced bread.

Like a family doctor or your local bank manager, ah those were the days. Someone who people needed in their lives, who in return knew the names of your children and had a drink with you after work. Companies that commanded loyalty, adroitly steering their clients through every transaction from the purchase of their first new home to that final bungalow. And you were sad when they were gone. People mattered.

I had forgotten, almost, that this world ever existed. We all got lazy. Even though I worked for really reputable companies, household names that held sway across the country, the internet had taken pride of place. And just when I had almost fallen out of love with this cold new world, booking viewings via Rightmove and putting forward offers by e-mail, I came to work for Harrison James & Hardie.

It is so refreshing to be back in the good old days. So surprising. Here, phones are for dialling out on. Here, when someone rings for a market appraisal there’s a buzz of chatter about which applicant is most likely to buy.

A place where, after hours of phone-outs, the Launch Day scores double-figure viewings and multiple offers are expected on a Monday.

I like this old new world. It’s fun again.

Think I will stay.

ASK THE EXPERTS

Trying to find your dream home?

Then go back to basics!

“We are desperate to find. We’re signed up for new instruction updates on Rightmove and all the other property platforms but we still keep missing out!”

only to find out that it has already gone under offer, or driving by one of our Sold boards and wondering why they haven’t seen their dream house online.

The answer is very simple - that even in this day and age you cannot rely solely on the internet to do all the work for you. There is no substitute for good old-fashioned conversation. Go back to basics and actually make proper contact with the agents in the places you are looking - after all who else knows the local area, properties and marketplace like we do?

Amy Nicholson MNAEA can be found at the Moreton in Marsh offices of Harrison James & Hardie, Fine & Country North Cotswolds.

To discuss your search requirements / register your details simply telephone 01608 651000 or 01451 822977 or e-mail Amy directly: amys@harrisonjameshardie.co.uk

have worked for Harrison James & Hardie since 2003 as a sales negotiator but six years ago I had a career break to bring up my little boy.

When he started school I came back thinking it would be the same job. I couldn’t believe things were so different and couldn’t understand why purchasers, once so eager to hear from me, were now so resistant to the thought of engaging with an actual person!

Of course I agree all these platforms are valuable search tools. However, we have so many disappointed buyers calling or emailing us immediately after a property goes online

Most of our sales come from being proactive, contacting buyers daily, keeping them up to date with what is about to come on the market. Many people assume an estate agent’s job is easy, imagining we just list a property on Rightmove then sit back and wait for the phone to ring.

Far from it - we work extremely hard to help our clients and customers achieve their dream home.

We even have a selection of ‘under the radar’ or ‘bottom drawer’ properties, vendors who do not want to go online or come to the open market, without any details to hand out or email, without a board, without the internet, selling as we always have done simply by talking to the perfect buyers.

The best way to contact us is face to face, so we can sit down with you and take time to have a detailed discussion about what you are looking for. Show us you are a motivated buyer and how serious you are about your intent and ability to move. If you are local then keep calling into the office on a regular basis, make us remember you, so that when that perfect property comes up you will be the first person we call. Make us your new best friend!

If you are desperate to find, instead of dismissing a property online as if Rightmove

were Tinder, swiping on the strength of an online photo, why not trust us by registering properly and giving us an hour or two of your time to arrange a run of viewings? It’s the only way to really help you. The thing is, you may think you know what you’re looking for but countless times it’s the curve ball that will actually excite you to buy.

We will put forward propositions that don’t always adhere to your wish list but meet all your needs. That’s the difference between a computer and a person when matching the right purchaser to the property - we understand the difference between needs and wants and how a location, a view or even ‘the right vibe’ will make you feel differently about something you would have otherwise dismissed.

If you are a motivated buyer in a great position, if we know your exact requirements and if we believe our new instruction fits the bill, then we will call you even before we have sent out the photographer or uploaded a new instruction to the internet. Just trust us. There’s every chance it might be The One. Remember too, even if it isn’t right, to give us your detailed feedback. Not only do we need to provide vendors with detailed honest updates, to secure price changes for example, but it also helps to understand and adjust your search criteria to precisely what you need, and your responses will also give us confidence that you are fully committed to the search, worth all our efforts and energy.

If we don’t have the right house on our books, don’t despair - we can find it. We will happily approach potential vendors whose properties we have been out to in the last couple of years but who haven’t yet made a decision to move, to see if we can tempt your dream home onto the market for you!

COTSWOLD-HOMES.COM

99

ASK THE EXPERTS

Lengthening the Lease I own a flat that I am trying to sell and am being told that my lease is too short and is unacceptable to the buyer. Can you please let me know what my options might be? here are essentially two options for extending your lease as part of the sale of your property.

Firstly by mutually agreeing the additional term of years, the proposed premium and any future ground rent with the landlord directly.

How do I find out what I should pay for the lease extension?

In order to ensure you are both achieving a reasonable extension to the number of years left on the lease and also a fair premium for those years, it is imperative that you take the advice of a surveyor who can outline what would deemed to be “market value” in terms of cost for the increase in the term.

Nick Fancourt started with Thomas Legal in 2010 as a legal assistant. After qualifying in 2013, Nick has worked his way up to become a Director of the business. He specialises in the London property market and in particular, leasehold transactions, lease extensions, SPV work and high value residential matters. In his spare time Nick likes to keep fit and he recently completed a half marathon in 1:42:00 followed by the London Marathon in 4:07:01.

Nick’s other hobbies include travelling the world and his love for animals. www.thomaslegalgroup.co.uk

Once you have your numbers and have reached an agreement with the landlord, you should instruct your solicitor so that they can make contact with the landlord’s solicitor to agree the form of the new lease.

Can this be done during the sale of my property?

If you are selling the property then the sale will need to move in line with this work and you will either have to fund the premium and legal fees for the work ahead of the sale, if affordable. If not, the lease can complete on the same day as the sale of the property and if you have sufficient equity in the property, pay for the lease extension from the proceeds of sale. Of course, extending the lease as part of the transaction should mean you can achieve a better selling price in any event but you should carefully work out whether you can afford to extend the lease, prior to commencing any legal work.

What if the landlord won’t negotiate with me to extend the lease?

The second method of extending your lease involves utilising the statutory method set out in the Leasehold Reform Housing and Urban Development Act 1993. Provided you have

owned the property for a clear 2 years from the date of registration of the property in your name, you are entitled to extend your lease by 90 years on top of the existing term and also to reduce the ground rent to a “peppercorn”. As with negotiating the premium for the extension with the landlord directly, you will need to take early advice from a surveyor as to the likely cost of extending the lease by 90 years. This sum will then be entered into the notice to be served on the landlord.

What if the landlord doesn’t respond?

Assuming the notice is served correctly, the landlord has 2 months from the date of the notice to accept the premium proposed or to serve a counter notice on your solicitor, stating the premium they require. In most cases the landlord will respond requiring a higher premium. In this instance, the surveyors will need to then negotiate and try to agree the premium for the new lease within a 6 month window. If the landlord doesn’t respond then the premium you have proposed would be binding on the landlord. If after receiving a counter notice the premium cannot be agreed within the statutory time period, you would need to apply to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal for a determination on what should be paid for the lease. Applying to the Tribunal would of course lead to additional legal costs and surveyor’s costs being incurred.

It seems like this method might delay my sale?

The statutory process does take more time than a mutually agreed lease extension.

However, once served, you can pass the benefit of the notice served on the landlord to the buyer as part of the sale by through a deed of assignment entered into on completion. The buyer can then carry on the process and take the benefit of your claim to a new lease after completion has taken place, allowing you to complete the sale without unnecessary delays.

COTSWOLD-HOMES.COM

101

ASK THE EXPERTS

OTAs or Holiday Letting Agency Horses for Courses?

“I am new to holiday letting. Should I use a professional holiday letting agency, or market the property myself on Airbnb?”

Tom Burdett is Managing Director of Character Cottages, an independent company specialising in the holiday letting of luxury properties in the Cotswolds. To find out more about their services visit www.character-cottages.co.uk, email letmycottage@charactercottages.co.uk or telephone 020 8935 5375.

fter a long career with Harrison James & Hardie I have recently made the move to Character Cottages, the luxury Cotswold holiday letting agency, where I immediately found my old ways of thinking challenged, forcing me to reconsider long-standing assumptions.

Also, most individual owners do not have access to complex software allowing them to market on multiple online platforms whist maintaining an instant book status on each, which is essential when ensuring a property appears in the top tier of the OTA search results.

Since joining Character Cottages and learning about their sophisticated variable pricing algorithms, flexible bookings slots, responsive data analysis and Channel Manager software (more on these later) I soon learned that it isn’t a case of “horses for courses” when it comes to deciding between online travel agents (OTA) and a professional holiday letting agency.

Decide to list with Character Cottages, and you get the best of both. As well as using our well-established and trusted brand, loyal customer base, local knowledge and broader online marketing channel expertise, Character Cottages have an arsenal of tools, including using OTAs, that work constantly behind the scenes to ensure unrivalled return on investment.

When referring to an ‘online travel agent’ we’re talking about web-based businesses such as Airbnb, Expedia (which includes HomeAway) and TripAdvisor. These online platforms allow cottage owners to target the large audiences that these global businesses attract, taking bookings directly for a commission.

A dynamic pricing algorithm and flexible booking software means that awkward slots are filled, whilst our self-developed slotbased pricing structure ensures orphaned unsellable dates are always monetised. And our integrated ‘Channel Manager’ software is key to achieving instant booking status on all platforms, with 35% of all of our bookings being generated on the OTAs. Working together, this agile marketing strategy can generate an extra 20-30% in otherwise lost revenue.

However, with the benefits of volume that these global platforms attract there does come the drawbacks of unpredictability, inflexibility and high levels of competition.

Plus, featuring high in OTA search results, avoiding penalties and managing bookings across several OTAs comes with its own challenges.

Regardless of how new you are to holiday letting, there’s no reason why you can’t make a serious business out of your beloved property from Day One.

I meet many owners using OTAs who settle for, and often celebrate, a result that is far below their property’s full potential. Selling premium dates throughout the year whilst leaving unsellable and unmonetised booking slots is a common mistake, for example.

COTSWOLD-HOMES.COM

103

Lettings

Old Mill Barn, Upper Swell

£1,750pcm

Plot 1, Number 1, £1,695pcm Suffolk Place, Bourton on the Water

TAKEN FROM ANOTHER AGENT AND LET AGREED

LET AGREED ON FIRST VIEWING

A charming detached barn conversion positioned in a lovely village location with spacious and flexible accommodation.The property benefits from a refurbished kitchen, new bathroom suites and new carpet throughout.

A stunning, newly built, 4 bedroom detached house by Sherborne Homes in an exclusive development of just 6 houses.

Entrance Hall | Study | Cloakroom | Kitchen/Dining Room | Sitting Room | Master Bedroom | En-Suite Bathroom | Two Further Bedrooms | Family Bathroom | Pretty Rear Garden | Double Garage | Off Road Parking | EPC Rating: E

Entrance Hall | Study | Cloakroom | Kitchen/Dining/Family Room | Sitting Room | Master Bedroom | En-Suite Bathroom | Bedroom Two | Two Further Bedrooms | Family Bathroom | Front and Rear Garden | Garage and Off Road Parking | EPC Rating: B

Harrison James & Hardie, Bourton on the Water 01451 822 977

Harrison James & Hardie, Bourton on the Water 01451 822 977

36 Summers Way, £1,595pcm Moreton Park, Moreton in Marsh

Plot 3, Number 2, £1,495pcm Suffolk Place, Bourton on the Water

LET AGREED ON FIRST VIEWING

LET AGREED ON FIRST VIEWING

A well-presented detached five bedroom family home located on Moreton Park arranged over three floors.

2 Suffolk Place is a stunning, newly built, four bedroom detached house by Sherborne Homes in an exclusive development of just six hous

Entrance Hall | Study | Sitting Room | Cloakroom | Kitchen/Diner | Utility Room | Five Double Bedrooms | Three Bath/Shower Rooms | Double Garage | Off Road Parking | Rear Garden | Off Road Parking | EPC Rating: B

Entrance Hall | Cloakroom | Kitchen/Dining/Family Room | Sitting Room | Master Bedroom | En-Suite Bathroom | Three Further Bedrooms | Family Bathroom | Rear Garden | Garage and Off Road Parking | EPC Rating: B

Harrison James & Hardie , Moreton in Marsh 01608 653896

Harrison James & Hardie, Bourton on the Water 01451 822 977

harrisonjameshardie.co.uk

Bourton on the Water | Moreton in Marsh | Mayfair | Lettings

Lettings

The Coach House, Bourton on the Water

£1,350pcm

36 Blenheim Way, Moreton in Marsh

£1,295pcm

LET AGREED ON FIRST VIEWING

LET AGREED ON FIRST VIEWING

A beautifully renovated Grade II listed furnished property located in the heart of the village and in the catchment area for The Cotswold School.The two bedroom townhouse has been renovated to an exceptional standard providing a wealth of character features combined with high-class living accommodation, situated close to amenities.

A well-presented four bedroom property situated on a much sought after development on the Northern edge of Moreton in Marsh.

Entrance Hall | WC | Kitchen | Living Room leading | Master Bedroom | En-Suite | Three Further Bedrooms | Family Bathroom | Rear Garden | Single Garage | Off Road Parking | EPC Rating: C

Kitchen/Dining Room | Sitting Room with Log Burner | Cloakroom | Two Double Bedrooms with En-suite | Rear Garden | Off Road Parking | EPC Rating: D

Harrison James & Hardie, Bourton on the Water 01451 822 977

Box Tree Cottage, Hidcote Boyce

Harrison James & Hardie, Moreton in Marsh 01608 653896

£895pcm

Home Farm Cottage, Chastleton

£895pcm

LET AGREED ON VIEWINGS LAUNCH DAY

LET AGREED ON FIRST VIEWING

A delightful period cottage occupying a tucked away position within this quintessential Cotswold village. Ideal for a professional person or couple looking for solace from the busy town, every day life.Well presented accommodation with having quality furnishings.

Home Farm Cottage is set within the heart of the rural village of Chastleton, enjoying views over adjacent countryside.

Entrance | Sitting Room | Kitchen | Master Bedroom | Bathroom | Second Floor Bedroom | Garden with Summer House | EPC Rating: exempt

Harrison James & Hardie, Moreton in Marsh 01608 653896

Sitting Room | Kitchen | Orangery | Ground Floor Bath/Shower Room | Two Double Bedrooms | WC | Study Area | Garden with Shed | EPC Rating: exempt

Harrison James & Hardie, Moreton in Marsh 01608 653896

view all our properties at harrisonjameshardie.co.uk

ASK THE EXPERTS

Changing Circumstances We are a family who recently moved to a bigger home, taking out a larger mortgage. We are feeling concerned as to how we would keep up our mortgage payments if one of us became ill or unemployed.

What should we be considering? s well as finding a mortgage to buy your new home, our job is to make sure you can afford to keep it should the worst happen. Lifechanging events happen to people every day.

Perhaps they receive a critical illness diagnosis or have an accident that turns their life upside down.

With children, have you thought about what might happen if the main breadwinner in your family were to become ill or unemployed or even die tragically young?

It is vital to protect you and your family to be able to continue living in the home you’ve just bought. Just having a little extra protection in place will give you choices that could make all the difference.

Ellen Roome runs a team of very experienced advisers at The Finance Roome Ltd. They have a wealth of knowledge in dealing with complex financial situations with regards to mortgages and all types of insurance. Call 0203 588 3353 or visit www.thefinanceroome.co.uk

The money you’d receive in the event of a claim could help to maintain your standard of living while you’re ill, and perhaps help pay the bills while you recover. It could perhaps help to pay for private medical care, or to see a consultant who specialises in your condition.

It might even help to pay for modifications to your home, if that’s what you need.

We can use our expertise and experience to tailor a package for you that exactly suits your needs and your budget. We can help you to obtain peace of mind so that you can enjoy the here and now.

By far the easiest way to show you what to expect is to give an example of what options are available for a typical couple with a child and what levels of cover are provided.

E.g.: Mr and Mrs Parry, both in their early 40s, have a 10-year-old daughter. Both currently

work full time, Mrs Parry earns £45,000 and Mr Parry £35,000 respectively per annum with a monthly mortgage payment of £875.

Average statistics show a 70% chance of either being off work for two months or more as a result of illness. For £22.01 and £19.76 respectively per month, Income Protection would cover their income should this ever happen.

The chance of suffering from a serious illness or death is currently set at 34%. The Parrys could consider Decreasing Life Insurance with Critical Illness Cover to protect against this possibility. Costing £86.46 per month, this level of cover would repay their mortgage on the early diagnosis of a critical illness or death.

On the death of either, they could just repay their mortgage balance for £17pm. However utility bills, food and childcare costs are often overlooked when planning for future security and these are usually far larger sums each month.

The Parrys could take out Family Income Benefit for £20.86 per month which would provide £2,000 monthly to cover these essential costs, allowing breathing space and freedom from worry at the worst possible time.

Using this example, £150 per month (less than £40 per week) might be all it would cost to fully protect your own family against illness and loss of income - whether for a short time span, long term or in case the worst does happen, taking out insurance seems sensible does it not?

We have had many clients where such protection has proved invaluable in times of distress. Please do make time for a chat with an expert – it would certainly be time well spent.

COTSWOLD-HOMES.COM

107

Cranford, Bourton on the Water

£649,950

8 Smith Barry Road, Upper Rissington

£599,950

A detached home located within walking distance of the village centre.

Cranford has been lovingly extended by the current owners to provide a beautifully presented family home offering flexible living accommodation.The property benefits from further planning permission to extend - Cotswold District Council reference - 11/01393/FUL

A well-proportioned detached family home boasting a good sized plot and open aspect to the front overlooking the park.The property is situated within a short walk of the ‘Outstanding’ Rissington Primary School and is also within the catchment area of The Cotswold School, which is also rated as ‘Outstanding’.

Entrance Hall | Sitting Room | Kitchen | Office/Snug | Family/Dining/Living Room | Conservatory | Cloakroom | Utility Room | Master Bedroom | En-Suite | Four Further Bedrooms | Family Bathroom | Rear Garden | Garage | Off Road Parking | EPC Rating: C

Entrance Hall | Sitting Room | Dining Room | Study | Kitchen/Breakfast Room Utility Area | Cloakroom | Master Bedroom | En-Suite Bathroom Three Further Bedrooms | Shower Room | Rear Garden | Double Garage Driveway Providing Parking for Several Vehicles | EPC Rating: C

Harrison James & Hardie, Bourton on the Water 01451 822 977

Harrison James & Hardie, Bourton on the Water 01451 822 977

Rosemary Cottage, Naunton

£535,000

Tucked away in the heart of this picturesque North Cotswolds village is Rosemary Cottage - a quintessential stone-built cottage, beautifully presented with an abundance of character and charm.

Reception Hall | Sitting Room | Kitchen/Dining Room | Shower Room | Study Area | Utility | Three Double Bedrooms | Bathroom | Garden | EPC Rating: D

Harrison James & Hardie, Bourton on the Water 01451 822 977

harrisonjameshardie.co.uk

Fosse View, Bourton on the Water

£499,995

DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL

Situated on the edge of the renowned village of Bourton on the Water, this detached modern chalet bungalow enjoys a beautiful pastoral outlook over the shallow River Windrush. Fosse View offers potential to develop, subject to the necessary planning consents.

Entrance Hall | Sitting Room | Kitchen/Breakfast Room | Dining Room | Bedroom | Bathroom | Two First Floor Bedrooms | Garden to Rear | Off Road Parking for Several Vehicles | EPC Rating: E

Harrison James & Hardie, Bourton on the Water 01451 822 977

Bourton on the Water | Moreton in Marsh | Mayfair | Lettings

18 Summers Way, Moreton in Marsh

£450,000

A beautifully presented four bedroom detached home, with stylish and wellproportioned accommodation arranged over two floors.

Entrance | Sitting Room | Kitchen/Dining Room | Master Bedroom En-Suite | Three Further Double Bedrooms | Bathroom | Garden | Garage | Parking | EPC Rating: B

An elegant and spacious Edwardian villa which has been much improved by the current owners and is situated within walking distance of the town centre and mainline train station.

Harrison James & Hardie, Moreton in Marsh 01608 651000

OIEO £330,000

A beautifully presented two bedroom period cottage with views in a sought after Cotswold village. Forming part of a row of individually styled workers’ cottages with distinctive arched windows the cottage has been recently refurbished to an exceptionally high standard and is ideal for those looking for a main home, second home or a holiday cottage for investment purposes.

Sitting Room With Wood-Burning Stove | Kitchen | First Floor There Are Two Double Bedrooms | Bathroom | Garden With Side Pedestrian Access | No Onward Chain | EPC Rating: E

Harrison James & Hardie, Moreton in Marsh 01608 651000

£399,950

Entrance Hall | Two Reception Rooms | Kitchen/Breakfast Room | Utility Room | Ground Floor Bathroom | Three First Floor Bedrooms (Two Doubles) | Family Bathroom | Second Floor Double Bedroom | En-Suite Shower Room | Enclosed Rear Courtyard | Enclosed Rear Garden | Off Road Parking | No Onward Chain | EPC Rating: E

Harrison James & Hardie, Moreton in Marsh 01608 651000

11 Park Road, Blockley

3 Mitford Villas, Moreton in Marsh

Hillmorton, Bourton on the Hill

£275,000

A charming two bedroom Cotswold stone cottage in the popular village of Bourton on the Hill.The accommodation, which is arranged over three floors, boasts a wealth of period features.

Sitting Room | Open Plan Kitchen | First Floor Double Bedroom | Bathroom | Further Double Bedroom | Shared Courtyard | Stone Built Garden Store | Rear Garden (separate from the cottage) | Detached Single Garage | Communal Parking Area | EPC Rating: E

Harrison James & Hardie, Moreton in Marsh 01608 651 000

view all our properties at harrisonjameshardie.co.uk

ASK THE EXPERTS

Seasonal Stress: Resisting the Effects of Extreme Weather The last winter was freezing, and the summer that followed was hotter than ever. Should I worry about the property damage these successive extremes can cause?

t has been interesting to see the effect the recent very hot dry weather has had on some of our local buildings. Roofs have become slightly dished, walls have cracked, window frames have shrunk in their openings, plastic gutters have crept…are these going to cause problems next winter? Even worse, has the very hot summer following almost on the heels of an extremely cold snap caused irreparable damage to buildings?

Briefly, the answer is no. These weather extremes are a small incident in the life of a building already two hundred or more years old – think back to 1976, when the drought was worse than we have just experienced. However, good maintenance is the key to preventing quirks from becoming problems.

Central Surveying has offices in the Cotswolds and Knightsbridge, specialising in independent professional surveying and property consultancy services for commercial and residential clients in the Cotswolds, South West and London. Robert Hamilton works from Naunton in the heart of the North Cotswolds. To contact Robert, telephone 01285 640 840 or visit www.centralsurveying.co.uk

Dishing of roofs happens because the underlying wooden rafters have shrunk from drying out of their normal level of humidity.

They will recover to some extent when the wet weather comes. However, there is a risk that this will cause the fixings of the stone slates, tiles or slates to loosen and so pre-winter input is strongly advised to repair. Lead or copper ‘tingles’ are a cheap and easy remedy to strap slates and tiles back into place and will hold for some twenty years when applied correctly.

Cracking to walls is likely to close up again when the stone or soil regains its natural water content, but re-pointing may be necessary to replace damaged mortar which can otherwise become an access for penetrating dampness.

Remember to match your mortar for both colour and lime content, as modern cement mortars can cause damage to limestone. More

severe cracks in door or window lintels can be the result of ground shrinkage and/or constant sunshine and may require more drastic work such as replacement.

Wooden window frames may also have shrunk like the wooden rafters, or the fixings may have become warped. Again, filling around the frames with plastic wood or similar, or if there are distinct draughts consider secondary glazing which is permitted in Listed buildings and is highly effective as an insulation method.

Plastic gutters will expand and contract under the influence of heat and cold and will also become brittle. Joints will slip and weed growth will flourish when all else is dried out! An inexpensive remedy is to readjust and to add a small brass or stainless steel screw to secure the gutter channel to the supporting clip. In this country, the majority of builders use supporting brackets/clips at one-metre intervals, whereas in several European countries such as France, Germany and Switzerland the brackets are at half-metre intervals with additional support either side of joints in the channel.

Ideally, I recommend that plastic guttering is replaced with more durable materials such as aluminium, which is acceptable for Listed buildings, or copper.

Whoever would think that we should be grateful for our normal temperate and damp climate!

COTSWOLD-HOMES.COM

111