Cotswold Homes Spring 2019 Edition

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

SPRING 2019 COMPLIMENTARY COPY

The Favourite Interview with Award-Winning Screenwriter Deborah Davis Katie Fforde Bestselling Novellist Pamela Kay Painter of Distinction Cotswold Calendar Our Pick of Spring Events Competitions The Royal Shakespeare Company, Andoversford Races, The Cotswold Farm Park & More Hot Property Beautiful Homes, Expert Advice

CONTENTS

A Spring in theStep

Contents

Spring has sprung again, and it’s time for another brand-new issue of Cotswold Homes Magazine. And this Spring has been a happy one for us, as we’ve had the privilege of bringing you interviews with two exceptionally creative and successful women.

Win tickets to the races, the theatre - and much more

Screenwriter Deborah Davis has spent the last few months at awards ceremonies - the Oscars, the Baftas, the Golden Globes - and rightly so, because her film The Favourite is the funniest, freshest and downright rudest film we’ve seen in absolutely ages. Deborah very kindly took time out of her hectic schedule to tell us all about the twenty-year journey of her screenplay to the big screen.

04 Competitions

08 Interview with Screenwriter

Deborah Davis

Deborah on the power triangle at the heart of The Favourite

16 Interview with Author

Katie Fforde

Author Katie Fforde needs very little introduction - her bestselling novels are a mainstay in bookshops around the world. Katie discusses her latest hit, A Rose Petal Summer, in our interview. (Don’t forget to look at our competition section, where you can win a copy of said book.)

Katie on what makes a compelling character

Art lovers will have a lot to enjoy this issue. From our brilliant cover (courtesy of painter Lucy Pratt) to our interview with artist Pamela Kay and our preview of the fantastic Fresh: Art Fair (taking place at Cheltenham Racecourse 26-28 April 2019), we’ve brought you all the colour and energy the season is known for.

Pamela on painting and the joy of Cotswold gardens

We’re also showcasing some very special competition prizes this issue - starting with The Royal Shakespeare Company’s generous offer of tickets to The Taming of the Shrew and a stay at The Arden Hotel. You can win tickets to Adam Henson’s Cotswold Farm Park, a home baking party - and much more. Just turn the page and see what’s in store.

As always, you’ve got our selection of top seasonal events, and the pick of the North Cotswold property market to savour. So go on, get reading - and we’ll see you in the Summer!

Cover Artist Cover image: Making Merry by artist Lucy Pratt. Visit Lucy’s exhibition Under the big blue canopy at the Fosse Gallery, Stow on the Wold (5 - 25 May 2019). For more information on Lucy and her work, please visit www.lucypratt.com and www.fossegallery.com

18 Artist Pamela Kay

36 Andoversford Races

Your guide to a quintessential Cotswold day out

50 Events

Browse our handpicked seasonal highlights

62 Hot Property

Presenting the best of the market

Cotswold Homes Magazine Our next edition, Summer 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: admin@cotswold-homes.com

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

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COMPETITIONS

SENSATIONAL SPRINGTIME COMPETITIONS ONLY WITH COTSWOLD HOMES WIN TICKETS TO THE THEATRE, THE RACES, ADAM HENSON’S COTSWOLD FARM PARK - AND MUCH, MUCH MORE IN OUR SPRING GIVEAWAY EXTRAVAGANZA

WIN! A Pair of Tickets to see The Taming of the Shrew at the RSC’s Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, PLUS a pre-show meal for two at the Rooftop Restaurant and an overnight stay at the Arden Hotel.

Justin Audibert turns Shakespeare’s fierce, energetic comedy of gender, The Taming of the Shrew, on its head, in this reimagined version where women hold all the power.

1590. England is a matriarchy. In a society where women rule the world, Lady Baptista is selling off her two sons to the highest bidder.

The Taming of the Shrew plays in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre from 8 March until 31 August, and we’re thrilled to offer you the chance to win a pair of tickets to see this reimagined version of Shakespeare’s classic comedy of the sexes. What’s more, your visit to the theatre will be preceded by a delicious pre-theatre meal in the relaxed and stylish Rooftop Restaurant, with stunning views of Stratford-upon-Avon. After the show enjoy an overnight stay and breakfast in the elegant and sophisticated boutique Arden Hotel – located in the heart of the historic Stratfordupon-Avon, directly opposite the RSC. *Prize Terms & Conditions

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Prize offered subject to availability

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Two tickets for The Taming of the Shrew valid for any performance, subject to availability.

Tickets will be located at the discretion of the Box Office Manager

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Pre-theatre dinner in the Rooftop Restaurant consists of two courses and a drink, any additional courses/drinks to be purchased by the winner

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There is no cash alternative and the prize will not be transferable

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Overnight stay at the Arden Hotel not valid on bank holidays, key dates excluded at the General Manager’s discretion

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Any other purchases at the Arden Hotel to be settled on departure

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Cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer

COTSWOLD HOMES MAGAZINE

For your chance to win, simply visit the competition section of www.cotswold-homes.com. This competition closes 29th April 2019.

COMPETITIONS

SENSATIONAL SPRINGTIME COMPETITIONS ONLY WITH COTSWOLD HOMES WIN! 4 Tickets to Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Peter and the Wolf - playing at The Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham on Friday 10th May 2019 A treat for adults and children alike.

Birmingham Royal Ballet return to the Everyman Theatre with Peter and the Wolf, a modern take on this iconic fairytale by Sergei Prokofiev.

This new commission, choreographed by the Company’s Ruth Brill, blends classical ballet with urban influences to create a vibrant energetic and all-round entertaining production. Find more information on Peter and the Wolf at www.everymantheatre.org.uk

For your chance to win, simply visit the competition section of www.cotswold-homes.com.This competition closes 10th April 2019.

WIN! A Copy of Katie Fforde’s New Book, A Rose Petal Summer Caro Swanson has taken a job in a remote part of Scotland.

away’, is of course purely incidental.

She’s answered an ad in The Lady: being a companion to an elderly gentleman who lives in a country estate could be perfect! Surely it’s time to make a change and do something different for a while?

The fact that she may also see Alec, the young man who she met some years previously and who she has always thought of as her ‘one who got

Soon Caro is falling in love - not only with Alec but with the stunning country house she’s now living in. But the estate is in financial difficulties, and Caro soon realises there’s only one way to rescue it.

So begins a magical romantic summer, one that will take Caro from Scotland to London and the south of France, in search of a classic lost perfume that might just restore all their fortunes…

For your chance to win, simply visit the competition section of www.cotswold-homes.com. This competition closes 10th April 2019 WIN! A Free Personal Training Session with David Gainford Fitness Sometimes it’s hard to begin the journey of getting in shape or meeting your own ideal fitness goals. That’s why you should take full advantage of this fantastic prize, and get to know the brilliant David Gainford - a local personal trainer who is committed to getting the best results for you.

For your chance to win, simply visit the competition section of www.cotswold-homes.com.This competition closes 15th May 2019.

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COMPETITIONS

SENSATIONAL SPRINGTIME COMPETITIONS ONLY WITH COTSWOLD HOMES WIN! A Grand Day Out at Andoversford Races for 4 People!

We’ve teamed up with Andoversford Races, the premier Point-to-Point fixture in the Three Counties, to give one reader a great day out at the races on Sunday April 7th. The prize includes trackside parking and admission for 4 worth £65.

Andoversford stages the richest race programme of its genre in the UK, built around the Robert Hitchins Group Andoversford Grand Annual Chase, a race first run at the course back in 1834! It’s an action-packed day, supported by pony, ferret, and sheep races, a dog agility competition, a chance to try your hand as a jockey on the mechanical horse and a hedgelaying display, alongside lots of shops. Set against a beautiful backdrop of typical Cotswold scenery, it’s a little piece of heaven, and great value entertainment for all the family! Gates open at 10.30am. For more detail visit www.andoversfordraces.co.uk

For your chance to win, simply visit the competition section of www.cotswold-homes.com.

This competition closes 31st March 2019

WIN! A Home Cupcake-Making Party for 4 People with Cakes by Desire*

WIN! A Free Consultation with Chris Harwood Furniture

*Entries restricted to GL54 postcode

Discover the fun of baking together with one of Cakes by Desire’s brilliant home parties! Read Kate Hunter’s article this issue to find out why you needn’t feel guilty about scoffing down some delicious cake then enter our competition to win this scrumptious prize before anyone else does!

Find out more about Cakes by Desire and their bespoke, beautiful cakes at www.cakesbydesire.co.uk

Chris Harwood Furniture produces beautiful hand-made furniture to your bespoke requirements - you can see examples of their work later in this very issue. Now here’s your chance to have that project you’ve been thinking of sized up by some of the Cotswolds’ very best craftsmen.

For your chance to win, simply visit the competition section of www.cotswold-homes.com.

This competition closes 15th May 2019.

For your chance to win, simply visit the competition section of www.cotswold-homes.com.

This competition closes 10th April 2019

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COMPETITIONS

SENSATIONAL SPRINGTIME COMPETITIONS ONLY WITH COTSWOLD HOMES

WIN! A Family Ticket to Adam Henson’s Cotswold Farm Park The Cotswold Farm Park has been a familyfavourite destination for generations - and now you can take your family for free, with this generous prize from our friends at the farm.

It’s Spring at Adam Henson’s Cotswold Farm Park, which means Lambing is underway until April 28th - and what better way to enjoy the season than seeing a few adorable lambs?

Catch daily talks from the team, and try your hand at bottle-feeding the lambs - it’s the essential Cotswold family experience.

For your chance to win, simply visit the competition section of www.cotswold-homes.com. This competition closes 10th April 2019.

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INTERVIEW

DEBORAH DAVIS Screenwriter of THE FAVOURITE Screenwriter and historian Deborah Davis knew that there was a terrific story to be told about Queen Anne and her two favourites: the wilful, beautiful Sarah, Duchess of Marborough, whose attachment to Anne prompted the Queen to make a gift of Blenheim Palace to the Marlboroughs, and Sarah’s cunning cousin Abigail Hill, who replaced Sarah in Anne’s affections.

Twenty years after delivering the first draft of her screenplay, Deborah’s vision has been realized as Yorgos Lanthimos’ hit film The Favourite, starring Olivia Colman as Anne, Rachel Weisz as Sarah, and Emma Stone as Abigail.

Deborah talks to Matt Dicks about the origins of her multiple award-winning screenplay - and shares more of the sensational historical story that inspired the film.

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DEBORAH DAVIS

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INTERVIEW

Pictured: Screenwriter Deborah Davis (Below); Olivia Colman as Queen Anne (Right); Rachel Weisz as Lady Sarah (Below-Right)

Hello Deborah. What’s life been like since the film’s release?

Pretty transformational. Ever since it was shown in Venice, the response has been so positive. I was helping out at a village fete when the news came through that the film had won two awards at the Venice Film Festival. That was when the excitement started… the reviews were so fantastic that the buzz built from there.

Your original screenplay is now two decades old; in fact, you went to scriptwriting classes so that you could learn how to tell this story. Could you tell us about that time in your life?

I studied history at university and I was always interested in the stories of kings and queens. I loved the reigns of Queen Elizabeth I and Queen Victoria - but I knew nothing about Queen Anne.

When I found the story, I thought: this has got to be a film. I did a load of courses and eventually ended up at the University of East Anglia, where I had tremendous guidance in scriptwriting from the course director, Val Taylor. She was very supportive of the script.

We learned all forms of scriptwriting there writing for radio, for screen, for theatre.

What really drew you to the accounts of Queen Anne and her favourites?

I thought it was the perfect story about women in power. It’s about the country being run by three women from a bedchamber. I loved the idea that for men - the political leaders, the Tory opposition - to gain access to the Queen, they had to go up the backstairs, via her favourites. It struck me as a fantastic story, and something that had not really been seen before.

You did extensive research; you’ve read Sarah’s memoirs, for instance, and the private letters between Anne and Sarah…

The primary sources - letters, diaries, memoirs - are fantastic, really explosive! I think it’s generally agreed by historians that Anne’s letters to Sarah are love letters. She wrote things like: ‘I would rather live in a cottage with you than reign Empress of the World.’

Anne was absolutely besotted with Sarah from a very young age. Sarah came to court

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when she was thirteen - she was five years older than Anne. Sarah’s first job was as maid of honour to Anne’s stepmother, who was James II’s second wife. So they grew up together; Sarah was Anne’s protector.

Anne was alone and vulnerable - she didn’t get on well with her sister, Mary. Their mother had died of cancer when Anne was little.

Anne couldn’t remember her mother’s face.

Sarah was a very strong character from the start. She engineered to kick her mother out of court, because she was queering her pitch and being a pain - and eventually, she succeeded. Sarah was absolutely beautiful; full of character and strength and will. She looked after Anne, and this became an important role throughout her life.

Sarah married John Churchill when she was young. Their influence over Princess Anne grew after William of Orange invaded England during the Glorious Revolution and took the throne with Mary, Anne’s older

sister. Anne’s father, James II, was kicked out of the country. (John Churchill had been James II’s right-hand military man, but he defected to William of Orange.)

During the Glorious Revolution, Sarah played a huge part in Anne’s escape from the palace. James II wanted to arrest Anne, to stop her going over to the rebels, but Sarah engineered their escape, down a staircase that had been specially constructed for the purpose, and into a waiting carriage.

Of course, The Favourite takes a large degree of artistic license in its telling of events. But how close do you think the film gets to the reality of Queen Anne?

I think Anne had a tough time navigating between the two political factions, the Whigs and the Tories. She said constantly that she didn’t want to be a prisoner of either.

In her favourites, Sarah and Abigail, she had two very different women; Sarah, was a staunch Whig who was in alliance with

DEBORAH DAVIS

Sidney Godolphin, the Whig Lord Treasurer (equivalent of the PM); Abigail, was a Tory, plotting with Robert Harley, leader of the opposition.

But what must be understood is that Yorgos is his own director, with his own vision. He was much more interested in exploring the genre of costume drama than recounting historical events. For him, anachronism was something to play with, not to avoid. He played with the juxtaposition of past and present.

Sandy Powell’s costumes look 18th century, but they’re not at all. They’re based on a checkerboard theme, in black and white, and she includes contemporary materials like denim and leather. That tells you what Yorgos was trying to achieve at every level of the film. It’s the same with the music; I believe the film ends with an Elton John piece. The dance scene was choreographed by the South American choreographer Constanza Macras - it’s been described as ‘voguing.’ The whole thing is a play on period and present.

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INTERVIEW

Emma Stone with Director Yorgos Lanthimos

Nicholas Hoult as Harley

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DEBORAH DAVIS

Emma Stone as Abigail

Could you describe your working relationship with director Yorgos Lanthimos, and your co-writer Tony McNamara?

I worked with Yorgos for about two years.

We used to go back and forth - we met at the offices of our producer, or in restaurants, or we skyped. One of the things we’d do is that I’d write scenes and read them to him - and he’d say to me: ‘Don’t perform them because you can’t act; just read them normally.’ He was right!

Tony then came on to do a re-write with Yorgos. Although we didn’t work together, we were both there to serve the director’s vision.

Will you continue to explore stories of royalty in your future work?

Yes - I’ve written period dramas for radio.

(One of the benefits of going to East Anglia was being assigned a BBC radio producer).

I’ve written about Louis XV and Madame de Pompador, and the secret friendship

between the King’s mistress and the Queen.

I’m working at the moment on a stage play about Alexander Pope and the age of satire, which is set in 1727, just as George II comes to the throne. I’ve got lots of ideas for films. One is about George IV’s daughter. It’s a comic romp about Princess Charlotte of Wales.

Who is the monarch that you are most interested in?

It has to be Elizabeth I. She was absolutely extraordinary. She used her great intelligence and character against her enemies, who included family - namely her sister, Mary - and emerged as the greatest monarch in history.

Elizabeth suffered huge threats to her existence. Her mother was murdered by her father when she was just two years and eight months old. Anne [Boleyn] agreed to have her marriage [to Henry VIII] annulled in order to receive the least cruel form of execution; it made Elizabeth a bastard. So she led a very precarious life. Her life was

in danger until she became Queen - and I think the title of the [second] Cate Blanchett film is right, it was a golden age. Elizabeth is a very exciting character, and one who presided over a very interesting period in English history.

Soon after this interview, The Favourite won seven awards at the 2019 Bafta Film Awards - including Outstanding British Film, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actress (Olivia Colman) and Best Supporting Actress (Rachel Weisz). The film received twelve Bafta nominations overall.

The Favourite’s many other accolades include ten Academy Award Oscar nominations at the 2019 Academy Awards (including Best Original Screenplay).

Olivia Colman won the Oscar for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role. She also received the Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy at the 2019 Golden Globes.

This interview has been edited for length.

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INTERVIEW

Katie Fforde The best-selling Stroud-based novelist on her latest book, her career - and what makes a story really tick

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KATIE FFORDE

What, in your view, are the essential ingredients of a stand-out romance novel?

In my opinion, the essential ingredients for a good romantic novel are characters you can believe in and relate to. You must feel you’re spending time with a friend; someone you’d like in real life. They can have traits you disapprove of, but you must basically like them. You must have an interesting setting and your characters must be doing something interesting. A really attractive hero is important and you must feel that when they come together as a couple, they are truly suited.

Which of your books do you have the fondest memories of writing?

Your latest book, A Rose Petal Summer, features the art of perfume-making.

Where did this idea originate?

I’ve always wanted to write a book about perfume making, but I thought it would be too difficult. Then a friend of my son’s visited and he told me he learnt how to do it on the internet (it seems there is nothing you can’t learn from the internet!). I did a one day perfume course and loved it. Then I just had to think up a story.

You’ve released an incredible 26 books in 25 years. What’s the most valuable lesson about writing that you’ve learnt during your career?

The most valuable thing I’ve learnt over the 26 books is to trust the process. There are ideas in the ether, relax and be open and you’ll pick them up - and another subject will float by, which will make you think: ‘I’d love to write a book about that.’

One of the books I had a lot of fun doing the research for was Flora’s Lot. Flora was blonde and glamorous and I’d never written about anyone like her before. I discovered those characteristics have disadvantages as well as advantages. I also really loved learning about auction houses.

What is your greatest challenge when beginning a new novel?

The greatest challenge when you’re starting a new book is finding out about your characters and getting them on the page.

I always forget to tell my readers what people look like because I’m writing them from the inside looking out. Once everyone is there and we have some notion of their looks you only have to think about the story.

I say ‘only’ - but this is the hardest part!

Which books have shaped you as an author?

I think the books that shaped me as an author are probably the novels of Georgette Heyer. I was a bit indignant when someone at a book signing asked

me about it as I write contemporary fiction and Heyer’s are mostly historical. But it is true! I really envy her characterisation which is brilliant. Now that I’m a writer myself, I’m a bit more critical about her plots and sometimes want to add scenes.

You’ve often said that getting ‘hands-on’ with your research is your favourite part of writing. Which unusual things has this led you to discover?

What I’ve learnt from doing research, apart from finding out so many things, is that the reality is always more interesting than anything you could have made up. There is always some little detail that brings a subject to life. But one of the strangest things I learnt is that unpasteurised cheese has less bacteria than pasteurised - who knew?

You launched your own homeware range last year. What’s it been like to fit that in alongside your writing?

With regard to the homeware, while everything is run past me and I do ‘have opinions’ (in an annoying way) this is all run by my family. My son-in-law and daughter have the homeware at their house, but my daughter-in-law and son also do a lot. It’s a real family firm. But it was me who insisted on our mugs being made in England, and we all want to use local firms and individuals as much as possible.

Find out more about Katie and her books at www.katiefforde.com

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INTERVIEW

INTERVIEW WITH THE ARTIST

PAMELA KAY Pamela Kay NEAC is one of Britain’s foremost painters of flowers and still life. Inspired by Dutch, French and Spanish Masters of the 17th and 18th Centuries, Pamela Kay’s paintings reflect her interest in the beauty of humble everyday objects and their unassuming nature. Her work encompasses not only flowers and still life, but also interiors and gardens.

How did you get your start as a painter?

The Studio in Winter

I trained at Canterbury, at the art college, where I did Fine Art. You also had to choose a craft, so I chose textile design.

Then I went on to the Royal College of Art - but before that, I met the man who went on to be probably the most influential man in my life, the Royal Academician and portrait painter, John Ward. He was my mentor; I learned the craft of painting from him.

John always used to say, ‘You must go to work like a milkman,’ which I thought was absolutely wonderful. You don’t just sit around waiting for inspiration to hit - the phone bill will intervene. You start painting at 9.00am and go on to 5.00pm, or whenever you finish.

And that seemed to me like an eminently sensible way of earning a living.

After I did textiles at the Royal College, I was appointed Head of the Design Production Department at John Lewis a position that I turned down in order to pursue my painting. (You have a certain shelf-life as a designer before you go out of fashion; an idea which I find terribly boring.)

I have to say that I was very fortunate to meet the people who helped me, and the societies that helped me, to be accepted into the Royal Watercolour Society and the New English Art Club. They had walls on which you could regularly hang your work. I’m not sure how it’s done nowadays, but I will say that I was very fortunate at the time.

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After I did textiles at the Royal College, I was appointed Head of the Design Production Department at John Lewis - a position that I turned down in order to pursue my painting.

PAMELA KAY

Spring Flowers and a Small Cupboard

Woodland Flowers

Strawberries in the French Copper Pan

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INTERVIEW

The Grande Allee Giverny

How did you arrive at your subjects of choice - flowers, gardens, still life?

paint gardens, I’ve been concentrating on Giverny - Monet’s garden.

Flowers were the logical progression from my textile work. I’ve always loved flowers, and you can’t paint what you don’t love you pass on the feeling into what you do.

I also had tremendous admiration for the Dutch Golden Age painters of the 17th century, and the Spanish still life painters.

It was a natural area of interest.

Judging from your biography, you’ve been all over the world…Hong Kong, Thailand, Vietnam, India, Sri Lanka, the Middle East…North Africa, Egypt, Turkey, and the Mediterranean – Greece, Spain and Italy – and the Baltic countries, including Russia…

And then, of course, I found the wonderful gardens in the Cotswolds. I painted in Hidcote, Sezincote, Kiftsgate - but also the private gardens on the open days.

I trawled around those for around ten years. Just recently, because I’ve been taking groups of painters abroad to

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Well, you see, I had the golden days of Swan Hellenic; whenever I had a good exhibition, we’d usually go and buy a ticket. I have an absolute passion for Roman and Greek history and archaeology, and I have been able to visit most of the main archaeological sites of the Mediterranean.

We also ventured into the Far East, which was my husband’s main interest. He was a headmaster in Hong Kong in the fifties - when we went back in the eighties, he couldn’t find the shoreline, or any of the places he’d stayed in before. [Laughs].

They’d all been knocked down.

Describe your state of mind when you are painting.

It is a completely meditative state of mind, an altered state. You are totally engaged - it takes enormous concentration to get it right, and I don’t mean in a photographic sense. There’s something alchemical going on… It’s a bit of a magic business, painting.

How can you turn a flat board and some paint into something that looks like a

PAMELA KAY

Buttercups and Apricots

Basket of Quince

quince, or a basket? That’s magic, to me, and it still is. I’m always astonished by the end of a painting.

Which artists have had the biggest influence on your style?

Adriaen Coorte was a Dutch painter of absolute silence and mystery (yet he is possibly one of the least well-known Dutch painters). His Still Life with Asparagus is a small, miraculous painting of great humility. Possibly the most important influence of all - and my most favourite painter of still life - is Jean-Baptiste Chardin. Luis Egidio Meléndez was also a marvellous artist. And then there’s Juan Sánchez Cotán…that man was a monk, and there’s an extraordinary calm and stillness about his work. That’s the sort of thing I love, that stillness. A sort of eternal look at things.

We interviewed Pamela ahead of her February 2019 exhibition at Stow on the Wold’s Fosse Gallery.

Visit the artist’s website at www.pamelakayprints.com

INTERVIEW

Q&A WITH

AS YOU LIKE IT DIRECTOR KIMBERLEY SYKES

Director Kimberley Sykes tells us all about her riotous re-imagining of Shakespeare’s classic comedy, now playing in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.

What have been your influences for the play?

I think a big influence has been about what a forest is and what it represents. I did a lot of reading into the way forests function and the societal behaviour of trees. When you look into trees and their behaviour, they’re extraordinary. There’s a network of roots in a forest, so all the trees are connected to each other. If one tree is struggling, then other trees who have

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enough will send nutrients to try and save that other tree through the root system, regardless of species. They believe – it sounds ridiculous(!) – that the success of the forest depends on the success of every single tree within that forest. I took that as a metaphor for society, and what Shakespeare is asking us to think about as audience members watching this play, especially right now in a time of increased borders and a rise of – you could say – nationalism, and concern with ourselves.

Can you tell us more about your vision for the play?

In many ways the play is a massive exploration of theatre itself. So there are elements of panto, live music, standup comedy on stage. And there is audience interaction, political debate and improvisation.

Although everyone will look and feel very modern, we’re using a real mingle-mangle of

RSC - KIMBERLEY SYKES

costumes from different productions, and playing with different genres, different times, different periods. It’s a real mish-mash that celebrates the art of theatre making.

Rosalind has been described as ‘the female Hamlet’ and has more lines than any other female Shakespearean character. Was this something that attracted you to the play?

Yes absolutely! I was attracted to a woman who is working out who she is as the play unfolds. I think sometimes with Shakespeare’s women, it feels like they already know who they are. Or that their internal life isn’t really the thing that Shakespeare is exploring in the play. With Rosalind it’s completely different. She changes her mind all the time, and she changes her mind with us, with the audience.

Many well-known actors have played Rosalind, including Peggy Ashcroft, Vanessa Redgrave, Eileen Atkins and Juliet Stevenson. What does Lucy Phelps bring to the role?

Lucy is relentlessly intelligent and rigorous in what she, as an actress and as a woman, wants from the world, and she does all of that with generosity and with the most infectious spirit. I think you have to have both of those things to play Rosalind.

And that’s something that she has very, very naturally.

What do you hope audiences will take away from this production?

I would like for the audience to take away a new relationship with their own self. To feel that change is possible, and that change can come from working together, learning from each other and from being more honest. Being brave enough to jump off the cliff into the unknown.

If you were given the chance to escape to the forest, what three things would you take with you?

My dog, Plato.

My husband.

And a really good walking stick!

As You Like It is now playing in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon until 31 August. Visit rsc.org.uk

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INTERVIEW

Q&A WITH

THE TAMING OF THE SHREW DIRECTOR JUSTIN AUDIBERT

Director Justin Audibert turns Shakespeare’s fierce comedy of gender, The Taming of the Shrew, on its head in a new version at the Royal Shakespeare Company, where women hold all the power.

How did you come up with this idea?

I was very inspired by the novel, The Power

by Naomi Alderman, where women become the dominant gender. At the moment there is an important conversation about gender and power and where that lies and, whenever you make a play, you’re always influenced by what’s going on around you.

I’m interested in seeing what happens when you get female actors to play traditionally powerful male roles, and vice versa.

During rehearsals it’s been fascinating to see how things feel when, for example, a mother sells off her two sons, as opposed to in the traditional retelling when a father sells off his two daughters. We are somehow not shocked by the traditional version, but when we see a mother selling her sons off, that feels transgressive. I wanted to see what it would feel like when the male voice is not the dominant one.

Can you tell us more about the setting for the play?

I’m setting it in a reimagined 1590, in which England is a matriarchy. In the rehearsal room we’ve been exploring the different ways that women in a matriarchy would assert power.

In Elizabethan England, eye contact was a huge thing. Women weren’t supposed to look you directly in the eye – but in the world we’re creating in the play, the

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RSC - JUSTIN AUDIBERT

female actors are looking people directly in the eyes in a very bold way, and the male actors are not. Similarly, we’ve looked very carefully at how characters greet each other, how the women take the men’s hands, and kiss them and how that reads to a contemporary eye.

Another thing we are exploring is how, in most of Shakespeare’s plays, female virginity is prized above anything else, but it’s fascinating to see how that feels when it effectively becomes male virginity that is prized.

Can you tell us more about the set, music and costumes?

The setting has a strong feel of the Mediterranean about it, with a colour palette that is warm, vibrant and with a sense of fun and mischief.

The costumes worn by the female actors will be beautiful, imposing, expensive and involve lots of material. They will dominate the space. The costumes the male actors wear will be much more delicate, even subtle.

There will be a strong baroque feel to the music. As the play goes on, the music will change and become louder, more electric. I want strings with a big beat behind them, sort of like the Eurythmics, so the music will progressively have a strong 80s feel to it.

We are calling it ‘Rock Renaissance’ in the rehearsal room.

What do you think Shakespeare would think of your idea?

I’m going to imagine he’s in literary heaven, and he’s seeing what’s happened on earth for the last 400 years. He’s a person of the theatre, someone who was into experimenting. I think he’d probably be quite up for it!

The Taming of the Shrew plays in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon from 8 March – 31 August. Visit rsc.org.uk

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THE BEST TIME FOR YOUR WEDDING DAY

SPRINGTIME IS THE BEST TIME FOR YOUR WEDDING DAY

The season has always been about new birth and renewal. What better time to take your vows, says Events Manager Julia Sibun

With its glorious floral backdrop, perfect warm temperatures and pretty pastel colours, there is no better season than Spring for a wedding.

There are so many things that we all love about Spring. Gardens are transformed with new colours and fragrances, and it is changes like these that make the season so perfect for a wedding.

Table centres can look so pretty by putting in-season flowers into baskets and small pots and placing them in the centre of the dining tables - try daffodils, grape hyacinths, tulips, primulas, iris, mimosa, larkspur, lily of the valley, bluebells and - of course - the gorgeous peony. (Why not then name your tables after each flower?)

The coming of spring also means that there will be a large selection of beautiful blooms available for the bridal bouquet – you can select flowers that are in season and local to you too. Whether you have adopted a soft, muted colour scheme, or something more vibrant, you will find the perfect flowers for your wedding – narcissus, ranunculus and anemone (to name but a few).

so feminine and able to make any wedding look so gorgeously chic and romantic. Your bridesmaids can also wear these gorgeous pastel colours such as pistachio, pale pink and robin’s egg blue.

And I haven’t yet mentioned the splendid colour palettes of the season - rose, pinks, yellow, pale blues, lavender and mint and sage green all abound and it is the lighter, brighter tones of Spring that are

With the temperatures a little milder, it is the perfect time to head outside and invite your guests into the garden with a glass of champagne and some delicious light canapes. If you are dreaming of an

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outdoor ceremony in picturesque gardens, then Spring is one of the best seasons to get married outside, with the temperature just right and the surroundings in full bloom.

(Check which venues have an outdoor ceremony licence so that you are covered inside as well as outside, depending on the weather on the day.)

If at home, don’t forget to have the garden furniture out all ready and clean for use

JULIA SIBUN

There is no better backdrop to your wedding photographs when the wedding venues are in full bloom with large, colourful scatter cushions – you must make the most of the weather before the sun begins to set!

If you have decided to marry in the Spring, you will find that there are more suppliers available (trying to book your favourite photographer will likely be easier in Spring rather than during the long, hot Summer months). And, unlike the Summer months, where you will find some suppliers getting booked up two years in advance, Spring wedding dates are more widely available.

There is no better backdrop to your wedding photographs when the wedding venues are in full bloom, and during the Spring months the gardens are usually at their best – there’s plenty of colour and visual interest for your guests both adding to the charm and romance of the day.

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THE BEST TIME FOR YOUR WEDDING DAY

There are also plenty of honeymoon destinations to choose from at this time of year. If, like most newlyweds, you’re planning a honeymoon straight after the wedding, then you are in luck: Spring is one of the best times to get away. Prices are still reasonable and the children are not yet on holiday, and a large number of destinations are at their best too – why not visit Japan during its famous cherry blossom season, or head to Florida’s fun theme parks for some early Summer sun - or alternatively take it easy on one of Europe’s gorgeous beaches?

Lastly, there is usually an abundance of delicious Spring vegetables and herbs available to give your guests a vibrant, fresh meal – baby carrots, new season salad leaves, radishes, new Jersey potatoes and asparagus, which is such a wonderful vegetable heralding the arrival of Spring – served lightly steamed with hollandaise sauce or wrapped in pancetta for a delicious starter.

For something different your signature wedding cocktails could be a Mint Julep, a Pimms Cup, a Ginger Mint Mojito or a Cucumber and Sorrel Cooler – absolutely delicious on a warm Spring day served from a fun cocktail glass!

There really is something extra special about getting married during the Spring months. After all, they’re all about rebirth and renewal – it’s the best season to start your next chapter together as a married couple.

For more information about weddings, parties and events please contact Julia Sibun www.juliasibun.co.uk

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DG FITNESS

REVIEW

HYUNDAI KONA

MISS DASHBOARD HITS THE JACKPOT WITH THE HYUNDAI KONA – HER NEW FAVOURITE WITH ALL THE HORSEPOWER (AND RANGE) YOU’LL EVER NEED Driving Miss Dashboard - Alexandra Tilley Loughrey

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DRIVING MISS DASHBOARD

And she’s off! It’s Miss Dashboard driving the new Hyundai Kona, the electric version of the car that Hyundai can’t make enough of.

Hold your horses – as looks can be deceptive.

At first glance I wasn’t bowled over (and neither were the kids, my most useful of critics). You’d be forgiven for thinking that this is an average filly of a car – but once you realise that it can do as much as 280 miles on a full charge, the odds are that you’ll be as impressed as I was. The ‘range’ is so impressive that I just have to repeat it – yes 280 miles without having to charge.

This is the first fully electric small SUV (a sports utility vehicle which looks like, but is not necessarily, a four wheel drive), so is the least expensive electric car for sale in the UK at the moment. It’s tempting to compare prices with a similar sized diesel or petrol version, but that’s like comparing a Shetland pony with a thoroughbred race-horse – they run completely differently.

And with this electric version, it’s about the other world technology – and of course the fact that you’ll never have to use petrol or diesel again – but can gloat over the joys of getting from A to B on zero emission ‘fuel’.

The Kona is comfortable and fun to drive. I

love the fact that it’s so high off the ground, giving great visibility over the hedges and around country corners. It has genuinely effective reversing mirrors and sensors (not as shrill as some) that are incredibly accurate.

Many times I’ve been given the impression by other cars, when reversing, that I’m about to have a dramatic crash and then got out to find I have about a furlong to spare!

The thing about an electric car like this is that you could just get in, press the drive button, put your foot on the pedal and make like a dodgem car, braking when necessary. But that would be so dull and you’d be missing out on the benefits of all the car’s cutting edge technology. One really exciting driving feature is the regenerative braking, operated by two paddles on the steering wheel. Using these can actually claw back electricity, making your charge go even further – and rather than hitting the foot brake, you can bring the car to a standing stop with the hand paddle. As electric cars are automatic, this will appeal to people who might miss changing gears manually to affect their speed – it certainly did for me.

There’s always the question about how easy it is to own and use an electric car. The answer

is – it’s easy, especially if you have a fast charger installed at home (and you’d be mad not to). With a rapid charger you can get the Kona up to full charge in as little as 95 minutes, and normal charging (from empty to full) is 9 ½ hours (so, when tucked up in its stable/garage overnight).

The Kona is not the most ground-breaking car for back-seat passengers as there are no plug-in points for media in the back – and now my kids are both nearly teenagers, the two plastic cup holders just won’t do it for them any more. And the boot space isn’t huge. You’d be hard pushed to go away for a weekend with a family of four and luggage - but as a second car (and probably your first electric one), I’d highly recommend taking a punt.

And OMG, while the passengers aren’t overly pampered, being in control of the reins is an entirely different matter. It has a lumbar support system to cradle your back – and (really exciting) in addition to the heated seats, which are fairly standard on new cars these days, it also has a “ventilation” system for really hot weather – like a delicate hair dryer pampering you with a gently cooling breeze.

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DRIVING MISS DASHBOARD

FAST FACTS

FUEL CONSUMPTION – no more trips to petrol stations – ever – and the range is so good you won’t even have to worry if you forget to plug it in every now and again. There are two electric models – the 39kWh (kilowatt hours) battery will give you up to 180 miles on a full charge and the 64kWh up to 279 miles ROAD TAX – £0 – it’s a zero emissions car SAFETY – The maximum five star European (EURO NCAP) safety rating, thanks to six airbags. And nearly as many safety features as Prestbury Park has hurdles!

MEDIA – An easy to use touch screen system which accesses radio, satnav, blue-tooth connection – and has apple CarPlay and android auto, with options to link to Spotify.

And for the safety fanatics, while it may not look like a tank, the Kona complies with the highest European safety standards. This includes autonomous emergency braking, which will stop the vehicle if a pedestrian should suddenly appear, lane assist, to stop you from drifting across the track, a detector for anything than appears in your blind spot and various other loud beeps and signals to stop you from breaking the speed limit or dozing off.

With other electric cars I’ve tended to use economy mode to eke out every last mile of range, but with this car you don’t need to be such an electricity miser, and I already love that.

No doubt Nissan and Volkswagen will be demanding a steward’s enquiry into how a car similar in size to the Leaf and e-Golf can drive for twice as long on a full charge of electricity – but I feel that’s enough of the racing analogies!

Follow Follow Alexandra on Twitter and Instagram @MissDashboardUK for a refreshing take on cars.

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YOUR RACING SILKS – Six colours, galactic grey, acid yellow ceramic blue, pulse red, chalk white, plus the pictured tangerine comet (perfect name for a race horse).

THE DRIVE – From a gentle trot on eco mode, to a canter in comfort mode and full on gallop in sports mode.

THIS YEAR’S MODEL – There are three to choose (SE, premium and premium SE) with the choice of the two batteries.

OPTIONAL EXTRAS – Heated steering wheel, two tone roof, metallic paint, home charging kit (a must have extra for the convenience of always being fully charged).

Warranty 5 year unlimited mileage and 8 year battery warranty.

Price from £27,000 to £35,000, making it the cheapest electric car available in the UK.

EVENTS

LET’S GO TO ANDOVERSFORD RACES Peter McNeile outlines what makes this local raceday a very special Spring event Racing dominates the agenda during Springtime in the Cotswolds, as the annual pilgrimage to the Cheltenham Festival brings a surge of visitors from all over the UK, Ireland and further afield to enjoy a bucolic celebration of steeplechasing excellence.

Yet the zenith of the sport is built upon its

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origins in far humbler surrounds, in the sport of Point-to-Point racing, and there’s no better example of that genre of the sport than on our own doorstep, at Andoversford Races, this year on Sunday April 7th.

Andoversford boasts a longer history than Prestbury Park, and set the scene for the

growth of steeplechasing in the county with the creation of the oldest race in the UK Jumps calendar the Grand Annual Chase, first run at Andoversford in 1834, much of it over the same course as now. Alongside the Grand National, the Grand Annual played a pivotal role in the development of the sport, and the rise to prominence of some of its most famous

ANDOVERSFORD RACES

all Springtime Pointing fixtures, and supports a day long programme of entertainment that includes the RE Resource Lamb National, a tongue in cheek Aintree equivalent for the Cotswold farm animal that defines our local agricultural heritage. There’s also pony and ferret racing (not together!), a dog agility contest, parade of the Cotswold hounds, and a collection of shops and independent traders that will put any high street to shame.

riders, like Captain Becher (of the Aintree brook) and George Stevens, winner of five Nationals and two Grand Annuals with the remarkable Lottery.

Andoversford Races has since developed into an eclectic social and sporting highlight of the Cotswold calendar, quite distinct from the goings-on six miles west in Cheltenham. The fixture boasts the highest value prize fund of

Andoversford has also moved with the times.

Chedworth inn, the Seven Tuns partners with the event to deliver Sunday lunch at the races from a trackside chalet right on the winning line for a very reasonable £75, including your admission. In short, for the lazy among us, the picnic hamper can stay in the cupboard a while longer!

The day is a perfect antidote to the intensity of Cheltenham the previous month. Its relaxed ambiance, often in glorious Spring sunshine, is a celebration of the origins of the sport two centuries ago, delivered in a setting that makes the ultimate pop-up event.

Giles and Kim Smyly have Point-toPoint racing in their blood. Training both under Rules and between the flags, the pair can be guaranteed to have a tilt at Andoversford’s top prizes each year.

Kim has been among the leading British Pointing trainers for the past 5 or more years, producing a string of top flight performers and consistent winning results year after year, whilst Giles focuses on mainstream professional racing.

“Having runners at Andoversford is simply the greatest of fun,” commented Kim on a recent visit to their busy yard in Stanton, near Broadway. “It’s a course where jumping and stamina are to the fore, where the competition is always strong, and where racing folk are welcomed and well rewarded. Win or lose, we love competing there, and we always line up a runner or two. It’s a brilliant family day out.”

Andoversford Races take place on Sunday 7th April. For more details and to book tickets, visit www.andoversfordraces.co.uk COTSWOLD-HOMES.COM

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COTSWOLD FARM PARK

It’s Spring at

Adam Henson’s Cotswold Farm Park!

There’s oodles of fun to be had at Adam Henson’s Cotswold Farm Park this Spring, with Lambing in full swing and a newly constructed Visitor Centre to enjoy. So why not use the voucher printed on this very page to have yourselves a fantastic day out?

Guests can enjoy panoramic views of the Cotswold countryside in the Café, whilst tucking in to a hot meal or perhaps a cup of tea accompanied by a slice of homemade cake. The expanded Shop stocks a selection of local meat and produce, along with a range of toys and unique gifts.

As returning visitors will know, Lambing is one of the highlights of the year. Settle yourself down in the Animal Barn and keep your eyes peeled and your ears pricked for the first bleats of the new arrivals. Keep your fingers crossed and you might just see a birth for yourself!

Over 660 ewes are due to give birth this year, some of which will be rare breeds such

as Cotswolds, Kerry Hills and Norfolk Horns.

The lovely Entertainments team will also be providing daily talks about lambing and the flock. Visitors will be able to get close to the adorable animals and can even have a go at bottle feeding little lambs and goat kids.

There are plenty more chances to get close to the animals. Fluffy chicks and rabbits are waiting for cuddles and take a stroll along the Rare Breeds Through History Walkway where the animals can be hand fed. The greedy goats just love the animal snacks!

The kids can also let off some steam; play in the Adventure Park, fly down the zip wire and get lost in the maze before taking a leap onto the enormous bouncy pillows.

The Farm Park is open daily from 10.30am to 5.00pm; Lambing runs until 28th April.

Tickets can be purchased on arrival at the gate or by booking online. www.cotswoldfarmpark.co.uk 01451 850307 Cheltenham GL54 5FL

One Free Child (or Toddler) with a Paying Adult

Valid until 5th April 2019

Terms and Conditions: •

This voucher may only be used once.

•

The voucher must be presented on admission.

•

This voucher cannot be used with any other offers, with the exception of online tickets.

•

Replicated vouchers not accepted.

DIARY OF A FARMER’S WIFE

A significant birthday raises big questions for Anna MacCurrach. What does the future hold in store?

And when can she finally start eating bacon sandwiches again?

2019 is a year that has been looming large before me for a little while. This is the year that I turn 40.

Big birthdays bring with them all sorts of emotions, but also opportunities and momentum – often the excuse to do something one has been meaning to do for ages. A decade ago we had two daughters, one a toddler and one a baby, and I couldn’t eat a sandwich uninterrupted, let alone tick anything off my bucket list. (To be honest, I wouldn’t even have known where the bucket list was.)

Fast forward to now and the girls are finally able to make their own sandwiches while I can eat mine in peace, and the son we didn’t have then can at last tie his own tie…We are making progress. The children are growing in confidence and ability, and we are able to enjoy the farm in ways that we couldn’t ten years ago.

We have had some unquestionably rocky moments along the way. However, we are

The children are growing in confidence and ability, and we are able to enjoy the farm in ways that we couldn’t ten years ago all here, we have survived to tell the tale, and going forward it genuinely feels like new adventures lie in wait. (Teenage years also lie in wait but we are not worrying about those just for the moment).

Spring is around the corner – at least we hope it is because the cattle are making their way through the silage at an astonishing rate – and whilst the nature of the farming calendar is repetitive, there is always much to look forward to, including some exciting farm projects for 2019. In many ways, turning 40 adds to the motivation to make this year a good one.

There has been one big ticket item on my bucket list for some time and it always seemed just out of reach, until the big 40 provided the much needed excuse – getting my teeth straightened. Orthodontic treatment is not for the faint hearted, at least not if you like eating. Chewing is difficult, biting is impossible, pastry unmanageable in public. When the bottom set went on I actually spent the best part of a week crying, I was so weak with hunger.

Dry January was never even considered, with giving up sausage rolls and wine being an incomprehensible option.

I’m almost half way through the treatment now and my birthday is a matter of weeks away. Before my 40th year is out I will have ticked the biggest item off my list and I’ll be back to enjoying bacon sandwiches.

Uninterrupted.

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

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EMMA LAWRENCE YOGA

Yoga

The Complementary Service Emma Lawrence of The Yoga Tree breaks down how yoga practices can help improve your sporting performance Yoga is suitable for every different body type. It can be started at any age regardless of physical condition, and those who are the stiffest have a lot to gain.

It provides a workout that uses all muscle groups and joints, including the small muscles in the hands and toes, the large muscles of the legs and torso, the superficial muscles - such as the calves and hamstrings - and the deeply layered muscles that are not visible.

Furthermore, all of the body’s systems beyond the muscle groups are worked in yoga, including the cardiovascular, respiratory, skeletal, and endocrine systems.

Additionally, the internal organs are massaged and oxygenated through yogic breathing and movement in the poses.

As a yoga teacher, it is usual for me to hear ‘yoga isn’t for me, I am a cyclist/ runner/horse rider’; consequently, I spend a lot of time telling people the benefits of yoga as a complementary service to whichever other activity is their passion.

Here, I’ve listed the ways in which yoga has helped people make the best of the activities they love.

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Cycling Seasonal yoga teacher Audrey Mason from Take Toux has set up a company specifically to help cyclists build lean muscle, power up climbing legs and improve mobility, which helps enable cyclists to ride pain and injury-free. As a keen cyclist herself, she realised that her cycling dramatically improved when she incorporated yoga into her training schedule (and not just a little stretch at the end of a ride). As a yoga teacher, she has learnt many simple yet powerful breathing techniques which help endurance, speed, climbing (and even confidence!). See www.taketoux.com for more information.

Horse-Riding Yoga has had such an impact on all of Carina Cole’s life, not least horse riding and horsemanship. Riding requires a strong core, seat and leg to ensure that you do not burden the horse with your weight. You must learn to support yourself, which can be tiring without strength and flexibility. Yoga helped her to build a strong core and leg through postures such as plank, chair and warrior. It is also great

for Carina’s flexibility, which is vital for good horsemanship. Likewise, controlled breathing has proved a useful tool. It can be used to calm a nervous horse, her own pre-show nerves - or even to slow a horse’s gait, by taking a deep breath out.

Running Runners have a tremendous amount to gain from adding yoga to their fitness regimens.

Yoga can be a great post-run activity, relieving soreness and tension in hardworking muscles, and restores range of motion, so you can run better the next time you hit the road.

If you are brand-new to yoga, and have been running with tight muscles for a long time, then ease into each position, and never push to the point of pain. As you continue to do this routine, you’ll notice improvement – on and off the mat. Runners are often reluctant to try yoga; their most common fear is that they are not flexible enough.

If you would like to come to yoga to help improve your other sports, please email me. emma@the-yoga-tree.com www.the-yoga-tree.com

ASK THE EXPERTS

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LET THEM EAT CAKE!

There’s much more to cakes than calories, says bespoke cake specialist Kate Hunter of Cakes by Desire. Get the family baking and you’ll find that the real pleasure’s in the process.

It seems to me that cake gets a bad rap. We are constantly warned of the harmfulness of sugar, fat and carbs - and yet at the centre of a celebration, there has always been a cake.

I am passionate about good food. That doesn’t mean fat-free or sugar-free - it means knowing what’s in your food. The words ‘everything in moderation’ are surely key to enjoying what you eat. But there’s much more to cake than just a scrumptious taste. The joy that that baking and decorating a cake brings is a pleasure that far outweighs the calories!

I love the whole process of making cake, whether it’s to produce a work of art for a special occasion, or to bake a simple treat to enjoy with friends and family. If you’re looking for a way to entertain the kids, then what could be better than choosing a recipe, firing up your oven and creating a delicious cake together?

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Even now, it’s still magic to me that something so universally loved can be made from a few store cupboard ingredients. But what you produce is more than just cake.

It’s more than ‘just baking’. It’s spending quality time together with a common goal, developing fine motor skills and dexterity, exploring your creative side, applying maths, learning life skills, building confidence and - perhaps most importantly - making memories.

I can say without any doubt that a memory of baking together will far outlast any memory of playing on a smart device. And at the end you get to eat what you have created!

Regardless of how your bake turns out (and hey, you want it to look home-made), I can’t emphasise enough how much fun can be had or how proud you will feel when you see, taste and (possibly) share what you’ve made. (Oh, and your house will smell amazing, too.)

But the great thing about cake is that the bake is only the beginning. Next comes the really fun part (and your opportunity to cover over any imperfections) – decorating!

This doesn’t have to mean fancy tools and expensive products. A classic buttercream and cute home-made topper is perfect with a pack of sugarpaste (fondant) the possibilities are endless!

Let your imagination run wild; your own hands are all you need. So why not give it a go – you might just surprise yourself!

WIN! A cupcake-making party for 4 people with Cakes by Desire!

Turn to our competition section for more details.

See some of Kate’s brilliant cakes, parties and classes at www.cakesbydesire.co.uk, or contact Kate on 07851 102770 kate.cakesbydesire@gmail.com

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DG FITNESS

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REV’D CANON KATRINA SCOTT

Rev’d Canon Katrina Scott discovers a new hero with the changing of the seasons.

I am a new fan of the poet Mary Oliver. In fact, I have come to know more of her poetry following her death than I knew before it, and I am loving exploring her creative, gentle and spiritual words. Mary Oliver died early this year at the age of 83 and is a much-loved Pulitzer prize-winning poet.

Her poem written for the start of the day draws me into the wonderful realm of Springtime. It includes the phrases: ‘Hello, sun in my face. Hello, you who made the morning and spread it over the fields…

Watch, now, how I start the day in happiness, in kindness.’

I find Spring to be a fabulous season. There is so much happening each day, as the fields, trees, beds and allotments change colour and shape. It is a season when the light of the sun highlights the beauty of our world as

the days gradually extend. And it is a season that for me, draws us into creation, into our sense of spirituality and connects us to the people around us.

I love that Mary Oliver makes that connection – the light of the morning sun leads us into kindness. Who we are as people is greatly blessed by the people around us, and by the creation we are a part of.

Maybe this Spring we can all enjoy that – as we enjoy some poetry, or a walk across the fields, spend time helping others, or simply sit and enjoy the sunshine.

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.

About Mary Oliver The American poet Mary Oliver produced over 15 essay and poetry collections over the course of her career. Her first collection, No Voyage and Other Poems, was published in 1963. In 1984, her fifth collection, American Primitive, won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry.

Oliver admired Walt Whitman and Henry David Thoreau, and her poems share their affinity for the natural world. (‘…I think when we lose the connection with the natural world, we tend to forget that we’re animals, that we need the Earth,’ she said in 2011).

Oliver died on January 17, 2019 at the age of 83.

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DENTAL HEALTH MATTERS

Dental Health Matters Is this the end of silver fillings?

People may not be aware of it, but the biggest single change in the practice of dentistry in the past 20 years has been the gradual movement away from silver amalgam restorations to ‘white’ or tooth-coloured fillings.

Dr. Trevor Bigg

Silver amalgam has been used to fill teeth for the past 150 years or more and, although there have been many attempts to associate the mercury in the amalgam with the onset of nerve disease, it has been shown time and time again to be a safe filling in the mouth.

This makes sense, as amalgam fillings consist of 50% mercury that is mixed with a metal alloy of silver, tin and copper. When the mercury combines with the alloy it is fixed in the metal and becomes harmless.

If this is hard to believe, consider what happens when chlorine, a poisonous gas is combined with sodium, a toxic metal.

Together they combine to make table salt, sodium chloride, essential to our well being.

So, why are dentists no longer placing silver fillings?

In October 2013, the Minamata Convention on Mercury took place in Japan. Minamata was the site of the world’s worst outbreak of mercury poisoning, which came from factory wastewater. The Convention met to decide how mercury contamination of wastewater could be reduced to the minimum. As dentistry is the second biggest

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user of mercury in the world, the Convention, which included the United Kingdom, agreed to phase out of the use of silver amalgam restorations over the next few years.

What effect will this have on your dental treatment?

Silver fillings will no longer be used for routine dentistry apart from a few exceptions, for example, where moisture control is difficult or where large amalgam restorations in need of repair already exist. All other restorations will be made from tooth-coloured composite resin or glass ionomer cement (GIC). GIC is a weaker material and is more suitable as a temporary filling. Composite fillings are much stronger, but have quite a few failings: •

They take longer to place

•

They require much more skill to place properly

•

They are more expensive

•

They are more prone to secondary decay under the filling than the silver restorations were.

But in their favour: •

Less tooth is removed as they can be placed in much smaller cavities

•

They bond to the remaining tooth, reducing the risk of fracture later

•

They do look much, much nicer!

So in the end white fillings will improve mouths?

As the next generation of patients see their dentist, they will benefit from smaller fillings with less tooth removal, fewer fractures and, hopefully, a better looking mouth with less treatment in the years to come.

If you want more information about the contents of the article, go to www.dentalhealth.org/different-fillingmaterials, or contact Penny at Milton Dental Practice: 01993 831 396 or email penny@drbigg.com and come to see us for a consultation.

To accompany this article, we are offering a New Patient Examination at the fee of £99.00, including bitewing x-rays if required, and a free Denplan Examination.

CHRIS HARWOOD FURNITURE

SHOWCASE:

CHRIS HARWOOD FURNITURE Bespoke Furniture and Joinery, Hand-Crafted and Locally Made Chris Harwood tells us all about the values at the heart of his business At Cotswold Homes Magazine, we’re proud to showcase some of the area’s best independent businesses. Long-time readers will no doubt recognise the craftsmanship of Chris Harwood Furniture - which, over the years, has continued to build upon its own successes.

Founded by Chris Harwood - who has loved working with timber from an early age - the company is today in a position to take on projects of any size. From bespoke kitchens to external doors and windows, each brief is met with the same care and characteristic attention to detail.

The company has steadily grown over the last few years. We now specialise in handmade kitchens and bespoke joinery, but are capable and willing to undergo any project from initial design to finished product. We pride ourselves on our reputation and attention to detail, with 95% of our work generated from recommendation.

Thanks very much for getting all those jobs done so beautifully, swiftly and cheerfully.

Caroline from Churchill

Thank you for fitting door today. Looks great. You are a superb craftsman.

Mrs B. from nr. Andoversford

“We use a variety of traditional techniques in the production process, along with the use of some modern machinery and processes, to get the highest level of quality and authenticity. And rest assured, our timber is selected from sustainable sources - and our materials are sourced from local suppliers whenever possible.”

The end result? “A unique piece of furniture or joinery that can be enjoyed for many years. Our aim is that our customers will see the careful attention we’ve paid to every piece - and that’s one of the reasons we enjoy a good local reputation.”

Find out more at www.chrisharwoodfurniture.co.uk or contact info@chrisharwoodfurniture.co.uk 07809 763078. Find us on Facebook Chris Harwood Furniture, Unit 8, The Barn, Upper Slaughter Business Centre, Upper Slaughter, Gloucestershire, GL54 2JJ.

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THE LAKES CARE CENTRE

How to Get the Best Out of Your Move into Residential Care Mandi Short, Manager of The Lakes Care Centre, explains how you can manage a peaceful, stress-free transition into care.

Moving into a care home may feel like a daunting experience, but there are steps you can put in place to help make the transition run smoothly.

I recommend that you visit the home and get to know both the care team and the residents before the move. You could attend a coffee morning, visit over lunch and chat with the residents, or join in with an activity, such as gardening, baking or singing.

Your new home should be just as fulfilling as independent living, if not more so, and remaining part of your community is an important part of that. At the Lakes, I encourage all of our residents to remain part of the community by getting out and about from visits to other local towns, pub lunches and garden centres. We also invite the community in on a regular basis to join our activities and coffee mornings, and regularly host guest speakers, including

Oxfam and Guide Dogs.

Your new home should welcome your friends and family at all times and enable you to still be able to socialise with them and have the space for relaxation, mindfulness and to enjoy group activities.

Everyone’s needs and interests are different and that is why it is essential to visit the home to get a good feel for it and check that they can meet your needs, both on a care basis, but also with your well-being.

Residential care provides round-the-clock care, housekeeping, home-cooked meals and a tailored activities programme. You also have access to so many other services under one roof including: hairdressing, chiropody and accompanied medical appointments.

You can receive extra support whenever you need it and still remain independent.

Find out more about The Lakes Care Centre and The Orders of St John Care Trust at www.osjct.co.uk

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COTSWOLD EVENTS

Cotswold Events: Our Top Picks

Swing from Spring into Summer with these upcoming events. From circuses and jousting tournaments to art fairs and plays, there’s plenty of things to pop in your Cotswold Calendar As You Like It, The Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon (until 31 August 2019)

Rosalind is banished, wrestling with her heart and her head. With her cousin by her side, she journeys to a world of exile where barriers are broken down and all can discover their deeper selves.

Kimberley Sykes (Dido, Queen of Carthage) directs a riotous, exhilarating version of Shakespeare's romantic comedy. www.rsc.org.uk

The Taming of The Shrew, The Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon (until 31 August 2019)

In a re-imagined 1590, England is a Matriarchy. Baptista Minola is seeking to sell off her son Katherine to the highest bidder. Cue an explosive battle of the sexes in this electrically charged love story. Justin Audibert (Snow in Midsummer, The Jew of Malta) turns Shakespeare's fierce, energetic comedy of gender and materialism on its head to offer a fresh perspective on its portrayal of hierarchy and power. www.rsc.org.uk

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OUR TOP PICKS

The Young Turner Exhibition: Ambitions in Architecture and the Art of Perspective, Blenheim Palace (until 22 April 2019)

Turner painted ‘Blenheim, Oxfordshire’ in 1833 for his 'Picturesque Views in England and Wales' series. This exhibition presents some of the artist's first commissions and most celebrated topographical works, focusing on his increasing expertise in depicting architecture and perspective from the 1780s - 1810s.

Among the loans from the Ashmolean, Tate and other private collections are Turner’s first sketchbook and diagrams from his Royal Academy lectures in perspective, which have rarely been exhibited before. www.blenheimpalace.com

Jeff Koons at The Ashmolean, Oxford (until 9 June 2019)

This major exhibition offers an exciting journey through a career that has pushed at the boundaries of contemporary art. From the moment he burst onto the scene with floating basket balls and ready-made objects to his recent re-working of classical statues and Old Master paintings, Jeff Koons has, at turns, delighted, shocked and intrigued his viewers.

Curated with Koons himself, the show features 17 major works, from the 1980s to today, 14 of which have never been to the UK before. They include some of his most well-known series such as Equilibrium, Banality, Antiquity and his recent Gazing Ball paintings and sculptures. www.ashmolean.org

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COTSWOLD EVENTS

Painting Childhood: From Holbein to Freud (16 March - 16 June 2019) This celebration of children, childhood and innocence brings together some of the most iconic paintings, sketches and sculptures of children produced in the past 500 years.

Featuring stunning portraits, amusing scenes and touching ‘fancy pictures’, the exhibition will explore the creative process and the specific challenges posed by painting children: from how to capture the fleeting moments of youth, to how to encourage young subjects to sit still. It also delivers deep insight into the place of family within an artist’s life, and the ongoing tension between biography and creativity.

The exhibition will feauture masterpieces by artists including Hans Holbein the Younger, Anthony Van Dyck, Jan Steen, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, William Hogarth, Joshua Reynolds, Thomas Gainsborough, Johan Zoffany, John Everett Millais, Stanley Spencer, Louise Bourgeois and Lucian Freud, and feature loans from the Royal Collection and the National Gallery, among others. www.comptonverney.org.uk

Masters Darts Tournament, Cheltenham Racecourse (5 April 2019)

Darts stars Michael Van Gerwen and Gary Anderson, widely regarded as the best two players on the planet, will compete at the Spectre Cheltenham Masters next spring. Both two-time World Champions will headline a high-quality field when Cheltenham’s annual arrows night returns on Friday 5 April 2019 at the racecourse.

Also on show will be double BDO World Champion Glen Durrant, PDC title winners Vincent Van der Voort and Jonny Clayton – and top women’s darts stars Corrine Hammond, of Australia, and Russia’s Anastasia Dobromyslova. The legendary ‘King of Bling’ Bobby George will also be on hand to bring his unique brand of entertainment and razzmatazz to the event. www.thejockeyclub.co.uk/cheltenham/

Andoversford Races (7 April 2019)

Andoversford is home to the Cotswold Point-to-Point races, an established fixture in the Gloucestershire sporting calendar, and one of the fastest growing and most valuable Pointing fixtures in the calendar. Some of the country’s best steeplechasers have been seen at Andoversford - which is situated right in the middle of racing country, equidistant from the large training yards of Jonjo O’Neill, Kim Bailey, Fergal O'Brien, Nigel Twiston-Davies and Tom George.

Come racing at Andoversford, and you can expect to see competitive and entertaining racing- and to rub shoulders with friends, the rich & famous, and horsemen from all over the West Country. Enjoy a quintessentially British afternoon’s entertainment. www.andoversfordraces.co.uk

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OUR TOP PICKS

Easter Egg Trail at Sudeley Castle (13-22 April 2019)

It’s time for some Easter egg-citement at Sudeley Castle. Hunt for all of the Giant Easter Eggs that have appeared in the gardens for a chocolatey reward! Easter egg hunt is included within admission. www.sudeleycastle.co.uk

Chipping Norton Literary Festival (25-28 April 2019)

Chipping Norton’s brilliant literature festival has events for all ages. Guests to include comedian Jo Brand, quantum physicist/ broadcaster turned author Jim Al Khali, children’s writer Jonny Duddle, Paralympian and presenter Ade Adepitan - and many, many more. Check the website for the full listings, ticket prices and other information. www.chiplitfest.com

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COTSWOLD EVENTS

FRESH: Art Fair Cheltenham Racecourse (26-28 April 2019)

Fresh: Art Fair is an easy and enjoyable way to browse and buy the work of 500 UK and international artists in one place. There are original prints and paintings, sculpture, glass and ceramics from £100 to £30,000, from exciting new talent to Royal Academicians.

Giffords Circus

(3 May - 29 September 2019) Roll up, roll in to the stately pleasure-dome for miracles, song, symphony and enchantment. Musicians, horses, clowns and tumblers enfolded in this joyful paradise, with music loud and long - the Giffords Circus caravan will be taking to the road for a 2019 summer of love.

Fresh: is for everyone, from newcomers to established collectors. All exhibiting galleries are experts with their fingers on the pulse of the art market, and are more than happy to answer your questions.

Although hosted at Chetenham’s prestigious racecourse, there’s no racing on the day, just art (plus coffee, lunch, champagne, talks, artist demonstrations and more).

It is midsummer 1973 in Hyde Park and the flower power movement is at its height. Hippies, hipsters, rock stars, musicians, wild women and global nomads with Shamanic horses gather to play, sing, dance, protest and perform. Policemen and a family of out-oftowners get caught up in the celebrations. Will they get in the groove? As evening approaches, the ever more chaotic event careers towards a joyful, transcendental finale. Be there or be square!

www.freshartfair.net

www.giffordscircus.com

‘Striped sky, red hot pokers’ by Lucy Pratt

Lucy Pratt – Under the big blue canopy Fosse Gallery, Stow-on-theWold (5 - 25 May 2019)

Don’t miss the latest Cotswold exhibition from this issue’s cover artist, the brilliant Lucy Pratt, at the Fosse Gallery this May featuring new works in the artist’s vivid style.

For more information, please visit the websites below. www.fossegallery.com www.lucypratt.com

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OUR TOP PICKS

Sudeley Castle Joust

The Jaguar Festival at Blenheim Palace

Join The Knights of Royal England for a weekend of epic joust tournaments. With two dramatic shows per day, come prepared for spectacular action, stunts, fights and galloping horses. Which knight will emerge victorious? Come along to find out! The joust is included within general admission.

This summer, Blenheim Palace will welcome over 1000 Jaguars from all eras. Presented by the Jaguar Enthusiasts' Club The Great Court will welcome a specially curated ‘Jaguars On Film’ collection, a prestigious display of Concours cars, and a live parade around the splendid Queen's Pool. Supported by Jaguar Land Rover Classic, alongside SNG Barratt and other club partners.

(11-12 May 2019)

(12 May 2019)

www.sudeleycastle.co.uk www.blenheimpalace.com

Winchcombe Walking Festival (17 - 19 May 2019)

There’s something for everybody at the inclusive Winchcombe Walking Festival, which offers themed walks for all abilities and accompanying guides. Walks must be booked online at the website, Winchcombe Welcomes Walkers. Check the website for more information about this three day celebration of all things walking. www.winchcombewelcomeswalkers.com

COTSWOLD-HOMES.COM

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COTSWOLD EVENTS

Bill Bailey: Larks in Transit at Cheltenham Racecourse (22 May 2019)

Larks in Transit is a compendium of travellers’ tales and the general shenanigans of twenty years as a travelling comedian.

With musical virtuosity, surreal tangents and trademark intelligence, Bill Bailey tackles politics, philosophy, the pursuit of happiness, death metal, ringtones… and an excruciating encounter with Paul McCartney. Two decades of life as a comic filtered through what the Daily Telegraph calls ‘the brainiest comic of his generation’. www.thejockeyclub.co.uk/cheltenham/

Tetbury Woolsack Races

Robert Dover’s Cotswold Olimpick Games Chipping Campden

The races have no greater aim than for individuals and teams to demonstrate their strength and fitness by racing whilst carrying a sack of wool – up and down a hill that reaches a gradient of 1 in 4. The town celebrates with a street fair that aims to please many, hosting street entertainers, local stalls and amusement rides. The many catering establishments in the town also join in to provide a very local fare for visitors.

This year sees the games return for a 407th anniversary special.

Founded hundreds of years ago by one Robert Dover, the games are regarded by many as the precursor of the modern-day Olympics, and feature such boisterous entertainments as the infamous shin-kicking competition. Keep you eyes on the website to stay informed of all the latest developments regarding this classic Cotswold event.

www.tetburywoolsack.co.uk

www.olimpickgames.co.uk

(27 May 2019)

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(31 May 2019)

OUR TOP PICKS

Party at the Castle Sudeley Castle (6-8 June 2019)

A series of summer evening concerts are set to take place in the beautiful grounds of Sudeley Castle this Summer. Incredible acts will include stage musicals legend Alfie Boe, Will Young and All Saints. For more information on the concerts, please visit the website. www.sudeleycastle.co.uk

Prescott Bike Festival (15-16 June 2019)

After a special preview day on Saturday, Sunday is the Main Show Day bringing full track action, engineering excellence and more motorcycles than you can possibly imagine. Celebrate the best in custom builds, shed builds, race bikes, factory bikes and one-off bikes!

Main Show Day features Run the Hill, Paddock Specials, Meet the Guests, passenger experiences, the Trader Zone and Kids Zone, great food and live entertainment. New for 2019 is Kickback, the National Custom Show. The winners of the UK Championships will also be announced. With so much to see and do, Prescott is for bike enthusiasts - and for all the family. www.prescottbikefestival.co.uk

COMING SOON: Cornbury Festival (5-7 July 2019) The 49th Guiting Music Festival (19-28 July 2019) The Big Feastival (23-25 August 2019)

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INTERVIEW

A Fresh look at Art Now in its third successful year, Cheltenham’s Fresh: Art Fair is going from strength to strength. We ask co-founder Anthony Wardle what we can expect in April 2019.

We’re all very well aware how tough things are for retailers these days. Rising costs and burgeoning online sales are forcing large and small shops out of business. Many independent retailers can fall back on the Internet to fill the sales gap, but it’s not so easy to buy art online, so galleries are suffering more than most.

My daughter and business partner Eleanor has owned The Paragon Gallery in Montpellier, Cheltenham for six years. The gallery is doing well but, like other galleries, has come to depend on art fairs for reaching new customers.

We started Fresh: Art Fair because there was no serious art fair in the Cotswolds. We now realise what a lifeline a good fair can be.

Art fairs are the perfect win-win. They help galleries reach customers, but they also make it easy and enjoyable for art lovers to see galleries…lots of them. We’re all simply too busy these days to tramp around a dozen towns and villages looking for the perfect painting.

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A FRESH LOOK AT ART

Quantum: Keith Athay

Art Salon: Linda Franklin Hybrid: Irene Jones: Her Thoughts So Still

Wren Gallery: Neil Cox

At Fresh: Art Fair you’ll be able to visit 51 leading UK galleries in one place, see 5,000 works by 500 local, national and international artists, all in a couple of enjoyable hours with a glass of wine in your hand. Perfect.

There’ll be original prints and paintings, sculpture, glass and ceramics from as little as £100 to £20,000, but most of them well within your budget. There’ll be exciting emerging talent, established artists and Royal Academicians …Blake, Hockney, Hirst, Emin, Sutherland, Piper, Frost and McLean will all be there. And a good deal more.

Frames and framing At the Fair this April we’ll be exploring some of the mysteries of art. There’ll be talks and demonstrations by leading London picture framer and fine art fabricator Darbyshire.

Working with artists, galleries, collectors and museums, Darbyshire creates frames and display cases for many of our most famous names. They will shortly have a consultation service from their workshops in Stonehouse.

Their talks will explain how to choose frames and how framing is important in art conservation.

Art and interior design There will be two talks on the Saturday of the Fair by Interior Designer and Instagram phenomenon Dee Campling. Dee is

Clifton Fine Art: Finding Thoughts by Charlie O’Sullivan

Cheltenham-based but reaches the whole world of interiors …she will talk about the role of art in interior design and answer your questions.

Prints and print-making Perhaps the biggest mystery of all will be explained by painter and print-maker Jim Starr, while he shows you how it’s done.

There are prints and there are original prints.

The first are simple reproductions produced on huge machines sometimes in thousands and involve no artistic skill whatsoever.

You might as well take a photograph of a painting and print it on your old HP…that is a print. They tend to be cheap and you will NOT find them at Fresh.

Original prints, on the other hand, are produced in many ways, but always with the direct involvement of the artist. They may be etchings, engravings, lithographs, screen prints, woodblocks or linocuts. They are often called impressions, rather than prints, and are always produced in numbered editions and signed by the artist. Each colour in a print usually requires a separate stone, plate, block, or stencil, and any of these basic processes may be combined in the creation of a finished work. Jim will be working on a screen print throughout the Fair and you will be able to try your hand.

Art valuation International fine art auctioneers Bonhams

Eleven and a Half: John Piper: Penwith buildings

will be with us again to give you advice on selling your old art (that stuff that was handed down to you years ago …that you never look at). When I walk around my house, if a painting or sculpture fails to give me pause or pleasure then it’s time to move it on.

Presiding over the entire Fair, and the Private View in particular, will be our sponsor St. James’s Place Wealth Management. At the Private View there’ll be live jazz, free wine, a thousand or more guests and a huge buzz. You can buy tickets online.

Fresh: Art Fair will be in the Centaur building at Cheltenham Racecourse from 26th to 28th April 2019 with a Private View on the evening of 25th.

Visit Freshartfair.net

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INTERIOR DESIGN

Amanda Hanley’s

Keep Calm and Hire an Interior Designer Hiring an interior designer may feel like a big step to take, but it can be a decision that actually saves you time and money, gives you a valuable opportunity to make the best of your space, and inspires fresh ideas that allow your personality to shine through. Working with a professional can be a real journey, so here Burford Interior Designer Amanda Hanley talks us through the main steps.

There are many types of clients who enlist the help of interior designers, from those who have a strong sense of style, but require help in making the best of it, to those who are completely unsure of what to aim for, and need assistance in figuring out what would suit them and their lifestyle.

Some common misconceptions are that enlisting a designer is ‘cheating’; that the cost will be high; the project size has to be large; or that the designer will want to redecorate your room from scratch, disregarding your treasured items. Thankfully, with a good designer, these are not the case!

The advantages of using an interior designer The biggest advantage is that you will certainly create a beautiful, unique and inspiring home. Your designer will offer a fresh perspective, with advice on how you can make the best of what you already have.

Colefax & Fowler Cole & Son

A good designer will incorporate your favourite existing pieces.

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AMANDA HANLEY

A professional opinion can save you money, as you avoid costly mistakes. A good designer will also have specialist knowledge of building trades, materials and their costs, as well as finishing touches and furnishings, whether ‘off the shelf’ or bespoke. They will also be able to project manage, taking the pressure off you.

When using a professional, you will feel empowered to make braver choices, as you are given confidence that the end result will be successful, meaning you’ll end up with a home you truly love.

Finding a designer Choosing a designer can seem a little daunting, but it really doesn’t need to be. Local and interiors magazines are an excellent resource for finding professionals in your area, as is social media, such as Instagram, because you can see real-life examples of work. Recommendations from friends, family and associates are also highly valuable.

If you find a designer that you think may be right for you, don’t be shy of asking to speak to previous clients for references. An initial chat with your designer should be free of charge; it’s of paramount importance that you feel you get on well with them and that they understand what you are after before you launch into a project. It is also important that they are comfortable with your requirements and feel able to fulfill your needs. After this, particularly if your project is large, have a think about your brief and budget before the first project meeting, and bring along floor plans, photos and samples of existing furnishings, if relevant.

Questions, questions and more questions Before you embark on a project, you may want to ask your designer some questions, and expect them to ask you questions back. Find out about their previous experience, talk about budget and any other practicalities. Your designer will

GP&J Baker showroom at Chelsea Harbour, London.

Having your home professionally designed will often increase its value.

want to know about you and your family’s lifestyle so they can tailor their service and create a home that both looks stunning and works perfectly for you.

The formalities Your designer will put together a formal quote for each stage of your project, for the cost of services and also any materials.

A quote can also act as a contract for smaller jobs. How services are charged for can vary from a fixed fee, to a percentage of the project cost, to hourly rates, or a combination, which you can agree together.

Larsen A mood-board of samples helps you to get a feel for what an overall scheme will look like.

Levels of involvement

A blossoming relationship

Although large design businesses may only be interested in big projects, small and local businesses will usually be happy to handle projects of a wide range of sizes. You may simply want an existing scheme freshened up, or perhaps just need help in selecting the perfect armchair - it’s absolutely fine to ask for advice at this level, and it will often be free of charge if you are purchasing from your designer. If your project is particularly large, your designer may suggest approaching it in phases.

Like any relationship in life, your relationship with your designer will develop as your project progresses. Smaller design businesses have the advantage of being able to offer a highly personal service right from the start. When a project is completed, clients will very often return to the same designer again and again, because once that relationship is established, it becomes invaluable.

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

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NETHERCOTE BRIDGE COTTAGE, BOURTON ON THE WATER

£775,000

An exceptional Grade II Listed cottage, tucked away in a quiet but accessible location within Bourton on the Water. The property has been the subject of an extensive programme of improvements and offers extremely well presented accommodation over three floors.

Entrance Porch | Entrance lobby | Cloakroom | Sitting Room | Dining Room | Kitchen / Breakfast Room | Utility | First Floor : Two Double Bedrooms | Family Bathroom | Eaves Storage | Second Floor : Double Bedroom | Bathroom | Gardens | Single Garage | Parking | Grade ll Listed

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

SUFFOLK PLACE PLOT 6, BOURTON ON THE WATER

£750,000

A truly exceptional, brand new five-bedroom 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.

Entrance Porch | Entrance Hall | Sitting Room | Living Room / Separate Dining Room | Kitchen / Dining family Area | Utility Room | Cloakroom | Master Bedroom Suite With En-Suite Bathroom and Dressing Room | Guest Bedroom With En-Suite Shower Room | Three Further Bedrooms | Family Bathroom | Gardens | Single Garage | Parking | EPC Rating: TBC

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

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

RYELANDS, BOURTON ON THE WATER

£725,000

A recently refurbished and extended five bedroom detached house with versatile accommodation and a large garden, tucked away within reach of the village centre.

Entrance Hall | Sitting Room | Large Open Plan Kitchen and Dining Room | Utility Room | Two Ground Floor Bedroom | Ground Floor Bathroom | First Floor Landing | Master Bedroom with En-Suite Wet Room | Two Further Bedrooms | Office / Nursery | Large Garden To Rear | Summer House | Ample Off Road Parking | Scope For Garage (subject to planning permission) | EPC Rating : C

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

3 LUTYENS COURT, UPPER RISSINGTON

£425,000

A recently converted, beautifully presented three storey town house benefiting from flexible accommodation, lawned garden to the rear and allocated parking.

Entrance Hall | Kitchen/Dining Room/Family Room | Study/Bedroom Four | Cloakroom | First Floor Sitting Room | Bedroom Three / Dining Room Bathroom | Second Floor Master Bedroom | En-Suite | Bedroom Two | En-Suite | EPC Rating: B

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

Country Homes from harrison james & hardie

THE FOLD, CHIPPING CAMPDEN

ÂŁ1,150,000

A substantial detached residence with a generously proportioned and attractively landscaped rear gardens situated just a short walk from the highly sought after High Street of Chipping Campden.

Entrance Hall | Living Room | Dining Room | Kitchen/Family Room Linked To Sitting Room Via A Beautiful Orangery | Office | Utility Room | WC | Master Bedroom With En-Suite | Guest Bedroom With En-Suite | Two Further Double Bedrooms | Bathroom | Garage | Garden | Parking | EPC Rating: C Fine and Country, Harrison James & Hardie, Moreton in Marsh 01608 653893

EAST LEAZE, CHIPPING CAMPDEN

ÂŁ580,000

A beautifully presented and recently refurbished period cottage situated just a short walk from Chipping Campden High Street. The property has been extended to create generously proportioned accommodation whilst retaining much of its original character and charm.

Entrance | Sitting Room room/Dining Room With Atrium Style Roof | Dining Room | Kitchen | Three Double Bedrooms One With An En-Suite | Bathroom | Large Garden | EPC Rating: D Fine and Country, Harrison James & Hardie, Moreton in Marsh 01608 653893

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

THE BELL HOUSE, STOURTON

£650,000

The Bell House is a charming detached Victorian character cottage situated in the heart of the popular village of Stourton. The front of the property has a handsome red brick double fronted façade with sash windows, whilst the rear of the property is constructed of stone.

Two Principal Reception Rooms Both With Log-Burners | Family Room | An Extended Kitchen/Breakfast Room Utility Room And Cloakroom | Three Bedrooms | Bathroom | Gravelled Driveway Providing Off Road Parking | Enclosed Garden Predominantly Laid To Lawn With Mature Trees And WellStocked Borders | Useful Brick Built Garden Store At The End Of The Garden | EPC Rating: E Fine and Country, Harrison James & Hardie, Moreton in Marsh 01608 653893

BLAKEMANS HOUSE, CHIPPING CAMPDEN

£695,000

An imposing double fronted period property occupying an elevated position on the Lower High Street of this extremely sought after North Cotswold town.

Entrance | Sitting Room | Study Area | Kitchen/Breakfast Room Open To Dining Room | Master Bedroom With En-Suite | Two Further Double Bedrooms | Bathroom | Patio | Garden To Rear | EPC Rating: D Fine and Country, Harrison James & Hardie, Moreton in Marsh 01608 653893

Country Homes from harrison james & hardie

ASK THE EXPERTS

Twenty-five years in the North Cotswold marketplace Karen, a quarter-century at the top of your game! What have you learnt along the way to help us get past Brexit?

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.

n some ways, with Brexit the mood in the industry today seems similar to 1994: there’s the same sense of general torpor, a suspension of activity, an insidiously pervasive lack of confidence, lots of unsaleable stock and a seeming inability to move forward, just as there was in the mid-90s. Back then, the country had suffered a fast, brutal boomand-bust recession where interest rates had soared to 15%. Home owners with appallingly expensive mortgages were stuck, many in deep negative equity. Repossessions were rife.

house even if I didn’t realise that I was selling at first. I would always jump up from my word processor given half a chance. My boss - a very experienced old-school agent - was wise enough to allow me to escape the filing cabinets. Discovering my fledgling penchant for sales he keenly hot-housed my progress, let me manage his applicants, taking me out on consultations, instructing me on every element of the job. This proper grounding proved to be extremely important when we were subject to a corporate buy-out a year later.

In the boom of the 1980s, banks and building societies had bought up swathes of small independent estate agencies as springboards to selling financial services –Abbey National, Black Horse, Nationwide, et al. They weren’t proper agents and hadn’t a clue how to work their way out of trouble. But it wasn’t lenders who were perceived as the villains. Estate agents took the brunt of all that bitterness. It was a very tough time for the industry.

This kind, gentlemanly environment suddenly became wide-boy, target-driven and superpressurised. To my boss’s dismay I was sent to the worst-performing old Nationwide office at Stow on the Wold to assist the new manager. She was a proper Essex girl: short skirted, white stilettoed, perma-tanned with bleach-blonde candyfloss hair. I had never met anyone like her before. Neither had the Cotswolds. Very driven, super bright, disarmingly charming, entirely dismissive of formal process and utterly focused on the end result, she turned everything I thought I knew about agency on its head.

I was lucky in so many ways. I was lucky that all these bad experiences in my early career gave me a really good understanding of how to do and not do things when we set up our own agency. Frankly I was lucky even to get my first admin job - I couldn’t QWERTY for starters – but having worked weekends in agency whilst at university I managed to blarney my way in, somehow. The previous secretary having just walked out helped, no doubt.

Everyone was very depressed; lethargy had set in everywhere. But I always loved front of

1996: K

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If, for example, I called up an applicant about a new listing and was asked: ‘how many bedrooms?’ she would interject: ‘how many do they want? Just say it’s got three. Get them to view!’ Her methods for achieving results were questionable but she was absolutely right that the single most important thing was getting people out to view. I learned quickly how to prioritise buyers’ needs not wish lists, to assess

ASK THE EXPERTS

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Far too many lazy agents are blaming the state of the nation for their poor performance affordability and financial position, and to sell on location and lifestyle not price, accommodation or square footage. And she gave me a fearsome work ethic. Woe betide me if I missed a trick with any of my applicants!

This determinedly proactive approach proved a powerful restorative. For every sold board we listed another new instruction. Sold, listed, listed and sold, sold, sold, quadrupling the previous year’s turnover and doubling that again the following year. Meanwhile other local agents seemed barely to notice that things had changed for the better. By 1997, I was managing branches in Stow, Moreton - and then Bourton after my old boss retired. We were turning over the best part of a million pounds, our boards covering half of the North Cotswolds. I was invited to dine with the Chairman, feted at annual award ceremonies for three successive years, manager of the most profitable among three hundred plus branches.

However, the more I learned the more uncomfortable I felt. Bullying was absolutely endemic, top down, cultural. Bottom line was the only thing that mattered. Our profits were syphoned off for shareholder bonuses, to support failing offices in the group, not for the benefit of my branches, vendors and

staff. The more money we made, the greedier the machine. I protected my team at all costs but witnessed terrible pressures exerted upon colleagues, zero-tolerance for anyone not consistently performing, hair-dryer treatment at head office meetings, ruthlessly strategic dismissals. When I protested vociferously at the sacking of a fellow manager I was told in no uncertain terms: “No one is indispensable.”

When my negotiators [including Caroline, now fellow director] were punished for failing to hit ridiculous targets with enforced late-night phone-outs, things became truly intolerable. Eventually we whistle-blew. I tried briefly to work with my MD’s successor but all I wanted was to protect my team and enjoy the job that I loved without external pressures. I told the new MD of my plan to set up my own agency. He was dismissive.

“You’re a single parent with two young children, you won’t do it,” he said, haring around in his Mercedes, offering all my staff big incentives to stay. “I don’t understand what you do to make everyone so loyal,” he said later. “Just be nice,” I said.

In June 2000 we launched our new business. Within four months we had eighty instructions, catching the imagination and support of the local community from day one. We sold everything quickly, grew rapidly,

reinvesting profits into better resources.

Each time I picked up the phone to chat to someone on my old team the response was: “how soon can I come?” In 2008 when the recession hit, we simply remembered what we had learned in the 90s, ending up that year selling more homes than all our local competitors combined.

Nothing has really changed after all these years. Our ethos of sheer hard graft, good practice and teamwork is still what we stand by today. The internet removes the mechanical slog; high street premises are no longer vital. Good staff have been lost to other industries, especially since Brexit. But those same service standards are still our absolute forte.

Far too many lazy agents are blaming the state of the nation for their poor performance. Brexit is really tough, but we know what to do. Get tougher, work harder to find those sales. Work smarter, work as a mutually supportive experienced team who understand the local marketplace; list at the right price, enthuse buyers, instil confidence, phone out every single day, focusing on needs not wish lists. Get viewings, viewings, viewings. Because it’s still true that the very best way to beget more sold boards is simply to get Sold boards.

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HOT PROPERTY

Upper Rissington Located in a glorious leafy, private cul-de-sac at the eastern edge of the village with wonderful open views towards Oxfordshire is a small handful of highly prestigious officers’ houses reputedly designed by renowned architect Sir Edwin Lutyens. Now part of a thriving modern village particularly sought-after by young families for its primary school and as catchment for the Cotswold Academy - both accorded Outstanding status by Ofsted - Smith Barry Crescent originally consisted of just six substantial homes basking in peaceful splendour, built for the highest-ranking officers on what was once an RAF air base.

Number 1 is an exceptionally fine example, a substantial fivebedroomed detached home sitting within grounds of half an acre, extended by the previous owners to provide a large self-contained three storey annexe. Ideal for a multi-generational family wishing to live independently but in close proximity, the annexe is equally suitable as a holiday-let. Tom Burdett of Character Cottages believes it would generate in the region of £30,000 - £35,000 gross annual income.

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“Situated between the three main tourist centres of Stow on the Wold, Burford and Bourton on the Water and offered with beautifully presented, extremely comfortable accommodation, and potentially separate parking and garden, this would be an ideal base for holidaymakers wishing to explore the North Cotswolds. As such I have no doubt it would offer reliable year-round income.”

1 SMITH BARRY CRESCENT

The property is bordered by low dry-stone walling with two separate gated entrances onto a wide gravelled driveway providing parking for several vehicles and onto a detached double garage with games room above. Enjoying a high degree of natural privacy behind a beech hedge to the front elevation, the main gardens are a delight with generous well-kept lawns surrounded by mature trees, bordered at the back by fields and woodland (designated by the village plan as protected natural open space).

The traditionally arranged kitchen / breakfast room is practical and sociable, fitted with an Esse cast-iron range cooker for extra warmth in winter plus an electric oven / hob for summer. Provided with a separate utility room and two ground floor cloakrooms, No 1 was evidently designed as a home for entertaining. “Yes, it’s a great party house and particularly comes into its own at Christmas - just as well having moved down from London because all our friends and family love to come here at weekends!” says Emma, the current owner.

The main ground floor accommodation is both generous and wellbalanced. A wide entrance hall leads to a balustrade staircase rising to a balconied landing and to the principal ground floor accommodation: two formal reception rooms, a study / snug (with door to annexe), a country kitchen/breakfast room and a charming garden room / play room. The sitting room, warmed by a log burner, is flooded with natural light, having a picture bay window and a fully glazed door overlooking the garden. French doors divide the space between this and the elegant dining room, also overlooking the garden, comfortably seating twelve.

“There’s enough space for everyone to disappear to a quiet corner as the mood suits - the grown-ups tend to sit around the fire with a glass of wine and their feet up whilst the children will make a beeline for the summerhouse and play happily for hours in the garden. There’s plenty of room upstairs too – and of course with the annexe we can host another family without disturbing our private space - and there is also a huge attic which we haven’t touched but always wanted to convert into a master bedroom, dressing room and bathroom, knowing the views from up there would be amazing.”

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Upper Rissington occupies an elevated location between the Windrush and Evenlode Valleys and offers easy access to the A424 Stow on the Wold/Burford road as well as Bourton on the Water.

Upper Rissington has a fantastic shop, pharmacy, gym and cafe as well as a village hall. There is also the Outstanding Rissington Primary School. Further facilities and schools can be found in both Bourton on the Water, Stow on the Wold and Burford. A bus service links the village to the local schools at Bourton on the Water, as well as wider destinations and equal commuting distances to Oxford and Cheltenham. The property is approx 15 minutes drive away from Daylesford Organic Farm and Shop and approx 30 minutes drive from Soho Farmhouse and Members Club.

The original homes at RAF Little Rissington were built in the late ‘30s / ‘40s when the base played a crucial role as a training ground

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for pilots during World War II. The Officers’ Mess nearby has recently been converted into glamorous town houses - back then it was very much the place to be seen. During the ‘70s, the base became a renowned flying school and focus of local high society life.

Huge dinner parties frequently went on until dawn and the hunt also regularly met at the Commander’s home, where even the Queen Mother once stayed.

Taken over by the Americans in the Cold War, abandoned in the mid 1990s, the airbase lay empty for several years before being finally sold off by the MOD for private development at the end of the twentieth century. However Upper Rissington, as it was to become, was on the verge of a new lease of life. It soon earned renown as ‘the North Cotswolds best kept secret’. Families loved the friendliness of the local community, the freedom and safety for their children

1 SMITH BARRY CRESCENT

whilst appreciating the sense of peace, vast skies, tree-lined avenues and wide-open spaces.

Those who purchased in the early years were amply rewarded by sharply escalating prices, and planning permission for a new homes development a decade later ensured Upper Rissington’s long-term viability and continuing sharp upward rise in fortune.

With considerable investment into services and amenities today, attractions include an Outstanding primary school, market square, popular bistro and supermarket.

Combined with a naturally beautiful elevated rural setting and a serendipitous location on the edge of the Cotswold escarpment, situated in a golden triangle between Burford, Stow and Bourton on the Water, it is no surprise that Upper Rissington has emerged

today as one of the most desirable villages in the North Cotswolds for family life.

Offered to the market at a Guide Price of ÂŁ995,000 via Fine & Country North Cotswolds, No 1 Smith Barry Crescent will undoubtedly attract a great deal of initial interest and therefore early viewing is highly recommended. For more information and to arrange a time to view, please contact James von Speyr on 01451 824977. For floorplans and further information, visit www.cotswold-homes.com/property Fine & Country Bourton on the Water

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The Fold

THE FOLD AND EAST LEAZE Chipping Campden Chipping Campden is quite possibly the most picture-postcard place in the North Cotswolds. Pretty thatched cottages, rows of elegant town houses all jostling for position, a high street crammed with independent shops, eateries, delis and fabulous galleries, high-end hotels, quaint ancient public houses and a magnificent elevated church, everything emblematic of the huge wealth once enjoyed as the epi-centre of a thriving wool trade and continuing to the present day, perhaps the finest example of the famous North Cotswold lifestyle.

The Fold

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THE FOLD AND EAST LEAZE

The Fold

The Fold

Marketed by Fine & Country North Cotswolds, two exceptional properties occupy an elevated position just a short distance from the High Street. The Fold and its neighbouring cottage, East Leaze, can be purchased separately but together provide an opportunity for a gorgeous and substantial family home and a thriving holiday let perhaps, or the opportunity for multiple generational living.

Both beautifully extended, the original elements of both properties have retained all their wealth of traditional character.

Sensitively and thoughtfully designed, the modern elements have been designed to complement the original - flowing, brightly lit, open plan, packed with modern luxuries. Meanwhile spreading landscaped gardens are perfectly designed for calm contemplation and equally for hours of family fun. There’s space for entertaining and for solitude: prettily stepped terracing, wide stretches of manicured lawns, colourfully stocked flower borders.

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The Fold, constructed of natural Cotswold stone under a tiled roof, appears from the front to be four attractive cottages lining the meandering street above, perched above a traditional drystone wall with English country garden borders. Contrary to appearance, in fact this is just one wonderful substantial family home, secretly boasting large and attractively landscaped gardens and off-road parking for several cars.

Four double bedrooms, two with en-suite bathrooms, and utterly fabulous living space – cosy, warm and inviting reception rooms, a home office, a magnificent open plan kitchen / breakfast room and a family living room plus a conservatory, opening out onto the garden.

The Fold

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THE FOLD AND EAST LEAZE

The Fold The Fold

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East Leaze

East Leaze, neighbour to The Fold, is just as stunning. A conversion – sitting room with half gloriously lit by an atrium roof and glazed walls, doors opening out to the garden; an open-plan dining room leading to an elegantly fitted kitchen and above three bedrooms, two bathrooms, the master bedroom with a Juliette balcony. Outside, a sunken patio terrace ideal for dining, steps rising to broad flat lawns bordered with flowers and dry-stone walls.

Potentially as ancillary accommodation or - as presently used, a holiday let, purchased with all the contents in situ - equally suitable for a main residence, this is a delightful home.

The Fold, offered to the market at £1.15 million and East Leaze at £580,000, must be viewed for the scope and potential to be fully appreciated. For further information, floor plans and images visit www.cotswold-homes/property. To arrange a viewing strictly by prior appointment contact Martin Frost, Branch Manager, Harrison James & Hardie Fine & Country North Cotswolds: Moreton in Marsh 01608 651000.

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East Leaze

THE FOLD AND EAST LEAZE

East Leaze

East Leaze

East Leaze

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RYELANDS

Bourton-on-the-Water Beautifully positioned close to the centre of the highly desirable Cotswold village of Bourton-on-the-Water is Ryelands, a wellappointed and immaculately presented family home that has been both extended and stylishly remodelled by the current owners.

“When we initially came across the property just a couple of years ago it was a rather shabby 1960s bungalow, but we could immediately see that it had an absolute wealth of potential,” says the owner. “It sits on a very generous plot and behind that is a beautiful lake. We felt, with a bit of hard work, we could turn that bungalow into a stunning family home and that’s exactly what we’ve done.

A generous driveway ensures that the house is set well away from the road. To the rear is a spreading garden, once very overgrown, now cleared out to create family-friendly spaces with defined areas for sitting out, relaxing and entertaining.

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“We have a summerhouse we currently use as a workshop that could possibly be converted into a lovely little annexe.

There’s still potential but I’m very proud of all of the work that we’ve done.”

The project was completed just a year or so ago; everything is ready for new owners simply to move in and enjoy. A

huge open-plan kitchen/dining room flows straight into a roomy inner hall and on to another large sitting room created by the extension. Two additional downstairs bedrooms, plus a bathroom, are of flexible use and upstairs there are two more bedrooms, with two smaller rooms that perhaps could be used as a study and nursery.

RYELANDS

“We’ve extended up and out to create not only more bedrooms but also more living space, and we’ve altered the layout to make it more open, much more conducive to modern family life. We’ve added high-end fixtures and fittings throughout and installed little extras such as underfloor heating in the open-plan kitchen - probably our favourite part of the house as a super room to entertain friends and family - which all adds to the overall feeling of comfort.

“It’s now such a lovely home but it’s the garden and the setting that I think I’ll miss most. It’s so very peaceful here.”

Offered to the market at £725,000 via Fine & Country North Cotswolds, to arrange a viewing contact James von Speyr on 01451 822977. For more information, images and floor plans visit www.cotswold-homes.com/property

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NETHERCOTE BRIDGE C O T TA G E Bourton on the Water An exceptional cottage in a highly desirable, peaceful location situated just a few minutes’ walk from the centre of the village on Marshmouth Lane.

Nethercote Bridge Cottage has been the subject of an extensive programme of refurbishment and now offers extremely well-presented accommodation arranged over three floors. There are two reception rooms: a sitting room with a window seat and a quaint recessed stone fireplace with a log burning stove; a brightly lit separate dining room to seat eight people comfortably, opening to a kitchen/ breakfast room with another inglenook fireplace, which has been completely remodelled with an extensive range of high gloss units and built-in appliances including a Miele oven Liebherr fridge and separate freezer. On the first floor are two bedrooms - the master with a luxurious en-suite bathroom - and above on the top floor

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another double, provided with an equally luxurious bathroom.

One of the most desirable qualities is its position. Situated in a generous plot with parking for several cars and a timber garage, a delightfully pretty garden that catches the best of the sun wraps around the cottage, laid mostly to lawn, full of colour and interest with traditionally stocked flower and shrub borders.

Extending to around a quarter of an acre, dotted here and there are a number of mature fruit and specimen trees including apple, Acer, pine and magnolia. A secluded paved terrace to the rear is perfect for al fresco dining.

NETHERCOTE BRIDGE COTTAGE

“When I first saw the cottage it was sound enough, but the interior was really dated and generally in need of improvement,” says the present owner. “I immediately wanted to breathe new life into it and make the house much more conducive to modern living in a way that wouldn’t compromise a wonderful sense of history.

“I’ve maintained the character by exposing and enhancing the original elm wood floors and staircase. All the old beams, originally black, have been painted white to enhance the feeling of light.

The gorgeous inglenook fireplaces are now real features of both the lounge and the kitchen. However, what makes the property so unique is the fact that alongside these lovely old features I’ve added top-of-the range, contemporary fixtures and fittings.

“Each room has its own unique charm but if I had to pick a favourite it would probably be the kitchen. It boasts lovely proportions so there’s room for both cooking and dining, and it’s a very luxurious space that features all the mod cons one would hope for: top-of-the-range contemporary fixtures and fittings, with highend Italian white lacquered units, white quartz Silestone worktops and built-in appliances including a Miele oven Liebherr fridge and separate freezer.

“I’d say that the attention to detail has been minute but the old now blends beautifully with the new. That same feeling extends throughout. The main bathroom has natural stone tiling, a Duravit toilet, Villeroy & Boch bathtub and stunning Grohe taps; the second bathroom is of equal quality. Both now feature under-floor heating, as does the kitchen. The whole property has been decorated using a range of elegant Farrow & Ball paints and the lighting has been just as meticulously designed - it’s now an outstanding home and I’m extremely proud of what I’ve achieved!”

And what of life in Marshmouth Lane?

“I have come to love Bourton-on-the-Water, strolling down to the river and shops. It is an exceptionally pretty little village with lots of interesting places to visit including Birdland, the motor museum and a climbing centre. Of course, beyond that there’s all of this glorious countryside to explore but it’s just as wonderful to sit in the garden - such a beautiful space, very peaceful and private, too.”

Tom Burdett of Character Cottages believes that the cottage would make a great holiday let proposition. “Bourton on the Water is the most reliable market in the North Cotswolds. With such a wonderful location, a likely gross annual turnover would be in the region of £45,000.”

Offered to the market at £750,000 via Fine & Country North Cotswolds, to arrange a viewing contact James von Speyr on 01451 822977. For more information, images and floor plans visit www.cotswold-homes.com/property

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LONDON ROAD, CHIPPING NORTON

SOLD: ÂŁ950,000

A rare opportunity to purchase a substantial detached Victorian townhouse situated within walking distance of the High Street of this popular West Oxfordshire market town Reception Hall | Kitchen/Breakfast Room Opening Out Into A Family Room | Formal Sitting Room | Office/Study | Master Bedroom En-Suite Six Further Bedrooms | Three Bathrooms | Extensive Cellarage Providing Laundry Room | Boot Room | Games Room | Self-Contained Two Storey Annexe | Courtyard Garden | Off-Road Parking | EPC Rating: D Fine and Country, Harrison James & Hardie, Moreton in Marsh 01608 653893

WOODLAND LODGE, OVER NORTON, CHIPPING NORTON

SOLD: ÂŁ895,000

An extremely rare opportunity to purchase a detached family home occupying two acres of land, with views over its own private lake, situated within walking distance of the High Street of this popular West Oxfordshire market town. There is currently planning permission to extend and to create detached garaging with an annexe above, however due to the nature of the property there is endless potential to further extend to create a stunning and substantial home (STTNPC).

Porch | Lower Ground Floor: Dining Room | WC | Kitchen | Utlity | Ground Floor | Family Room | Living Room | Study | Master Bedroom With Dressing Room And En-Suite | Three Further Bedrooms | Bathroom | Garage | Parking | Garden | EPC Rating: D

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

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

ASK THE RYELANDS EXPERTS

Holiday Lets - The Brexit Effects I’m considering buying a house to let as a holiday property.

How will Brexit affect this decision?

ach year the holiday letting market is flooded with new cottages purchased by eager investors. For investors looking for a reliable return on investment, holiday letting comes with many benefits when compared to other property-based opportunities, meaning holiday letting is the avenue of choice for many shrewd investors.

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 01451 600844.

Unsurprisingly, the uncertainty of Brexit has curbed this trend, reducing the number of new cottage purchases entering the holiday letting market. Following the announcement of Brexit in 2016, there have been two years of perceived little progress, resulting in many investors deciding to sit back and wait for the Brexit fog to lift. This sharp decline in the number of completed investment purchases has significantly reduced fresh competition in the market, which is nothing but a good thing. For serious holiday cottage owners, interested in delivering year-round occupancy, Brexit is taking the shape of a silver lining.

With the post-Brexit effect on European travel still uncertain, many holidaymakers are looking towards a ‘staycation’ this year.

Compounded by a weak pound and the prospect of getting even fewer Euros for your money before the year is out, coupled with the not-so-distant memory of the long hot British summer of 2018, many families, couples and singles alike are opting to spend their well-earned time off in the UK.

holiday is being reduced or spread over several breaks, which is resulting in an increase in the number of late bookings and short stays. The ability to offer holidaymakers the added value of flexible booking parameters is a real opportunity to capitalise on any nervousness from holidaymakers. Another successful tactic to use during the uncertainty of Brexit is operating a considered variable pricing model, where a break is sold at the best possible price at the most opportune moment, within the parameters agreed with the property owner.

The growing trend for wellness holidays is also putting the UK ‘staycation’ firmly on the map. Cottages in scenic locations are proving popular, with walking top of the holiday itinerary.

The UK cottage holiday letting market has a strong heritage, with deep roots that are not easily shaken. In fact, the uncertainty of Brexit has only shaken off the competition that creates unnecessary noise for customers trying to choose a trustworthy holiday that delivers value. Becoming agile in your cottage holiday letting allows you to move with the uncertain times of Brexit, providing an unrivalled return on investment.

However, we cannot deny that Brexit is having an effect on the general demand of the holiday rental market. UK holiday habits are changing as a result of uncertainty. A budget for an annual

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55 Beceshore Close, Moreton In Marsh

£375,000

A well-presented three bedroom townhouse situated on a soughtafter development on the northern edge of Moreton in Marsh.The accommodation, which is arranged over three floors.

Entrance Hall | Cloakroom | Sitting Room | Kitchen | First Floor Offers Two Double Bedrooms One With An En-Suite Shower Room | Family Bathroom | Top Floor Is A Master Bedroom With An En-Suite Shower Room | Rear Garden | Garage | Off Road Parking | EPC Rating: C

36 Blenheim Way, Moreton in Marsh

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

Entrance Hall | Sitting/Dining Room | Kitchen | WC | Master Bedroom En-Suite | Three Further Bedrooms | Family Bathroom | Garage | Garden | Parking | EPC Rating: C

Harrison James & Hardie, Moreton in Marsh 01608 653893

Harrison James & Hardie, Moreton in Marsh 01608 653893

11 Park Road, Blockley

Angle Cottage, Bourton on the Hill

O.I.E.O £320,000

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 653893

harrisonjameshardie.co.uk

£379,950

£325,000

A delightful two bedroom period Cotswold stone cottage tucked away off the main street in a popular village location and enjoying rear views towards the Batsford Estate.

Sitting Room With Exposed Stone Fireplace And Inset Log-Burner | Open-Plan Kitchen/Diner | Ground Floor Bathroom | First Floor There Are Two Double Bedrooms | Raised Patio Area With The Remainder Of The Garden Being Laid To Lawn | A Path Leads To The Communal Parking Area At The Rear Which Is Owned By Batsford Estate And Used On A ‘’First Come, First Served’’ Basis | No onward chain | EPC Rating: E

Harrison James & Hardie, Moreton in Marsh 01608 653893

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

Vallis, Condicote

£550,000

A detached chalet style family house situated on the edge of the village with countryside views.

£375,000

Inglenook Cottage is an attractive Grade II Listed stone cottage with a charming front facade which also benefits from a two storey rear extension.

The accommodation, which retains a wealth of period features including exposed timbers, beams and walls.

Entrance Hall | Sitting Room With Feature Fireplace And Inset Log-Burner | Dining Room | Kitchen/Breakfast Room | Utility Room | Ground Floor Bedroom/Study | Ground Floor Shower Room | Three First Floor Bedrooms | Bathroom | Gardens To The Front And Rear | Off Road Parking | Garage

Sitting Room With Inglenook | Fireplace Exposed Stone Walls | Mullion Windows And Window Seat | Kitchen/Diner With ‘Rayburn Supreme’ | Utility Room | Two First Floor Bedrooms | Family Bathroom | Useful Attic Room | No onward chain | EPC Rating: Exempt

Harrison James & Hardie, Moreton in Marsh 01608 653893

39 Lords Piece Road, Chipping Norton

Inglenook Cottage, Aston Magna

Harrison James & Hardie, Moreton in Marsh 01608 653893

£350,000

4 Bowling Green Court, Moreton in Marsh

£250,000

A deceptively spacious three bedroom family home situated in a cul-de-sac location on the edge of town offering versatile and flexible accommodation arranged over three floors.

A two bedroom retirement bungalow situated just a short walk from the town centre and benefitting from the use of communal gardens, off road parking and an onsite wardens office.

Entrance Hall | Cloakroom | Kitchen/Breakfast Room | Two Reception Rooms | Three Bedrooms | Bathroom | Conservatory | Lawned Front Garden | CarPort | Off Road Parking | Rear Patio Garden Overlooking Woodland | Internal Inspection Is Highly Recommended | EPC Rating: D

Entrance Hall | Sitting Room | Kitchen | Conservatory | Two Bedrooms | Bathroom | Communal Gardens | Residents’ Parking | No onward chain | EPC Rating: E

Harrison James & Hardie, Moreton in Marsh 01608 653893

Harrison James & Hardie, Moreton in Marsh 01608 653893

view all our properties at harrisonjameshardie.co.uk

HOT PROPERTY

The

Bell House Stourton

Bell House is a charming double-fronted detached Victorian property situated in the heart of the quaintly picturesque North Cotswold village of Stourton. Predominantly dating back to 1879, built of red brick and Cotswold stone and empathetically extended in the 1990s, this desirable three bedroomed family home has retained many beautiful period features including stripped panelled doors with brass furniture, two open fireplaces (both fitted with wood burning stoves), original sash windows to the front elevation and an exposed flagstone floor in the reception / dining hall. The generous living spaces include an elegant dual-aspect drawing room, an adjoining garden room and a traditionally fitted farmhouse kitchen complete with an Aga. Orientated to enjoy the best of the day’s sun, each room has a glazed door opening onto a broad sheltered terrace - ideal for dining al fresco on balmy summer evenings – and overlooking a wide raised lawn, the whole enjoying a high degree of natural privacy with maturely planted borders and deciduous trees, including two apple trees.

“When we viewed Bell House, we were immediately captivated by its prettiness and its potential,” says the current vendor.

“There’s an original brick garden store that could possibly be converted to a home office

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and we liked the idea of building a second wing to match the kitchen extension. Equally one could go up into the roof space, which is huge, where we envisaged a grand master bedroom with a luxury en-suite bathroom.

We haven’t seen through all our grand designs, but we have done a huge amount of re-decorating and made many general improvements including installing a beautiful reclaimed pine floor in the drawing room.”

“There’s also a good pub where everyone in the village gravitates on Friday nights and for Sunday lunches, and we are lucky enough to

have an enthusiastic young vicar who organises an active church calendar including a nativity service that draws in all the local children. ‘’ The local area is also brimming with sites of interest and things to do, the Cotswold Distillery is literally on the doorstep, as is the Hook Norton Brewery. The distinctive market towns of Shipston on Stour and Chipping Norton are only a few miles away offering a range of amenities. The landscape is also full of delightful pubs and attractions including Daylesford and Soho Farmhouse.

THE BELL HOUSE

Commanding a great deal of interest with multiple viewings on the Launch Day in February, a sale was immediately agreed in excess of the asking price. Martin Frost, branch manager at the Moreton in Marsh offices of Harrison James & Hardie Fine & Country, observes: “A lot of negativity surrounds Brexit but we have a very proactive marketing strategy that proves there is plenty of enthusiasm and appetite for stand-out properties.� To speak to Martin about how to achieve a successful sale on your property, telephone 01608 651000.

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14 The Gorse, Bourton on the Water

£820,000

A well presented one-off detached four bedroom property with separate one bedroom guest house annex, set in a desirable location backing on to fishing lakes with a beautiful lake view.

Entrance Hall | Sitting Room | Garden Room | Dining Room | Kitchen | Laundry Room | WC | Office | First Floor Master Bedroom | En-Suite Shower Room | Three Further Bedrooms | Bathroom | Garage/Annex - Kitchen | Bedroom | Shower Room | Driveway Parking | Garden to Rear | EPC Rating: D

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

Baytree Cottage, Lower Swell

£525,000

Entrance Hall | Living / Dining Room | Conservatory | Kitchen | Cloakroom | Three Bedrooms | Bathroom | bathroom | Single Garage | Garden | Parking | EPC Rating : E

harrisonjameshardie.co.uk

£550,000

A detached, four double bedroom house occupying a generous plot within a level walk of the village centre.

Entrance Hall | Sitting Room | Conservatory | Dining Room | Kitchen / Breakfast Room | Utility | Cloakroom | Master Bedroom with en suite Shower Room | Three Further Double Bedrooms | Family Bathroom | Gardens | Garage | Parking | EPC : Rating D

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

A beautifully presented Cotswold stone detached three bedroom home, set within a quiet cul-de-sac in the desirable village of Lower Swell.

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

The Manse, Bourton on the Water

1 Tally Ho lane, Guiting Power

£500,000

A double fronted end-terrace house situated in a pretty Cotswold village, backing onto the (protected) village green and cricket field.The property is within the catchment area of the Cotswold School - an Ofsted registered ‘Outstanding’ Academy School.

Entrance Hall | Sitting Room | Family Room | Conservatory | Kitchen / Breakfast Room | Utility | Downstairs Shower Room | Master Bedroom | Guest Bedroom with en suite | Two Further Bedrooms | Bathroom | Shower Room | Gardens | Parking | EPC Rating : E

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

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

Pike House, Nr Compton Abdale

£500,000

An extended, period detached house situated in a rural location providing excellent access to Oxford, Cheltenham and Cirencester.The Property is situated near to the villages of Compton Abdale and Salperton, set back from the A40 with fields and open countryside to the rear.

Entrance Lobby | Cloakroom | Living Room | Office / Snug | Large Kitchen / Dining / Sitting Room | Utility Room | Master Bedroom | En Suite Shower Room | Two Further Bedrooms | Family Bathroom/ Garden | Parking. EPC E

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

19 Mitchell Way, Upper Rissington

£499,995

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.

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

£499,950

An immaculately presented five bedroom detached family home, situated in the desirable village of Upper Rissington.The property benefits from light and airy living accommodation and sits within close proximity of the Rissington Primary School and the newly established village centre.

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

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

Fosse View, Bourton on the Water

Orpingtons, Stow on the Wold

£485,000

A three/four bedroom detached property offering flexible accommodation, tucked away, within walking distance of The Square.

Entrance Hall | Sitting Room | Dining Room | Kitchen | Utility Room | Conservatory | Two Principle Bedrooms (both with En Suite Shower Rooms) | Further Bedroom | Family Bathroom | Bedroom Four / Study | Garden | Integral Garage | Parking | EPC E

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

view all our properties at harrisonjameshardie.co.uk

HOT PROPERTY

Bibury House Blockey

Nestled above the High Street on Chapel Lane in Blockley, benefitting from off-street parking plus a single garage, this modern Cotswold stone four-bedroom end-of-terrace cottage has impressively spacious accommodation looking out over stunning countryside views.

Laid out over three floors and making the very most of its enviable position there’s a large comfortable sitting room and an open-plan kitchen/diner with patio doors opening out onto a pretty, enclosed and private garden. Above the master and second bedroom are both provided with en-suites, with two further bedrooms and a family bathroom. Equally suited as a main or second home, with plenty of potential as a holiday let proposition too.

Tom Burdett of Character Cottages says: “Given its position within walking distance of the centre, the benefit of parking and the generosity of the accommodation, this would be a highly popular choice for holiday makers. As such I would estimate that it might achieve in the region of £45,000 gross income per annum.”

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BAYTREE COTTAGE

The village of Blockley is situated in the catchment for Chipping Campden secondary school and lies just three miles north-west from all the amenities and the main line station at Moreton in Marsh into Paddington. Renowned for its beauty and a thriving community, it enjoys the benefits of a wonderful village store / coffee shop, hotels, public house and a highly sought-after primary school.

Offered to the market at ÂŁ425,000 by Harrison James & Hardie, Moreton in Marsh, to arrange a viewing please contact Martin Frost on 01608 651000. For more images, information and floor plans visit www.cotswold-homes.com/property.

Harrison James & Hardie 01451 822977

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ASK THE EXPERTS

Thinking of Buying a Second Home?

Consider your Stamp Duty Position!

I am looking to buy a holiday home in the Cotswolds. I thought stamp duty was just linked to the purchase price, but I’m being told that I may have to pay more tax as I already own a home. Is this correct? he quick answer to your question is highly likely to be ‘yes’. Buying a second home, either as a holiday home or a buy-to-let, usually means extra stamp duty will be payable. The extra tax is 3% in addition to the ‘standard rates’ which are based on percentages linked to the purchase price.

The extra tax often comes as an unwelcome surprise to many and can be raised far too late in the transaction.

Rebecca Gillard is a Solicitor at Thomas Legal, an award winning specialist property law firm.

Rebecca specialises in complex, and often high value, residential matters across London and the South West with a breadth of knowledge in respect of both leasehold and freehold matters.

Away from the office, Rebecca is a keen traveller and can often be found planning her next city break.

To contact Rebecca email rebecca.gillard@thomas.legal or call 0207 1010 300.

Visit Thomas Legal www.thomaslegalgroup.co.uk

The legislation is far from simple, however, and the sums involved are often significant.

It is crucial that you take time to consider your circumstances and obtain the appropriate advice. There are many reliefs, exemptions and potential pitfalls that could determine the tax payable. Whilst your individual circumstances are important (such as whether your spouse owns a property, whether you own property via a trust or are replacing your main residence, for example), so too is the type of property you are buying. The presence of an annexe, basement or the inclusion of agricultural land could all potentially affect the amount of tax payable.

My main residence is just in my name.

Can I put the property in my spouse’s name and avoid the extra tax?

I am afraid not. If your spouse owns a property then, from a stamp duty perspective, you are treated as owning a property too. Subject to any of the exemptions or reliefs applying therefore, you will be subject to the higher rate.

What if I buy the property in a company name then?

On the face of it, this sounds like a great solution. A company is a separate entity

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and might not already own a property.

However, regardless of whether or not a company already owns property, company purchases are automatically subject to the additional 3% tax. If the purchase price is over £500,000 too, the stamp duty payable will be a whopping 15% of the purchase price unless, again, a specific exemption applies.

The property does have an annexe. How is this relevant?

If the property you are looking to purchase has an annexe - or indeed any other type of self-contained accommodation such as a basement - the rules are now so complex that this could have the ability to either increase or decrease the tax payable.

The key is that this could potentially be deemed as buying two ‘dwellings’. There was an outcry when the legislation was initially proposed, as it was anticipated that ‘granny annexes’ could trigger the higher rate on purchases, even where the buyer did not own any other property. An additional test has now been added to determine whether such an annexe triggers the extra tax.

However, in the background, there is also a little-known relief known as multiple dwellings relief, which may apply and this could potentially reduce the tax payable too. The key is that you need a solicitor who will flag these issues with you early in the transaction, so that you can take specialist advice (often from an accountant) and decide on the best way for you to proceed.

Simply spotting a possible exemption could lead to the saving of thousands of pounds!

ASK THE EXPERTS

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it? New Lettings legislation prompts concern. he Tenant Fees Bill has been through both the House of Commons and House of Lords, has had its ‘third reading’ so it’s almost finalised.

Once there has been ‘royal assent’ the ban should come into force on 1 June (subject to amendments and parliamentary timetables).

This mean that tenants will no longer be charged for any agreement signed on or after 1 June 2019. Until recently, tenants could be charged any amount of admin fees – tenancy renewal fees, referencing fees and credit check fees, etc.

Jude Farrell, Lettings Manager .

Joining Harrison James & Hardie in January 2018, Jude has two decades’ experience working in the Lettings marketplace. In 2002 she began working for a private country estate, looking after 120 listed cottages and farmhouses, until she took on a senior role in a large corporate in 2013 where she was responsible for managing a portfolio of around three hundred properties. To book a consultation or register with Jude, telephone 01608 651000 or e-mail jude@harrisonjameshardie.co.uk.

According to Citizens Advice, the average tenant fee last year was around £400.

In towns and cities where there are many multiple-occupancy properties and a high turnover of tenants, these fees are a hugely lucrative form of income for agencies and private landlords. Agents will now either have to absorb losses to their bottom line or the costs they can legitimately justify will need to be met by the landlords, whose most obvious response will be to increase rents to recover these additional overheads.

What seems most likely to happen is that every agent will be forced to absorb at least some justifiable service charges when, with a bit more thought, fees per tenant could easily have been capped and restrictions placed on what services might be charged out to tenants. At Harrison James & Hardie, tenant fees account for about 15% - 20% of total lettings income but it will be more like 50% of annual turnover for those businesses presiding over young singletons in university towns, for example, or in London where turnover is rapid and shorter term lets are very common.

It’s impossible to absorb that level of loss to bottom line. It’s a sledgehammer approach to a problem that’s primarily been designed to deal with rogue agencies when times are already hard enough in our industry. Another cut in income imposed by the government will be a real blow for many companies. And for

those high-volume low fee city agencies only dealing in lettings, potentially this could be their death-knell.

It’s a lose-lose in many ways for landlords and agents and whichever way you look at this ruling it’s not going to help tenants in long-term rented, either. For example, at the moment a tenant pays £400 one-off cost towards a two-bed tenancy charged at £900 per month. To absorb that cost the landlord now decides to raise the rent to £930 a month. Over the next two years the cost to the tenant is now £720 - a nett loss of £320 and, with annual rent increases in line with RPI too, closer to £400.

And with all the other disincentives introduced for investment landlords compared with those benefits enjoyed before April 2017, plus ongoing uncertainty over Brexit causing hardship in other ways, they may well just decide to sell off their property stocks. This will increase the amount of first- time buyer properties available, great news for those who can afford to buy, but with a weak economic outlook for 2019 few young people have the savings or the income multiples to get on the housing ladder right now.

So, a reduced supply of rented and high demand will thereby force an increase in rents either way. And when the average age of first-time buyers is significantly above 30, with many young people now renting for over a decade, the hidden cost of being unable to buy has just become more prohibitive than ever. With my own children on the verge of adulthood and as a reputable agent, I wholeheartedly agree that hidden charges and unscrupulous letting agents need to be targeted. However, I fear to ban fees will ultimately have a negative effect on those the bill has been designed to protect and upon the industry at large.

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Lettings

Silk Cottage, Blockley

£680pcm

Silk Cottage was built in the 19th century and is Grade II Listed. Set in the grounds of the Old Silk Mill, it is neatly tucked away at the end of the row of cottages dating back to the 1800s.

51 Mosedale, Moreton in Marsh

£1,690pcm

A very well presented detached family home located on Moreton Park.

Sitting Room | Kitchen | Bedroom | Bathroom | Courtyard Garden | Parking | EPC Rating: D

Entrance Hall | Cloakroom | Sitting Room | Large Kitchen /Diner | Utility room | Master Bedroom Suite | Ensuite Bathroom | Two Further First Floor Double Bedrooms | Two Second Floor Bedrooms | Two Family Bathrooms | Rear Garden, | Double Garage | 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

Hill Farm, Nether Westcote

£2,250pcm

Hill Farm with its beautiful mellow Cotswold stone is a charming home situated in the prime village location of Nether Westcote.The property offers a wealth of beautiful period features including exposed Cotswold stone walls, original beams and inglenook fireplaces.

Bespoke Kitchen / Breakfast Room | Snug Area With Open Fire | Dining Room With Wood Burner | Living Room With Inglenook Fireplace | Cloakroom / Utility Room | Store Room | Two First Floor Double Bedrooms | Two Further Second Floor Bedrooms | Family Bathroom | Gardens | Off Road Parking | EPC Rating: E

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

harrisonjameshardie.co.uk

Coriander Cottage, Icomb

£1,800pcm

Beautifully presented four bedroom family home with exceptional views, located in the prestigious village of Icomb.

Entrance Hall | Kitchen/Breakfast Room | Dining Room | Sitting Room | Utility | WC | Master Bedroom With Ensuite | Two double Bedrooms | Fourth Bedroom/Office | Spacious Rear Garden | Off Road Parking | EPC Rating: D

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

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

Lettings

East Facing, Fifield

£875pcm

Penelope’s Paddock, Lower Slaughter

£995pcm

A Cotswold stone semi-detached modern cottage located in the pretty village of Fifield with views across the neighbouring countryside.

A beautiful, brand new converted stable block located in a lovely rural location not far from the village of Bourton on the Water.

Sitting Room With Fireplace | Kitchen/ Breakfast Room | Two Bedrooms | Bathroom | Front And Rear Gardens | Parking | Garage | EPC Rating: D

Open Plan Kitchen/Living Area | WC/Utility | Double Bedroom | En-Suite Shower Area | Off Road Parking | Garden | EPC Rating: C

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

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

2 Fox Drive, Lower Swell

£995pcm

Charming mid-terrace, three bedroom property, situated in the sought after location of Lower Swell.

Kitchen/Breakfast Room | Living Room With Log Burner | Family Bathroom | Three Bedrooms | Garden | Parking | EPC Rating: E

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

Badgers End, Stow on the Wold

£1,225pcm

A well presented home that has been recently updated to a very high standard with flexible accommodation over three floors and is situated within walking distance of the market square of Stow on the Wold Sitting Room | Dining Room | Kitchen | Cloakroom | Master Bedroom With En-Suite | Two Bedrooms | Family Bathroom | Cloakroom | Garden | Parking | Garage | EPC Rating: D

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

view all our properties at harrisonjameshardie.co.uk

ASK THE EXPERTS

Pests in the Property: Dos and Don’ts Eek! Mice must have invaded my home - there are droppings in the attic. What should I do? that by leaving food out for your domestic pets you might also be feeding others). Rats are less likely to invade your house as they prefer garbage, and so are more often found outside in garages and gardens - but they too will be looking for a warmer billet in cold weather.

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

ne of the more dubious joys of living in a traditionally-built period house is that others also regard it as home; I have spiders in my house with webs that are the arachnid answer to Blenheim Palace. Joking apart, it can be distressing to have an invasion of critters.

Mice delight in gnawing electric cables, which can lead to fire, and they can be smelly and noisy. Often they have been driven inside by cold weather, but become resident once they realise that there is food available (be aware

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First establish who is creating the droppings in your attic. Mouse droppings are like dark brown grains of rice, whereas rat droppings are much larger and torpedo shaped. Bat droppings, on the other hand, look like mice droppings - though possibly slightly larger - and tend to be found in heaps, whereas mousey scatters his around. To help determine the culprit, put on some gloves and gently rub the droppings between thumb and forefinger.

Bat droppings will be dry and crumbly, whereas mouse droppings are…not.

If it turns out to be bats, then you must, as a matter of emergency, call in the Bat Conservation Trust. Bats do not damage houses or people. They are categorically not a health hazard (unless you are a mosquito) and are protected species. Access to roosting sites must not be impeded. They are definitely a species with whom we can cohabit!

Rodent Woes Mice, however, must be dealt with. Rats are fine in their own place - which is as far away as possible - and squirrels can cause extraordinary damage with their sharp teeth. I have known squirrels chew through code 4 lead if it got in their way.

Large infestations of any of the above require the intervention of a good professional control service. Usually poison is the best option and modern compounds act quickly, relatively painlessly and result in a dehydrated carcass which will mummify rather than decompose if the victim dies inside a cavity wall, for example.

However, the poison does not discriminate and dogs and cats can fall victim, by either eating bait or the dead or dying rats. Smaller groups of mice can be effectively dealt with by using an ultrasonic mouse deterrent, though probably the best rodent deterrent is a good cat.

Invertebrate Invaders Clothes moths have been on the rise of late and I frequently see carpets or other soft furnishings damaged by them. Old fashioned mothballs containing naphthalene have been banned, but modern equivalents are available and effective. More folksy but still effective remedies such as cedar wood, lavender and eucalyptus are available.

Woodworm can be brought indoors by storing wood for log burners inside the house. They require increased humidity to become active, so they are often found in period homes with double or secondary glazing, which has reduced the natural draughtiness and air movement and allowed internal condensation. Opening windows in fine weather is an easy task, and ensuring effective extraction systems over sources of steam like showers, baths and cookers is highly advisable.

The Birds and The Bees People often worry about the ‘masonry’ or ‘mortar’ bees who live in and around many houses, but it is incorrect to suspect them of damaging our houses. They are a solitary bee who usually utilises existing holes in order to lay eggs, although birds will occasionally dig out the larvae. If you have a big infestation, it is probably wise to repoint the damaged areas in Autumn, when the bees have hatched and flown, and then to ensure that you hang up several ‘bee houses’ for them to use on their return.

A final note - anyone who co-habits with house martins, swifts or swallows should be grateful! These spectacular Spring and Summer visitors have undergone incredible hardship to return to their natal sites, and in folklore it is regarded as lucky to have them nest on your house. As with any wild bird, their nests are protected, so I hope no reader would ever consider damaging them.

A little bird lime is a small price to pay for the privilege of temporarily homing these migrants.

HOT PROPERTY

Baytree Cottage Lower Swell

In the small ancient village of Lower Swell, settled in a quiet culde-sac behind a five-bar gate within a generous plot, sits Baytree Cottage. This immaculately presented detached three-bedroom family home has been comprehensively upgraded to modern tastes, simply furnished and decorated in a calm country palette.

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The sitting room comes complete with wood burner, oak beams and exposed stone detail, and a farmhouse-style Cotswold kitchen is now perfectly provided for those who love to cook with plenty of oak-topped workspaces, a double oven/hob and a traditional Belfast sink overlooking tranquil garden views.

BAYTREE COTTAGE

Surrounded by dry stone walls, with a driveway and garage providing ample parking for several vehicles, the lush mature gardens are laid mainly to lawn with a profusion of deciduous and coniferous hedging.

Offering plenty of space to extend for family life (subject to necessary planning consents), sitting within catchment for the Outstanding Cotswold Academy, there’s also a little primary school within walking distance.

This charming property would also undoubtedly make a great retreat from the city, or a holiday let.

Tom Burdett of Character Cottages says:

“Ideally situated for holiday-makers as a central base to explore the North Cotswolds, just a mile or two from Stow on the Wold, there’s a pub to stroll to and glorious countryside walks to nearby Guiting Power or Lower Slaughter.

There’s also a golf course at Naunton, with all the various tourist attractions of Bourton on the Water just a few minutes away by car.

As such I would estimate the property should generate in the region of £30,000 gross annual income.”

Offered for sale at £525,000 by Harrison James & Hardie, to arrange a viewing contact Steven Buchanan at the Bourton on the Water offices on 01451 822977. For more information and floor plans, visit www.cotswold-homes.com/property.

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