Country & Town House - February 2017

THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS

THE GENTLEMAN’S ISSUE INTERVIEW

CARTIER’S HEAD BOY

Laurent Feniou has the golden touch

EDDIE REDMAYNE

FEBRUARY 2017 £3.90

MANNERS, PLEASE

Learn them the Debrett’s way

SOCKS APPEAL

David Gandy’s latest business venture

PLUS

MAN CAVES

Go high tech

MAN OF THE MOMENT

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The superlative-charged chronograph. 50 mm case in BreitlightÂŽ. Exclusive Manufacture Breitling Caliber B12 with 24-hour military-style display. Officially chronometer-certified.

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Wentworth, Surrey A classically styled new mansion of international class Ascot 4 miles, Heathrow Airport 12 miles, Central London 22 miles An elegant property of natural Bath stone construction featuring the latest in modern technology. 8 reception rooms, 6 en suite bedrooms, indoor pool with spa. Home cinema, 8 car garage and 2 staff flats. EPC rating: B. Approximately GEA 22,087 sq ft (20,580 sq ft GIA) plus 1,000 sq ft roof terrace.

KnightFrank.co.uk/country james.crawford@knightfrank.com +44 20 7861 1065 KnightFrank.co.uk/virginiawater paul.cockerham@knightfrank.com +44 1344 840020 Hanover Private Office alex.newall@hanoverprivateoffice.com +44 20 7935 5797

@KnightFrank KnightFrank.co.uk KnightFrank.co.uk/CHO150266

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Fernshaw Road, Chelsea SW10

ÂŁ3,400,000 Freehold

An impressive five bedroom family home which has been refurbished in a contemporary and stylish manner Entrance hall | Reception room | Kitchen/dining room | Master bedroom with en suite bathroom Four further bedrooms | Three further bathrooms | Cloakroom | Kitchenette | Garden | EPC rating D 2,274 sq ft (211 sq m)

Chelsea SW10 chesleaSW10@struttandparker.com | 020 7373 1010

60 Offices across England and Scotland, including prime Central London.

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Wilbraham Place, Knightsbridge SW1

ÂŁ8,200,000 Share of Freehold

A superb first floor four bedroom lateral apartment in this prestigious Knightsbridge mansion block, with resident porter Entrance hall | Two reception rooms | Kitchen | Master bedroom suite | Two further double bedrooms Two further bathrooms | Study/bedroom four | Utility room | Porter | Lift 2,952 sq ft (274 sq m)

Knightsbridge knightsbridge@struttandparker.com | 020 3813 9325

/struttandparker

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@struttandparker

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B O O D LES. CO M

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CONTENTS FEBRUARY 2017

65

At the Start 20 22

THE GOOD LIFE Go green for 2017, says Alice B-B THE RURBANIST David Gandy

Up Front 25 26 30 32 34

WILD THING Rugged good looks TONES & TEXTURES Material boys MADE IN BRITAIN Artisan accessories STYLE NOTES Pretty in pink THE TASTEMAKER Luxury with Lucia van der Post 36 THE GOLD DIGGER Jewellery news 38 MY BEAUTIFUL LIFE Actor Nick Hendrix 40 WELL GROOMED Men’s style 42 LET’S GET DIGITAL Must-have tech

The Guide 47 53 56 58

THE DIARY Celebrating craft ARTS AGENDA Art and politics BOOK CLUB By John Owen CHRISTIAN VALUES Richard Hopton gets a rare interview with Clive Christian

Features 62

65

70

72

75

36

FANTASTIC MR REDMAYNE Lucy Cleland meets Eddie Redmayne, movie star, style icon, new father and recent OBE OAR’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL Olympic Gold medal winner Alex Gregory might be quitting the sport, but he has plenty of challenges ahead of him, says Hugh Francis Anderson MANNERS MAKETH MAN Joseph Bullmore gets some modern-day etiquette advice from Debrett’s CARTIER’S MAGIC MAN Managing director of Cartier, Laurent Feniou, is focusing all his energies on London THE WRITE STUFF Give graphologist Emma Bache a sample of your writing and she will read you in an instant, says Teresa Levonian Cole

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CONTENTS FEBRUARY 2017

22

The Insider 79

80

82 83

SUITS YOU, SIR You’ve never seen a better dressed chair, thanks to Rhubarb London VELVET CRUSH Add instant glamour with the material of the moment DESIGN NOTES Interiors inspiration Q&A Martyn Thompson

Food & Travel 85

72 48

BITE THE BULLETT Juliet Rix travels Japan in their superspeedy Bullet trains 90 HOTEL WIZARD Magical Madeira and trusting TripAdvisor 92 EMPIRE STATE OF MIND Where to stay, what to pack and what to do in the Big Apple 96 THE WEEKENDER Prague 98 GASTRO GOSSIP Food news 100 BANGERS AND BEANS Tom Parker Bowles’ fancied-up favourite 101 FORK & FIELD A meat feast in Sussex and people watching in Soho

On The Move 103 PROPERTY OF THE MONTH 104 THE RISE OF THE

58

96 104

ON THE COVER Eddie Redmayne wears OMEGA Globemaster Annual Calendar, £5,925

Regulars 12 14 44

EDITOR’S LETTER CONTRIBUTORS HIGH SOCIETY

PHOTOS: REX FEATURES

BROMOSPHERE Man caves are no longer just another name for the garden shed, says Graham Norwood 106 MARKET FOUNDATIONS Slow and steady as she goes, say the agents about this year’s property market 107 A PLACE IN COUNTRY OR TOWN The South Downs or Cheltenham?

108 HOT PROPERTY The best houses for sale in town and country

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Editor’s Letter

E

ddie Redmayne has plenty of reasons to celebrate. Not only has the Oscar-winning 34-year-old dazzled us in Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them but he has welcomed the birth of his first child, received an OBE from the Queen and joined the legendary ranks of watch brand Omega’s ambassadors. It was in this guise that I got to meet the actor, who’s very much the man of the moment (p62). And perfectly mannered he was too.

Which is just as well, otherwise we might have had to send him off to The Lanesborough to meet a Debrett’s etiquette coach. Luckily, writer Joseph Bullmore stepped in for us and found, contrary to expectation, that which spoon you use is really an irrelevance, real manners are fundamentally about being nice to one another, and who can argue with that (p70)?

Being nice is probably not a pre-requisite to get you a gold at the Olympics or the top job at Cartier UK, but both rower Alex Gregory and managing director Laurent Feniou are extremely nice, as well as talented.

Hugh Francis Anderson met the Olympian who’s about to hang up his oars after 15 years (p65) and Charlotte Metcalf chatted to the French former banker who’s so enthused about his brand that any preconceptions she had about him were instantly blown away (p72).

If you’re cynical about socalled pseudosciences like astrology, scientology and lots of other ‘ologies’, maybe

65

62

42

@countryandtown /countryandtownhousemagazine /countryandtownhouse

This month on countryandtownhouse.co.uk

92

CULTURE Why you should be taking up crocheting or knitting as your latest hobby. INTERIORS Persian rugs are back in vogue, apparently. FOOD & DRINK Luxe tacos are the next big thing.

PROPERTY Forget man caves, we want she sheds. STYLE How to wear hats: a guide. BEAUTY Rolfing – the new wellbeing trend for 2017, and how to detoxify your beauty regime.

PHOTOS: STEPHANIE ALCAINO

72

Emma Bache and her skill in graphology will change your mind.

Her skills are so in demand that she’s had columns in The Financial Times and The Times and is often called upon by corporations dealing with anything from blackmail to forgeries. Teresa Levonian Cole put her to the test with some surprising (or maybe not so) results (p75).

On the travel front, Juliet Rix hightails it along the length of Japan on the country’s super-speedy bullet trains (p85), Caiti Grove spends a wintry weekend in Prague (p96) and Daisy Finer glams it up in New York (p92). There are worse ways to get through February, I suspect.

12 | COUNTRYANDTOWNHOUSE.CO.UK | February 2017

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Made

from young English Ox hides, ‘Russian Grain’ is produced by an old English tannery, who specialise in traditional vegetable tanning. The tannery is believed to have been situated on its current site since Roman times, and although the name of the tannery has changed, the oak bark tanning process remains almost unchanged.

MADE IN ENGLAND | SINCE 1879

LONDON

JERMYN STREET BURLINGTON ARCADE KNIGHTSBRIDGE ROYAL EXCHANGE CANARY WHARF

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BIRMINGHAM

BURLINGTON ARCADE, NEW ST

NEW YORK 11 EAST 55TH STREET

BRUSSELS RUE DE NAMUR

PARIS

LA MADELEINE RIVE GAUCHE LE MARAIS

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CONTRIBUTORS

Hugh Francis Anderson If you were a woman, who would you be and why?

Amelia Earhart for her pioneering courage, her genderchallenging exploits and her endlessly cool demeanour.

What does your handwriting say about you? It is messy, rushed and hardly legible. I can never seem to write as quickly as I think.

How do you plan on surviving February? A warm fire and a dram of single malt.

Where are you travelling to next? Chamonix.

Who would you most like to interview? The Norwegian novelist Karl Ove Knausgaard. His brilliance knows no bounds.

Teresa Levonian Cole 77 NEW BOND STREET LONDON W1S 1RY TEL: 0207 629 8983 CASHMERE & FINE WOOLLENS MADE IN SCOTLAND

JOHNSTONSCASHMERE.COM

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If you were a man, who would you be and why?

Augustine of Hippo, of ‘Make me pure, Lord, but not quite yet’ fame. A very human saint.

What does your handwriting say about you?

The typical qualities of a Scorpio. Though I’m a Libra, my horoscope is riddled with the little nipper!

How do you plan on surviving February? A mink coat and a bottle of vodka.

Where are you travelling to next? Komodo.

Who would you most like to interview? Orhan Pamuk.

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THE BROGUE COLLECTION A L I F E T I M E O F R E F I N E M E N T . The discreet brogue motif epitomises a peerless marriage of modern design and timeless panache. The exquisite detail made possible by new craft, piercing the deep, rich tones of our Bridle Hide leather to reveal the brilliant London Tan calf beneath. To us, excellence is an endeavour without end.

E T TING ER . TO E ACH TH EIR OWN .

ETTINGER.CO.UK

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SLEEP BEAUTIFULLY The world’s most comfortable bed, hand made in London

savoirbeds.co.uk

London

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Paris

New York

Hong Kong

Shanghai

CONTRIBUTORS

Tom Parker Bowles

If you were a woman, who would you be and why? A cross between Kate Moss and Nigella Lawson.

What does your handwriting say about you?

Well, it’s messy, disorganised and a little odd. Make of that what you will!

How do you plan on surviving February? Alcohol and goodwill. And one of those at least is available bottled, so that’s good news.

Where are you travelling to next? South Africa, then two of my favourite countries in the world – Thailand and Mexico.

Who would you most like to interview? The Wife of Bath.

Or Chaucer. Or both at once.

Joe Bullmore If you were a woman, who would you be and why? Gigi Hadid. Eerily similar bone structure.

What does your handwriting say about you?

Just did one of those online tests to find out: Apparently I’m both overly self critical (wrong) and humble (correct). The report ends with the slightly ominous line: ‘you might not be following your heart’.

How do you plan on surviving February? A trip to the wonderful city of Vienna. Vienna: Now. Forever.

Where are you travelling to next? Vienna, if the plug above goes to plan.

Who would you most like to interview? Noël Coward.

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THE PURDEY LADIES COURSE The perfect way for ladies with busy lifestyles to get into shooting.

The course includes three all-inclusive one hour lessons, an invitation to a friendly competition and a champagne reception on June 14th 2017. First prize is donated by Purdey’s & three runners up are invited to one of our Simulated Shooting Days.

To f ind out more please visit: www.shootingschool.co.uk.

I N A S S O C I AT IO N W I T H

CO U NTRYA N DTOW N H O U S E .CO.U K

EDITOR Lucy Cleland EDITOR-AT-LARGE Alice B-B FASHION DIRECTOR Lucy Bond CONTRIBUTING FASHION EDITOR Nicole Smallwood FEATURES & FOOD EDITOR Anastasia Bernhardt LUXURY EDITOR Lucia van der Post JEWELLERY EDITOR Annabel Davidson BEAUTY EDITOR Nathalie Eleni PROPERTY EDITOR Graham Norwood LUXURY SALES DIRECTOR Maya Monro-Somerville PROPERTY DIRECTOR Fiona Kirkness RETAIL EDITOR Rosalyn Wikeley SALES EXECUTIVE Olivia Milligan CREATIVE DIRECTION & PRODUCTION Parm Bhamra PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Harriet Hirschler DIGITAL CONSULTANT Lucy Kirkness ONLINE EDITOR Rebecca Cox DIGITAL ASSISTANT Hollie Bell IT MANAGER Mark Pearson CREDIT CONTROLLER Penny Burles OPERATIONS & ACCOUNTS MANAGER Millie Mountain FINANCE DIRECTOR Jill Newey PUBLISHER Julia Carrick MANAGING DIRECTOR Jeremy Isaac CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Stephen Bayley, Simon de Burton, Sophie Dening, Fiona Duncan, Daisy Finer, Lydia Gard, Avril Groom, Richard Hopton, Emma Love, Mary Lussiana, Anna Pasternak, Caroline Phillips, Charlotte Metcalf, Marcus Scriven THE EDITOR editorial@countryandtownhouse.co.uk FASHION fashion@countryandtownhouse.co.uk ADVERTISING advertising@countryandtownhouse.co.uk PROPERTY ADVERTISING property@countryandtownhouse.co.uk ACCOUNTS accounts@countryandtownhouse.co.uk SUBSCRIPTIONS subscribe@countryandtownhouse.co.uk COUNTRY & TOWN HOUSE is a monthly magazine distributed to AB homes in Barnes, Battersea, Bayswater, Belgravia, Brook Green, Chelsea, Chiswick, Clapham, Coombe, Fulham, Holland Park, Kensington, Knightsbridge, Marylebone, Mayfair, Notting Hill, Pimlico, South Kensington, Wandsworth and Wimbledon, as well as being available from leading country and London estate agents. It is also on sale at selected WHSmith, Waitrose and Sainsbury’s stores and independent newsagents nationwide. It has an estimated readership of 150,000. It is available on subscription in the UK for £29.99 per annum.

To subscribe online, iPad, iPhone and android all for only £24.99 visit: exacteditions.com/ read/countrytownhouse. For subscription enquiries, please call 020 7384 9011 or email subscribe@countryandtownhouse.co.uk. It is published by Country & Town House Ltd, Studio 2, Chelsea Gate Studios, 115 Harwood Road, London SW6 4QL (tel: 020 7384 9011).

Registered number 576850 England and Wales. Printed in the UK by William Gibbons and Sons Ltd, West Midlands. Paper supplied by Gerald Judd. Distribution by Letterbox.

Copyright © 2017 Country & Town House Ltd. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited. Materials are accepted on the understanding that no liability is incurred for safe custody. The publisher cannot be responsible for unsolicited material. All prices are correct at the time of going to press but are subject to change. Whilst every care is taken to ensure information is correct at time of going to press, it is subject to change, and C&TH Ltd. takes no responsibility for omissions or errors.

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W W W. S H O OT I N G S C H O O L .C O. U K S H A RV E L L A N E , W E S T E N D ROA D, N O R T H O LT, U B 5 6 R A Country & Town House is a member of CPRE (Campaign to Protect Rural England)

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Please recycle

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«Depuis 120 ans des générations d ’artisans animés de passion fabriquent à la main les souliers Edward Green»

LONDON—75 JERMYN STREET PA R I S — 1 9 9 B I S B D . S T - G E R M A I N TOKYO W W W

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TOKYU PLAZA GINZA

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COLUMN

wellbeing and the power to rightsize anxieties. Recently at Yeotown detox retreat, I was fascinated to learn from an ex-military hiking guide that only when camouflage Green up yer gaff, says Alice B-B for tanks and other heavy machinery is impregnated with chlorophyll does it become really invisible to the human eye. It’s powerful. So be prepared for a rush of emerald eyeliner, indoor plants and forest bathing.

I’VE OFTEN HEARD, ‘NHS NURSES ARE AMAZING, HEROES, ANGELS’.

But it’s not until I had the misfortune to experience their work first hand that I properly understood how extraordinary they are, and how fortunate we are. My tiny, two-week-old nephew arrived at St Mary’s Paediatric Intensive Care Unit with bronchiolitis, which led to a collapsed lung. Observing the PICU nurses was like watching a ballet; a seamless, delicate, lifesaving dance. And as many others have done before, I witnessed them; immaculate, uncomplaining, as they completed their demanding 12-hour shift, wondering how and why they aren’t the highest paid people in the world.

TO BERMUDA FOR A PEEK AT THE AMERICA’S CUP PREP. Many of the six teams have already been there for months and you can watch them practising on ARNING: YOU’RE GOING TO the water of Bermuda’s Great Sound, a BE BOMBARDED WITH GREEN beautiful bay surrounded by a horseshoe IN 2017. I’m not talking money, or of land. The boats are extraordinary – they weed or envy – but literal green. take off and seem to fly magically on skinny Because Pantone – the company that sets the global foils, hovering above the water. But I realise language of colour communication – has decreed it’s not just magic, but hard graft as I pull a that ‘Greenery’ is the colour of 2017. string and a bit of rigging for a behind the ‘Greenery bursts forth in 2017 to provide scenes tour of the British Land Rover BAR us with the reassurance we yearn for amid team’s headquarters for the 35th race in June a tumultuous social and political environment. this year. Despite having first begun as a friendly Satisfying our growing desire to rejuvenate and race in the waters off the Isle of Wight in 1851, revitalise, Greenery symbolises the reconnection it’s now fiercely competitive. Particularly we seek with nature, one another and a larger as The America’s Cup has never been won purpose,’ so states Leatrice Eiseman, Executive by the British team – until hopefully this Director of the Pantone Institute. She’s bang on. year, when skipper Sir Ben Ainslie will be I’ve always been into the green dream; a Gucci attempting to #BringTheCupHome. sweater, a glossy paint, a velvet cushion or a veg Well, to this sailing virgin, the juice. And it doesn’t take the results of recent boat looks impressive, the design studies to know that being among it, whether Hyde seems immaculate and the sailors Park or the Cotswold hills, has an impact on mental look... well, fit!

The Good Life

LUXURY & NECESSITY GREEN GODDESS Blazing the verdant trail with gucci.com

A SILKY NUMBER Night, night pyjamas by otisbatterbee.com

SITTING PRETTY Sofa by heals.co.uk

W

THIS MONTH I’LL BE...

1 Raising money for the Children of St Mary’s Intensive Care (cosmiccharity.com). 2 Scoffing London’s new Secret Smokehouse salmon and kippers (secretsmokehouse.co.uk). 3 Hoping to bag some tickets for the 35th America’s Cup in Bermuda (americascup.com).

WORKING IT OUT At the new Biofit Gym (biofit.io)

PHOTOS: PORTRAIT BY JANE MCLEISH KELSEY

GLASS HALF FULL Peridot wine glass by ninacampbell.com

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MY LIFE

COU NTRY

The Rurbanist

TURN ON TURNER Cardiff’s Artes Mundi 7 is set to rival the Turner Prize

David Gandy on socks, social media and Saturday nights it, I put back all the traditional elements and style into the house.

I put in Victorian bathtubs in copper and reinstalled all the open fireplaces in the rooms.

There’s parquet flooring throughout the five floors and I covered the walls with wooden panelling.

I invested in The London Sock Company a few years ago because I thought it was not only a great concept but that the founders, Ryan and David, were brilliant. Due to the success of the socks subscription service, we have expanded to British-made ties and pocket squares made with wool and silk.

Supporting British manufacturing

In London I go to Brown’s Hotel and The Beaumont. I also love the arcades in Mayfair, particularly the Royal Arcade. Having said that, I’m probably more of a country guy at heart.

When I’m in the countryside, I head down to Goodwood to test and race cars, or to my parents’ house, which is in the Essex/Suffolk border countryside and is beautiful.

What I decide to wear depends on the time of day and the occasion. I try to dress appropriately for each. But in my wardrobe you will find a lot of British-made items.

If I could only wear one label for the rest of my life, it would be Thom Sweeney. It is simply the best of the young new tailors. It is exclusive, aspirational and, of course, British.

To help keep my body in good shape, I eat ‘clean’ products. I stick to foods that are natural and organic, and very rarely eat processed foods. I also spend many hours at the gym!

I love antiques and traditional/vintage styles, so when I renovated a Fulham townhouse last year, unlike most people, I didn’t modernise

is very important to us as a company and we have done something very unusual with the pocket squares: for example, you can have dogs-tooth print on one side and a Prince of Wales check on the other, something that is very rarely done.

Ten per cent of sales goes to Style For Soldiers, a charity of which I am an ambassador, and one that is very important for us as a company to support.

If you are in the public eye I think it is important to support charities. I live a very privileged life and it’s important to give back to causes that are close to my heart. I am an ambassador for Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, Achievement for All (AFA) and Style for Soldiers but I support lots of other charities, such as Save the Children.

Social media is a brilliant and instant way to communicate the campaigns and brands I’m working with to my followers. It’s also a great platform to get coverage for the charities that I support and an excellent resource for finding photographers or creatives to work with, but I wouldn’t say I am a ‘fan’ of it at all, if I’m honest.

On Saturday night you’ll find me having dinner somewhere local to me in London with friends, great food, great wine and great conversation.

On Sunday morning I’ll be picking up coffee before taking a beautiful walk along the river or a drive in one of my classic cars.

ON YOUR HEAD BE IT ... or in Tinct’s helmet bag

TAKE A PIKE Matt Gillan opens Brighton bistro Pike and Pine

THE DOUBLE LIFER THE BEST IN COUNTRY & TOWN THIS MONTH

DESK BOUND Caran d’Ache and MB&F launch Astrograph rocket pen

PRINCESS DIARIES Kensington Palace charts Diana’s style evolution

MASTERCHEF Monica Galetti opens Mere in Fitzrovia

TOWN

22 | COUNTRYANDTOWNHOUSE.CO.UK | February 2017

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55 Jermyn Street, London, SW1Y 6LX | 24 Brook Street, London, W1K 5DG

www.johnsmedley.com

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HANDCRAFTED IN ENGLAND smallbone.co.uk +44(0)20 7589 5998

A member of the Canburg Group

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UP FRONT STYLE · BEAUTY · JEWELLERY · PARTIES

WILD THING IT’S ALL ABOUT RUGGED GOOD LOOKS, SAYS MARTHA WARD It’s quite the juxtaposition this season; you should either be ‘a perfect gentleman’ or rugged and wild. And if you’re born to be wild then look no further than Polo Ralph Lauren, the master of the great outdoors. ralphlauren.co.uk

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UP FRONT

STYLE

Tones & Textures Take the rough with the smooth, says Martha Ward

TOWN 6 KOLOR Printed blazer, £895. brownsfashion.com

COUNTRY

7 SMYTHSON Burlington briefcase, £995. smythson.com

1 CLUB MONACO Two-tone top, £250. clubmonaco.com

8 NEIL BARRETT Satin striped checked wool blend trousers, £465. mrporter.com

2 GUCCI Houndstooth wool and cashmere scarf, £260. mrporter.com

9 DRIES VAN NOTEN Two-tone shirt, £165. brownsfashion.com

3 BRUNELLO CUCINELLI Drawstring trousers, £790. brunellocucinelli.com/en

10 ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA Woven leather loafer, £580. zegna.co.uk

4 TURNBULL & ASSER Cashmere cable knit rollneck, £795. turnbullandasser.co.uk 5 PAUL SMITH White calf leather trainer, £250. paulsmith.co.uk

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CHESNEY ’S LON DON | NEW YORK | SHANGH AI

SALE

STARTS 28 DEC SAVINGS ON HUNDREDS OF FIREPLACES

SALE Visit our newly refurbished London showrooms at 194-204 Battersea Park Road SW11 4ND www.chesneys.co.uk

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UP FRONT

SHOPPING

THOM SWEENEY Silk woven Grenadine tie, £120. thom sweeney.co.uk

THE MERCHANT FOX Sterling silver limited edition Fox lapel chain, £205. themerchantfox.co.uk

DRAKE’S Wine Tree of Life wool and silk pocket square, £60. drakes.com

DEGE & SKINNER Hand-stitched goatskin leather ended boxcloth braces, £95. dege-skinner.co.uk

PRIVATE WHITE V.C. Cashmere ribbed hat, £79. privatewhitevc.com

CROCKETT & JONES Westfield shoe, £390. crockettandjones.com

Made in Britain

BEGG & CO Arran Citadel camo cashmere scarf, £260. beggandcompany.com

Be bright, buy local

ETTINGER TT coat wallet, £180. ettinger.co.uk

TOM SMARTE Fedora in foldable fur felt, £210. williamandson.com

DUKE AND DEXTER Grey linen loafers, £140. dukeand dexter.com

TUSTING Clifton rucksack, £540. tusting.co.uk

EDWARD GREEN Galway boot, £1,060. edwardgreen.com

FARLOWS Herringbone tie, £69. farlows.co.uk JOHN LOBB Precious crocodile leather card holder, £665. johnlobb.com

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AUTHENTIC BRITISH LUXURY, MADE IN ENGLAND. 1A - 3 PICCADILLY ARCADE, LONDON WWW.BUDDSHIRTS.CO.UK

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UP FRONT

NEWS

BACK FROM THE ARCHIVES

TAKE THREE

In 2016 Bottega Veneta celebrated its 50th anniversary, as well as 15 years with Tomas Maier at the creative helm.

To mark the occasion, 15 bags from the archives have been re-released, including the Intrecciato clutch, carried by Lauren Hutton in American Gigolo and with which she walked the S/S’17 catwalk (left). bottegaveneta.com

SHIRT DRESSES

MERCHANT ARCHIVE Silk satin maxi dress, £462. theoutnet.com

OSMAN Amelia cotton jacquard shirt dress, £375. harveynichols.com

The Lauren 1980 bag, £1,480

Style Notebook

Thea, £195

PETER PILOTTO Geometric print shirt dress, £1,125. farfetch.com

Birthday wishes all round

KEEPING UP WITH JONESES

HAMMER TIME

Neptune, £150

Once a household name, Jones the Bootmaker rather fell off the fashion bandwagon. Now, under new creative direction, it’s back, along with a range it’s calling Now & Forever, meaning the classic boot styles you always want to have in your wardrobe, will always be available. jonesbootmaker.com

MICRO TREND

Audemar Piguet Royal Oak

A BLUSH OF ROSE 1 MILLI MILLU New York bag, £375. millimillu.com 2 PIPPA SMALL 18k gold and pink tourmaline earrings, £2,200. pippasmall.com 3 VIVETTA Multi heart print bib midi dress, £415. avenue32.com 4 PRETTY BALLERINAS Audrey, £169. prettyballerinas.co.uk

Carolina Bucci

Another birthday celebration: Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak is an icon among timepieces, but for its 40th year, jeweller Carolina Bucci has added a seriously glamorous twist in its latest iteration. Called the Frosted Gold, the glittering effect has been achieved not through adding precious stones but through gold hammering, a Florentine method that Bucci uses in her own jewellery range. POA. audemarspiguet.com

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UP FRONT

LUXURY

The Tastemaker

LUXURY IN BRIEF

Lucia van der Post’s favourite things

Trunk Clothiers has launched a made-to-measure service

SMALL YET PERFECTLY FORMED

Small really is often very beautiful.

The diminutive (only in physical terms) Trunk Clothiers in Marylebone, one of this column’s go-to shops for men’s clothing, manages to be both on trend and timeless, its ranges carefully chosen from niche players in the sartorial world. Recently, though, it has launched a made-to-measure tailoring service by appointment only, which will take about six weeks from start to finish. Fabrics are by Loro Piana, Fox Brothers, Ariston and Holland & Sherry. Prices start at £700 for jackets, £400 for trousers and £900 for a suit. trunkclothiers.com Connolly is back on Clifford Street

WELCOME BACK, CONNOLLY

Much excitement over the opening – or rather reopening – of Connolly. Some of us well remember an earlier version – founded by Joseph and Isabel Ettedgui, it was a haven of exquisitely refined elegance – Connolly smooth as butter leather, finest 48-hour bag cashmere and soft car shoes.

Sadly, it closed when Joseph became ill. Now his widow has just reopened on Clifford Street – and it expresses the same values.

What this means in practice is a beautiful navy-blue cashmere coat, refined leather goods and a motoring collection. All in all, a small, curated collection of the sort of things to own and love for ever. connollyengland.com

BAMFORD’S BEAGLE

Most watch fans know by now about George Bamford’s specially customised Rolexes. Mostly he blackens the steel which has now become an instantly recognisable sign of the ‘Bamfordised’ watch.

He has, however, just launched a limited edition of just 12 Skating Snoopy watches, taking the Rolex Datejust 11 and customising the face with a Snoopy image, packing the watch itself in its own snow-covered red doghouse. This is obviously a rather specialised taste – some will love it, for others it might be a step too far. POA. bamfordwatchdepartment.com

SUPERIOR STATIONERY We do love Smythson but it is worth knowing about Armorial, a very old and distinguished Parisian company that has recently come to London (Harvey Nichols). It offers some particularly beautiful colours – deep maroon seems to be a speciality, but also pistachio green, deep blue, pale yellow – and it has a wide range of printing techniques, from die-stamping, engraving and blind embossing to thermography, plate sinking, foil blocking, lithography, and laser cutting. armorial.fr SCENT OF A MAN Xerjoff is an Italian perfume brand which has a range of intense, very complex fragrances all of which come beautifully packed with the bottle nestling in satin. Specially interesting for men are the ten fragrances in its Join the Club collection.

Look out specifically for 40 Knots (£155, inspired by a yacht club), Birdie (£135, for golf lovers), Comandante (£135, for cigar aficionados) and – for the aesthetes – More Than Words (£155, aimed at writer and poets). harrods.com LAYER UP Lots of snow-time left for skiers but get your under layers sorted.

Armadillo offers highly technical merino-based undergarments worn

by NASA astronauts and North Pole explorers. Check out the Cobra T-shirt, worn by astronauts on board the ISS (£95), and the long-sleeved Monty mock turtle shirt (£130), especially good for skiing in cold temperatures. armadillo merino.com

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UP FRONT

JEWELLERY NEWS

The Gold Digger The latest jewellery news.

By Annabel Davidson

1 THE CROWN

Maltese lace is the inspiration behind the new Crown collection from Annoushka.

The five crown-shaped rings may look like tiny headpieces, but are in fact inspired by the intricate lacework seen on Gozitan women.

In white, yellow, rose and black gold, with white, brown or black diamonds, the rings vary from classically pretty to dark and interesting. Wear them interlocking, stacked up, or on their own.

When two are worn facing each other, they slot together effortlessly. annoushka.com

Gold and diamond Crown rings, from £2,500 each, by Annoushka

Rose-gold vermeil and diamond Tusk bangle, £950 (above) and rose-gold vermeil Tusk bangle, £595, (below), by Shaun Leane

2 NATURAL ASSETS

The stylised leaves in Victoria Tryon’s sweet Natura earrings are designed to sweep up the earlobe, and are minutely pavéd with white diamonds set in rose gold. The leaves may hark from Tryon’s love of nature, particularly the British countryside, but to me there is something of the laurel leaf crowns of ancient Rome in these earrings – only far more discrete. victoriatryon.com

3 ALICE IN WONDERLAND

Gold and diamond Natura earrings, from £1,585, by Victoria Tryon

How much graphic pop do these gold, enamel and ruby earrings by Alice Cicolini have? The London-based designer takes influence from all over the world, including the enamel craftsmanship of India, but these earrings from the Memphis collection are inspired by the 1980s Italian design collective with the same name, and for whom a bold black stripe was something of a calling card. net-a-porter.com

4 TUSK, TUSK

Shaun Leane’s now iconic Tusk design originates from an earring he created for his friend and collaborator Alexander McQueen in 1995. It’s hard to believe that was 22 years ago, but the motif is still going strong. In its latest incarnation, the Signature Tusk collection, the Tusk bangles are rendered in rose or yellow-gold vermeil, with or without diamond studded tips.

Sleek and refined, they’re destined for cult status. shaunleane.com

Tina, three branches pinky ring, £2,230,

by AS29

5 TINA TURNER

Gold, enamel, and ruby earrings, POA,

by Alice Cicolini

Belgian jeweller Audrey Savransky’s slinky diamond-studded pieces come in a kaleidoscopic array of colours, but this ice-blue ring from the Tina collection has serious impact. Layer it with clashing colours for a rainbow effect, or with AS29’s black gold pieces for a more subtle look. as29.com

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UP FRONT

BEAUTY

I worked as a personal trainer

My Beautiful Life Nick Hendrix tells Nathalie Eleni how he stays fit and groomed

for a bit, so I’m at the gym every chance I get, headphones on and off into my own little world. I get very grumpy without exercise.

For aftershave, I wear mainly BOSS by Hugo Boss but I love my Bleu de Chanel when dressing up.

I really enjoy getting ready (showering, shaving, etc) but I seem to spend most of the time ironing – I’ll be at a white shirt for hours only to end up creasing it in a cab anyway!

I get my hair cut by Sammy at The Mug & Brush in Parsons Green. He used to be a barber at Harrods and has now set up his own place.

I relax after long days shooting with a simple takeaway and a night catching up on whichever show my girlfriend and I are bingeing on – currently it’s Animal Kingdom (crazily good).

My brilliant make-up girl, Hannah, with whom I work on Midsomer Murders, has shown me the wonders of having a proper skin regime.

Clinique exfoliator brush followed by lots of La Roche-Posay moisturisers and skincare products. It’s expensive but it’s worth it.

My favourite holiday destination is Mauritius – it’s pretty epic, as is Goa, but I’m checking out New York for the first time soon and I imagine that’ll take the top spot.

MEN ONLY

See Nick in Midsomer Murders Wednesday at 8pm on ITV

Stay fine and dandy with our hero product picks 1 MARGARET DABBS EXFOLIATING HAND SCRUB Treat dry and rough hands

from lifting heavy weights in the gym, travel or climate changes, with this nourishing hand scrub. For ease keep it in your shower and use daily as part of your grooming routine. Once rinsed your hands will be left soft and smooth. £18. selfridges.com

ME TIME

Whole Body Cryotherapy

2 DR. ANDREW WEIL FOR ORIGINS MEGA-DEFENCE ADVANCED DAILY UV DEFENDER SPF 45 A no fuss, all in one cream to protect from the elements,

hydrate with a moisture barrier and protect from pollution, making it a perfect choice for city skins. £30. selfridges.com 3 CREED AVENTUS Women can’t resist a finely perfumed man, so ensure to leave a heady air of seductive scent in your tracks with Creed Aventus. Combined with juniper, jasmine and patchouli it ensures a sensual and audacious aura. £230. harrods.com 4 DIAMOND WHITES Help remove unsightly coffee, red wine

and tobacco stains with this natural at home teeth whitening kit.

Using a non-peroxide formula, it’s easy to use and can be done when convenient for you. £39.99. diamondwhites.co.uk 5 ESTÉE LAUDER MATTE PERFECTING PRIMER Give your complexion an undetectable helping hand with a mattifying primer. Works wonders to remove shine, smooth enlarged pores and shield shaving rashes with an invisible veil, for a more immaculate finish. £21.50. johnlewis.com

Despite the chilly temperatures outside, the big freeze is having its moment in the beauty spotlight. Head to Harvey Nicks (looking so good after its revamp), get your kit off (bar pants, socks and gloves), step into a chamber that’s temperature controlled to -90°C for two to three minutes. As well as feeling brave and intrepid (you remember those school ice baths) the treatment helps relieve pain, soothes sore muscles and leaves you invigorated and ready to attack the day. Multiple courses are recommended. £95 for one course. 020 7201 8489

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skinade.com

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UP FRONT

STYLE

DESERT STORM

Want a challenge for 2017? If so, why not sign up for IGO’s NW05°, a gruelling, four-day bike, kayak and scramble ‘race’ from desert to mountain in Morocco this October (1–8, race days are 4–7).

You’re in plenty of time to start training. £3,495 entry fee. igoadventures.com/nw05

MEASURING UP John Lewis has just launched a madeto-measure suiting service for discerning gents. Available at its Oxford Street flagship store, you’ll be guided every step of the way by experts trained on Savile Row. Suits from £495. johnlewis.com

GOGGLE EYES

Hugo Taylor and Charlie Morris’ eyewear brand has partnered with Brit classic Morgan cars to launch a range of three cool styles based on 1930s racing goggles. £240. taylor-morris.com

Well Groomed John Lewis goes bespoke, says Matt Thomas

RUN WITH THIS

A brand designed by runners for runners, Iffley Road offers serious but stylish gear and this classic sweat micro-fleece has a gentle stretch, soft brushed inner and comes in a choice of gravel black or night sky. £95. iffleyroad.com

GROOMED FOR PROTECTION Dr Russo’s clever capsule range cleanses, moisturises and nurtures the skin while a unique formula locks in requisite quantities of SPF30 to guarantee protection from your morning grooming ritual onwards. Sun Protective Day Cleanser, £48. selfridges.com

SHADES OF SUEDE

Tod’s has a great line up for loafing and looking sharp this spring. Why not brighten it up with some groovy moccasins in yellow or blue? £360. tods.com 40 | COUNTRYANDTOWNHOUSE.CO.UK | February 2017

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Timeless elegance by Henry Poole

www.henrypoole.com | 020 7734 5985 | office@henrypoole.com Henry Poole.indd 1

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UP FRONT

TECH

1Upgrade a home entertainment BOSE

The SoundTouch 300 Soundbar

system with cinema-style audio. This is the best performing sound bar of its size, and is WiFi and Bluetooth enabled for easy pairing. £599.95. bose.co.uk

2This modular music studio connects ROLI

Blocks

wirelessly through a free app to help you shape music, no matter if your skill level is more bedroom DJ than Debussy.

From £69.95. roli.com

3Parisian shoemaker meets stereoBERLUTI X DEVIALET

Phantom Gold with Cocoon case

maker extraordinaire. The result? A made-to-measure travel case for your Phantom speaker with good looks to boot. £ 4 , 2 0 0 . devialet.com

4 Be seen for all the right reasons with TUMI

Let’s Get Digital The ten tech pieces that should be on your radar

Alpha Bravo Reflective collection

Tumi’s high-tech reflective silver collection.

From £125. uk.tumi.com

5B&O brings you the sexiest wireless BEOPLAY H9

headphones on the market right now.

Active noise cancellation and over-ear fit are added bonuses. £429. beoplay.com

6This British tech brand has RUARK R430

been designing smart sound solutions for technophobes for 30 years. This model comes with a commemorative plaque to mark the milestone. £679. ruarkaudio.com

7Remember Walkmans? This is a ASTELL & KERN

AK70 Black Edition

fancy modern take. A&K makes the best audio players out there but this is the most accessibly priced. £499. astellnkern.com

8The best way to learn to code is to PI-TOP

DIY Laptop

build your own modular laptop.

You get all the parts plus access to worksheets created by top educators in the field. From $264.99. pi-top.com

9The technology behind this stereo THE+AUDIO The+Radio

is as pared back as the Scandi aesthetic, by Swedish designer Alexander Åhnebrink. From € 289. theplusaudio.com

10 Whack this on your bedside table and set NATIVE UNION

Apple Watch charging dock

your watch to charge overnight. It snaps in magnetically, so there’s no fiddling with cables. £50. amara.com

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UP FRONT

SOCIAL SCENE

WILD PARTY

Suzy Menkes

Matthew Williamson

The Elephant Family hosted dinners across the capital, from Annabel’s to Sexy Fish, before all 800 guests descended on Victoria House in Bloomsbury – transformed into a jungle for the evening – for a masked party. Some of the world’s greatest fashion houses designed the dresses for the occasion, including Alice Temperley, Matthew Williamson, Burberry and Amanda Wakeley.

Elena Perminova Jasmine Hemsley

Caroline Winberg

Mario Testino Roksanda Ilincic and Anna Cleveland

Charlotte Tilbury Donna Air and James Middleton

FASH BASH

Sinitta

High Society

Fashion retailer Boutique 1 opened its debut shop in London, stocking coveted international designer collections. Also on site is April’s, a café-restaurant by the duo behind Bistrotheque. Designers Roksanda Ilincic, Luella Bartley and Peter Pilotto gathered to launch the Sloane Street boutique in true style, with DJ sets from James Righton and Lou Hayter.

Jodie Kidd

Francis and Chloe Herbert

Victoria Pendleton

Ed Taylor, Martha Ward and Sam Waley-Cohen

Laurent Feniou and Clare Balding

YEAR OF THE HORSE

Frankie and Catherine Dettori

Since 1991, The Cartier Racing Awards has been the most important awards ceremony on the European horse-racing circuit, honouring the most accomplished thoroughbreds.

Hosted at The Dorchester, this year’s unbridled success story was Minding – an Irish filly trained by Aidan O’Brien – who took home Cartier Horse of the Year and the Cartier Three-Year Filly award.

Anna Friel

Laura Bailey

Madeleine Crewe-Read and Sam Sangster

Alice Naylor Leyland

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THE GUIDE

PHOTO: DRAWING FOR DIE BERLINER ZEITUNG © ESTATE OF JO BROCKLEHURST

ART · CULTURE · BOOKS · PEOPLE

JO BROCKLEHURST: NOBODIES AND SOMEBODIES Chronicler of the ’80s club scene, Jo Brocklehurst’s fetishistic sketches captured the OTT attitudes of sub cultures across Europe. Her exploration of androgyny and style informed the collections of Jean Paul Gaultier, the bad boy of fashion. The House of Illustration presents a subversive spread of her best work, co-curated by her model and muse Isabelle Bricknall.

3 Feb to 14 May; houseofillustration.org.uk

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THE GUIDE

EVENTS

The Diary What do David Cameron and Hamlet have in common?

MUST SEE Elisabeth Frink, Riace Warriors

Growing up in rural Suffolk, Elisabeth Frink’s art was informed by her childhood experiences; a bucolic countryside existence marred by war.

Hauser & Wirth in Somerset presents a major exhibition of her distinctive bronze sculptures from the ’50s and ’60s, with later works, such as Riace Warriors, exhibited in the grounds.

For a more contemporary flavour, Djordje Ozbolt is simultaneously exhibiting a new body of work, created during his time in residency there last year (19 January to 7 May; hauserwirth.com).

Elisabeth Frink, Riace Warriors

Ian Davenport, Etched Lines: Thirty-Six, exhibited

by Zuleika Gallery

PUT PEN TO PAPER DRAW NEW MISCHIEF, STRATFORD-UPON-AVON Shakespeare and politics go hand in hand. The Royal Shakespeare Company presents a refreshing update on the topic, focusing on the Bard’s influence on political cartoons spanning from Robert Peel’s resignation in 1946 to Morten Morland’s cartoon of David Cameron as Hamlet published in 2016. Five cartoonists have also been commissioned to create new works in reaction to unfolding political events throughout the duration of the exhibition. 25 Feb to 15 Oct; rsc.org.uk Francis Bacon, Seated Figure, 1977 (printed 1991)

WORKS ON PAPER FAIR, SW7 The only fair to offer works on paper across the centuries returns to the Royal Geographical Society, bringing the very best drawings, watercolours, prints and posters. Even if you’re not in the market to buy, it’s well worth a visit for the on-loan exhibition from the Eton College Collections and talks, ranging from David Boyd Haycock discussing the birth of the Avant-garde in Britain to Frances Spalding on the reinvention of watercolour painting in the interwar years. 9–12 Feb; worksonpaperfair.com

BACON AND FREUD, W1

Tony Blair portrayed as Mark Antony by Peter Schrank

While you might know Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud best for their wildly expressive figurative paintings, both artists were also keenly interested in print making. While Bacon based his closely on a selection of 35 of his paintings produced between the ’50s and early ’90s with master printmakers, Freud focused on etchings that were separate – but a natural progression – from his paintings. Draw your own conclusions at Marlborough Graphics’ exhibition.

18 Jan to 24 Feb; marlboroughlondon.com

PHOTOS: © THE FRINK ESTATE, PHOTO BY JONTY WILDE, COURTESY OF YORKSHIRE SCULPTURE PARK; PETER SCHRANK CARTOON ORIGINALLY APPEARED IN THE INDEPENDENT IN 2011; © THE ESTATE OF FRANCIS BACON. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED / DACS 2016

FRINK AGAIN

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SALE SAL

E

Design’s Biggest Names – 34 Participating Showrooms – One Address Alton-Brooke • Ann Sacks • Armani/Casa • Birgit Israel • Black & Key • Bookshop • Ceccotti Collezioni • Chaplins • Chase Erwin • Christopher Guy • Christopher Hyde Lighting • Christopher Peacock • Cole & Son • Davidson • Decca (Bolier) • Decorus • Elise Som • Flexform • Front Rugs • Gallotti&Radice • Giorgetti • GP & J Baker • Iksel – Decorative Arts • Interdesign UK • Jacaranda Carpets • Lizzo • Marc de Berny • McKinney & Co • Nina Campbell • Passerini • Porada • Provasi • Romo • Wool Classics

DESIGN CENTRE, CHELSEA HARBOUR TUESDAY 10 – FRIDAY 13 JANUARY 9.30am – 5.30pm

design centre LONDON

www.dcch.co.uk

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THE GUIDE

EVENTS

AS ART 1 ARCHITECTURE

Zaha Hadid collaborated with Swarovski for over a decade, including Fade in 2007, a sculpture presented in the gardens of the Serpentine Galleries to celebrate the launch of the new pavilion (which she also designed). The atelier pays homage to the late pioneering architect at the Serpentine Sackler Gallery with Zaha Hadid: Early Paintings and Drawings, featuring rarely seen sketches and notebooks that reveal that her drawings and artistry were at the heart of every project.

Until 12 Feb; serpentinegalleries.org

Zaha Hadid, installation view, Serpentine Sackler Gallery

1

Collect Fair at Saatchi Gallery

2HARD CRAFT

Craft is making its comeback and nowhere is this more evident than at the Saatchi Gallery.

The Crafts Council has taken over three floors to present Collect, the international art fair for contemporary objects, where visitors can buy museum-standard ceramics, glass, jewellery, wood, metal and textiles from both established and emerging artists. Highlights include viewing a pair of Grayson Perry’s Essex House tapestries and Collect Spotlights, a showcase of cutting-edge work that’s new to this year’s fair. 2–6 Feb; craftscouncil.org.uk

2

3

POEMS IN THE PARK

Simon Armitage’s off the cuff style and instinctive knack for describing modern life has established him as one of the most high profile poets in the UK. As Poet in Residence at Yorkshire Sculpture Park this year, he will respond to the changing elements of the park throughout the seasons to create a pocket-sized poetry guide, published in the autumn. If you want to get stuck into something more tangible, the park is also hosting a series of serious workshops in just about anything you might need to become a sculptor. ysp.co.uk

4

EYE ON THE PRIZE

Calling on crack shots: don’t miss the deadline to qualify for The Sunseeker Boodles Cup at The Royal Berkshire Shooting School, or you’ll miss the chance to win either a piece of jewellery from Boodles or a week-long yacht charter for eight friends courtesy of Sunseeker London – both to the value of £80,000.

To win, competitors have to shoot 23 or more of the 25 clays at the final, but first you must qualify for one of 20 places.

You can visit any day (except Sundays) between now and the deadline for entries on 28 January. rbss.co.uk; boodles.com

5

5 IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Live at Zédel returns this year with another packed programme of events.

Bending genres and merging new talent with old timers, the fabulous Art Deco Zédel building makes a fitting backdrop to performances from the Philharmonia Orchestra (29 Jan), Jay Rayner tinkling the ivories (18 Feb and 24 March) and La Poule Plombée: Je Regrette!, a French comedy about a singer tortured by unrequited love (16–19 Feb). Book well in advance and stay for steak frites. brasseriezedel.com

PHOTOS: © ZAHA HADID FOUNDATION. IMAGE © 2016 HUGO GLENDINNING; © MARINA VIDOR

Philharmonia Orchestra

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THE JA NUA RY SALE

W E BELIEV E In doing things differently Year-round discounts aren’t us. Our prices are what they are. We’ll never inf late them so that we can reduce them later.

So to honour the tradition of ‘the January sale’, we prefer to give you something instead. Call it a helping hand to do something big (or small). It’s an approach that felt more like us.

Visit us online to explore the January sale, the Neptune way. And to explore our kitchen collections up-close, why not visit one of our extraordinary stores?

neptune.com Stores nationwide

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THE GUIDE

ARTS Thomas Hart Benton, Cotton Pickers (1945)

Arts Agenda In the currently turbulent climate, art returns to politics, says Caiti Grove

NOSTALGIC POLITICS It’s fair to say we are not sad to see the back of the strange roller-coaster ride of 2016. But there’s no going back now – the genie is out and with it has come a new era of protest and uncertainty.

This season, the arts gets its two cents worth about populism, politics and power and teaches us a lot about the present by looking back.

PHOTOS: © BENTON TESTAMENTARY TRUSTS/UMB BANK TRUSTEE/VAGA, NY/DACS, LONDON 2016; COURTESY THE ARTIST AND HOLLYBUSH GARDENS, PHOTO BY M BIRCHALL & TEO LASHLEY BURNLEY; PHOTO BY JOHAN PERSSON

1 THE TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGIN’ When the Wall Street Crash hit in 1929, whole generations moved from their farms to cities in pursuit of work. Artists rushed to record the transformation as cities expanded and industrialisation took hold. The Royal Academy’s America after the Fall: Painting in the 1930s collates the most noteworthy, a collection that was supposed to make poignant points about the financial crisis in 1998. Now politics is in flux once more, it seems more relevant than anticipated. A touring exhibition, originally from Chicago, this is unmissable. 25 Feb to 4 June; royalacademy.org.uk

1

2

2 PUNK AND POLITICS

The 1980s was a transformative decade in Britain.

The Place is Here at Nottingham Contemporary brings together 100 works by 30 artists who responded at the time to immigration policies, the apartheid in South Africa and civil rights-era work by black artists in America. 4 Feb to 30 April; nottinghamcontemporary.org

Five minutes with...

ADRIAN LOCKE Lubaina Himid, A Fashionable Marriage (1986)

3 DÉJÀ VU

A political revolution is simmering and the ruling Labour party is in civil war.

Sound familiar? This House at London’s Garrick Theatre is set in 1974 and delves into grisly details in the House of Commons. Whips blackmail MPs with salacious details of their personal escapades to vote in line with their leader, while dying politicians are carried through the lobby to cast their votes for a flailing government. Possibly too relevant? Until 25 Feb; garricktheatre.org

CURATOR OF AMERICA AFTER THE FALL AT THE RA America was reinventing itself during the 1930s. They wanted to know how to move forward, whether to remain in the settler tradition or to move into industry. There was mysticism about this change, but also massive anxiety.

Fascism was rising in Germany and Italy and there was a huge national and international displacement of people – one million people moved from Oklahoma alone.

America has always been a country that stares down adversity.

Roosevelt brought in the Works Progress Administration, in which millions of low-skilled men were employed in huge construction projects, making the government the country’s largest employer.

3

This House performed at Chichester Festival Theatre

The economic situation and Europe’s modernist movement hugely affected American art. Social realism was more common – artists made work that was much more hard hitting. Galleries didn’t really exist.

People heard about these works through newspapers and newsreels.

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THE GUIDE

ARTS

Schaubühne Berlin, Richard III, Lars Eidinger

FIVE OF THE BEST AMERICAN SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS

SPOT ON SHAKESPEARE

Andrew Scott in Hamlet

Weak or evil? Villains in Shakespeare come in subtle shades. Richard III, directed by Thomas Ostermeier at the Barbican, is a disturbing study of an unscrupulous psychopath driven by his hideous deformities to spree killing. Schaubühne Berlin’s bondage-clad king stalks a modernist interpretation all the more grotesque for its striking closeness to contemporary vice. Not for the faint hearted (16–19 Feb; barbican.org.uk).

Juliet Stevenson is a bewildered Gertrude in Robert Icke’s production of Hamlet at the Almeida with the troubled student prince played by a charmingly plausible Andrew Scott and Jessica Brown Findlay as a puzzled and desperate Ophelia. With this dazzling theatrical line up, a brilliant evening is a copper-bottomed surefire cert (17 Feb to 8 April; almeida.co.uk).

The Globe’s new Othello, directed by Ellen McDougall, takes a feminine slant in a captivating version of Shakespeare’s study of jealousy, as played out in the mind of an otherwise admirable hero – and the irrational goading that leads to the pitiless murder of the woman he loves (23 Feb to 22 April; shakespearesglobe.com).

3. THE WORLD TO COME: STORIES Spanning the world of adventure across continents from the Arctic to South America, Jim Shepard’s book reaches through the centuries to tell the rough truth about historic catastrophe. 21 Feb (Knopf)

Bnar Sardar, The Garden of Eden is likely to disappear (2015)

4. ENIGMA VARIATIONS Acclaimed as the most exciting fiction writer of the 21st century, André Aciman’s portrait of a hero in search of love and his own sensuous inner self, Enigma Variations maps the hidden areas of our desires. 14 Feb (Farrar, Straus & Giroux Inc)

Younes Mohammad, Yezidi Refugee (2014)

5. THE MAN WHO SHOT OUT MY EYE IS DEAD Chanelle Benz’s original debut charts the lives of a diplomat whose daughter disappears, siblings turned outlaws in a brutal landscape and a monk at the dissolution of the monasteries. Stimulating and different. 17 Jan (Ecco Press)

PREVIEW: BEYOND BOUNDARIES: ART BY EMAIL

Trapped by repressive regimes, harassed and stifled by sectarianism, artists across the Middle East can feel isolated. They often cannot travel – and immigration restrictions keep them out in the cold.

Now the dynamic Yorkshire Sculpture Park has put out an open call for Beyond Boundaries: Art by Email. Photography, film, even performance and abstract sculpture – Iranian artist Sahand Hesamiyan’s piece will be 3D-printed during the exhibition – make up a show that exudes hope and resilience.

Egyptian-born Mai Al Shazly’s video installation Undercurrents defiantly shows two films focused on freedom – the goal of all the artists in this remarkable show.

Until 5 March; ysp.co.uk

2. ALWAYS HAPPY HOUR A broken world of women in gas stations, public pools and dive bars creates a microscope for delicate patterns of love and intimacy in Mary Miller’s short stories. Brutally honest, it is nevertheless a comforting read.

28 Feb (Liveright)

PHOTOS: ANDREW SCOTT PHOTOGRAPHED BY MILES ALDRIDGE; LARS EIDINGER PHOTOGRAPHED BY ARNO DECLAIR; BNAR SARDAR COURTESY THE ARTIST, ARTROLE AND YSP; YOUNES MOHAMMAD, PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY THE ARTIST, ARTROLE AND YSP

1. MEXICO Ordinary lives lived in an extraordinarily violent country in the grip of a drugsbased cartel.

Josh Barkan’s Mexico: Stories is beautifully written against an ugly background of violence.

Published 24 Jan (Hogarth).

54 | COUNTRYANDTOWNHOUSE.CO.UK | February 2017

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THE GUIDE

BOOK REVIEWS

John Owen examines four books by or about Israelis

THE UNDOING PROJECT

Michael Lewis

In 2002, the Nobel Prize for Economics was shared between an American economist and an Israeli behavioural psychologist in a departure that was much commented on at the time.

Daniel Kahneman, the psychologist winner, was not really that interested in economics, he was instead obsessed with human decisions, in working out why we make good and bad choices and how rational we are. In conjunction with another Israeli psychologist, Amos Tversky, he helped to revolutionise the way all manner of scientists and social scientists appraised mankind’s ability to make rational choices.

Michael Lewis’s new book tells the story of Kahneman and Tversky’s long friendship. Kahneman was brought up a Jew in Nazi-occupied France, while Tversky’s parents were among the early pioneering Zionists who moved to Israel from Russia before his birth. Lewis holds that both men were deeply shaped by their Israeli upbringing, Kahneman as a survivor building a life and Tversky as a defender of his nation (both were, as with all Israeli men, enlisted into military service).

Both early students of psychology at the Hebrew University, they came together as lecturers a few years later when Tversky gave a seminar to Kahneman’s students. A strong friendship developed out of their academic association, such that both their wives felt they had a stronger bond to each other than their families and they frequently had to adjust their own careers in order to stay geographically near to each other.

Lewis’s engaging prose carries the story as does his carefully supported characterisation of the protagonists, Kahneman supplied almost all the ideas that Tversky obsessively tested using a scientific rigour that his collaborator found hard to mimic. In his books on finance and economics, Lewis has always been able to distil very complicated ideas into something understandable for the general reader, and he further demonstrates that skill here by using real-world examples to explain their most complex theories. £25, Allen Lane

WHERE MEMORY COMES/WHERE MEMORY LEADS Saul Friedländer Where Memory Leads is the second volume of Saul Friedländer’s own memoirs and is published alongside a reissue of Where Memory Comes. Both are wonderful accounts of a man who went from Holocaust survivor to important roles in the Israeli government to a far more critical approach to his adopted country later in life as he became more widely known as the most prominent Israeli historian on the Holocaust, £19.99, Other Press A HORSE WALKS INTO A BAR David Grossman Probably Israel’s most highly decorated novelist, Grossman’s latest tome offers a take on the notion of fame and expectation as it describes a stand-up comedian deliberating melting down by telling the story of his life and loves on stage. The narrator is a childhood friend of the comic, summoned to watch this spectacle for reasons he finds hard to fathom.

The thrust though is the comedian’s monologue, by turns tragic and hilarious as he subjects his audience to his story. £14.99, Jonathan Cape

THINKING, FAST AND SLOW Daniel Kahneman After winning the Nobel Prize, Kahneman wrote a book intended for the general reader about the theories that he and Tversky developed.

For those who enjoy Lewis’s account of their academic and personal friendship, it is well worth reading as it goes into far greater depth than Lewis ever can in explaining how humans think and why they make the decisions they do. £10.99, Penguin

JOHN OWEN IS A BOOKSELLER AT JOHN SANDOE. JOHNSANDOE.COM

Book Club

IN BRIEF

56 | COUNTRYANDTOWNHOUSE.CO.UK | February 2017

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20/12/2016 17:06

PEOPLE

Christian Values

He makes some of the most expensive scents (and kitchens) in the world and rarely gives interviews, but Richard Hopton meets Clive Christian, the self-taught designer who’s proud of being British

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live Christian made his name and his fortune with kitchens. They are top-quality, ornate and expensive, superyachts for the home, embodying the zeitgeist of the Age of the Oligarch. In the 1990s, he branched out into the rarefied world of haute parfumerie by buying the venerable Crown Perfumery Company. Clive produced his first range of scents in 1999 and has recently launched the seventh, Noble VII. Noble VII, like all Clive’s scents, is conceived as a pair: Rock Rose is the more masculine and Cosmos Flower the more feminine. It draws its inspiration from the garden surrounding Clive’s Queen Anne house in Cheshire. Some years ago, standing on the roof, he noticed the vestigial outline of the former parterre and decided to restore it to its original state. They celebrate the architectural and horticultural glories of the Queen Anne period. The two scents are Clive’s first foray into the fougère and gourmande olfactory families.

Clive happened upon the Crown Perfumery Company in the mid-1990s. At the time he was casting around for an opportunity to ‘build a great British brand, rather than a product category’.

‘I needed to do it,’ he says, ‘to develop a brand, something that would be intact when I’m dead and gone.’ It was as much, he admits, an intellectual and commercial challenge as a business enterprise. He had tried unsuccessfully to buy Hardy Amies on Savile Row and had considered setting up businesses in a number of luxury markets including silk, leather and jewellery.

Clive Christian

Alpha library in English white

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THE GUIDE

When Clive acquired the Crown Perfumery Company it had an annual turnover of £80,000, stock worth £1m, a shop in the Burlington Arcade and, importantly, a long and distinguished provenance. Founded in 1872, it was Queen Victoria’s favourite perfumer. The Queen granted the company the right to use a crown as its bottle stopper as a mark of her patronage. As the Royal Warrant system was already then in place, this was a true sign of the monarch’s personal esteem.

Clive then set about creating new scents with his customary vigour. Although not himself a perfumer, he ‘had strong ideas’. He assembled a team of top perfumers and set them to work. ‘I gave them free rein,’ says Clive, ‘more or less unconstrained by expense.’ His scents are high-quality products. They all contain at least a hundred ingredients, some feature two hundred.

Clive is first and foremost a designer. He is entirely self-taught, drawing some consolation from the fact that Hardy Amies was also self-taught and ‘he did all right’. He began as a general interior designer but was drawn to the kitchen as it was often the most problematic room. When he started in the 1980s, kitchens were ‘very utilitarian’. Clive’s designs recognised that the modern kitchen was more than simply somewhere that food was prepared and eaten; it was an important living space, an idea now universally accepted. ‘To reinforce the fact that the kitchen was not a utilitarian space, I began to hang a great big chandelier in it. I took a good deal of flack for this at the time,’ he remembers ruefully. At the same time he started opening kitchens out, expanding them into the surrounding space.

This ambition stretched his ability to source the necessary high-quality fittings and furniture, so he bought a factory in Lancashire which now makes all the component parts. As he says, ‘all we need now is trees’. The factory employs a hundred craftsmen and 20 administrative staff. The business has changed, too: nowadays kitchens – of which the company makes about 50 a year – comprise around 40 per cent of production. Libraries are now the second-largest line.

Architectural kitchen in ivory

Living abroad made Clive very proud to be British. ‘All too often,’ he says, ‘we don’t see our country clearly; we’re so cynical about it, whereas, in fact, Britain is a breathtakingly impressive country with a huge amount of talent’ Clive Christian kitchens were soon well known in Britain but as he ‘wanted to make it a global brand’ he moved to New York. It worked: ‘The world started to beat a path to my door. We export all over the world,’ he says.

‘It is very exciting and very British.’ Living abroad made Clive very proud to be British. ‘All too often,’ he says, ‘we don’t see our country clearly; we’re so cynical about it, whereas, in fact, Britain is a breathtakingly impressive country with a huge amount of talent.’

This powerful sense of Britishness infuses Clive’s businesses, both the kitchens and the scents. The company has been granted arms by the College of Arms – the elaborate scroll occupies pride of place in the hall of the company’s headquarters in Mayfair – which Clive sees as the happy and logical conclusion of Queen Victoria’s Noble VII Rock Rose patronage of the Crown Perfumery Company 150 years ago. The company may revere tradition, craftsmanship and history but, as a commercial operation, it constantly looks to the future, too. Look out in April for ‘Rococo’, Clive’s new range of scent.

IT’S ALL IN THE NOSE

Clive’s Queen Anne house in Cheshire

Who has influenced you most professionally? Hardy Amies – self-taught couturier to the Queen – amazing. If you had to buy and wear a scent other than one of your own, which would it be? It’s not going to happen – ever.

What is your favourite ingredient for a scent? Complexity – my perfumes have 100 to 200 precious ingredients. What is the worst crime in perfumery?

Crude powerful scents – they make me gag. Where do you most like going on holiday? Morocco in the spring, especially Marrakech.

February 2017 | COUNTRYANDTOWNHOUSE.CO.UK | 59

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FANTASTIC MR REDMAYNE

2016 was one hell of a year for the actor. LUCY CLELAND meets him

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hat do George Clooney, Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig have in common, stellar acting careers aside? They are all ambassadors for Omega, which is why I’m at the Berkeley Hotel waiting to meet Eddie Redmayne, the latest name on the watchmaker’s formidable roster.

Redmayne’s appointment in March 2016 is just part of what could be termed an ‘annus mirabilis’ for the young British actor (34).

On 2 December 2016, he received an OBE from the Queen; in June, his wife Hannah gave birth to their daughter Iris; currently Eddie is promoting his film Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, a spin-off from the Harry Potter stable; and to seal his rapidly growing style credentials he fronted Prada’s A/W’17 campaign, after being crowned GQ’s Best Dressed Man in Britain in January 2016. Phew.

‘Thank you, thank you,’ enthuses Eddie with a grin, when I remark on what a year it has been for him. He’s dressed impeccably in Saint Laurent shirt, Prada sweater and Margaret Howell trousers and is so slim that I could probably get my arms around his waist twice and, of course, you can’t miss those cut-glass cheekbones that give him his model-ready looks (attributes Burberry must have noticed years back when they cast him in their 2012 campaign alongside Cara Delevingne). Known as a ‘really nice guy’ in the business (something he says that those who really know him wouldn’t say), he has got a jack-in-thebox nervous energy and puppy-like boundless enthusiasm about him that I suspect is needed to inhabit some of the extraordinary roles he’s played in the last 13 years, since his graduation, first from Eton and then Cambridge (he gained a 2.1 in History of Art), most exceptionally as physicist Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything, which won him an Oscar for Best Actor in 2015.

‘You have no expectations as to what it might be,’ says Eddie about his OBE. ‘We arrived [at Windsor Castle] and we went up the longest, straightest road in the world and there was fog across it. It was beautiful.

Inside people were dressed in blue cloaks with scarlet collars, and you got to meet all the soldiers, and the castle looked amazing with all its Christmas decorations. It was all a bit overwhelming.’

Not as overwhelming one might imagine as the birth of a child.

What has fatherhood meant to the man who, speaking of his marriage in 2014, said it was ‘the most wonderful thing I’ve done’? ‘It’s such a cliché, but the only negative is the sleep deprivation. One night Iris slept all the way through and we were like, “Our lives have returned!”, only we got sucker punched the next night by being woken at all hours.

But despite that, you can go into her room mildly furious and then there’s this massive grin waiting for you and all is forgiven.’

Eddie wrapped up filming for Fantastic Beasts last March so has been very much around for Iris’ first few months, but whereas many new parents might not dare leave the house for a while, he and Hannah were happy to fly out to the Rio Olympics with Iris at just eight weeks old. ‘There was a slightly worrying moment when we were on the plane with lots of Olympians and there was the fear that Iris would keep them up and screw up their medal chances, but they seemed to do ok!’

Away from the screen, Eddie is a collector of art ‘in the most gentle way’. ‘I’ve got a couple of prints and drawings but nothing of any value.

I’m quite badly educated on contemporary art, although we do always go to Frieze Masters, which I really enjoy.’

And where did he get his best-dressed-list style from? ‘I definitely have not always been – or will always be – a well-dressed person. A lot of it came down to the Burberry campaign I did. I went for a fitting and the clothes were so tightly tailored that I was like “whoa!”, but when I saw the photos I realised that the suit looked so much better so that changed my take on tailoring.’ He’s a fan of Prada, naturally, but also name checks Gucci, McQueen and Hardy Amies as his go-to designers.

Eddie and Hannah live in Borough, south London, and he likes ‘the fact that it’s really central but can also be very quiet at weekends’.

He loves going to the theatre (the Young Vic being a particular favourite) and museums, but mostly his free time is spent ‘keeping his child alive’. The couple also rent a ‘battered old farmhouse’ in the Midlands, which they’re slowly bringing back to life.

Would we ever lose him to Hollywood? ‘I didn’t love LA at first because if you’re used to being someone who walks, you’re screwed.

But after going for 12 or 13 years I have a great affection for it, although, as an actor, your outlook is coloured by whether you’re having success or not because it’s such a one-industry place.’

And now to loop back to why I’m here in the first place. I admire the Omega Globemaster Calendar he’s wearing. ‘It tells me the date which is very useful. I’m a rancidly aggressive timekeeper and my wife is always late, so there’s many a gentle family row over timekeeping.’ But Eddie has long known the brand since his dad wore an Omega De Ville that he always admired. Then, after hanging out at Omega House during the 2012 London Olympics, a relationship was born. ‘When you realise there’s a narrative that goes far beyond the object, it’s really amazing.

I’m seduced by stories.’

His enthusiasm for the brand and its history is seemingly as great as the other topics we’ve chatted about in our 20 minutes and perhaps that’s Eddie’s skill, he’s as believable off screen as he is on it.

Eddie Redmayne is an ambassador for OMEGA watches and the face of the OMEGA Constellation Globemaster collection (omegwatches.com).

PHOTO: GREG WILLIAMS

‘I’m a rancidly agressive timekeeper and my wife is always late, so there’s many a gentle family row over timekeeping’

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PHOTO: GREG WILLIAMS

Eddie Redmayne wears OMEGA Globemaster Annual Calendar, £5,925

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PHOTOS: STEPHANIE ALCAINO

Olympic gold medallist, Alex Gregory wears Joules tweed jacket and grey v-neck

OAR’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL Olympic rower Alex Gregory is quitting the sport but you haven’t heard the last of him, says HUGH FRANCIS ANDERSON

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ith five consecutive world championship victories and two Olympic gold medals, Alex Gregory MBE, is one of the most successful British rowers in history. A devout father of three young children, the 32-year-old Olympian has not only trained for over four hours a day, seven days a week, for the past 15 years, but has also managed to support a young family. With his name now firmly seated next to the likes of Sir Steve Redgrave and Sir Matthew Pinsent, Gregory has made the decision to hang up his oar, but this isn’t the last we’re going to see of him.

I meet Gregory at Chiltern Firehouse, Marylebone, one bitter December evening and, as I enter, I’m met with a beaming smile, a warm handshake and a demeanour so gentle I’m taken aback.

I know immediately that I’m in the presence of greatness. I’m curious to know how it feels to be crowned Olympic champion in Britain’s most successful boat, the coxless four: ‘In London 2012, it was a relief. It showed that the eight years in the build up to it had paid off,’ says Gregory. ‘In Rio, it was a relief that I hadn’t messed up the race, and it was elation because I’d done everything I’d set out to do in my sport and my life up to that point. At age 32, I had ticked it off, I’d done it, and I was happy with that.

It was pure satisfaction.’ Although Gregory’s career has been a tumultuous one, and his time sculling (two oars) bore few fruits for Great Britain, when he moved to sweep (one oar) shortly after Beijing 2008, it was to immediate success. ‘I went as the spare to Beijing, and it was as spare that I filled in for some of the sweep guys. It was then that I realised I was more natural, confident and comfortable in a sweep position. I was sitting on the sideline and I took a step back and looked at everything I’d done and what I was doing, and decided in that moment to move to sweep.’

And he never looked back.

Beginning his career at Evesham Rowing Club at the age of 17, Gregory soon fell in love with the sport and, when he moved to Reading University to read Geography in 2003, he was selected for the Lottery Funded Start programme, a scheme that identifies, recruits and develops individuals with little or no prior rowing experience to become Olympians, and it certainly paid off.

‘When I started rowing, I used to say that I wanted to go to the Olympics and win gold, but they’re just words, just what you’re supposed to say,’ says Gregory. ‘It was only being in Beijing as a reserve that I felt what it meant to be at the Olympics. I saw the parents’ reactions to seeing their children win gold medals, and that blew me away. That was the turning point that made me realise what it really means. So when I came home, the motivation was completely different. The words finally meant something.’

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Alex wears Northface black bomber jacket and Joules grey jumper

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Alex wears Woolrich fur collar jacket

Age wise, Gregory certainly has another Olympiad in him, so I’m interested to know why he made the decision to retire.

‘Enough’s enough, I’m satisfied with everything, I’ve done what I set out to do – perhaps even more – and I don’t feel the need to carry on. Rowing is very linear and I’ve done it for 15 years, now I want to see what it’s like to push myself in a different way, in situations where things can change and I don’t know what’s going to happen.’ Of course, having three young children to support must be incredibly draining, not only emotionally and physically, but also mentally, especially when you’re so often away from home.

‘Yes, it certainly changed the way I saw rowing; it changed the way I trained and it really helped me out, there’s no question about it,’

says Gregory. ‘But the greatest feeling was the weekend when I returned from Rio as it was our first full weekend ever together, and it was a revelation. We’d never had that time before, I would always train on Saturday, maybe have the occasional Sunday off, but never a whole weekend.

We could never go away, it’s completely changed our lives.’

Alongside raising a family with his partner Emily, Gregory is pursuing a whole lot more. A patron of the British Exploring Society, and a man obsessed with the wilderness, Gregory strives towards his desires. ‘My real passion is the outdoors and wildlife. So, somehow, I want to intertwine that with my life now by using the skills I’ve developed throughout my rowing career. I have an interest in people, in what they’re capable of and how far they’ll go to get something they want, and so I want to head down the outdoors, adventure, possibly even television route, because that will allow me pursue my dreams.’

It was on a trip to Svalbard as a teenager with the British Exploring Society that Gregory discovered his love for adventure.

‘It was where I studied glacial melt-water for two weeks and it was just incredible,’ recounts Gregory with a smile. ‘Next year I’m hoping to walk through the Kalahari Desert. I’d love for it to be televised, and hopefully get young people involved too, to give them experiences. I feel it’s sort of my duty. I was a young person at a nonrowing school who was given an opportunity and it changed my life, so that’s something I’d like to do for young people now.’

Since his retirement, Gregory’s world has changed beyond recognition, and his home life now perfectly balances his love for the outdoors with his newly reclaimed fatherhood. ‘We live in a little village between Henley and Wallingford, in a cottage down the end of a lane, and it’s lovely,’ says Gregory, ‘I love our country life, it’s really healthy. Jasper, our eldest, really loves going for long walks in the woods with our two dogs, and I love that too. It’s what I grew up doing, and it’s so important.’

With numerous partnerships and sponsors behind him, a robust mental resolution to strive towards greatness off the rowing lake, and a deeply rooted passion for the wilderness, there is only one direction Alex Gregory is going, and that is up. n

NOT A QUESTION OF SPORT

Who would you want to sit next to on a long haul flight? David Attenborough. He was sitting behind me at a screening recently, but I couldn’t bring myself to speak to him. Hopefully one day I will. What is your perfect winter evening? In a log cabin, sitting in front of a fire that I’ve made myself, drinking hot chocolate and reading adventure stories to the children. That would be spot-on. What is your favourite book? My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell.

I absolutely love that book. It really inspired me. As a child I had tanks and cages in my bedroom and I wanted to be just like him.

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MANNERS MAKETH MAN How does an etiquette guide have any traction in today’s post-truth, Trumpian world? JOSEPH BULLMORE finds out

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hen you sit down to tea with an etiquette expert, you suddenly become very aware of your body. Not of its size or shape (though those are low-level anxieties at most hours of the day), but of what it’s doing. Are my legs too widely splayed? Am I nodding my head enough? Is my side parting too theatrical? How dry are my palms? And that’s before you get to the clothes: that morning I had toyed with a doublebreasted midnight blue (sounds so much better than ‘navy’, doesn’t it?) blazer, telling myself, ‘This is The Lanesborough, after all,’ over and over again in the mirror. But, in the end, I chickened out and plumped for an open collar shirt under a navy (see?) cardigan, made doubly wince-worthy when I set eyes on my guide Rupert’s perfectly proportioned tie.

(Cruel fate: I’d left a Balmain number on the rack at home which would have paired beautifully with these miniature walnut whips.)

This cavalcade of second-guesses comes, on this occasion, courtesy of Debrett’s, the arbiter of social standing and manners that you’ll have filed in your memory library next to The Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, Who’s Who and ‘Things older than America’. I’ve come to meet one of their number for tea in the grand, duck egg blue dining room of The Lanesborough hotel, Knightsbridge. Daunting doesn’t quite cover it.

As it turned out, I needn’t have worried a jot.

Within five minutes of sitting down with Rupert Wesson – the beaming Academy Director over at the esteemed publishing house – I learn what I probably should have guessed. That etiquette today really isn’t about rules, or diktats, or how many breasts on your blazer – it’s about feeling comfortable in yourself, and making others feel comfortable in the process.

‘It’s really just about emotional intelligence, about sensing the right thing to do at the right moment,’ says Rupert, a sparkling former army officer and a combination of ‘complete best man’ and ‘the uncle you never had’. Soon, he is whisking me through the course that The Lanesborough and Debrett’s offer to those looking to brush up on the details: chiefly incoming foreign businessmen and dignitaries, he tells me – the kind of culturally-conscious people who don’t want to torpedo a business deal or an embassy flesh-pressing by doing something silly with someone’s daughter. But Rupert’s guests also flock to Debrett’s for reasons much less tangible and altogether less punchy-daughtery: the hope, I suspect, that some sort of powdered Britishness might rub off on them; a magic dust made of charm, style and poise, of Wimbledon and Prince Harry and ingenious small talk.

We begin, of course, with first impressions.

‘You usually get a pretty reliable idea of someone in the opening seven seconds,’ says Rupert. Thankfully, he goes onto explain, seven seconds is a long time in

PHOTOS: REX FEATURES

Eliza Doolittle joins ‘polite society’ with a little help from Henry Higgins

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Debrett’s is offering a day’s course in Social Etiquette at The Lanesborough

politics (and board meetings, dinner parties and first dates), so there’s a lot you can do to make your mark. A combination of good posture (upright but relaxed), natural body language (open but not needy) and a canny greeting (a good, firm handshake combined with a smile and as little ogling as possible) will all stand you in very good stead.

Then there’s the minefield of small talk and acceptable topics of conversation (weekend plans and upcoming projects good; voting habits and thigh gaps bad) and the limits of personal space. If in doubt, Rupert reminds me, just take a moment to see what those around you are doing. (Good advice for any occasion, I suspect, from tea with the Finnish High Commissioner to an impromptu sauna disco. Which might well amount to the same thing, come to think of it.)

It’s about now that I realise how useful this sort of thing might be for even the most dyed-inthe-midnight-wool Englishman. I’m particularly heartened by Rupert’s reminder of the ‘virtuous cycle’ of confidence: if you act confidently (which may be as simple as standing up straight and not crying) then you’ll trick your brain into feeling genuinely so. And if you can convince other people that you’re feeling genuinely confident, they’ll reflect it back on you like one of those very flattering fairground mirrors, which, in turn, will make them more at ease, and so on and so forth until everyone in the room is convinced that they’re Moonraker-era Roger Moore on a particularly good hair day. It’s one of those things we all sort of know, but could do with being reminded of now and again: that no one can make us feel awkward without our consent.

Equally valuable is the Hardy Amies quote that Rupert advocates as the last word on menswear: ‘A gentleman should look as though he has

chosen his clothes with intelligence, put them on with care, and then forgotten all about them.’ We work through the cryptic-crossword that is the modern dress code (more essential than you’d imagine, actually: Rupert tells me of one influential Japanese businessmen who arrived at a merger negotiation in a Daffy Duck tie), before rattling through the Social Season like a triple divorcee in the market for a new pool house.

By the time we sit down to lunch in the gorgeous, light-drenched dining room at Céleste, I’m convinced that Debrett’s ought to have its own wing over at the Department of Education so that we can mainline this stuff wholesale into our children’s heads before they start having ideas of their own. And, sure enough, as the plates roll in three at a time – a melting beef short rib here, a beautiful, ink-black squid risotto there – our conversation does turn to the political (these were the last days of 2016, after all. I also think the Barolo had something to do with it). It’s big talk for the masters of the small stuff, but it seems just about okay. Because, really, Debrett’s isn’t concerned with embarrassing cutlery or the proper way to address a viscount’s second wife (don’t, in my experience), what it really cares about is how we can be nice to one another, especially when we don’t have a single thing in common; about getting the details right, making everyone feel at home. Alien concepts, I know. As distant today, in fact, as spats and dance cards and the hierarchy of oyster forks. Debrett’s isn’t relevant anymore – and that’s exactly why it’s so important. n

PHOTOS: REX FEATURES

‘A gentleman should look as though he has chosen his clothes with intelligence, put them on with care, and then forgotten all about them.’

Hardy Amies

A Guide To Social Etiquette & The Season includes lunch at Céleste, a six-hour Debrett’s course, and an overnight stay at The Lanesborough.

From £1,875pp. lanesborough.com/etiquette February 2017 | COUNTRYANDTOWNHOUSE.CO.UK | 71

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CARTIER’S MAGIC MAN

t’s a dingy Friday afternoon close to Christmas when I arrive at Cartier’s Regent Street headquarters to meet Laurent Feniou, CEO of Cartier UK. I have already judged him to be the nice, neat, sensible-looking ex-banker that he appears to be in photographs and I’m anticipating a quick, rather lacklustre interview. Instead the tall man who greets me comes forward in a bright surge of energy that threatens to burst the constraints of his blandly stylish office. I am instantly whisked into a whirl of dynamism, enthusiasm, curiosity and humour. I have agreed the interview subjects in advance but we start swooping off-piste around all sorts of topics, from his pride in the development of Cartier’s Charitable Foundation to the jewellery award Cartier is sponsoring at St Martin’s.

Throughout our conversation, Feniou’s zest for Cartier is infectious and it’s difficult not to be drawn into believing that it’s the most exciting, desirable brand in the world. Under his leadership, Cartier is innovating and evolving at thrilling speed.

Feniou is not just the safe pair of hands that his respectable Rothschild background might suggest. This is a man who embraces creative change and is on a constant mission to redefine and push boundaries, secure in the knowledge that the craftsmen at his disposal are the very best.

‘There are probably a tiny handful of people worldwide who can work to this high level,’ he says, leaping up to show me the big coffee table book on Magicien, Cartier’s latest haute joaillerie range. ‘Just look at how beautiful the light is on this!’ We’re looking at an exquisite, intricately wrought Incantation transformable diamond and a Ceylon sapphire necklace. ‘The level of the stone sourcing is incredible and Magicien celebrates that unique process when our craftsmen, who’ve been working at Cartier down the generations, transform

the stone further with the setting – it is a kind of magic. It takes thousands of hours.’

The Magicien range is just one of several, including the Cactus collection, that Feniou has overseen for his UK clients in 2016. Earlier I had visited the Bond Street showroom and was drawn immediately to the Cactus display of spiky, wildly sensuous pieces set with glimmering, clashing jewels – lapis lazuli, emerald, carnelian, chrysoprase – clustered in hot yellow gold to evoke the desert. They might have been dreamt up by a surrealist and given their defining colourful twist by enfant terrible French artist Niki de Saint Phalle.

I tell Feniou how much I love the range. ‘It’s so refreshing to have this level of creativity blossoming here,’ he responds. ‘It’s new, daring, surprising, destabilising. It’s typical of Cartier – we have our heritage but there are always breaking points, just as our Juste un Clou love bracelets were very daring in the Seventies but now they’re icons.’

2016 was also the year that Cartier gave CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Laurent Feniou; Cactus de Cartier rings; Cartier Magicien men Drive, the cushionQuetzal bracelet shaped watch with the affordable entry price of £5,000. Judging by the reviews, Drive is the watch men have been waiting for: ‘It’s not just a man’s watch, it’s a gentleman’s watch,’ said Nick Foulkes in the Daily Telegraph. Feniou pulls back a cuff to reveal his own Drive: ‘It has a big face, it’s sporty but slim.

Its shape is adapted to the business suit but it can

PHOTOS: © CARTIER; © GQ MAGAZINE; ©TOM NICHOLSON

I

Laurent Feniou is bringing his glitter and charm to the world’s most famous jewellery brand, says CHARLOTTE METCALF

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also be very relaxed. It’s an immediate classic.’ Cartier collaborated with chef, Jason Atherton, on Drive’s digital campaign. ‘Jason was the perfect person to represent Drive, embodying a spirit of inner drive and on the way up with 16 restaurants, building a fantastic story that starts in the UK and goes worldwide.’

Jason Atherton aside, Cartier collaborates with celebrities sparingly but is looking to embrace this world further this year. ‘We don’t really have formal ambassadors so it’s so inspiring to see Ellie Goulding wearing Cactus because she loves it,’ Feniou explains, ‘and obviously we love seeing the Duchess of Cambridge wearing her Ballon Bleu or Tom Ford sporting a Tank.’

It’s a measure of Feniou’s passion for the brand that he is as knowledgeable about the Tank as about the Drive: ‘Tank is 100 next year and what’s amazing is that every celebrity and actor has worn one – from Princess Diana and Rudolf Nureyev to Yves Saint Laurent and Jean Cocteau. It’s the ultimate unisex watch and the first Cartier watch I bought. It’s distinctly Cartier, even from a distance. It’s aspirational, doesn’t age and is the perfect present for an 18th or 21st birthday or a graduation ceremony.’

By now I’m a convert and making mental calculations as to how I might afford to buy a watch or a piece of jewellery but the conversation is leaping ahead to all the excitement in store for 2017 alongside Tank’s centenary.

This January, Cartier unveils a new product at SIHH (Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie) in Geneva; in June it is collaborating for the first time with the Design Museum to host an exhibition curated

by Lord Foster; and in the summer the brand will break with tradition to launch its haute joaillerie range in London rather than the Riviera.

‘We’re in most cities in the world, but London is the most forward-looking,’ explains Feniou of the decision to move the launch to London. ‘It understands

PHOTOS: © CARTIER; © GQ MAGAZINE; ©TOM NICHOLSON

Feniou is a man who embraces creative change and is on a constant mission to redefine and push boundaries, secure in the knowledge that the craftsmen at his disposal are globally the very best

Jason Atherton was the perfect person to present Cartier’s Drive watch

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Tank Anglaise watch; Cartier Magie Blanche necklace; Cartier Magicien Apparition necklace; Drive de Cartier watch

and embraces the digital world – everyone is on a mobile or PC and using social media. No one here is afraid to buy online.’ Feniou’s grasp of London’s potential as a city ‘hub’ for the future means he’s also focusing energy on raising Cartier’s presence at Heathrow so there are now two ‘true luxury destinations’ in Terminal Five and one in Four (which opened in July).

‘London is essential for Cartier’s growth,’ continues Laurent. Even post Brexit? ‘Definitely! The city’s vibrancy and richness is undiminished. Look at its media, advertising and creative influencers – designers, architects, chefs, actors, singers. It’s so inspiring – every creative industry is successful in London. I’m French and I love my country and feel very patriotic about it but London is definitely where I feel at home.’ When I say that, as a real Londoner, I’m delighted, he laughs. ‘Well, I’ve been here 22 years and my sons [13 and 11] were born here, so they are also real Londoners.’

As I leave, Friday afternoon seems a lot less drab. We’re used to global brands in London but with Feniou leading, Cartier is set to scatter some magical sparkle over our city this year and embellish our reputation as the world’s most innovative, sophisticated, exciting and glitteringly glamorous capital. If Laurent is happy to be a Londoner, it’s reciprocal – London is all the richer and brighter for embracing him. n February 2017 | COUNTRYANDTOWNHOUSE.CO.UK | 73

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Live life in luxury.

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THE WRITE STUFF

This chromolithographed die cut advertisement for Sunlight Soap circa 1890 uses graphology as part of its appeal

It smacks of spy stories but Emma Bache’s graphology skills are in high demand, says TERESA LEVONIAN COLE

PHOTOS: REX FEATURES

‘S

o,’ I ask, ‘would you recommend me for the job?’ She glances down at my scratchy scrawl. ‘Well,’ she says, ‘it depends entirely on the job. Certainly not for anything that requires patience or tact.’

My friends, when told of this verdict, guffawed. ‘She got your number,’ they said. She had. And she had known me for all of five minutes.

Emma Bache Emma Bache is a graphologist. A forensic graphologist, in fact. She is also a forensic linguist. The ‘forensic’ bit relates to the application of graphology and linguistics in legal or criminal work. But my first meeting with her was in happier circumstances, following a dinner at The Dorchester, where she had been engaged to entertain guests.

Because Bache is nothing if not versatile.

Graphology is defined by the OED as ‘the study of handwriting, for example as used to infer a person’s character’, its Greek roots (graph – write; ology – study) not conjoining to enter the English language until the mid-19th century. It is one of those subjects, like astrology or hypnotherapy (of which, incidentally, Bache is also a qualified practitioner) that has been known to raise a sceptical eyebrow. But Bache is unfazed by detractors. ‘I don’t really come across them,’ she says. ‘Because the people who engage me don’t have such doubts.’

It is Sumerian merchants who are generally credited with inventing the first script, for the purpose of recording transactions, in the 4th century BC. By 500 BC, the Chinese sage, Confucius, already had an inkling of what a personal hand might reveal. ‘Beware,’ he warned, ‘of a man whose writing sways like a reed in the wind.’ Many centuries later, on the other side of the globe, Gainsborough allegedly kept a sample of his sitter’s handwriting on his easel, as an insight into his subject’s character.

But while the visual response of Confucius and Gainsborough was purely intuitive, advances in neuroscience over the years would help promote graphology to a science – or, as Bache more accurately puts it, a blend of science with the art of interpretation. And while the French and the Italians argue over February 2017 | COUNTRYANDTOWNHOUSE.CO.UK | 75

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and security companies, doing undercover work – about which she is, naturally, reluctant to speak.

Much of her work revolves around uncovering the identity of blackmailers. ‘You would be surprised,’ she says, ‘we are constantly being held to ransom.

From a national level, down to the angry employee who has been sacked and has something on his boss.’ This often involves signature analysis – ascertaining whether the given signature tallies with that of a known person. At other times, a company suspects that the signature of X has been forged by Y, and she is called for an expert opinion. This steady stream of work is testament to her success although, as she cautions, ‘no form of forensics is 100 per cent reliable. If I am uncertain about something, I won’t mention it.’

Her linguistic work, moreover – drawing conclusions from patterns of speech – has helped her to uncover fraudulent claims for insurance companies. ‘I have huge databases,’ she says, ‘and draw up graphs from other examples of the subject’s writing, analysing things like language, grammar, punctuation, lack of punctuation...

When someone is lying, they tend to emphasise the unimportant, to distract you. It is entirely subconscious – children do that, too, when they lie.’

The combination of linguistics and graphology provides powerful diagnostic tools. But there are no easy short-cuts where handwriting analysis is concerned. Forget the big-writing-means-anextrovert type theories. A small mid-zone, for example, can indicate insecurity. Bache looks for myriad clues – the size of the different zones of letters, spacing, speed, pressure, slant, regularity, connecting stroke, and forms of connection, among them – to form her assessment. ‘No single element,’ she insists, ‘can be taken in isolation.

You have to look at the whole picture.’ And that picture will reveal both a person’s underlying character and variables of circumstance. ‘I can

who can claim title to being the first graphologists, the first printed publication on the subject appeared in 1622, with Camillo Baldi’s ‘How to recognise from a letter the nature and quality of a writer’.

‘Hand-writing is a form of motor co-ordination,’ she explains when I ask about graphology’s scientific basis. ‘And that, like everything, is controlled by the brain. So writing originates in the brain, not in the fingers. If, for example, you are right-handed and, for some reason, have to re-learn to write with your left hand, your handwriting will eventually become the same as it was before.’

Bache, now 53, took a three-year degree in graphology at the age of 24, and subsequently qualified as a psychotherapist. Her interest in forensic linguistics – which she began practising some seven years ago, is part of her immersive approach to her subject. ‘I am interested in psychology and people,’ she tells me. ‘Handwriting is just a vehicle.’

Through her then-husband, a photographer, she began her career working at parties and events, until she was ‘picked up by newspapers and magazines’. She had columns in the distinctly un-flakey Financial Times, and in The Times, analysing the writing of entrepreneurs and businessmen in the public eye. She then started working for banks

PHOTOS: REX FEATURES

Beethoven’s writing reveals his narcissistic streak, as well as his tendency towards self-criticism

‘What you see is what you get’ with Donald Trump

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tell if a person is unwell,’ she says, ‘and whether someone is generally optimistic, say, but is currently feeling tired; whether they are assertive, or just aggressive, and so on. Certain traits are transitory, others are permanent. But the personality is always the same. So I can advise on whether a person is likely to behave in a certain way.’ No wonder prospective employers increasingly turn to her services.

It is time to put things to the test. I have some samples of handwriting for her to analyse, ‘blind’. And she is game – despite the fact that my photocopies veil one important indicator – pressure.

‘Pencil and fountain pen is best for me,’ she says, ‘rollerball is the worst, followed by biro. Textbook handwriting, like italic, can also be difficult – it is a mask I have to unravel.’

‘Very creative, emotional, idealistic,’ she pronounces immediately, on the first sample I show her. ‘Also self-critical. But he likes things his own way, and is not without aggression. And he is a bit of a narcissist...’ she indicates the extreme loop in the upper zone of letters, and the progressively smaller words. The handwriting belongs to the man who once scribbled ‘Ludwig van Beethoven, brain-owner’ on his visiting card. The same idealistic composer who, in 1804, angrily revoked the planned dedication of his Third Symphony to Napoleon, on learning that the latter had declared himself Emperor.

A highly stylised, ‘shark-tooth’ hand comes next. ‘Very analytical,’ she rat-a-tats. ‘He is not swayed by emotion. He knows exactly what he is saying, knows what he wants and goes out to get it. His signature, similar to his writing, suggests that what you see is what you get. You might not like it, but this person is not necessarily a liar.’ I reveal that the handwriting belongs to Donald Trump.

Only one sample I show her elicits an immediate wince.

‘What is it?’ I ask. ‘I don’t take to this person,’ she says. The writing is bunched together, with uneven, heavy pressure and a rigid slant.

‘He is intelligent, but highly critical of others. Rigid in his ideas, wants to appear rocksolid, but is chaotic inside.

And he is anally retentive.

This person is a bully.’ Oh joy!

She actually used the phrase ‘anally retentive’ about...

Dr Sigmund Freud!

I am enthralled. And just a little bit spooked. It is, perhaps, time to revisit my mask-like, schoolgirl, textbook Italic... n

WHAT THE ROYALS’ WRITING SAYS ABOUT THEM THE QUEEN Very regular and garlanded writing. Her whole life is about going out to others. She is good with people, and it is important for her to be liked. Logical thought process. Emotional, but reserved. Likes things her own way. Does not like to be rushed or interrogated.

Emma Bache charges £1,000 a day for consultations. emmabache.com

PHOTOS: REX FEATURES

PRINCE CHARLES Is his own person, likes his own space. Nervy and cautious. Tends to avoid situations he does not like.

FROM TOP RIGHT: The scribblings of Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles and Prince William

PRINCE WILLIAM Good physical energy.

Very independent. Puts all his energy into what he is doing, but finds it hard to express his feelings.

Because of this, an inner turmoil and intensity.

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THE INSIDER INTERIORS · LIVING · DESIGN

SUITS YOU, SIR

This rare French armchair is better dressed than you.

Dating back to the early 1900s, Rhubarb London has spruced it up with a pair of vintage Dunn & Co Harris tweed country jackets with suede arm caps, dressed it in an equestrian stock and snaffle bit stock pin over a cotton neck roll, and sports vintage plaited leather arm supports crafted by a traditional cobbler. £6,290. rhubarblondon.com

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THE INSIDER

TREND TIMOROUS BEASTIES Marble Gum velvet, £150p/m. timorousbeasties.com

Velvet Crush

Whether devoré or nacré, this most opulent fabric adds instant glamour

NINA CAMPBELL Lehmann bench in velvet coral, from £2,490. ninacampbell.com

BEAUMONT AND FLETCHER Rossini cushion, £1,950. beaumont andfletcher.com

LOAF Scatter cushion, £25. loaf.com

AMY SOMERVILLE Minx chair, £3,690. amysomerville.com MAX ROLLITT Regency sofa in jade velvet, £6,336 excl fabric. maxrollitt.com

DE LE CUONA Oberon velvet, £235.50p/m. delecuona.com

NEPTUNE Arthur stool in brushed velvet, £415. neptune.com

OCHRE Divine recline chaise longue, £7,434. ochre.net

DESIGNERS GUILD Leighton Cobalt cushion, £55. padlifestyle.com

VANDERHURD Penta Chevron rug, £12,480. vanderhurd.com

INDIA JANE Genoa armchair, £499. indiajane.co.uk

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Beautiful furniture for unique homes www.perchandparrow.com

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INTERIORS

DIVINE INSPIRATION

Warner & Sons recognised Caroline Inchyra’s latest fabric – which had been inspired by a worn antique woven curtain hanging in her local church – as being based on one of its heritage fabrics. They were so impressed by the reproduction that they requested a sample for their archive.

Caroline will make a donation to the church from all sales of the All Saints fabric. £75p/m. inchyra designs.co.uk

AS YOU LIKE IT

If you don’t know Talisman London on New King’s Road, then listen up. It’s an Aladdin’s cave of 20thcentury design, housed in a fabulous Art Deco building – at one time a petrol station and home to the studios of John Galliano and Amanda Wakeley.

To mark the London showroom’s ten-year anniversary, it is offering a newly expanded bespoke service which includes smart lacquered commodes, side tables and upholstered seating in styles ranging from mid-century to the ’70s. Each piece can be bought as standard stock or individually customised.

From £2,880. talismanlondon.com

PARTNERS IN CRIME THREE EXCITING NEW COLLABORATIONS

Design Notes

News and inspiration from the world of interiors

PAINT THE TOWN REUBEN RED For the first time in its history the V&A has released a paint range taken from its highly decorative interiors. Forty distinct colours were developed by Master Paintmakers, using the highest quality pigments to realise shades synonymous with the museum. There are easy to use neutrals like Webb Grey and Trajan’s Column (a contemporary white), but where the range really excels is in the bolds; the rich Victorian Reuben Red taken from the fabrics and carpets of the period, and Owen’s Teal, a rich sea green inspired by the original decorations in the Indian, Chinese and Japanese rooms. vandapaint.com

CUT ABOVE

Draper London is Josephine Home’s little sister brand, offering all the comfort of the former but with no frills.

Sheets are specially made in Portugal from the lightest percale in 300 thread count Egyptian cotton, so you get ultra comfortable bedding but at a pocket-friendly price.

Bed linen bundle, from £92.50. draperlondon.com

1 WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE House of Hackney’s dramatic room sets for CP Hart in Waterloo prove that bathroom design is anything but boring. cphart.co.uk

2 MEET YOUR MAKER

BREAK THE MOULD Traditional crafts are back in vogue, especially ceramics. Amber Creswell Bell’s new book Clay: Contemporary Ceramic Artisans (published 23 Feb) is a great introduction, showcasing the work of 50 notable potters that will leave you itching to get behind the potter’s wheel in the manner of Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze. £24.95. thameshudson.co.uk

Friends & Co curates Makers, a homeware collection for Selfridges, made and designed in Britain by independent makers. selfridges.com

3 BIRTWELL FOR BLENDWORTH Celia Birtwell revives her classic collection of medieval and Jacobean inspired fabrics for Blendworth. blendworth.co.uk

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THE INSIDER

Design Q&A MARTYN THOMPSON Artist, photographer and textile designer When I lived in Sydney I had a clothing label using fabrics that I hand painted. I began to photograph the clothes and people started paying attention to my photographs as much as the clothing – my business grew from there.

A lot of my creative references are from my own past, I tend to work with recurring materials: cardboard, flowers and paint.

They’re often the same ideas but I think of them in a new way.

I get my ‘creative thinking’ work done when I’m in transit; on a bus, on a plane. It’s a time when I can relax and let new ideas in.

There’s a very direct link between my art and photography and my fabrics and wallpapers, which all begin as one of my photographs before they are edited and developed into a repeat pattern. I think the fabrics share some of the same qualities as my photography, they’re painterly, tactile and in a muted palate.

Still life

The spaces I find most inspiring are those with a wonderful quality of light.

The design of my home reveals that I’m sentimental, eccentric and happy to stumble in the darkness, rather than ruin the subdued mood of the lighting.

When I first moved to New York I bought the first pieces for my

Spotted plum wallpaper by Martyn Thompson Studio

Rock pool collection

by Martyn Thompson Studio

home from Paula Rubenstein, I still have them all. A lovely little painted farmhouse side table (it has appeared in countless photoshoots as a prop), an oil portrait of a miserable woman and an Alvar Aalto chair.

If I could ban anything from interior design, I would ban the colour white.

I would most like to nose around Vivienne Westwood’s house. She’s an idol of mine. I love her singular vision and her eye for twisting historic references.

The most unusual objects in my home are two cast aluminium lights from Chris Wolston, they look like crazy little alien animals.

Tudor England was to die for in so many ways. The fabulous clothes, tapestries and furs.

In the industry, I most admire my friend Ilse Crawford for her pioneering holistic approach to design and living.

If money were no object, I’d love a beautiful vintage Art Deco rug; I love Olga Fisch’s designs.

LITTLE BLACK BOOK STEAL MARTYN’S CONTACTS LAMPS 1st Dibs 1stdibs.com

FINISHING TOUCHES Larusi linens. larusi.com/linen

FABRICS Martyn Thompson Studio martynthompson studio.com

FURNITURE The Future Perfect thefuture perfect.com

TABLEWARE 1882. 1882ltd.com

WALLPAPER Fabscarte fabscarte.it

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FOOD&TRAVEL EAT · DRINK · ESCAPE

Bite the Bullet

PHOTO: RIX-STANDING

Juliet Rix travels the Empire of the Sun by Japan’s super speedy bullet train

Shibuya, Tokyo

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ABOVE: Tokyo by night BELOW: The bullet train at Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station

ABOVE & BELOW: The Peninsula hotel

hours, we disembark at Hakodate, the historic port city of Hokkaido, and as yet little known to British tourists.

It is a charming place dominated

by Mount Hakodate (nicknamed ‘the lying cow’ for its shape), from which there are stunning views, day and night, of this little peninsula city.

Clear northern light and fresh sea air sharpen the senses as we wander the mountain’s lower slopes through the historic area of Motomachi. Hakodate was one of the first places to be opened to foreigners following Japan’s two centuries of self-imposed isolation, and here is a fascinating mix of traditional Japanese and Western colonial-style architecture.

Churches mix with temples, the whitepainted Old British Consulate with the natural wood of wealthy Japanese

PHOTOS: RIX-STANDING

T

he view is stunning. We are at the top of The Peninsula hotel, at its ever-so-Tokyo pink-lit bar in a silver arbour, looking down on the streets below. Skyscrapers jostle, neon blinks and Japan’s capital looks very inviting. But we are forgoing the delights of Tokyo for now. We have a date with a sleek new train set to speed us across the country.

The shiny green Hokkaido Shinkansen glides smoothly into the station. We find our reclining seats with copious legroom, drinks slot, electric plug, adjustable table and large window. This is the latest addition to Japan’s iconic bullet trains.

It links the capital to the northernmost island of Hokkaido and makes it possible to travel across three of Japan’s main islands from Kagoshima in southern Kyushu, the length of Honshu and on to Hokkaido in a single day.

The views from the train are brilliant, but we can’t whizz through Japan to view it only through a window.

We’ve decided to take a little longer and make a few stops.

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PHOTOS: RIX-STANDING

homes. Some are even hybrid: part wood with sliding screens and tatami (straw) mats; part brightly painted weather board, window shutters and heavy upholstery.

The port’s old red-brick warehouses have been restored and reoccupied by 21st-century commerce.

We wander through upmarket boutiques, cartoon merchandise (Japan really does love ‘cute’), and Shinkansen souvenirs. Hakodate has gone a little Shinkansen crazy, and here is everything bullet train, from squishy toys to chopsticks and sake.

There’s food too, and we stop for an ice cream, tasting local flavours: adzuki bean, green tea and light pink cherry blossom. The latter is sweetly reminiscent of the thick, soft blooms that grace the trees here like a child’s head of curly hair, a few weeks after the season has ended in Tokyo.

Hokkaido is famous for its creamy milk (a rarity in the rest of Japan), as well as for some of the best seafood in the country (for which it has much stiff competition!). The vast range of marine edibles are tantalisingly (or horrifyingly) displayed at Hakodate’s morning market, as well as in tanks outside restaurants (just so you know they are fresh).

The salmon sashimi and cooked hairy crab are particularly delicious.

With a bento box of local food on our pullout table, the bullet train whizzes us south, via Tokyo and a superb view of Mount Fuji, to Kyoto station – a sight in itself. Strikingly modern with colour-changing stairways, pop art and an internal structure like something out of a Japanese video game, it is a far cry from traditional Kyoto. Here 1,600 Buddhist temples, 400 Shinto shrines and 17 UNESCO World Heritage Sites vie for our attention. Where to begin?

We wonder at the shining golden pavilion, Kinkaku-ji, that seems to float over water, before joining enthusiastic crowds entering Kiyomizu-

FROM TOP: Fushimi Inari-Taisha shrine, Kyoto; Arashiyama Bamboo Grove; autumn in Kyo-Suiran; schoolchildren looking at the A-Bomb dome at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park

FOOD & TRAVEL

dera temple. Beyond the guardian lions, sun-orange pagodas rise above ancient dark-wood halls, and youngsters fill long-handled cups of sacred waters believed to bring health, academic success and – the most popular – love. Shinto mixes with Buddhism and the complex is like a country fair of ritual activity.

We try a bit of ritual of our own with a traditional tea ceremony explained by an Englishspeaking tea master (tea-kyoto. com). Every movement is mesmerisingly deliberate – almost meditative – and the resulting matcha (green tea) is quite unlike your 4pm cuppa.

Passing a few of Kyoto’s famous geisha in traditional kimono and white makeup, umbrella’s high to protect them from the sun, we make our way through the Imperial Palace Park to Shimogamo Shrine, where a mini-festival is in progress.

Worshippers in bright tunics, flowing robes and a vast range of strange-shaped black headdresses process along tree-lined avenues, stopping to bang brightly painted carved drums, play haunting flutes and dance in decorous slow motion.

After a packed day of sightseeing it is a pleasure to ‘go home’ to the Suiran Hotel, a luxury oasis on the banks of the Hozu River, surrounded by temples with tranquil Japanese gardens and the famous Arashiyama Bamboo Grove. Here we stand amid a forest of smooth stems rising skyward, throwing a cool green light and creating a strange, otherworldly peace.

A different, more determined peace prevails at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, a short bullet train ride to the Southwest.

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ABOVE: Kinosaki in spring BELOW: Onsen slippers in Kinosaki Onsen

BOOK IT

Origami cranes at the Children’s monument

bomb dropped on the city on 6 August 1945.

The arched cenotaph framing the skeletal A-Bomb Dome and soaring Children’s monument surrounded by multicoloured garlands of origami cranes, is an evocative Japanese symbol of peace and hope.

The recent history is still very present here – and anyone with the remotest interest should certainly take a free English-language tour of the Memorial Museum. But Hiroshima is much more than monuments and harrowing images of A-bomb victims. It is also a buzzing modern city with thriving shopping malls and lively izakaya (Japanese pubs).

It is the jumping off point, too, for the lovely little sacred island of Miyajima. Here a precipitous ropeway (cable car) rises up holy Mount Misen to ancient forests full of unfamiliar birdsong, temples,

FLIGHTS ANA flies direct from Heathrow to Tokyo Haneda daily, from £795, Business Class (with comfortable lie-down seats and Connoisseurs menu selected by Michelinstarred chefs) from £3,437. ana.co.uk TRAINS Japan Rail passes, including Shinkansen and most other trains, cost £177 for seven days. japan-rail-pass.com TOURS Inside Japan are genuine experts on the country and tailor-make trips across Japan. insidejapantours.com

RECOMMENDED ACCOMMODATION THE PENINSULA HOTEL, TOKYO Doubles from about £265 (tokyo.peninsula.com/en) SUIRAN, A LUXURY COLLECTION HOTEL, KYOTO Doubles from about £225 (suirankyoto.com/en) NISHIMURAYA HONKAN, KINOSAKI Luxury traditional ryokan (nishimuraya.ne.jp/ honkan/english)

WIFI Wifi in Japan does not always work on foreign phones, so Pocket wifi (which works even on trains) is extremely useful. From £2 per day. econnectjapan.com/ products/wifi/ Asahidake in private onsen

shrines and stunning views. In the little seafront town, crazy wild deer amusingly hassle passers-by for food as they gather to view Miyajima’s most famous site, the ‘floating’ torii gate – the watery entrance to the Itsukushima shrine. This bright orange archway glows beautifully over deep blue sea, especially at night.

We had planned to head from here to Kagoshima but the Kumamoto earthquake disrupted the train line, temporarily blocking our way. The trains will be up and running by the time you read this but, in the meantime, we take a side trip to sample Japan’s traditional onsen – hotspring – bathing culture, in Kinosaki Onsen.

Kinosaki is a traditional little town of narrow streets, little rivers and willow trees. Full of small ryokan (traditional Japanese hotels) it boasts seven public bathhouses of natural onsen water.

There are sweet-smelling cedarwood baths and granite hot tubs, ‘Roman’ tiled interiors and vegetation-shrouded al fresco pools. We join the Japanese, donning yukata (casual kimono) and geta (wooden flip flops) to clomp from bath to bath, stopping to soak naked in the natural hot water. It is wonderfully relaxing.

We are rested and refreshed as we start the final leg of our journey. Japanese train travel is wonderfully stress-free and we arrive in Tokyo ready to descend from the heady heights of The Peninsula hotel to enjoy the urban buzz and brightest of bright lights in the final stop on our bullet train journey. n

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E STENODOC ENODOC H OTEL THETH ST HOTEL

Privately owned boutique hotel and spa in exquisite hideaway overlooking the Camel estuary Privately owned boutique hotel, spa and restaurant in exquisite hideaway in Rock. The beach is a stone’s throw from the hotel and a passenger ferry to Padstow.

overlooking the Camel Estuary, Rock. The beach is a stone’s throw from the hotel and a passenger ferry to Padstow harbour. Our restaurant is the who go above and beyond to ensure you leave feeling invigorated and pampered. perfect place to enjoy great food and service in a relaxed environment.

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21/12/2016 15:45

FOOD & TRAVEL

TRAVEL NEWS

« TRIPADVISOR

It’s certainly powerful, but can we really take the user-generated website seriously? Its complex algorithms have concluded that the top 25 Hotels in the UK 2016 include Tara Lodge, Belfast and the Morley Hayes Hotel near Derby, while Edgar House in Chester (left) is apparently the Best Small Hotel in the World. I’m sure these places are very well run, but the best? I beg to differ.

BELMOND REID’S PALACE, MADEIRA

SNUGGLE DOWN »

Madeira, with its balmy year-round temperatures, is a tempting thought for some winter comfort, but if you are forced to stay home, consider treating yourself to an upgraded bed. I fell for Hypnos Beds after sleeping in them in many luxury hotels. They are blissfully comfortable, as well as handmade, sustainable, 100 per cent recyclable, made by the same family for over 100 years, with a Royal Warrant to prove that the Queen favours them too. They are also ingenious: the latest model cleverly incorporates a hidden safe in one of the pull-out drawers. hypnosbeds.com

1

You enter their world: they look after you, beautifully, but they don’t pander…

2

… and it’s the understatement, the confidence in their measured, glitz-free, time-honoured approach, that makes this such an inimitable place to stay.

3

Opened in 1891, the hotel still draws the ‘newly wed and the nearly dead’ but under Belmond has gracefully extended its appeal to all ages…

4

The Hotel Wizard Should you trust TripAdvisor? Asks Fiona Duncan

... so you’ll find a great kids’ club but also a Bridge Room; tea dances and pilates classes; prim lounges but glamorous pool terraces; a traditional dining room but also a contemporary restaurant.

5

The sea level sun decks and tidal pool; before the advent of the airport (1964), guests would arrive here by sea and be carried up the cliff in hammocks.

6 7

The beautiful Madeira lace bedspreads and Portuguese tiles.

Dancing lessons from twinkle-toed Senhor Pedro in readiness for the weekly dinner dance.

ON THE TRAVEL RADAR

8 9 10

The staff: dignified, a little gruff, many middle aged, Madeiran.

» The best glamping I’ve seen: check out the two new Starbed Hideaways, Halcyon and Aurora, hidden in the beautiful National Trust meadows and woods around Buckland Abbey in Devon – talk about wild luxury (starbedhideaways.co.uk). » London’s Corinthia Hotel is nothing if not imaginative with their resident programmes.

This year sees a neuroscientist in residence. During her tenure, Dr Tara Swart will research mental resilience, involving both staff and guests of the hotel. A first, you will not be surprised to hear, for any hotel to undertake such a programme. corinthia.com

TEN REASONS WHY I LOVE

Head concierge Senhor Aguiar: 51 years at Reid’s.

The pièce de résistance: afternoon tea on the intimate terrace, overlooking the azure sea.

From £340 per night. belmond.com/reidspalace

Wild luxury boltholes in Devon

The Corinthia is the first to offer a neuroscientist residency

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Where would you like to be Now... Easter... Summer?

Chalets

Villas

Hotels

The Colour of Travel... www.jcjourneys.com 01886 812862

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FOOD & TRAVEL

Empire State of Mind So many hotels. So much choice. Work out where you want to be and how much you want to pay and... bingo.

Edited by Daisy Finer

NEW YORK NOMAD 1 INNSIDE 132 W27th St

NoMad – north of Madison Square Garden – didn’t even exist ten years ago. Bordering Chelsea and with the Broadway theatres, Times Square, Union Square and Greenwich Village all within a ten to 20-minute walk, it’s one of the neighbourhoods that have come to life as a result of the extraordinary number of new hotels that have opened in the city recently. The Spanish hotel brand Melia’s first property in the US, this is one of the new generation of lowerpriced hotels that has also transformed the lobby from somewhere with a reception desk and a few stiff chairs to a hangout space that draws laptop-toting locals as much as visitors. White on white with canary yellow accents, like the rest of the hotel, with squishy sofas, plenty of plug points, a tightly curated little shop, and a bar that spills out into a sidewalk terrace, it gives you a delicious first taste of NY. And once you’ve checked in – staff are all notably young, friendly, and concierge-style helpful – you’ll discover, if you’re staying on floors 16 to 20, that the rooms (313 in all) are not just flooded with natural light streaming through the floor to ceiling windows but have a knockout view of the New York skyline and Empire State Building.

In this city of restaurants it’s usual to leave the hotel to eat. Dinner at chef Scott Conant’s Impero Caffè, however, is far too good to miss. And not expensive. After the thick, delectable dip of olive oil, Parmesan and garlic presented with the bread basket, the creamy starter of polenta and smoked mushrooms is more than enough.

BOOK IT: Doubles from $301 including taxes, room only. melia.com

NOMAD NEWCOMER

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MARLTON 2 THE Greenwich Village

Former hangout of New York’s literary and artistic crowd, The Marlton is now described as a ‘baby grand hotel’ after a cash injection a few years back. It’s the ideal, homely retreat for those wanting to relax away from the hubbub of the Big Apple – whether that’s by an open fire, in a cosy booth of the restaurant or gazing down from the top of the never-ending spiral staircase at the heart of the building (there is a lift too, thankfully). Built in 1900, the hotel has the air of an intimate members’ club, where guests can be as sociable or as reserved as they choose. The staff, on the other hand, are unfailingly friendly, without being in your face. It would be hard to tire of the ambience – or the Mediterranean menu and brilliant cocktail list – but when you do feel like venturing out, you’ll find Greenwich Village within easy strolling distance. Rooms at The Marlton are classic and understated with herringbone wood floors, brass fixtures and marble bathrooms. Bathtubs are vast and the Côté Bastide products lush. It sure has smartened up since Warhol’s day.

BOOK IT: Doubles from $325. marltonhotel.com

GREENWICH BABY GRAND

REGENCY 3 LOEWS 540 Park Avenue at E 61st St

PARK AVENUE PRINCESS

Uptown, within walking distance of Bloomingdale’s, Central Park and MoMA, the Loews is an Upper East Side classic. First opened in the 1970s and still family-owned, it was completely redone – façade apart – two years ago.

And its big draw – given that it’s not as stylish as The Surrey or The Mark nor has the serious-oldmoney vibe of the The Carlyle or The Lowell – is that, compared to those hotels, its rates can be a bargain. Its glossy old-Manhattan solidity – with The Regency Bar & Grill, location of the famous Power Breakfasts that in the 1970s helped kick the city out of its financial doldrums – confers a sense of the kind of retro comfort that makes you want to book tickets for Radio City, eat at Sardi’s, and see an old Woody Allen. Finding you have to call housekeeping for a kettle if you want to make tea is a bit of a shock. That anomaly apart, everything is well thought out in the rooms, from operation of the shower, instantly comprehensible without your getting your arm wet (how novel), to the bedside lamps, each with two plug points in their base. And it’s worth knowing that besides a spa, Julien Farel hair salon and Sant Ambroeus coffee bar, the hotel has a Merc S550 that will take you anywhere within 20 blocks, free.

BOOK IT: Doubles from $343, room only. loewshotels.com

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SEASONS DOWNTOWN 4 FOUR 27 Barclay St

The tip of Lower Manhattan, once a hotel desert, has flourished in the post 9/11 regeneration, but with just a Conrad and Ritz-Carlton in Battery Park, there’s only one place of interest to the lover of five-star luxe. The new Four Seasons opened last September, with 189 rooms occupying 24 floors of an 82-storey new-build, just a block away from the haunting memorial to 9/11. It feels faster, cooler and younger than its E57th Street sister, with a red neon lit bar by Jacques Garcia and a Wolfgang Puck restaurant. The rooms look bland in comparison to the monumental lobby with its grey and oyster marble and rich wood walls, but have plenty of versatile surfaces, a bed of total perfection and a pale marble bathroom with a big freestanding bath. Finding only four teabags among the minibar mix strikes a discordant note. Mean.

That snappy breakfast host should shape up (‘You don’t need to give me your room number! Just tell me your name!’). But most staff are warm, chic and quick. And after a scout around nearby Century 21, the famous discount designer department store, with Burberry cashmere down from $1,281 to $749, a swim in the 75ft pool-with-a-view and then 25 minutes of outstanding reflexology from star therapist Mary White should return you smiling to the fray. Even if the latter does cost $145.

BOOK IT: Doubles from $576 including taxes, room only. fourseasons.com/newyorkdowntown

DOWNTOWN DIVA

Low-cost airline Norwegian operates a year-round daily flight to JFK using state of the art Boeing 787 Dreamliners. Fares start at £149 one-way in Economy and at £499 one-way in Premium, including all taxes. norwegian.com/uk 94 | COUNTRYANDTOWNHOUSE.CO.UK | February 2017

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New York, New York...

Winter is wonderful in the Big Apple, but what to do and what to wear?

Cru London Sarah Ho for William & Son

Armani Collezioni

Shrimps Rag & Bone Pringle of Scotland Attico

Tessa Packard

Annoushka

Loewe

Givenchy

NINE TILL FIVE

>> For soaking up the culture at The Frick Collection (frick.org), you can never go wrong in black, but keep it cool yet comfortable in Rag & Bone’s cropped velvet jeans (£180. net-a-porter.com) and Pringle of Scotland’s contrast trim jumper (£295. pringlescotland. com). >> Flats are essential (especially if you want to spend the day wandering the streets of Brooklyn Market and Williamsburg) but they don’t have to be boring with Givenchy’s studded monk strap shoes (£785. mytheresa.com). >> Keep your hands free with Cru London’s Gordon backpack (£200. wolfandbadger.com) and jewellery simple with Annoushka’s Hoopla diamond earrings (£840. annoushka.com). >> Add colour with this Armani Collezioni zipped coat (£2,525. farfetch.com), which you’ll definitely need if you take the ferry to Staten Island.

Laurence Dacade

DUSK TILL DAWN

>> For dinner at The Spotted Pig (though remember it doesn’t take reservations; thespottedpig.com), don a pair of Laurence Dacade’s Nelly sandals (£745. laurence-dacade.com), teamed with Attico’s Stevie printed silk-satin wrap mini dress (£1,050. net-aporter.com). >> Leave legs bare but accessorise with Loewe’s satin soft leather pouch (£675. matchesfashion.com), Tessa Packard’s Chinatown earrings (£3,500. tessapackard.com) and Sarah Ho for William & Son’s amethyst cocktail ring (£4,800. williamandson. com) – which you might want to take off when sinking your teeth into Pearl Oyster Bar’s famous lobster roll (pearloysterbar. com). >> Throw Shrimps’ Lassie coat (£450. shrimps.co.uk) over the top to take you from restaurant to drinks at The Odeon in Tribeca (theodeonrestaurant.com).

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Prague is a city of spires

THE WEEKENDER

Prague A city for all seasons, says Caiti Grove

STAY

Perfect for proposals and honeymoons, Prague is surprisingly lacking in true luxury. For super modern, the Mandarin Oriental is perfect. But this is a place for nostalgic escapism and oldfashioned romance, so it has to be Four Seasons Hotel Prague – get a baroque room for a careful ratio of charming historic decor and modern comforts. Marble bathrooms, deep pile carpets and swathes of dusky blue damask curtains make you feel like the country’s Princess Libuše. The hotel chain waited for this riverside location for 15 years and the long game has certainly paid off. Set among the cobbled streets and grand renaissance buildings of the Old Town, it is a short walk to all the main attractions but far

ABOVE & BELOW: For old-fashioned romance opt for the Four Seasons

enough away to feel quiet when the city is busy.

Czech art hangs everywhere – enormous oil originals in the spa and restaurant, prints in the bedrooms.

A fitness room – superfluous if you walk around the city – lies in the basement and above it a light-filled spa, the speciality of which is the La Bohème massage with oil from the country’s signature Linden tree.

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PHOTOS: THINKSTOCK

T

he city of spires, Prague is a gothic delight all year round. St Matthew’s Fair has celebrated the beginning of spring for 400 years and brings out lots of families for an enormous funfair.

Later, the Easter markets, from 28 March to 19 April, sell traditional toys and glassware.

Summer is a scorcher, as tourists create a more raucous holiday atmosphere, while autumn is sunny and mild and the winter markets and snow-dusted architecture give a different perspective to this magical city.

FOOD & TRAVEL

ESCAPE

Prague is famous for its Christmas markets

Mincovna

EAT

A few doors down from the Municipal House is Mincovna, a chic little snug of a restaurant with its own brewery. The rooms have low arched ceilings and it is panelled in one half with modern oak slats like an upturned boat. The chairs are all Danish mid-century in style and match perfectly with the industrial lighting.

A few streets down is the House of the Black Madonna (ngprague.cz), a cubist house built in 1912, when architects revolted against 19th-century classicism. Even if you skip their prized cubist collection of pottery and glass, have a coffee in their museum-standard Grand Café Orient complete with its original geometric mahogany bar (grandcafeorient.cz).

PHOTOS: THINKSTOCK

BUY

Between the Charles Bridge and the Old Town Square, Manufaktura (manufaktura.cz) sells beer shampoo, thermal spring salts and Dead Sea mineral products. Back in the Municipal House – seemingly an entire economy all by itself – is Art Shop Modernista, which specialises in replica glass, porcelain and jewellery covering different periods, from the Cubist movement right through to pieces by contemporary designers. Look out for amber too, especially in antiques that are more likely to be Czech than contemporary designs. Czech glass is also a national tradition.

For a modern perspective, Rony Plesl is unmatchable (ronyplesl. com). Huge mouth-blown vases and gorgeous wonky water glasses are his signature pieces.

He must be a national treasure as he had Prague Castle to himself in the autumn for a solo exhibition. Closer to home, he supplies the drinking glasses for Tate Modern’s restaurant.

WHATEVER YOU DO...

Municipal House

Don’t call the country the Czech Republic – as of November, its new name is Czechia. Attempt to book a viewing of Rony Plesl’s studio – he has a new baby, so don’t be offended if he says ‘ne’.

LIVE LIKE A LOCAL...

Watch jazz in a floating barge bar (jazzdock.cz).

See some conceptual art at the city’s old abattoir (meetfactory.cz). See traditional and modern art at Prague City Gallery (en.ghmp.cz). Interior design is not their strong point but everyone goes to the newly opened Beergeek to drink craft beer (beergeek.cz).

BOOK IT...

Four Seasons Hotel Prague Rooms from €290 + VAT (fourseasons.com/prague).

For more information on Prague, visit czechtourism.com

Glassware by Rony Plesl

DO

Walk the route of Bohemian kings as they went to their coronations – vintage convertible cars with sheepskin rugs are optional. Start at the Powder House, originally one of 13 15th-century gothic gates into the city, later used as a gunpowder store. Nearby is the Municipal House (Namesti Republiky 5; obecnidum.cz), a fantastically decadent building which houses the Prague Symphony Orchestra’s rehearsal rooms, a concert hall and an art nouveau café that seems to have lost its tables, probably during its Communist period, but still has its original vast windows and tiered chandeliers that hang from its huge baby blue and gold ceiling.

Down the road you will reach the Old Town Square (Staromĕstské Námĕsti), home of the oldest working astronomical clock. On the hour, Death beckons with an hourglass, Vanity holds a mirror and Miserliness shakes a stick with a moneybag in the other hand. Meanwhile, models of the 12 apostles parade around, ending with the crow of a golden cockerel. The astronomical dial shows the earth under a blue sky in between a sun and moon. Three circles also show the Old Czech time, Central European time and – amazingly – Iraqi/Babylonian time.

Nearby is the Charles Bridge, where huge statues of saints adorn both sides. It was originally built in the 14th and 15th centuries and saints were added 200 years later. The eighth on the right is St John Nepomuk, a priest who refused to reveal the Queen’s confession to her husband King Wenceslas IV and was subsequently thrown into the river and drowned. The brass plaque beneath him depicts his fate and is as shiny as a mirror – apparently if you rub it, you will return to Prague one day.

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NEWS

CHOCK-FULL OF BEANS Suffolk bakery Pump Street gained cult status for its traditional approach to baking and popularising bean-tobar chocolate. Now it has launched the first of its chocolate and coffee series, the first bar of which takes coffee beans from Raja Batak in North Sumatra, Indonesia, selected to complement Bachelor’s Hall cocoa from St Thomas in Jamaica. The coffee beans are treated on the farm using the honey process method, resulting in a distinctly sweet spiciness. £6.25. pumpstreet bakery.com

THIS MONTH BIG NUTS AND PRISON GRUB

THIS LITTLE PIGGIE…

Not a course for the faint hearted – on arrival you’re greeted by a pig’s head in the kitchen waiting to be cooked – but this Catalan Pig Day is not to be missed if you want to learn to make tip-top pigs’ trotters, Spanish blood pancakes and confit pig’s head. It’s run by the brilliant Culinary Anthropologist, Anna Colquhoun, in partnership with Catalan cuisine expert, Rachel McCormack. £120. 4–5 February; culinaryanthropologist.org

Gastro Gossip Move over Russia, the Brits are distilling some serious vodka 1 EAT

BRITISH VODKA

If gin was the story of 2016, British-distilled vodka is big news this year. The best on the market include Our/London, made in Hackney, which can be infused with earl grey and matcha using its speciality kits (£19. ourvodka.com).

Vintage Velvet, an East Anglian double-distilled sugar-beet vodka, is infused with locally sourced Chardonnay grape juice (£42. vintage-velvet.com). And perhaps best-known is Chase, a potato vodka made in Herefordshire, which has miraculously made flavoured spirits classy (£38. chasedistillery.co.uk).

Shell out on Pip & Nut’s new 1kg nut butters. Available in peanut, almond and coconut and almond, with no refined sugars, additives or palm oil. £17.99. pipandnut.com

2 READ The Clink, London’s first prison restaurant, brings you recipes from behind bars in a starstudded cookbook. £25.95. theclinkcharity.org

3 BUY VINEYARD VACATION With two French champagne houses (Tattinger and Pommery) snapping up prime vineyard spots in the UK, the trend for English sparkling wine shows no sign of abating.

Sussex produces some of the best with names such as Nyetimber, Ridgeview and Tinwood, which runs fabulously boozy vineyard tours – so boozy, in fact, that you might like to book into one of the brand new lodges that look across the vines and grant you access to an outdoor sauna made from a wine barrel. From £175 a night. tinwoodestate.com

Smeg launches its first standalone coffee machine. It’s a compact ’50s little number inspired by classic Italian designs. £279.95. smeguk.com

4 DRINK Overdone the English sparkling wine? How about Scottish berry fruit wine? Scotland’s oldest winery Cairn O’Mohr turns 30 this year. cairnomohr.com

TEA POST Sign up to Fortnum’s Tea Post for times when Tetley’s won’t cut it. You pay £45 for a three-month subscription, they send you two carefully chosen teas each month, selected with seasonality in mind. The specially sealed, eau de nil packages are letterbox friendly, so you don’t have to stay home for delivery. fortnumandmason.com 98 | COUNTRYANDTOWNHOUSE.CO.UK | February 2017

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RECIPE

Bangers & Beans

Q&A

Tom Parker Bowles revives a classic Fortnum’s dish

Baked Beans with Chorizo

INGREDIENTS SERVES TWO » 1 tbsp olive oil » 1 small shallot, finely diced » 120g chorizo cut into 5mm-thick slices » 1 x 415g tin of baked beans » 30g butter, diced » 1 tbsp chopped parsley » 20g grated Parmesan

Directions Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, add the shallot and fry gently until softened. Add the chorizo and fry until caramelised and slightly crisp. Heat the baked beans in a separate pan. Stir in the butter, a few pieces at a time, then add the shallot and the oily juices from cooking the chorizo. Finally add the parsley and Parmesan cheese.

Serve the beans in shallow bowls with the chorizo on top.

TOM PARKER BOWLES FOOD CRITIC The first time I visited Fortnum’s was in the early ’80s. My grandmother brought me up from the country to see its glittering Christmas shop window. There was the promise – should I behave – of a banana split at the legendary Fountain. So behave myself I did.

The history of innovation and dedication to food at Fortnum’s is incredible – from the shipments of beef tea being sent to Florence Nightingale to the fact there used to be a dedicated Expeditions Department.

Simple is best when cooking to impress – something like a shepherd’s pie made with shoulder of lamb and cooked to perfection is far more likely to leave your guests feeling dazzled.

My favourite restaurant in London changes every day. Around the corner from Fortnum’s, 45 Jermyn St is very good, but my most enduring favourites are The Wolseley and Scott’s. The quality is always utterly fantastic.

In the countryside, I love The Walnut Tree in Wales, The Seahorse in Dartmouth and Le Manoir in Oxfordshire – each is special for its own unique reasons, but what unites them is the standard of every aspect, from food to service and atmosphere.

The worst meal I have ever had was easily anything I had to eat at prep school. Rubbish.

I think it’s a pity that there aren’t more good, independent neighbourhood restaurants – I think having a really good and accessible place to eat at the heart of a community is a hugely positive thing on a number of levels. So often they end up being a focal point and actually knit communities together.

We should be eating more offal and cheaper cuts of meat – beyond the headline-grabbing, betterknown cuts lies a variety of equally delicious and hugely versatile cuts waiting to be discovered.

RECIPE EXTRACTED FROM FORTNUM & MASON’S THE COOK BOOK (4TH ESTATE), £30; PHOTOS BY DAVID LOFTUS

Fortnum’s use Heinz in this dish.

Don’t look so shocked. Fortnum & Mason were the first in Britain, back in 1886, to sell Mr Heinz’s famed baked beans. And, in 2007, there was a special tin commissioned, clad in Fortnum’s eau-de-nil, to commemorate the anniversary of the store. This really is a dish to knock up in moments.

A perfect lazy supper. Or weekend breakfast. With some shallots, butter, chorizo, parsley and Parmesan, this recipe takes the everyday and makes it great.

Serve with French bread. Diced streaky bacon makes a great alternative to the chorizo or, for vegetarians, you can substitute batons of fried courgette.

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RESTAURANT REVIEWS

FOOD & TRAVEL

BRITISH REVIVAL

Fork & Field

MORE GLAM THAN SPAM

British is the new French, says Anastasia Bernhardt

TOWN

Quo Vadis, W1

COUNTRY

Farmer Butcher Chef, West Sussex

Provenance, locality and sustainability. These days, it’s all we ever bang on about. And while at some establishments these words form little more than a hollow marketing ploy, at Goodwood’s new restaurant, it informs everything that they do. Veggies be warned, this is a carnivorous celebration, chef Darron Bunn works closely with the estate’s farmer and on-site butcher to shape his menu around what is available from the estate that week, so expect to find more unusual cuts like crispy ox tongue and pig jowl. While there is a beautifully put together à la carte menu, the butcher boards give you a real flavour of what they do best here, showcasing how to cook different parts of the animal, whether you pick the red Sussex beef, Southdown lamb or rare breed pork – all award-winning. Work off the inevitable meat sweats with a mint tea and a stroll around the restaurant to view the intriguing memorabilia gathered from the estate over the last few centuries. Dinner for two with wine, £100. goodwood.com

While the dining space might have almost halved in size (its sister restaurant Barrafina has moved here from its Frith Street site as developers sink their teeth into another chunk of Soho), the venerable Jeremy Lee still packs the same punch.

If it’s your first time, then it has to be the smoked eel sandwich with lashings of nostril-burning horseradish – just be prepared for the fact you won’t return to cheese toasties ever again. Most dishes take a few simple, seasonal ingredients and elevate them into something spectacular: citrus squid is perked up with coriander seeds, coquelet brought alive with eye-wateringly garlicky aïoli. The pie of the day is always a winner, and this is the only place where you can find pudding served with cream, ice cream and custard all in the same dish. But what is most satisfying of all is the people watching. Three-course set theatre menu, £22.50. quovadissoho.co.uk

THIS MONTH I’M EATING/DRINKING...

Tony Conigliaro

1 Bucatini all’Amatriciana at Palatino, Stevie Parle’s new Rome-inspired restaurant in Clerkenwell (stevieparle.co.uk). 2 All 12 new cocktails from mixology master Tony Conigliaro’s new bar, Untitled, on Kingsland Road, E8 (untitled-bar.com). 3 Surf ’n’ turf at Joe Allen in Covent Garden, which turns 40 this month (joeallen.co.uk). 4 The world’s best steak, at The World’s End Market SW10 (theworldsendmarket.com).

TEMPLE & SONS, EC2 Jason Atherton pays homage to grocers. You’ll find tongue-incheek takes on tinned goods and condiments (Colman’s mustard works surprisingly well in a rum cocktail).

The interior is safe but has avoided becoming a pastiche. Pick specials from the board – not one hung up on the wall but brought tableside laden with meat. templeandsons.co.uk

THOMAS CUBITT, SW1 Go for fine dining quality food in a local boozer atmosphere. Named after London’s master builder famed for creating most of Belgravia and Pimlico, the food is equally ambitious – bone marrow mash, roasted cod cheeks, goat with its curd – and executed with architectural precision.

If you’re not hungry, hole up in the bar downstairs for a proper pint or – if you’re feeling fancy – a British bellini. thethomascubitt.co.uk

THE MANOR, SW4 Think Clapham High Street, think culinary hotspot? Perhaps not but this restaurant has been packed since it opened last year. Like all good British bistros these days, the well-priced tasting menu (£45) is the best way to experience it; that way you don’t have to choose between the miso-cured mackerel or the smoked cod with cultured cream. Every neighbourhood deserves a restaurant like this. themanorclapham.co.uk

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TRAINING YOUR WINNERS “Having horses in training with George has been a great adventure.

Professional, friendly and terrific fun.�

www.georgebakerracing.com George Baker Racing, Barton Yard, Manton Estate, Marlborough SN8 4HB Tel: 01672 515493

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09/12/2016 16:57 15:48 12/12/2016

ON THE MOVE PROPERTY

EDITED BY GRAHAM NORWOOD

HOUSE OF THE MONTH Lonsdale Lodge Dulwich Village SE21 £5.5M Lonsdale Lodge is believed to be the oldest property in Dulwich Village and is one of around six Georgian houses remaining in the village. The owner bought the house in 1957, so this will be the first time it has been on the market for almost 60 years.

The property is a Grade II listed Georgian house with Victorian and later extensions with potential scope for further extension subject to any necessary consent.

Young and growing families would love living here for its proximity to sought-after Dulwich schools and good transport links to central London, while enjoying the ‘village’ atmosphere and amenities.

One of the most outstanding features of the main house is the large, central reception hall.

Get ready to roll up your sleeves. The accommodation is very spacious but in need of full refurbishment and restoration.

This would make an exceptionally exciting doer upper.

The property occupies a superb plot with carriage drive at the front and large garden with vehicular access at the rear from Court Lane.

Dulwich Village benefits from a selection of small independent and boutique shops.

While it is only five miles from Trafalgar Square, it has the peacefulness and serenity of a leafy Home Counties parish.

Today Dulwich is home to one of the last ‘villages’ in London. It is commonly described as picturesque, quaint, charming, historic and scenic.

The nearest stations are North Dulwich station (direct line to London Bridge in ten minutes and connections to London Overground) and Herne Hill, which will get you to Victoria in ten minutes. There is also a frequent bus service to Brixton and East Dulwich/Peckham Rye. You’d be in good company here, Lonsdale Lodge was once the summer residence of the Russian Ambassador.

Harvey & Wheeler, 020 8693 4321 harveywheeler.com

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ON THE MOVE

The Rise of the Bromosphere Men, apparently, need a place to call their own.

Welcome to the modern-day man cave

E

d Sheeran has one in a pod constructed at the bottom of his Suffolk garden. Brad Pitt’s is a cabin on Malibu island. Johnny Depp’s is in Paris and is apparently full of wine and guitars. Snoop Dogg’s is in California and features a cut-down Cadillac and a painting of himself.

What are we talking about? Man caves, of course. These are the refuges from the outside world which, thanks to their decor and fit-out, are seen as havens of masculinity in a home, whatever your view on gender equality.

The term is only a quarter of a century old – it first appeared in the influential book Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus by American author and relationship counsellor John Gray – but the recognition that males and females like different things has already become a major influence in the design, construction and, even, the marketing of homes worldwide.

‘Men like black and white because it’s safe and they surround themselves with gadgets and games because it’s a comfort blanket – it’s their area and they’re normally unchallenged in that space,’ explains London interior designer Kait St Aubyn. ‘Women may tolerate the same

Ed Sheeran

things but they tend to prefer a wider palette of colours and want more influence throughout the house. So a man cave is created to make the guys feel secure,’ she says.

Property professionals have taken this to heart since the millennium. Back in 2001 London estate agency Douglas & Gordon advertised a £2m warehouse conversion – then one of the capital’s most expensive properties – by placing a classic Triumph motorbike outside the building in the main photograph on the property details, describing the home as ‘the ultimate bachelor pad’. This was regarded as one of the first gender-specific advertisements for a home by an estate agency; over 95 per cent of enquiries were from men – and one went on to buy.

More recently a house builder offshoot of Taylor Wimpey made some of its new development show homes gender-specific. The ‘male’ example had an interior that was mostly black and white with the emphasis on sharp lines and no frills. The ‘female’ version had more soft furnishings, more ornaments and much more colour.

PHOTO: REX FEATURES

ABOVE: A Foosball table is a man cave essential

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PROPERTY

1

2

THE MAN CAVE MEDIA ROOM: Now even

developers have recognised that men need an escape – this may look like a cinema room to you but estate agent Savills says the latest two and threebedroom homes at the Ridge in Sunningdale, Berkshire have male-focused media rooms. From £1.95m to £2.5m; savills.com; struttandparker.com

3

This Farnham house has a man cave behind a secret door

Now it is commonplace for homes on sale to promote, rather than hide, their man caves.

Whereas at one time this would have been regarded as a minor embarrassment with no photograph appearing in the details and the term ‘box room’ used in the description, the idea of a boys’ toys haven is now a positive point in designing and living in the home.

Don’t take my word for it – ask property magnate David Giovanni. In Manchester he has built a six bedroom (and two gym) smart house.

So far, so blingtastic. But it’s the basement where Giovanni has created what is arguably the world’s finest man cave.

Inside a circular glass case, with spotlights and turntable, Giovanni keeps his McLaren 650S supercar, rotating 360 degrees to allow friends – men, no doubt – to see it to best advantage.

A nearby wine cellar contains 450 bottles of his favourite wines, adjacent to a fully-furnished bar.

Not enough? Then play at the custom-made pool table and TV room. The luxury must-haves – climate control, leather flooring, polished plaster – are there too.

Not everyone can create a man cave quite like that, but don’t be deterred: existing homeowners and developers are all now happy to sell you their idea on how the male of the species can escape the outside world. Here are five of the best on the market this month.

THE MAN CAVE HOUSE: Remember the fad for matte black Hummers? Go one better with a bold black exterior façade to your four-bed, three-bathroom home in Acton, west London.

Lay back, switch on, turn off in Sunningdale Then add in a testosteronefuelled interior including a bespoke concrete island, exposed industrial-chic brick and steel, plus what the selling agent describes as ‘masculine artwork’. The summerhouse is also in matte-cho black, naturally. £1.7995m; winkworth.co.uk 2

We suspect a man would choose this matte black property in Acton

3

The games we play

4

PHOTO: REX FEATURES

1

THE SECRET MAN CAVE: A house in Farnham, Surrey, usually strikes a tone of suburban commuter contentment with no secrets to hide. Not this five-bedroom example, where a previous owner built a bar and billiard room under the garden. You enter via a secret push-button door hidden behind shelving in the garage, which reveals a passageway. There’s a mural of him and his mates on the wall, too. £1.85m; struttandparker.com.

There’s a bona fide bar inside this Kent house

5

4

THE MAN CAVE GAMES ROOM: You

5

THE MAN CAVE BAR:

won’t find this emphasised on the property details – they’re full of info about the six bedrooms and three level family accommodation available in this exquisite late Victorian double fronted house at Blackhills in Surrey. But the unspoken star is the spanking new games room – at 450 sq/ ft it’s huge with everything required for a male night in (code: snooker table, dart board, plasma TV, bar). £2.1m; savills.com

Few gentlemen’s dens do not have a drinking facility somewhere. Lakesview, an under-refurbishment house on Farnborough Common in Kent, has made a virtue out of this by having a man cave bar in the form of a private space behind sliding doors located just off the dining room. The rest of the house is special, too – there are five bedrooms and bathrooms, 111 acres of grounds including stables, a private golf course and two lakes. £12m; struttandparker.com

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ON THE MOVE

Market Predictions

A

fter a 2016 strewn with economic and political surprises for the housing market, we all wish for a steady-as-she-goes 2017 – and it looks like we’ll get exactly that.

Savills predicts no price changes in London and only small increases of two per cent across the south of England balanced by small price dips in the north and Scotland.

‘The Brexit negotiations create uncertainty so we think fewer people will move in 2017 than last year, but confidence will return and prices will grow in 2018,’ explains Lucian Cook, head of residential research at Savills.

Another estate agency – JLL – says the market will be subdued for at least the next 12 months. In addition to a one-in-six drop in the number of house moves, it anticipates a dip in the number of new homes built, too.

But that cloud has a silver lining for homeowners and sellers. ‘The lack of new homes, coupled with continuing demand for homes, will help underpin house prices – especially when the market gets stronger in 2018,’ according to JLL research chief Neil Chegwidden.

Most other business consultancies and estate agencies give a similar forecast suggesting an unspectacular – but thankfully stable – market for the year ahead. It’s not all about house prices and transaction volumes, however.

Strutt & Parker has given Country & Town House five trends to look for in 2017, each of which offers an insight into how the market might fare.

1. Living alone: It’s becoming more common. One in eight people, in a survey conducted by the agency, were living alone and the significant majority anticipated staying that way for five years at least. Expect that to mean smaller new homes (should that be even smaller new homes?) and more people renting.

2. Long-term renting: It’s no longer just a temporary measure.

People are renting at an older age and for longer than before, and not always because they have to. A quarter of Strutt & Parker’s 18 to 29-year-old respondents said they were happy to live in a wellmanaged rental property on a long-term basis.

3. Technology: This will shape where we live and in what type of home. ‘Over 50 per cent of respondents intending to move listed broadband connectivity as important or very important, and nearly 40 per cent listed mobile coverage,’ explains Stephanie McMahon, Strutt & Parker’s head of research.

4. Changing family: Older first-time buyers and stubbornly high house prices mean more extended families live in the same house. One in eight in the Strutt & Parker survey expect to live in a property with at least two other generations of their family.

5. Baby boom sell-off: 24 per cent of those aged 40 to 59 cited the need to give financial help to their children as one reason for moving home. Strutt & Parker says that may be less than many anticipate given the publicity accorded to ‘The Bank of Mum and Dad’ – but it’s a key factor in the market, nonetheless.

PHOTO: THINKSTOCK

What does 2017 hold in store for property?

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PROPERTY

A Place in Country or Town Which will you choose?

COUNTRY

TOWN

THE SOUTH DOWNS

CHELTENHAM

PHOTOS: REX FEATURES; THINKSTOCK

WHY? Over 625 square miles of national park stretching from Winchester to Eastbourne and running through Hampshire, West and East Sussex, including chalk hills, forests and a 100-mile national trail. If you want quiet you can find it – only 110,000 people live here.

WHERE? Remarkably few major settlements compared to the rest of south east England. Petersfield is a pretty town with markets on Wednesdays and Saturdays, while history is to the fore at Arundel – visit the castle or stroll along the picturesque River Arun.

WHEN? There’s a Dark Skies festival each February (the area has one of the UK’s few designated low artificial light areas) and almost weekly cycling and walking events from spring till autumn.

HOW MUCH? WHO? Dame The area is popular but planning Maggie Smith is super strict so few new homes are built. The result? House calls this area prices are premium. Small home. So long cottages cost £400,000 so for as you don’t stray something special, like Forge House near Pulborough, you outside the park should dig deep. But it’s worth it: to visit Winchester for £1.25m you get six bedrooms Dame or Hove, you’re with gorgeous original features Maggie (struttandparker.com). celebrity-free.

Smith

Dark Skies

WHY? It’s class, pure and simple. Whether it’s architecture (Regency, of course), festival fun (not just National Hunt but a dozen others, from jazz to food), or sought-after education (Cheltenham College, the Ladies’ College, Dean Close, St Edward’s and the excellent Richard Pate state school), this town comes top of the class.

WHERE? The most prestigious address is Lansdown Crescent, while other Regency townhouses can be found at the Park, the Sir Nicholas Parsons Suffolks and Battledown. Try to live within walking distance of Montpellier Terrace – it’s the place for shopping, eating and flat whites.

WHEN? The Gold Cup is on 17 HOW MUCH? March but if racing isn’t your The average bag, try the science festival in home costs £330,000, June (six days, 2,000 boffins, according to including Brian Cox), music Zoopla, but if it’s a Regency in July (Bryn Terfel and The townhouse you’re after, expect to pay three to five times as much Hallé Orchestra top the bill) – and you may not get parking. or the Cheltenham Literary This fabulous double-fronted Festival (one of Europe’s best) grade II example, in the centre of the town, dates back to 1840, has in October. Winter isn’t quiet five bedrooms and costs £1.2m either – the Christmas market (hamptons-international.com). is among England’s biggest.

WHO? Veteran comedy doyen Sir Nicholas Parsons lives in the town – he loves its four theatres – while old girls of the Ladies’ College include Kristin Scott Thomas and Home Secretary Amber Rudd. Oh, and Eddie The Eagle lives nearby.

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BAGGINS IT WHILE YOU CAN

LIVING ON A PRAYER Palace House once formed the principal part of the former Palace of the Bishops of London – it was essentially their country house for most of the second millennium until it became privately owned in the 19th century.

It is also the birth place of Edmund of Hadham, father of Henry VII – you can find out more about its rich history in the county archives. Today it’s a spacious, nine-bed family home with stunning gardens.

Palace House, Much Hadam, Hertfordshire, £2.5m, Savills, 020 7016 3780

JRR Tolkien’s former home has come onto the market. You can see why the handsome Georgian home took his fancy, with five bedrooms and just shy of two acres. Since his death in 1973 it has been given a full makeover.

The plot includes a separate one-bed coach house, with its own kitchen and bathroom. It would make a great holiday let... or writer’s retreat. Lydbrook Farmhouse, West Hanney, Wantage, £2m, Knight Frank, 01865 988515

Country Our pick of the best country houses on the market this month

LOW-MAINTENANCE WEEKENDER Fancy a second home in the country but don’t want to take on the maintenance of a period home? Then Manor House could be the one for you. Situated on Manor Farm but just three miles from Shrewsbury, this area is quasi rural, so not too far out in the sticks for townies.

There’s plenty of room for guests to stay for the weekend too, with four bedrooms, two ensuite. Manor House, Uffington, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, £525,000, Balfours, 01743 353511

MIND YOUR MANOR

Though this medieval manor first appeared on records in 1282, most additions were made in the 16th and 17th centuries. Experts who have left their mark on this property include the renowned British architect Detmar Blow and Gertrude Jekyll – once described as the ‘premier influence of garden design’ – created the formal gardens. Recently renovated, it provides the perfect blend of modern and period living. Pool, stabling and home office included. Osbrooks Manor House, Capel, Surrey, £2.75m, Sotheby’s Realty, 01932 860537

DOLLED UP

One of the most impressive examples of Georgian architecture, the original features have been carefully preserved in this Grade II* listed townhouse. Worth noting are the spectacular circular skylights in the reading and breakfast rooms but there’s so much more to The Dolls House than its pretty face – push the fireplace in the card room to access a hidden cellar, perfect for stashing bootleg booze.

The Dolls House, Salisbury, Wiltshire, £1.55m, Myddelton & Major, 01722 337575

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ON THE MOVE

HOT PROPERTY

PRIME LOCATION

This rare ‘island’ site has views of the Royal Courts of Justice and Lincoln’s Inn Fields. The interiors are as grand as the location, with architecture designed by PLP Architecture, landscaping by Gustafson Porter, and interior design by Patricia Urquiola, and Bowler James Brindley. Included with one of these private residences is a cinema, 25m pool and spa.

Lincoln Square WC2, from £950,000, Knight Frank, 020 3432 6554; CBRE, 020 7420 3050

COUNTRY LIVING IN LONDON While this double-fronted cottage looks traditional enough for the countryside, inside it has had a thoroughly modern makeover.

It has four bedrooms and two gardens, and although it’s situated in the heart of Barnsbury, its quiet cul-de-sac location will make you instantly forget that you are in the big smoke as soon as you turn onto the street. Malvern Terrace N1, £3.5m, Hamptons International, 020 3151 7637

Town Our pick of the best town houses on the market this month

LIBRARY RETREAT

This large Victorian townhouse is just moments from Gloucester Road and Earl’s Court. It was made for entertaining, with spacious reception rooms, although, having said that, you might want to banish guests for a while so you can retreat to the beautiful library. It has not one but two roof terraces, while the lower-ground floor has a separate staff flat and vaults for storing wine. Bramham Gardens SW5, £9.5m, Savills, 020 7578 9000

HOME OFFICE

ROOM WITH A VIEW Developer London Square has released a new penthouse in its grand restoration on Richmond Hill. The view from this building is so special that it is the only vista in England to be protected by an Act of Parliament. The 2,443 sq/ft duplex penthouse has interiors designed by Honky Interior Design, combining Art Deco elegance with classicism, in keeping with the style of the building.

Penthouse at The Star and Garter, Richmond Hill, £3.95m, 033 3666 0102; thestarandgarterlondon.com

This contemporary mews is quite unlike anything you will find in Notting Hill. Cleverly combining residential and office space to reflect increasingly flexible working lifestyles, it is arranged over four floors, with 5,200 sq/ ft of lateral accommodation. Rooms are big and open plan with intriguing architectural features, including a glass floor, concrete stairs and space-age sculpted spiral staircase leading to the office. Also included is a private terrace and garage. Powis Mews W11, £10.5m, Strutt & Parker, 020 3411 3913

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savills.co.uk

1 THE FIRST FRACTIONAL OWNERSHIP DEVELOPMENT IN THIS DESIRABLE LOCATION polzeath, north cornwall New build development ø incredible coastal setting ø fractional ownership scheme ø metres from the beach ø 9 fully serviced furnished apartments ø bar and room service available ø storage for surfboards on-site

John Bray and Partners

Savills Cornwall

Jo Ashby sales@johnbray.co.uk

Jonathan Cunliffe jcunliffe@savills.com

01208 863206

01872 243 200

Price from £115,000 Leasehold, 999 years

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savills.co.uk

1 AN EXCEPTIONAL GEORGIAN VILLA WITH VIEWS OVER CLAPHAM COMMON clapham common west side, sw4 Drawing room ø billiard room ø dining room ø kitchen/breakfast room/reception room ø 8 double bedrooms (4 en suite) ø wine cellar ø self contained 1 bedroom flat ø indoor swimming pool ø south west facing garden ø off street parking ø 861 sq m (9,272 sq ft) ø EPC=D

Savills Clapham Robin Chatwin rchatwin@savills.com

020 8877 1222

Guide £12 million Freehold

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Kit

Courchevel 1850, France To let, price on application

comp

Verbier, Switzerland Price on application

Mé

Kirchberg, Austria Guide €3.25 million

ESCAPE TO THE ALPS No one knows the Alpine market like we do. We have years of experience in the area, and are ever growing our presence with new offices opening in Méribel and Zell am See. Our new, in-depth market research report gives insight into trends, demand and prices across the Austrian, French and Swiss Alps.

Please call us on 020 7016 3740 to request your copy and be that much closer to a retreat in the snow.

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savills.co.uk

Verbier, Verbier, Switzerland Switzerland Asking Asking CHf5 CHf5 million million

Kitzbühel, Austria Guide €7.6 million

Méribel, France Guide €4.5 million

computer generated image

Méribel, France From €488,800

Courchevel 1850, 1850, France France Price Price on on application application Courchevel

Alice Storrie Savills International

Hugo Thistlethwayte Savills International

astorrie@savills.com

hthistlethwayte@savills.com

020 7016 3866

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020 7016 3740

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savills.co.uk

1 EXCLUSIVE DEVELOPMENT APPROX 1 MILE FROM WOODHALL SPA GOLF CLUB woodhall spa, lincolnshire 8 new build homes within a gated community ø 4 and 5 bedrooms ø kitchens by Sheraton or Rot Punkt ø bathrooms by Burlington or Duravit ø 10 year LABC quarantee ø double and triple garages ø first stage interior design service available ø Grantham Station 33.2 miles (London Kings Cross from 70 minutes) ø PEA = B

Savills Lincoln Rupert Fisher rfisher@savills.com

01522 508908

Price from £625,000

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savills.co.uk

1 A BRIGHT AND MODERN APARTMENT WITH GARDEN VIEWS hans place, sw1x 2 reception rooms ø kitchen ø 2/3 bedrooms ø 2 bathrooms ø guest cloakroom ø lift ø access to communal gardens ø 112 sq m (1,204 sq ft) ø EPC=D

Maskells

Savills Sloane Street

Jamie Hope jamie@maskells.co.uk

Lucie Hirst lhirst@savills.com

020 7581 2216

020 7730 0822

Guide £2.495 million Share of Freehold, 997 years remaining

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alace Court, otting Hill W2 Unmodernised lateral apartment with porterage An unusually spacious four double bedroom apartment, situated on the third floor of this ever popular portered block. Master bedroom with en suite shower room, 3 further bedrooms all en suite, 2 reception rooms, kitchen, guest cloakroom, balconies, porter. . pproximately sq m , sq ft .

Share of freehold

Guide price: £ ,

,

KnightFrank.co.uk/nottinghill nottinghill@knightfrank.com 020 8166 5451

@KnightFrank KnightFrank.co.uk

night rank.co.uk

Knight 1 65 P Frank.indd al ace Court

- C& TH oct ob er 2016

20/12/2016 16:08 14/12/2016 14:14:19

Queen Anne's Gate, Westminster SW1 An exquisitely restored and refurbished town house with park views This five bedroom house has been immaculately refurbished, capturing the essence of the historic building s architecture hilst combining the latest in contemporary luxury and modern technology. bedrooms, bathrooms, reception rooms, kitchen, cigar room, ine room, staff room, terrace, garden, rade I listed. pproximately . sq m , sq ft .

reehold

Asking price: £21,000,000

KnightFrank.co.uk/belgravia belgravia@knightfrank.com 020 3641 5908 www.hathaways.co.uk property@hathaways.co.uk 020 7222 3133

@KnightFrank KnightFrank.co.uk

night rank.co.uk

Knight 2 28 Q Frank.indd ueen A nne' s

G ate - Country and Townhouse - F eb 17

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Kings Road, Fulham SW6 Immaculately presented penthouse apartment A luxurious penthouse apartment located on the third floor of a new boutique development, designed by award-winning Claridge Architects, which has been finished to the highest standard of specification and design.

2 bedrooms (both en suite), open plan reception room/dining room/kitchen, guest cloakroom, roof terrace, lift access. EPC: B. Approximately 121 sq m (1,311 sq ft).

easehold approximately years and months remaining

Guide price: £1,650,000

KnightFrank.co.uk/Fulham fulham@knightfrank.com 020 3544 0635

@KnightFrank KnightFrank.co.uk

KnightFrank.co.uk/FLH160221

Knight 3 C& THFrank.indd F eb ruary

2017

20/12/2016 16/12/2016 15 :3 0:2516:08

Craven Hill Gardens, Bayswater W2 Beautiful town house in the exclusive Hempel Collection development This stylish, interior designed three bedroom home is arranged over three floors and benefits from its o n private roof terrace and private forecourt parking. The property forms part of the empel ollection, a prime address ith a beautifully restored classical fa ade and high-quality interior specification. aster bedroom suite ith dressing room and en suite sho er room , further en suite bedrooms, kitchen reception room, private patios, private roof terrace, access to communal garden square. . pproximately sq m , sq ft .

easehold approximately years remaining

KnightFrank.co.uk/hydepark hydepark@knightfrank.com 020 3641 1708

@KnightFrank KnightFrank.co.uk

Guide price: £3,675,000 night rank.co.uk

Knight Frank.indd Country and 4Townhouse

January 2017

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Winnington Road, Hampstead Garden Suburb N2 Imposing double-fronted detached house for sale Offered for sale is this outstanding double fronted detached home located on this highly desirable road. The accommodation provides seven bedroom suites, six spacious reception rooms and eight bathrooms. In addition the house offers full leisure facilities including a pool and gym, separate staff quarters, a lift, secure underground parking for at least six cars and an exceptionally large family garden to the rear of the house.

EPC: C.

Freehold

KnightFrank.co.uk/hampstead Hampstead@knightfrank.com 020 3641 9969

@KnightFrank KnightFrank.co.uk

Guide price: £18,950,000 KnightFrank.co.uk/HAM140011

Knight Frank.indd Country and 5Townhouse

Jan-17

20/12/2016 16:08 16/12/2016 14:01:49

CROWN VILLAS C R OWN

LANE,

V I R G I N I A WAT E R ,

SURR EY

Four elegant, Regency style homes Guide price from £1,275,000.

O F F I C I A L L A U N C H S AT U R D AY

4 T H

F E B R U A RY

2 0 1 7

TA I L O R E D G E S T U R E S & O U T S TA N D I N G D E S I G N We believe that what makes us so special is our passion for excellence and our attention to detail.

Unquestionably Alfred Homes

To find out more, or to register your interest in attending our launch event, please contact:

S TRUTT & PARKER 01344 623411 S UNNINGDALE @ STRUTTANDPARKER. COM

Alfred Homes.indd 1

A L F RED H O M ES : 01628 534900 I N FO @A LF RED H O M ES .CO .U K WWW.A LF RED H O M ES .CO .U K

20/12/2016 17:17

Holland Park Mews, Holland Park W11

A striking and unique two bedroom mews house, occupying approximately 1,285 sq ft, over two floor only, with the advantage of a garage.

1,285 sq ft (119 sq m) Open plan kitchen/reception room | Two double bedrooms | Two en suite bathrooms | Cloakroom | Balcony | Garage

Queens Gate, South Kensington SW7

This bright and large two beds, two baths apartment with direct lift access boasts wooden floor throughout and a much sought after decked roof terrace.

818 sq ft (76 sq m) Two bedrooms | Two bathrooms | Terrace | Direct lift access

£1,200per week* Unfurnished

Kensington 020 7938 3866 kensington.lettings@struttandparker.com

£775 per week* Unfurnished

South Kensington 020 7581 7000 southken@struttandparker.com

* The following Tenant Charges may apply prior to tenancy commencement: Tenancy Agreement £222 (inc VAT) Credit References per application £54 (inc VAT).

All advertised prices are excluded of utility and other associated services.

60 Offices across England and Scotland, including prime Central London.

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Cornwall Gardens, South Kensington SW7

A truly exceptional three bedroom maisonette which has been the subject of substantial refurbishment and offers an impressive 2,410 sq ft.

£2,200 per week* Unfurnished

2,410 sq ft (224 sq m) Reception room | Kitchen | Three bedrooms | Three bathrooms | TV room | Communal gardens

Eaton Place, Belgravia SW1

A beautifully presented furnished duplex penthouse with direct lift access and private roof terrace.

South Kensington 020 7581 7000 southken@struttandparker.com

£3,750 per week* Furnished

2,282 sq ft (211 sq m) Entrance hall | Reception room | Dining room | Kitchen | Master bedroom suite | Second bedroom with en suite bathroom | Third bedroom | Shower room | Roof terrace | Lift | EPC rating E

Knightsbridge 020 3813 9405 knightsbridge@struttandparker.com

* The following Tenant Charges may apply prior to tenancy commencement: Tenancy Agreement £222 (inc VAT) Credit References per application £54 (inc VAT).

All advertised prices are excluded of utility and other associated services.

/struttandparker

SP-FEB-V1.indd 4

@struttandparker

struttandparker.com

16/12/2016 17:39

Chester Square, Belgravia SW1

Price upon Application Freehold

One of the most impressive newly refurbished houses in Belgravia with a lift and double garage Entrance hall | Drawing room | Dining room | Study | Kitchen/breakfast room | Family room | Master bedroom suite Second master bedroom suite | Five further bedrooms | Five further bathrooms | Bedroom 8/treatment room Cinema room | Gym | Utility room | Wine cellar | Roof terrace | Double garage 7,761 sq ft (721 sq m) Knightsbridge knightsbridge@struttandparker.com | 020 3813 9325

/struttandparker

@struttandparker

struttandparker.com

60 Offices across England and Scotland, including prime Central London.

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With your dedicated Strutt & Parker estate agent, communication won’t be a game of pass the parcel.

Not repeating yourself to Tom, Dick or Harry is just one advantage of having your own dedicated agent. That means when you buy or sell your home with us, the person you see at the first meeting will see you all the way through to completion. So if you’d like a more personal and professional service, we’d love to chat.

struttandparker.com

60 Strutt & Parker offices nationwide | 1,200 Christie’s offices worldwide

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Seaton Devon

Guide Price ÂŁ1,250,000

A stunning and substantial period residence with a separate cottage and magnificent sea and coastal views. Situated on the World Heritage Jurassic Coast within a short walk of the beach at Seaton Hole.

Honiton 01404 42 456 honiton@humberts.com

London Country House Department 020 7594 4746 countrydepartment@humberts.com

23 Humberts.indd 1

offices across the country

Country House Department

68

London and International offices as part of the Chestertons Group

7

Available 7 days a week

15/12/2016 09:46

Part of the Chestertons Group

Malmesbury Wiltshire Guide Price ÂŁ1,350,000

An impressive five bedroom detached home built in 1994 with just under 4,000 square feet of living space, set in a secluded position with stunning views across its own land of around 21 acres.

Cirencester 01285 650 955 cirencester@humberts.com

London Country House Department 020 7594 4746 countrydepartment@humberts.com

Humberts.indd 2

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Essex Villas W8 £11,500,000 A magnificent detached period propert with a private garden, five double bedrooms and high ceilings throughout, situated in the desirable hillimore state next to olland ar . Freehold.

• Five bedrooms • Approx.

, 00 sqft

•

ext to olland ar

•

rime location

Kensington Sales: 020 7368 4450 sales.kns@marshandparsons.co.uk

Marsh & Parsons.indd 1

15/12/2016 17:14

Alexander AlexanderSquare SquareSW3 SW3£7,850,000 £7,850,000 Located Located offoff Brompton Brompton Road Road and and situated situated behind behind aa beautiful beautiful private private garden, garden, this this exceptional exceptional five-bedroom five-bedroom Grade Grade II II listed listed period period townhouse townhouse offers offers spacious spacious living living inin aa prime prime London London location. location.

Freehold.

Freehold.

Beautiful five-bedroom five-bedroom house house Approx 3,300 3,300 sqft sqft Access toto mature mature gardens gardens Grade II II listed listed • •Beautiful • •Approx • •Access • •Grade

Chelsea ChelseaSales: Sales:020 0208033 80339045 9045sales.chs@marshandparsons.co.uk sales.chs@marshandparsons.co.uk

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ROSE SQUARE, SW3

HENNIKER MEWS, SW3

A beautiful and unique tower apartment which is situated in one of the most prestigious developments in South Kensington. The flat consists of two / three bedrooms, large reception room for entertaining, three bathrooms, fully fitted eat in kitchen, 24 hour porter service, underground parking and a roof terrace.

This fabulous two bedroom house in a quiet private gated mews close to Fulham Road has been refurbished and decorated throughout. The house has been beautifully furnished in an elegant classic style with a spacious kitchen/ dining room and sunny top floor reception room leading onto a small terrace. Available for short let at £2,800 per week.

£2,500 per week

£1,275 per week

furnished/unfurnished

furnished

WALTON STREET, SW3

HANS ROAD, SW1X

A very spacious flat on the second floor in a well looked after building, close to the shops and restaurants of Chelsea and the Brompton Cross. The property consists of a large master bedroom with en-suite, second double bedroom, shower room, exceptionally bright reception with wood floors, eat – in kitchen and also benefits from great storage.

A bright and contemporary first floor apartment that has been refurbished to the highest standard situated in the heart of Knightsbridge and all the amenities which go with the area. There is a fabulous double reception with great views over Knightsbridge, the kitchen/breakfast room is fully equipped and extremely light. There are three double bedrooms plus a single/nursery/study and also a decked terrace which is accessed off the master bedroom. The three marble bathrooms are beautifully finished with high quality fittings, two are ensuite.

£1,850 per week

£2,250 per week

furnished

unfurnished

117 Sydney Street London SW3 6NR Lettings: 0207 351 7822 or info@hlrlets.com

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DULWICH VILLAGE SE21

ÂŁ5,500,000

An exceptional Grade II listed Georgian house in the very heart of Dulwich Village. The property occupies a superb plot with carriage drive at the front and vehicular access at the rear from Court Lane. The owner bought the house in 1957 so this will be the first time it has been on the market for almost sixty years. The property with a GIA of 4,517 sq ft including the cellar and both

Harvey & Wheeler.indd 1

Sole Agents

garages is exceptionally spacious and in need of full refurbishment and restoration. Arranged as seven bedrooms with two bathrooms and three separate WCs, the house benefits from Victorian and later extensions and there may be scope for further extension subject to any necessary consent. More information on request. EPC Rating ( F ) C ontact: gareth@harveywheeler.com

15/12/2016 15:33

FOR SALE Holmewood Hall Holme Cambridgeshire PE7 3BZ

Grade II listed Country House and extensive outbuildings set within 10.4 acres (4.21 hectares) of picturesque grounds Suitable for residential use or a variety of alternative uses subject to planning For sale freehold with vacant possession Closing date for offers 12pm Friday 3rd February 2017 www.holmewoodhall.com

Angus Irvine 07767 463884 | angus.irvine@rapleys.com Andrew Priestley 07392 088128 | andrew.priestley@rapleys.com

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rapleys.com 0370 777 6292 16/12/2016 17:14

COOPER & TANNER

Shepton Mallet, Somerset

Guide Price £1,250,000

A magnificent farmstead comprising an impressive Grade II Listed farmhouse, a very fine Tithe Barn with connections to Glastonbury Abbey, a substantial traditional barn, other period and modern farm buildings, gardens and paddocks; in all just under 5 acres.

Five Bedrooms. Farmhouse Kitchen with Aga. Three Reception Rooms.

Four Bedroom Unoccupied Wing in need of total renovation. Outstanding Views.

Traditional Courtyard Buildings. Grade I Listed 15th Century Tithe Barn. Development Potential.

Paddocks. Stables. Additional Land.

01373 455060 High Speed Broadband. martin.hemmett@cooperandtanner.co.uk Bruton and Castle Cary Station – 7 Miles. Frome – 10 miles.

www.cooperandtanner.co.uk Cooper & Tanner.indd 1

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SO LD

Fryerning North End •Essex Dunmow Guide Price Guide Price£3,850,000 £1,495,000 – Four bedrooms A stunning striking five fourbarn reception Grade II A anddouble unique bedroom, Grade II listed conversion, listed period thoughtand to date back 500 years. dating back toproperty the 16th century converted This charming20 residence isFour originally thought to be 3 approximately years ago. double bedrooms, now providing a fantastic flowplot of interesting ficottages, ve reception rooms, set within a beautiful of circa and acres extensive living space overwith twoart floors.

The four (stls).family Detached triple garage studio/ 7.5 acre plotthree comprises grounds mixed gymnasium, stables,formal hay store (potential annex sympatheticallystpp) with paddocks (benefitting from a accommodation half size ménage and paddocks, second separate and a substantial lake. plus striking formalaccess), gardens.ponds EPC N/A Numerous outbuildings, tennis court, double garage

and detached one bedroom Country & Village Officeannexe.

01245Equestrian 397475 potential. EPC Exempt

Be part of our success in 2017 Country & Village Office 01245 397475

LD SO

Fryerning Green Essex• Chelmsford Cooksmill Guide Price Guide Price£3,850,000 £1,150,000 – Five bedrooms A charming striking five bedroom, four reception II A fivedouble bedroom period residence set onGrade an idyllic listed periodplot property thought date back 500 years. and tranquil of 1.6 acres (stls)to with farmland views.

This charming residence originally to be 3 Dating back to the Victorianisperiod withthought more recent cottages,offering now providing a fantastic flow ofrooms, interesting additions three good size reception kitchen/ and extensive livinga space over two floors.

The breakfast room.family Externally tennis court in great condition, 7.5excellent acre plotdetached comprises formal grounds mixedoffering an coach house and stabling sympathetically with paddocks (benefitting from storage a fantastic annexe potential (stpp) and further garden second separate access), ponds andEPC a substantial lake. facilitate the charming formal gardens.

D. Numerous outbuildings, tennis court, double garage

and detached one bedroom Country & Village Officeannexe.

01245Equestrian 397475 potential. EPC Exempt

Be part of our success 2017397475 Country & Village Office in 01245

Sales • Lettings • Mortgages Beresfords.indd 1

16/12/2016 15:32

A luxury gated 52-home community situated between Royal Westmoreland & Sugar Hill boasting luxurious facilities only available to guests and residents.

The 3 and 4 bedroom residences benefit from panoramic sea views from each home thanks to the development being placed on a slopping 8 acre site. The central recreational facility will offer a fully equipped gym, pool and café within easy walking distance from all villas. In addition there will be a children’s play area within the adjacent landscaped open space.

Prices from £468.000

01245 397499 Land & New Homes Division

www.beresfords.co.uk

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hamptons.co.uk

Montgenevre, Serre Chevalier

£167,000 A one bedroom leaseback apartment with guaranteed return.

Ski-in, ski-out Fully furnished • Mountain views • Residence with pool sauna and jacuzzi •

Val d’Isère, France

£15,260,000 Located at the top of a private road and enjoying views of the Isère valley, Chalet Le Rocher is truly an exceptional, ski-in ski-out, seven bedroom chalet.

7 bedrooms, 7 bathrooms Indoor swimming pool and outdoor hot tub • Fitness centre and private lift

•

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Combloux, Les Fermes du Mont Blanc

From £127,000 to £1,429,000 Designed to offer the ultimate ski home in a great location in the Evasion-Mont Blanc domain. Studio to five bedroom apartments and chalets available.

4km to Megève, 30km to Chamonix Chairlifts close by • Full wellness facilities: spa, pool, sauna

Gryon, Vaud, Switzerland

£6,700,000 This property offers modern and traditional features and comes with a swimming pool and wellness area.

6 bedrooms, 8 bathrooms Ski-in, ski-out • 5 minutes drive to the centre of Villars-sur-Ollon

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020 3620 1004 | international@hamptons-int.com

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20/12/2016 12:02 11:14 20/12/2016

Over 100,000 properties abroad.

Start your search here. hamptons-international.com 0203 620 2238 | Request a copy of our latest Ski Magazine at hamptons-international.com/magazine |

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@hamptonsint

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