Sevenoaks Life Magazine June 2012

SEVENOAKS LIFE

SEVENOAKS LIFE WESTERHAM, OXTED, BECKENHAM, CHISLEHURST, TUNBRIDGE WELLS AND THE EXCLUSIVE SURROUNDING AREAS w w w . t h e l i f e m a g a z i n e s . c o m

T H E

Q U A L I T Y

L I F E S T Y L E

M A G A Z I N E

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FABULOUS FARNINGHAM BROMLEY60 YEARS OF CHANGE BEAUTIFUL ROCHESTER WWW.THELIFEMAGAZINES.COM THE QUALITY LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE ISSUE 40 JUNE 2012

WHERE THERE’S A WILL…

WHAT THE DICKENS?

KENT EVENTS

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HISTORY

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FASHION

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HOMES & GARDENS

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HEALTH & BEAUTY

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FOOD & DRINK • TRAVEL

Antique & Modern Jewellery Thursday 21st June

A lady’s 18ct gold diamond and cultured pearl Cartier wrist watch.

Estimate £4,000 - £6,000

Coins & Medals Monday 9th July

A group of four Great War medals to include a Military Medal with bar and presentation watches.

Estimate £1,200 - £1,800

Auction of Silver & Plated Ware Monday 18th June at 10am A selection of items from the upcoming Silver & Plated Ware auction.

Estimates £100 - £800

Vintage and Modern Wrist Watches Monday 23rd July

A gentleman’s 18k gold automatic Breguet Classique wrist watch.

Estimate £1,800 - £2,200

Visit www.fellows.co.uk/life for a complimentary catalogue Fellows Auctioneers | 19 Augusta Street | Birmingham B18 6JA | 0121 212 2131

Faye Manning Editor

welcoMe

Welcome to the June issue.

Just when you have put away your Winter/Spring clothes and replaced them with your best Summer wardrobe and swimsuit PublishedPUBLISHED by the FishBY Media THE group Ltd. FISH MEDIA Square, GROUP Hatfield, LTD 2nd Floor, titan Court, 3 Bishop Herts, AL10 9NA to enjoy the lovely hot summer days, the weather changes back to cool and damp - and its definitely not right for a barbecue.

In other words, how very typical of the British weather and email: rory@fishmediagroup.co.uk how typical of the weather we get almost every year at this The Ridings, time, but for some strange reason we never seem to be ready Woodfield Lane, EDITOR BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT SALES for the ups and downs of our daily change in climate.

Essendon, Herts, Faye Manning MANAGER Jason Trotman So this month we have a mixture of features AL9 6JJ EDITOR ASSISTANT Vanessa Lane Barry John and articles for both hot and cool summer days.

0844 800 8439

Katie Miller SUB EDITOR Alex Lux FASHION EDITOR Hazel Englander

DESIGN & PRODUCTION

Tel : 0844 Toni Perry 800 8439 Fax : 01707 655 718.

ACCOUNTS/ADMIN Kathy Manning

James Marshall DIRECTORS Rory Smith Patrick Smith Peter Smith

Ken Fleet www.thelifemagazines.com Email: peter@fishmediagroup.co.uk

If its cool weather then it could be off to the cinema for you and the family, that’s why our June Front cover and main story features the fabulous, talented Will Smith because Men in Black 3 has just been released. Will reveals why he wanted to take a chance and revisit the MIB franchise and why he loves his role in the film - it’s a great article.

© all Rights Reserved.

St albans Life, Harpenden Life, Radlett Life is copyright and January not be reproduced in any form either in part or whole without written permission from the publishers. Whilst the Fish Media group Ltd takes every reasonable precaution, no responsibility can be accepted for any property, services or products offered in these publications and any loss arising therefrom. Whilst every care Editor is taken with all materials submitted to the St albans Life, Harpenden Life & Radlett Life the publisher cannot accept responsibility Faye for the loss or damage to such material.Fish Media groupManning Ltd reserves the right to reject or accept any advertisement, article or material prior to publication.opinions expressed are strictly those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views or policies of Fish Media group Ltd.We accept Assistant no liability for any misprints or mistakes and no responsibility can be taken for Editor the content of these pages.

John Ruler our much loved and greatly revered local historian has been on the trail of Charles Dickens. This is a wonderfully enlightening article covering all facets of the life and times of one of our all time greatest writers.

Katie Miller

INNER 070111 LONDON Jan i31.indd 3

Sub Editor Alex Lux Fashion Editor Kitty Shead Contributors Maureen Cole John Ruler John Bly Bruce Edwards Jack Smith

Design & Production Jules Breckenridge Photography Adam Swaine Accounts Kathy Manning Ken Fleet Business Development Managers Lisa Westerman Sinead Sheil SALES Lorna Ferrin Vanessa Lane James Marshall DIRECTORS Peter Smith Rory Smith Patrick Smith

All Rights reserved. All Fish Media Group Ltd magazines are copyright and cannot be reproduced in any form either in part or whole without written permission from the publishers. Whilst Fish Media Group Ltd takes every reasonable precaution, no responsibility can be accepted for any property, services or products offered in any of our publications and any loss arising.

Whilst every care is taken with all materials submitted to all of our magazines the publisher cannot accept the loss or damage to such material. The Fish Media Group Ltd reserves the right to reject or accept any advertisement, article or material prior to publication.

Opinions expressed are strictly those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views or policies of Fish Media Group Ltd. We accept no liability for any misprints or mistakes and no responsibility can be accepted for the content of these pages.

for some strange reason we never seem to be ready for the ups and downs of our daily change in climate.

If you have been thinking about buying a new kitchen, then our Special Kitchen Supplement is a must read for you. A new kitchen will be one of your largest financial outlays so we try to help you by highlighting 19/01/2011 the very best local kitchen specialists and offer tips, advise, ideas and suggestions before you decide which kitchen is right for you. There is also a fascinating look back at the history of Stoneham kitchens a local kitchen manufacturers of the highest quality.

Once again our Local Life team have been out and about visiting more local towns and places of interest.

This month we focus our attention on Farningham, Rochester, Shortlands and we look back at 60 years of change in Bromley. We are sure you will enjoy these articles and along with our Whats On guide hope that it encourages you to venture out with your family.

As usual we have a wide variety of features on your favourite subjects and interests. John Bly has more on the wonderful world of Antiques. Bruce Edwards reviews more book releases. Regan Maloney reviews more local restaurants.

The Home and Garden section takes a fresh look at the colour Orange in your home. The Beauty pages help you to achieve that English rose look with your make up. The fashion pages look at footwear for the summer months. Our travel pages take us to Sicily and our recipe this month is all about tasty Pizza’s.

In June we look at some more excellent, highly recommended professional local shops and businesses including Ligne Roset in Croydon who specialise in a wide variety of superb furniture and rugs. Behar the carpet experts. Eastwell Manor the wonderful hotel and restaurant. Henman the bed specialists in West Wickham. Annabels Gift Emporium and tea room in Chislehurst. Prestige Flooring of Beckenham. EAS of Oxted the air conditioning professionals and Electric Filament lighting design and installation experts of Chislehurst.

As you can see there is so much for you to read and enjoy again this month.

Until next month

You will be pleased to know that you and your friends can now read our magazines online at www.thelifemagazines.com To advertise contact Lisa on 07904 251984 or Peter on 077111 43342 or email peter on peter@fishmediagroup.co.uk june2012

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local events

WHAT’S on...

JUNE 2012

✱ CountrysIDe Day at Keston Conservation and countryside pursuits, maypole dancing and music from keston Primary School, a display by the Ravensbourne Morris Men. Hosted by friends of keston Common. This popular event will take place from 2pm - 5pm on Sunday 8 July on the Common opposite The Greyhound. www.friendsofkestoncommon. btck.co.uk. ✱ the LaWnFest CharIty event in Sevenoaks is a one-day festival for music, art and food lovers. Sat 30th June. This family-friendly festival is all about the feelgood factor. Music, food and art are all very important in helping the pupils of West Heath start moving forward with their lives. The new School at West Heath uses education to rebuild the lives of traumatised children aged 11yrs-19yrs. These children will have suffered emotional damage by way of abuse, bereavement, bullying or similar trauma that leaves them unable to cope with mainstream schooling.

The new School at West Heath helps them return to the mainstream education system. Sat 30th June. Tickets £20 Adults. £10 children.

Children free aged 8 and under. www.lawnfest.co.uk ✱ BromLey symphony orChestra annually conducts a one-day summer workshop, playing an interesting and infrequently-performed piece, concluding with a concert performance open to the public. Conductor Adrian

8 june2012

Brown. This year it is the very rarely heard Symphony in E by Hans Rott, a brilliant fellow student of Gustav Mahler. The performance will be preceded by a talk with musical illustrations.

Sunday 10th June 2012, talk commences 6pm. Symphony in E, Hans Rott, commences 6.15pm (concludes about 7.15pm). langley Park School for Boys. South Eden Park Road, Beckenham BR3 3BP. no charge but a voluntary collection will be taken to help cover costs. All ages welcome Parking available. for more information contact Chris Richardson. 01689 856359.

Essence of ireland. Thurs 21 June 7.30pm. With a superb cast of dancers, singers and musicians, Essence of ireland combines breathtaking dance routines with the very best of irish music with a touch of irish craic.

The Magic of Bellydance.

Sat 23 June 7.30pm.

Glittering belly dancers, sparkling sequins and exciting oriental sounds equal a midsummer’s night of middle-eastern magic!

Michal Winslow- The Man of 10,000 Voices. Sun 24 June 8pm. A true Hollywood legend on tour in the uk for the first time, following his sell out tour at the Edinburgh festival fringe 2011.

✱ tuFFers ChaLLenGe. former England cricket star Phil Tufnell is urging cricket clubs throughout kent to get involved in a fundraising sporting challenge for a children’s charity. Clubs can raise money in any way they choose and the most successful fundraising team will win an afternoon tea with Phil. All proceeds will go towards The Children’s Trust.

Every club that raises over £200 will receive a miniature cricket bat signed by Phil Tufnell. for information www.thechildrenstrust. org.uk/tufferschallenge or call 01737 365017.

✱ We’LL meet aGaIn The Diamond Jubilee Show.

Thurs 28 June 2pm. This show brings the spirit of the Wartime Era alive, and recreates the music and memories that kept Britain smiling through her darkest days.

Dancing Queen fri 29 June 7.30pm. Celebrating timeless hits from the pop phenomenon Abba this outrageous, glittering production is a non-stop, fun filled party for everyone. for information Assembly Hall Theatre 01892 530613/07885971784.

✱ events at the assemBLy haLL Theatre Tunbridge Wells Blood Brothers. Tues 12 Sat 16 June. West End star and multi platinum selling artist Marti Pellow joins the cast of Willy Russel’s Blood Brothers. Blood Brothers is the musical for all time.

✱ LanGton Green vILLaGe Fete Sat 7th July 2012. fairground attractions for all ages. face Painting. ice Cream & Candy floss.

Hog Roast, Burgers & sausages, Beer, Pimms & soft drinks.20ft Slide. Punch & Judy. Children’s games. Prize draw raffle (featuring a £250

cash prize). Arena shows, including a Birds of Prey demonstration, Belly Dancers and a dog show. for just £2 (children under 16 are fREE) you can have an enjoyable afternoon’s entertainment at langton Green’s Village fete, where the entertainment lasts from 12 noon to 5pm. langton Green (On the Green behind the Hare public house) Tunbridge Wells kent Tn3 0JA. Sat 7 Jul 2012. www.langtongreen.org.uk ✱ CoLumCILLe Open Garden for nGS. Small garden featuring Japanese sanctuary, influenced by Zen tradition, inc water feature, lanterns, traditional Japanese plants and garden shed transformed into a tea house. Also cottage garden section with colourful display of roses, digitalis, lupins, peonies and delphiniums, especially in June. Open:Sat 7 July (1-5). Admission £3, Children free. Tel 0208 467 9383. Columcille, Chislehurst london BR7 5Rn.www.ngs.org.uk/ ✱ phIL Drane at Orpington folk Club. A stimulating mix of eclectic songs, superb arrangements, smooth vocals and silky guitar playing mixed with a soupcon of chat and witty banter. 8.15pm. Change of Horses, farnborough High St, farnborough Village kent BR6 7BB.Thurs 5 Jul 2012 www.phildrane.com ✱ ChIsLehurst roCKs! A fREE music festival created by the people, for the people! local acts to perform music for all ages, plus rides, stalls, food, drink

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German Verandas & Awnings

German Verandas & Awnings

and workshops aimed at children and adults. 11am - 9pm. Call 07772 510925.

Chislehurst Recreation Ground, Chislehurst kent.

Sat 23 Jun 2012. www. chislehurstrocks.co.uk

to sing with a jazz pianist and a bass player. Singers should bring a lead sheet for their songs. One song guaranteed, two if time allows. Singing lists taken from 7:45pm. listeners and singers are both welcome. Singing ✱ natIonaL youth jaZZ 8.15pm - 10.45pm. Singers orChestra with kent Youth and listeners £5. Enquiries Jazz Orchestra. featuring to John levett 01732 460143.

Visit sbiproducts.co.uk information the very best young uk for more The Grey lady, 70 The jazz musicians playing Pantiles, Tunbridge Wells, great music, from “straight kent, Tn2 5TW. Mon 25 Jun. ahead” big band pieces to www.listeningroom. contemporary music written co.uk/flyer.asp specially for them. 7:30pm.

Admission £15, concessions ✱ the maypoLe projeCt £10, special £5 ticket for 1920’s Garden Party. A 16s and under. Tickets from local children’s charity that the festival Box Office at provides emotional support The STAG, london Road, to children with complex SEVEnOAkS, Tn13 1ZZ. Tel: medical needs. You and 01732-450175. fri 6 Jul 2012 your family can step back www.sevenoaksfestival.org.uk in time to the 1920’s and join us for an afternoon of ✱ Buster pLays Buster. sophisticated fun for all the A special screening of Buster family. Casino, 1920s Band, keaton’s classic silent movie 1920’ themed photo set and “Sherlock Jr”, with live jazz photos, Bouncy Castle 1920s accompaniment arranged dancers. Children’s Play Area.

by Buster Birch for his Tickets: £25 - adult £5 – child Quartet, featuring Jo fooks (inc. champagne and buffet) on saxophone. The show Tickets must be bought in will start with a programme advance. Contact on 01689 of jazz standards set to a 85 15 96 or email nikkitaylor@ moviescape, with the Buster themaypoleproject.co.uk keaton film as the main Saturday 23 Jun 2012 1pm feature. 7:30pm. Tickets to 5pm.Bickley Manor £12 from the festival Box Hotel, Thornet Wood Road, Office at The STAG, london Bromley, kent, BR1 2lW. www.

Road, SEVEnOAkS, Tn13 themaypoleproject.co.uk 1ZZ. Tel: 01732-450175. ✱ mCB sWan LaKe ✱ south east open Moscow City Ballet return stuDIos at Seal Chart by popular demand with farm. Artists & a cabinettwo extraordinary full-scale maker will be opening their ballets, Romeo And Juliet doors to the public during and Swan lake. Probably Visit the sbiproducts.co.uk for more information South East Open Studio the world’s best-known love event. Artists & cabinet story, Romeo And Juliet is maker demonstrations Mon set to Prokofiev’s dramatic – fri. 10:00 - 17:00 every score, a masterpiece of 20th day free entry. Studio 2, 6 century music. All the hustle & 7 Chart farm, Seal Chart, and bustle of Renaissance Sevenoaks kent Tn15 0ES Verona is brought to life in until 17 Jun 2012.www. this powerful production. lawrencejenkins.co.uk or Churchill Theatre Bromley, www.sealchartetchingstudio.

High Street Bromley kent info BR1 1HA. Wed 27 Jun 2012 and Thurs 28 Jun 2012 ✱ jaZZ sInGer’s open mIC www.ambassdortickes. nIGht Sue Rivers invites you com/bromley

Free call SBI on 0800 0742 721

German Verandas & Awnings

Free call SBI on 0800 0742 721

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Beautiful Bespoke Jewellery A recent commission using the customer’s own stones re-modelled into a stunning new ring.

We would be happy to discuss any of your jewellery requirements.

3 The Square  Riverhead Book anSBI appointment sample rings and discuss your Free call onto see0800 0742 721 requirements at our Riverhead shop or London studio.

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Contents EDITORS LETTER

3

WHATS ON

8

LOCAL LIFE Farningham Too Beautiful to Mention Rochester Antiques and Ruins Bromley 60 Years of Change Local Park Victorian Grandeur

14 18 22 26

CHARLES DICKENS From Rags to Riches The Life and Times of a Literary Giant

30 32

COVER STORY Will Smith Where there’s a Will

36

FASHION & BEAUTY Eastwell Manor A perfect place to unwind This Summer is Looking Rosy Step into Summer Rapunzel Banish bad hair days

38 40 44 46

KITCHEN LIFE Special Supplement Put some personality into your kitchen La Belle Cuisine Customer Service 2nd to none John Lewis of Hungerford 40 fabulous years Dream Doors Made to measure Fiesta Design The bold and the beautiful Kitchen Doctor A kitchen facelift Stoneham Kitchens A wonderful History

47 48 51 52 53 54 56 57

HOME AND GARDEN Behar Carpets The Summer Sale Orange Crush Tanby Pools Making a Huge Splash Lordship Lane Carpets 40 years of excellence Henman Beds Award winning quality and service EAS Specialist Air Conditioning Electric Filament Professional Electrical Services

60 62 64 66 68 70 72

ANTIQUES with John Bly

74

FOOD & DRINK Recipe A Pizza the Action Regan Maloney Restaurant Reviews

76 78

Thackray Williams Solicitors An Historic Year

79

TRAVEL Sun and Sights in Sicily

80

BOOKS REVIEW

82

The Ultimate Racing event

83

©

NOW OPEN WALK IN SWAROVSKI Crystal Nails Room

ROAKES

   

   

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CUBAN ROOM 5-6 The Courtyard Market Square Westerham Kent TN16 1AZ 01959 565659/569977

The Cuban Room opening times may vary – please call to confirm

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Spa opening Times:

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e.mail: info@roakes.com www.roakes.com

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Portable Air Conditioning Units now available for hire or sale.

FARNINGHAM

Too Beautiful to Mention?

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he beautiful village of Farningham lies in the valley of the River Darent about 17 miles from London, five miles south of Dartford and ten miles north of Sevenoaks. A village with a population of around 1,250 people, it enjoys excellent travel connections and sits on the London to Folkestone Road (A20), which links London to the Channel Ports. The A225 which follows the picturesque Darent Valley intersects the A20 at the village.

Farningham was once a market town and at the time of the Domesday book it was known as Ferninghame. The name Farningham dates back to Saxon times and relates either to the home of Ferninghas and the meaning, “people living in a ferny place,” or to Friningas, meaning “free men.”

The village is believed to date back to Neolithic times and flint and ancient tools which were found in the area can now be seen in the Dartford Museum. It is believed that Calfstock Lane may have been part of a prehistoric track that wound its way across the North Downs. If so, this would undoubtedly have brought settlers to the banks of the River Darent, where fish were plentiful and the soil was good for grazing. There is evidence of an Iron Age settlement in the area and of early trading taking place. In 1973 archaeologists unearthed the foundations of a small farmstead along with storage pots and commercially thrown pottery and fine jewellery. The River Darent also took its name about this time from the early word with the meaning, “oak tree river.”

The area was occupied by the Romans after the invasion in the 1st century and there is additional evidence of their presence nearby in Lullingstone. Farningham boasts of at least six Roman sites – three villas and three farmsteads. Not surprisingly for such a beautiful and bountiful spot there is evidence that Roman villas were built along the whole length of the valley. The picture built up by archaeologists reveals homesteads with ornate wall paintings, baths and heating systems, all far in advance of their times.

A Saxon cemetery was partially unearthed in the 1930’s at

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Charton Manor and Saxon daggers, spears and other artefacts were recovered. It is believed that a riverside settlement is buried below the present day village. In Norman times Farningham had four manors and the largest was owned by Ansgot of Rochester.

By the 12th century the most important family in the village was the De Cheriton family from Folkestone and it is believed that Charton derives its name from them. The de Freminghams held the manor in the 13th century and in 1270 Ralph de Fremingham was granted the right to hold a weekly market and annual fair.

The market and fair both thrived for many centuries and provided work for the local people. However, the Freminghams also introduced sheriffs to the area, which made them less popular with the people. Sir John Fremingham was abducted in 1381 and narrowly missed assassination in the Peasants Revolt.

The village continued to grow in the 1300’s and 1400’s and life at this time revolved mainly around the church and manor. Apart from the church little remains of Farningham before the 15th century.

The Parish Church of St Peter and St Paul, with its central position in the village, was built from local flint. However, in 1790 when repairs were carried out to the church, they were made in red brick. The Chancel is the oldest part of the church and was built around 1240 in the Early English Period. The Tower at the west end was added about a hundred years later.

Several galleries have been added to the church over the years and then later removed. In 1949 the choir war moved from the chancel to the nave and in 1965 the existing choir stalls, made from pine from British Columbia, were installed. The church font dates from the 15th century and its eight panels show the Seven Sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church.

On the north wall of the Sanctuary is a painted, alabaster monument of Anthony Roper and his family (1519). In the 16th century the Roper family built a manor house in the village, near to the church and in 1577 Anthony Roper inherited the house from his father. Anthony was the grandson of the Chancellor, Sir

Images: Adam Swaine Photography

words: maureen cole

local life

Thomas Moore. He was regarded as a good landlord and generous benefactor and on his death in 1597 he left property to a charity for the poor of Farningham, Horton Kirby and Eynesford. The charity exists to this day and raises an annual income of around ÂŁ7,000. The local primary school was named after Anthony Roper.

The church houses four old brasses, one of which shows William Glyborne (1451). William was the the vicar of Farningham in the same year. Two of the oldest artefacts however, are the double piscine, in the north wall of the sanctuary and the seat or sedilla, which stands next to it. Both date from 1240.

The church changed in appearance considerably in the 19th century. In 1830 the east window was rebuilt, battlements were added and the height of the tower was increased by 7 foot, with the addition of a turret. The large window on the north wall, beside the pulpit is the work of Charles Winston (1832). Charles was the son of the vicar and he later became an authority on mediaeval glass. The window depicts the family arms of Dr. Van Mildert, who was vicar from 1807 to 1815.

Village life is well documented in the 17th century.

Many tradesmen were reported to be working in the village. These included weavers, saddlemakers, blacksmiths, and publicans, together with a miller and a butcher.

Farningham had become a thriving community by the 19th century, with six stage coaches passing through the village each day. Employment was good, with enough shops to meet the needs of the local people, along with two private schools, its own police constable and postmaster.

By the 20th century the population grew from 586 in 1821, to 1328 in 1901. Horse drawn carriages were replaced by cars and buses and new roads, such as the A20, were built.

The village and surrounding area boast some beautiful walks and places of interest. The Domesday Book records Farningham as having a corn mill as early as 1087 and Anthony Roper built a mill here in 1610, which was replaced

by the Colyers in the 18th century. The mill belonged to the same family for over 270 years. The imposing building (standing opposite the Lion Hotel in the High Street) survives but has recently been sold for redevelopment.

The Lion Hotel dates back to the 18th century and it is possible to park the car and take a pleasant walk along the river bank. Here you can see the listed Ancient Structure often known as the Cattle Grid, although its origin is uncertain.

The river here is shallow and marks the place where the river was forded, prior to the construction of the bridge.

The Hotel provides a pleasant area to sit outside on the river bank and have a drink or meal and is reported to have been visited by Charles Dickens on a trout fishing trip.

The Pied Bull was built in 1612 and was a coaching inn originally known as “The Bull�. The pub today has a pretty garden and offers a good bar and restaurant menu. Farninghan Oak is situated in a restored 18th century building next to the Pied Bull. Today it houses a display of fine oak furniture.

Walking out of Farningham Village along the picturesque Sparepenny Lane you can take in the scenery below. The road is narrow but has a safe walk- way within the field at the side of the road. The road leads towards Eynesford and it is possible to look across the fields to Eynesford Castle.

The lane gained its name in the 18th century when it was possible to save a penny by using the lane instead of the Sevenoaks turnpike at the other end of the village.

A place, which has drawn much attention in the village over the years, is Bainbridge Butchers. Very much a village butchers, Mr Bainbridge has provided a riot of colour in his little front garden. Photos of the garden have appeared in magazines and calendars and he has won several competitions with his displays.

A pretty village with an interesting history, Farningham has so much to offer the visitor; it is hard to do it justice. There really are too many beautiful and interesting places to mention. june2012

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local life

“Its antiquities and ruins are surpassingly beautiful” Charles Dickens

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ochester is a town steeped in history yet with a modern, cosmopolitan feel to it. Formerly a city, the town retains the grandeur of the past and is renowned for its castle and cathedral. Rochester attracts many visitors each year who come to visit its historical sites and to wander around the town. It is somewhere to enjoy revisiting, as there is always something new to discover or an event of interest taking place.

The town lies some 48 km from London and is the lowest bridging point on the River Medway.

However, there is no evidence of a bridge existing here until the Romans bridged the river.

Rochester has undergone many name changes over time. The Romano-British name for Rochester was Durobrivae, later Durobrivis(C730). The meaning of these names is believed to relate to “stronghold by the bridge”, or to the Latinisation of the British word Dourbref meaning “swiftstream”. Durobrivis was pronounced”Robrivis,” which Bede copied down and mistook its meaning as “Hrofis fortified camp”. From this the name developed to Hrofescester(811), Rovescester (1086) and Rochester(1610).

Over time Rochester has been occupied by Celts, Jutes and/ or Saxons and Romans. During the Roman Invasion of Kent in AD560 King Ethlebert became the ruler and around AD600 he proclaimed a code of conduct to the people which listed roughly 90 laws, along with associated crimes and punishments. Some five hundred years later these were still regarded as important enough to be included in the Textus Roffensus.

There has been a Cathedral in Rochester since AD604 and Rochester Cathedral is the second oldest in England. The existing cathedral was begun by Bishop Gandulf and the stone building that forms its basis dates back to the 11th century. The cathedral displays some impressive Norman architecture in the nave and the crypt, as well as one of the finest Romanesque facades in England. There are some fine examples of later Gothic styles and a magnificent 14th century Chapter Library Door which, although hidden from view, can be viewed by special appointment and is one of the oldest doors in England.

The shrine of St William of Perth, a Scottish baker who was murdered nearby brought many pilgrims to the Cathedral in the 13th century and over the years their footsteps wore down the original stone Pilgrim Steps. William’s body was brought to the Cathedral and miracles were reported to have taken place, although no trace of his shrine remains today.

On St John the Baptist’s Day in 2004 the first genuine fresco to be created for 800 years in England was dedicated in the Cathedral. The theme of the fresco is based on baptism and it was painted by Sergie Fyodoror, a Russian iconographer.

The Quire is a more private part of the cathedral and during

words: maureen cole

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the time that the monastery was here it was the place where the monks would hold their services, in order to avoid being disturbed by the ordinary people of Rochester. Indeed, during the 14th century relations between the monastery and town’s people were so poor that in the 15th century another church was built for the town’s people and they were then only allowed in the cathedral on special occasions, such as Easter and Christmas.

This church of St Nicholas still stands beside the cathedral but it is now used as offices for staff working for the Diocese.

To visit the cathedral for one of its special concerts or recitals is truly something to remember. Here the acoustics add to the atmosphere and the warmth of the cathedral wraps around you. This is no cold, uninviting place of worship but a cathedral which now welcomes all.

Rochester Castle lies directly opposite the cathedral and is one of the finest Norman Castles to be found in England. So impressed was Charles Dickens with the castle that he expressed a wish to buried there. The castle’s 12th century keep or stone tower

Images: Adam Swaine Photography

ROCHESTER

local life

is its most prominent feature and is one of the best preserved in England. It towers over the River Medway and measures 113 feet high and 70 feet square, with its walls in places some 12 feet thick.

The first castle at Rochester was built following the Norman Conquest and was given by William the Conqueror to his half- brother Bishop Odo. The castle first saw military action in 1088 during the Rebellion over the English throne and it was subsequently abandoned.

Between 1087 and 1089 the King asked Bishop Gandulf of Rochester, one of William the Conqueror’s finest architects, to build a new stone castle. Although the castle has been altered over time, some of his original work still survives. In 1127 King Henry I granted the castle to the Bishops of Canterbury in perpetuity and William de Corbeil built the massive keep we see today.

Rochester Castle’s fortifications were put to the test on several occasions.

The most dramatic of these was the Seige of 1215 when a disagreement over King John’s financial oppression caused unrest. The result was the Magna Carta, which King John chose to disregard. As a result Civil War broke out and a group of rebel barons seized hold of the castle. The King was determined to win back the castle and as provisions within it dwindled; his men dug a mine beneath the south-east corner of the keep. Using

the fat from forty pigs, the wooden props supporting the tunnel that had been dug beneath the keep, were set alight. This caused the mine to collapse and brought down the corner of the keep.

An interesting feature of the castle is the round tower which was built following the Seige in 1215. The cylindrical tower was preferred as it was considered to offer greater protection against enemy attack.

The ruins are today in the guardianship of English Heritage and are protected as a Grade 1 listed building and Scheduled Monument. They are open to the public from 10am -6pm from April to September and 10am-4pm from October to March.

Charles Dickens, who lived nearby at Gads Hill Place, Higham, was particularly fond of Rochester and included scenes from it in many of his books. The Dickens Festival, which takes place in June each year and the Dickensian Christmas Festival in December, celebrates these links with the famous author. The Dickens Festival includes parades, (with people dressed in Victorian costumes) street entertainment, competitions, drama, and street theatre.

In The High Street is The King’s Head Hotel, a 12th century inn and almost opposite is the Old Corn Exchange with its large clock, which juts out over the pavement. Near the bridge is the Guildhall Museum, which was built in 1687 and is one of the finest civic buildings in Kent. There are magnificent plaster ceilings in its staircase and the main hall, while outside, mounted on the roof is a beautiful weather vane in the form of an 18th century warship. The Museum is open 10am-4.30pm Tuesdays to Sundays.

Eastgate House, is also in the High Street, and dates back to the late 1590’s. It was built by Sir Peter Buck, Clerk of the Cheque at Chatham Dockyard. The house has been put to many uses over the years and features as Westgate in Dickens’ novel, “Pickwick Papers” and as the Nun’s House in, “The Mystery of Edwin Drood”. Among other uses, the house now hosts exhibitions of contemporary and traditional art, local history exhibitions and special events.

It can also be booked for weddings and civil ceremonies.

Rochester has an interesting mix of shops to wander around, along with cosy pubs and restaurants.

Although many of the buildings are old and provide a constant reminder of the past, Rochester has a vibrancy about it which carries it into the 21st century.

june2012 J

19

Dementia or stroke: what is the role of the Court of Protection?

The Court of Protection is a specialist Court for all issues relating to people who lack the capacity to make decisions for themselves.

As the population ages, the function of the Court will become more relevant and familiar to the average family.

The role of the Court is to help, protect and empower people who lack capacity for reasons such as dementia, stroke, disability, mental health, head injury or injuries caused by medical negligence.

WHEN IS AN APPLICATION TO THE COURT OF PROTECTION NECESSARY?

If one of your relatives is diagnosed with dementia, or suffers a stroke and has been assessed as being unable to live independently after leaving hospital, it is likely they will need help with decision making, or will need decisions made on their behalf.

Unless your relative has put appropriate Lasting or Enduring Powers of Attorney in place, or can set these up now, an application to the court may well be necessary.

The court will act on behalf of a person who lacks capacity to appoint a Deputy (usually a family member, close friend or solicitor) to deal with their property and financial affairs. If particular decisions need to be made on health or welfare matters, the family can ask the Court to decide the issue. The Court also has the power to appoint a health and welfare Deputy, though this is done less frequently (there were about 9,500 property and affairs Deputies appointed in 2010 compared with just over 100 health and welfare appointments).

WHAT TYPES OF DECISION CAN THE COURT MAKE?

• Appoint a Deputy to make ongoing decisions on behalf of a person who lacks capacity in relation to their property and affairs or personal welfare.

• Authorise the Deputy to sell a property.

• Authorise the Deputy to invest capital savings and the net proceeds of sale from any property.

•Authorise the purchase or rent of suitable alternative accommodation.

Authorise payment of care fees and make general provision for a person’s wellbeing.

•Where a person has no capacity to make a Will, the Court may make a Statutory Will on their behalf.

• Make decisions in serious medical treatment cases which relate to the provision for, or withdrawal or withholding of treatment from a person who lacks capacity.

Carol Snazell is a member of Solicitors for the Elderly. For further information contact Carol on 020 8290 0440 or email: carol.snazell@thackraywilliams.com www.thackraywilliams.com

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SIXTY YEARS OF CHANGES – BOTH LARGE & SMALL following tHe queen’s diamond Jubilee visit to bromley, JoHn ruler takes a Pictorial look at some of tHe large, and not so large, cHanges wHicH Have taken Place over tHe last 60 years.

NONE COME BIGGER than those pictured below, yet for many residents and shoppers have already become part and parcel of the local scene.

THE imposing Central Library, with its heavy wooden furnishings and the oh-so-sedate reference section seems a far cry from the theatre-cum-library deal of 1965 which saw the opening in 1977 of today’s Churchill Theatre and Library complex. But growing public pressure in the late 1950s to widen the High Street – a bone of contention as far back as 1929 – meant the library had to go.

The site was bequeathed ‘for public benefit’ by Emil Dowling of Neelgherries, the grounds of which were laid out as the Library Gardens. In 1906 the library, described by local historian E.R.S. Horsburgh as ‘in every sense an adornment to the town’ was opened by the philanthropist Andrew Carnegie who donated the building costs of £7,500.

22 j u n e 2 0 1 2

EVEN today the building, now home to Dreams and Wilkinson, has certain grandeur – and so it should. As the old Gaumont, opened in 1936, it was one of the thirties’ super cinemas, seating 3,000. Films were intermingled with novelty acts. ‘There was this Chinese acrobats,’ recalls Joyce Hawkins from Bromley. ‘The poor chap fell off on to his head – crunch. They came on stage later to say he was all right.’

One of the organists was Sandy McPherson. ‘He used to bore me stiff, but then I was only a boy,’ said Gordon Reader, another life-long Bromley resident. ‘It was the magical way the organ used to rise up from below that intrigued me.’

There was also a Saturday morning club for children which for the princely sum of 6d (2.5p) showed Westerns starring Hoppalong Cassidy and Roy Rogers. A Gaumont ditty was sung along to words projected onto the screen followed by a bouncing ball The auditorium, uniquely resembling the inside of a gigantic shell and with a colour scheme in graded mother of pearl tints, was similar in shape to that of Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan, New York. Many will remember the superb cafe/restaurant sitting 150. Built on the site of a music college and health centre, the Gaumont closed in February, 1961. The building was gutted internally and converted into a store. First came Nicholson’s, part of the Debenham group, which now has a store at The Glades. By 2009, the building had been sub-divided into several stores, one of which, Habitat, was once located at the former entrance to the Gaumont.

WAS the Telecom tower at Bromley South really the town’s ugliest building back in the ‘sixties?

Many say it was, so much so it was eventually reconstructed to meet today’s more pleasing style. Now Westmoreland Place, of which it was a part, is being be eyed up for a £80m development dubbed Bromley South Central. This includes replacing the Westmoreland Road multi-storey car park with a 130-bedroom hotel, 200 apartments, cafés and restaurant, along with a nine screen multiplex cinema.

Some worry this could be a ‘ hideous’ throwback to the ‘sixties which led to the type of protest in 1983 against the Croydonisation of Bromley, itself regretting some of the excesses I saw when I worked with the Croydon Advertiser. It’s certainly a far cry from the long gone scene of the Simpsons Road corner almost opposite Bromley South Station. This, too, is currently completing a long needed facelift.

local life Footie fans of a certain age will remember George Brown who scored over 800 goals during his 20 years with Bromley Football Club. A plaque marking his 500th post-war goal smashed into the net during a tussle with arch-rival Walthamstow was presented to him in April 1953, the year of the Queen’s Coronation.

His first game with the club, founded in 1892,was in 1936.

IT seems Kentish Way has always been there – but as the picture shows it was relatively recently, in July 1992, that Linda Chalker, then Minister of Transport officially cut the tape opening up the ring road. Looking over the Mayor’s shoulder is John Hunt, Bromley’s MP for many years.

Not so high profile perhaps, but here are a few more familiar landmarks no longer with us…

The Gothic style Methodist Church, held a commanding position in the Lower High Street until it was demolished in 1965; in the 1990s came pedestrianisation and the building of The Glades.

REMEMBER Love Lane, mainly swallowed up save for a few sad looking relics, by Kentish Way – and described by a Kentish Times reporter way back in the early ‘sixties as ‘ a quiet little lane, with shadows from the lime trees shimmering playfully on the path…”

I went on to say, for that reporter was me, that’ above all, there were no people, no shoppers, no traffic and no modern marvels.’

Oddly it was not that well known even then, as a lady dog walker readily admitted. ‘There are many like it in Bromley though,’ she said. ‘I take my old dog along here. But often we don’t see anyone.’

The loss of Love Lane in its entirety may not seem a major loss.

But, once part of a much longer rural lane, it’s the chipping away of this and similar rural chunks that need preserving as much as more recognisable parts of Bromley.

ALSO GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN:

Far too chilly for some, but the Southlands Road Lido, opened in 1925, when outdoor pools were considered healthy, the site is now used for car parking at a private health centre. Though modernised in the 1930s, it was closed by the council to cuts costs incurred in the recessionary ‘seventies. Renamed the Bickley Lido, it survived further before drowning, so to speak, in the development of the health centre – in Baths Road !

* Records show a baker’s on the site of Maunders dating back as along ago as 1773; it opened at its Market Square site in 1875 selling everything from fancy bread and cakes to soups, jellies and ice-cream. Older residents will recall similar goodies made on their premises, now McDonald’s. The picture was taken in 1957. * Wilson’s coffee house, close to the old library, a place to chat and sample ‘the best doughnuts in town.’ * Hennekey’s wine bar where, is said, ladies of a certain age would congregate to imbibe copious amounts of sherry or port. * Attwoods, for corsets, hats and haberdashery. * Ghinns for buying knitting wool. * Guntons, near to where the Odeon stands, for curtains and carpets. * Jean Machine, the 1970s’ place for skintight jeans. * Harrison Gibson gutted by fire in 1968 and rebuilt as the Army & Navy store in both in the High Street and Ringers Road with a connecting bridge. june2012

23

house garden

no need to wait until london 2012 to enJoy tHe olymPic feeling!

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ith the pre-Olympic excitement mounting, it’s the perfect time to talk about Origin’s new Olympic indoor pool houses. The company announced this bright range of packages to celebrate London 2012, and already some of these buildings are under construction, or well into the planning stage. Origin’s customers have taken to the four models - Arena, Marathon, Challenger and Olympiad - and many are already taking advantage of the gym installations, and choosing their exercise equipment, much of which is included in the high value new packages.

With an accent on healthy living our designers have built in fitness must-haves, such as a gym, swim jets and an exciting alfresco feel. And we have run our ideas past our own Olympic hopeful, swimmer Fran Halsall, who we are sponsoring up to the world stopping occasion.

Through the use of cutting edge technology and the finest new materials we have managed to bring in the four new packages at record breaking prices - and we have included many of the most exciting advances available to today’s swimming pool buyer. Temperature controlled pool and surroundings - of course. An exterior finish engineered timber construction. A wide choice of exterior and interior finishes and colours - so your new Olympic Pool House will match in with the colour, surroundings and fabric of your home.

with two 50 metre swimming pools and a 25 metre diving pool - one of the main venues of the London 2012 Summer Olympics and the London 2012 Summer Paralympics.

Olympic hopeful Fran Halsall is sponsored by Origin, and is ambitious about the pool houses - she wants one!

Catch up with what she’s doing to prepare for London 2012 by visiting her website www.francescahalsall.com

OUR PRESENT TO YOU...

We have even selected ten big canvas styles to maximise the look of your interior, featuring the sort of imagery we think will suit this truly life changing installation. You can choose any two of these with our compliments.

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Origin has been building indoor pool houses and outdoor pools for thirty years, and is recognised as the country’s leaders in its field. As the projects have become more complex, the team has always risen to the challenge, and delivered supremely designed and built pools for their increasingly discerning clientele.

Origin projects are always handled at director level, and their teams of designers and builders, many of whom have been with the company over twenty five years, are committed to their essential roles in what is a very exacting business.

Origin’s outdoor pools are designed by a structural engineer, and overseen OUTDOOR POOLS TOO... by a contracts director. Their role Origin has had such a warm response One of the ten canvases specially prepared for is to make certain the results are Origin’s Olympic clients. to the Olympic range that they have perfect. They look after every detail introduced Olympic-styled outdoor from filtration to waterproofing, pools too. There are four sizes to choose from, starting at 10 and heating to mechanical engineering. x 4 metre, and a host of options and add-ons to make your Origin is also respected in the industry for its unflinching garden life complete. Many of Origin’s clients swim in their regard for the choice of the very best materials – the outdoor pools throughout the winter too. Not because they’re finest quality mosaic, ceramic or glass tiles. State of the art particularly hardy, more that the heating makes it not only retractable automatic safety covers. The most beautiful natural possible, but really enjoyable - even when the snow’s falling! stone surrounds and edgings from around the world.

Like the Olympic pool houses, Origin is prepared to pay On the scientific side, Origin can advise exhaustively half your VAT on an outdoor pool for a limited time. on easy clean filtration systems that provide sparkling clear, trouble-free pools. The company can recommend WE WILL EVEN PAY HALF THE VAT! and fit fully controlled chemical dosing systems with Our entry style Olympic indoor package is the Arena - an 8 x ozone water treatment, and generally give tips and 4.5 metre building, housing a 5.7 x 2.75 metre swim jet pool, ideas for the economical running of your pool. and plenty of room for changing and gym equipment. All for Origin Leisure, Summerhouse Business Park, £132,000. And we will only accept 10% VAT on this design Harefield, Middlesex, UB9 6TH as an incentive for you to be the first in the Olympic race!

Telephone 01895 823366 or email info@originleisure. com for full details of the Olympic range, the new brochures, SO THIS IS WHY TALKING SWIMMING IS SO POPULAR! or to be included in future distribution of the newsletter Breathtaking events will be taking place in Stratford this NewsWave and Origin’s on line monthly newsline eNews.

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june2012

25

Park’s Victorian grandeur is found amid the foliage JOHN RULER discovers how a hidden garden is being rescued from the ravages of time

local benefactor and in 1904 Charter Mayor of Bromley.

Built in 1886, the house not only had its own large set of coach-houses and stables – the footings of which now lie under tennis courts and a car park – but a pavilion with a pretty Dutch gable roof and a music room, later to become the current bowls club pavilion.

Though research shows the site of a small Iron Age fort, the main aaah! factor at Kingswood Glen must currently be the mallards and baby moorhens splashing about in the iris-fringed pond. Never heard of it?

Neither had I, though it is included in the Friends full title, with de-silting and new paths breathing fresh life into this little oasis tucked off Kingswood Road.

It is also home to the rare crested newt. There are two ponds, one slightly hidden, said to be former pits dating back to Roman times. In 1962, the glen, once part of private property owned by two ladies, was gifted to the then borough of Beckenham, with the proviso that it should never be developed.

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Images: Adam Swaine Photography

S

omething is happening at South Hill Wood Park. Gone, as even the most fervent of fans would admit, is the tangled mess of almost forbidding foliage. Slowly, but surely, this all too often overlooked park, clasped between Westmoreland Road and Tootswood Road, is regaining its Victorian grandeur as the grounds of South Hill Wood home of Thomas Dewey,

local life

Timeline

Originally part of Tootswood – the Saxon or British word Toots or Toote is associated with a tumuli or beacon – the domination of oak was gradually superseded by other species.

By the end of the 19th century it was a mixture of ancient woodland – supplemented by Dewey in 1909 by an orchard and boundary shrubberies created by his ornamental plants. What follows is a blow-by-blow account of what happened next: 1914–1918: The music pavilion is used as a ward for the war-wounded, including Belgian troops.

1926: Dewey dies, aged 86, in July at Peak House, Sidmouth.

The estate is sold to Chilton King of Chiltonian Biscuits based in Lee; in 1947 the borough of Beckenham (since 1965 part of the London Borough of Bromley) eager to create post-war parkland launch protracted, and often futile, negotiations to buy the land.

In 1952, frustrated by failure to agree on a price, they apply for a compulsorily purchase order on the garden land.

1952: The land is bought for £18,000. Beckenham has high hopes for the park regarded as their Jewel in The Crown.

1959: the Park formally opens, with Coronation gates, originally commissioned for the Harvington Estate but instead put into storage from 1953 – somewhat bizarrely installed.

From then on things begin to go badly downhill…

2011-12: The Big Lottery Funding project enables Bromley to open up the extra area of woodland.

Coppicing and clearance continues. Encouraged by the Friends, Highfield Junior and Infants School respond enthusiastically by providing anti-litter banners. They also create the Friends’ logo. Strong backing from the bowls and tennis clubs, as well as from Shortlands Residents Association continues. A landscape history study is launched to generate public interest in the project.

It also had its own woods and shrubbery which, in line with Victorian fashion for exotic plants, included rhododendron, laurel and, most evasive of all, Japanese knotweed. All of which hardly helped when up until relatively recently, the woods were badly overgrown and the haunt of hooligans; even in 1985 there was local anger at the disgraceful condition of ‘ one of the most beautiful parks’ in the area.

Now, thanks to lottery and other funding, Bromley Council, along with community groups and the local school, are bringing the woodland back to life. I joined Dot Kilsby from The Friends of South Hill Wood for a stroll through what is rapidly becoming a local replica of the Lost Gardens of Heligan, with a staunch team of workers, including Dot, hacking their way through the undergrowth.

This includes a section of land cordoned off for many years but now provided with sweeping new paths. This makes it ripe for replanting with native woodland trees, an overall aim for the Friends who, formed in 2009 with the encouragement of a cash-strapped Bromley Council, now have 80 members. A task force of between 15 and 30 hold monthly clearing sessions.

No longer is there ‘nothing to see’ in the park, a criticism which Dot accepts was once the case. The most visual is the colourful flowerbed at the Westmoreland Road entrance. Look out, too, for the giant sequoia tree believed to have been planted 104 years. Further traces of the former grounds include a sunken garden and a terrace.

The most intriguing, however, is the fountain, an imposing architectural feature neglected for over 60 years. This was once linked to the lawn in front of the old music pavilion by grassy path, traces of which still remain. How it was fed is being researched as part of a general hunt for water sources Sitting in a sun-dappled clearance in the thinned- out woodland, as many do, it has an almost magical quality.

And it’s as if by magic, with more than a little help from the Friends, that this forgotten woodland corner has sprung back to life. There are even two new wrought iron gates marking The Diamond Jubilee of The Queen who, coincidentally, would have passed by the one in Westmoreland on her visit to Bromley in May. As for Dot she lives in a flat in the adjoining South Hill House itself, overlooking ‘ one of then best views you could ask for.’

June2012

27

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A

nnabel’s II is a new addition to Chislehurst High Street offering a broad selection of beautiful gifts.

Like the first Annabel’s store situated in Royal Parade, the primary intention of the Annabel’s team is to promote English designers, with many of the products also being made in the UK. Annabels II hosts a small and quintessentially English tearoom offering a broad variety of loose leaf teas (blended in Pluckey!) including a range of fruit tisanes as well as Monmouth coffees – all complimented by a selection of home made cakes and scones. The experience is enhanced by the service ware – fine bone harlequin china dating from 1920’s. With an idealic location opposite the village pond, Annabel’s is the perfect destination for traditional afternoon tea.

The interior boasts elegant ivory units, tasteful chandeliers and quirky vintage pieces such as the ornate, old fashioned till used in the tearoom. Take your pick from Hope and Greenwood’s selection of retro confectionary and treat yourself to a jar of traditional sweets or indulge in some new 28 j u n e 2 0 1 2

Annabel’s 2

Look out on their facebook page en-gb.facebook.com/annabelsgiftemporium and website www.annabelsluxuryenglishgifts.com for more details.

pots from Terrace and Garden licensed by Kew and available in a range of subtle colours.

The Annabel’s brand is inspired by Fortnum & Mason, and intends to provide a selection of English products with a quality feel.

Annabel’s aims to cater for all tastes, from Murdock aftershaves (originating in Shoreditch and now in Liberty’s) to Brighton-based Orelia’s innovative jewellery collections. The shop stocks a wide selection of English brands including Bronte Tweeds, Estella Bartlett, True Grace and The Old Bag Company to name but a few. Annabel’s also promotes locally produced home-made gift lines including knitted booties and bespoke jewellery.

If you are looking for that special gift, then a visit to Annabel’s is a must.

Open 7 days a week and with such a great variety of gift ideas, friendly and smiling staff, you’re sure to find the perfect present.

Annabel’s also plans to host a number of craft based workshops in the future; the shop will act as a creative hub and hopes to encourage community involvement.

15 High Street, Chislehurst Kent, BR7 5AB Tel: 07733 014565

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f e at u r e

Dickens of a life Delving into a

Of all his plots, Charles Dickens had one more up his sleeve – his own rise from rags to riches, as relevant now as Baby P and Fred the Shred eerily echo the era on which he based his famous storylines.

JOHN RULER sets off to discover the best of times, the worse of times, of a master storyteller whose bi-centenary is being marked worldwide (www.dickens2012.org) My first stop was Portsmouth, Dickens’ birthplace. Agreed he was only three when his perpetually debt-ridden father, a Royal Navy clerk, was transferred yet again. Nor could he trace his actual birthplace when he returned in 1866 for the second public readings of his works.

But it was here he sourced material for Nicholas Nickleby, basing the Crummles’ travelling theatre on the original Theatre Royal in Old Portsmouth High Street. Better still, several pages from the original manuscript, complete with scribblings, blots and crossings out, are now on loan to Portsmouth City Museum.

They form part of A Tale of One City, a small, but absorbing, exhibition with rare memorabilia exploring the novelist’s role in rapidly changing times. ‘What we have on Dickens is ours.’ said collections manager, Lucinda Hardiman. ‘We’re proud of that.’

Call in, too, at 1 Mile End Terrace, now 393 Old Commercial Road, in 1809 the rented home for Dickens’ then newly married father, John, an ‘extra clerk’ at Portsmouth Naval Dockyard. It is now Charles Dickens Birthplace Museum, a modest Regency style home in which Charles John Huffam Dickens was born on February 7, 1812, the couple’s second eldest child. His parents also lived briefly at 16 Hawke Street, Portsmouth, before John was posted to London in 1814. The most important item is the couch on which Dickens died at Gad’s Hill Place, Kent.

30 j u n e 2 0 1 2

A Tale of One City, Portsmouth Museum, tel: 023 9282 7261; www.portsmouthcitymuseums.co.uk. Ends Nov 4; www.charlesdickensbirthplace.co.uk A love affair with Kent

DICKENS loved Kent, especially Chatham where his family, who arrived by ferry when Charles was five, gained their ‘ earliest and most enduring impressions among barracks and soldiers, and ships and sailors.’

I met up with Pam Wood, a local lass, who leads the Historic Naval Dockyard Tours. A self-confessed history nut, she empathises with the nine year old Charles who, taught mainly at his mother’s knee, developed an urge for writing at William Giles School in Chatham.

He even wrote ‘ a tragic little tale’ which no longer exists.

What does is his little-known book The Uncommercial Traveller, a collection of sketches and reminiscences written in the late 1850s. This includes the massive technological changes from the building of wooden warships to the iron-clad warriors to match those of the French – all keenly observed by a wide-eyed Charles.

But Chatham, with its dockyard temptations, drove his father even deeper into debt. A move to the poorer quarter of town was inevitable, though, despite the financial restraints straits, he generously helped fund victims of the 1820 fire which swept through the town.

Drop into the nearby Dickens World, a giant theme-park interpretation of his life dangling a genuine educational element.

It certainly impressed the youngsters I met who quickly got to

Clockwise: Explore the murky depths of Dickens ‘London at Chatham Maritime (Dickens World); Meet up with Dolly Varben from Barnaby Rudge, and Mrs Nickleby on a costumed tour of Rochester (Adam Swaine Photography); Admire Dickens’ desk at The Dickens House Museum, Broadstairs; Pop into his Gad’s Hill home depicted in a plaque probably create by a famous Faversham firm; See where he worked at Chatham Dockyard and his birthplace at Portsmouth (John Ruler) Portrait of Dickens at his prime by West Wickham artist June Avis. Below left: plaque probably created by a Varden from Barnaby Rudge,

grips with a speedy production of A Christmas Carol in the cobbled courtyard with its Dickensian shops and alleys.

Even better grab a Great Expectations dark boat ride through the murky depths of the London sewers, with the inevitable dousing at the end. With advice from the Dickens Fellowship, this huge complex, fittingly opened at Chatham Maritime, would surely have tickled Dickens’ sense of showmanship.

The Historic Dockyard, Chatham; www.thedockyard.co.uk; tel: 01634 823807. Dickens World, Chatham Maritime; www.dickensworld.co.uk; tel: 01634 890 421 Medway magic

THE Medway town of Rochester, or Cloisterham in The Mystery of Edwin Drood, left a lasting impression on Dickens – even though admitting later the High Street was more a lane than ‘being as wide as Regent Street’ as he once thought Restoration House, an ornate Elizabethan mansion, probably doubled up as Satis House, home to Miss Havisham in Great Expectations. The precincts of Rochester Cathedral, likewise, played a central role in The Mystery of Edwin Drood, while Eastgate House, served as his model for Miss Twinkleton’s Seminary for Young Ladies.

To learn more join Nancy (namely Sandi Digby) and assorted characters, including Bill Sikes, on her Footsteps in Time jaunt in and around the High Street filled with Dickens’ ‘gables with old beams and timbers carved into strange faces.’

Miffed by the closure of the Dickens Museum, Sandi started her then one-woman company in 2005, not as an historian but concerned that the town, though blessed with a cathedral and a castle, could have lost its unique selling point. ‘Dickens created such wonderful characters in his books,’ she said. With a multi-lingual staff and 13 locations to look at in around an hour, she aptly proves the point. Why dress as Nancy? ‘Because I need to wear a costume that I can easily move around in. Also I secretly admire her…’

Footsteps in Time www.footstepsintimerochester.co.uk Dickens Discovery Rooms, Guildhall Museum, www.vistmedway.org Home of his own

IN 1856, with Bleak House alone bringing in £600 a month, Dickens bought Gad’s Hill Place, Higham, a red-bricked mansion which he had coveted from boyhood walks, for £1790. Yet Charles was an unhappy man, weary of his tireless London campaigns for political reform. He was also alone, having, some say brutally, separated from his wife Catherine, whose younger sister Georgina

became his house-keeper (see: Ladies in His Life page ???)

It was here, too, that he died from a stroke, aged 58, in June 1870. But this not before writing A Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations and Our Mutual Friend during summers spent in his miniature Swiss Chalet installed in the garden. Rochester & Chatham Dickens Fellowship are currently raising money for its restoration.

Pre-booked visits to Gad’s Hill, a school since the 1920s, are available during July and August. These have been organised through the Charles Dickens Museum (www.dickensmuseum. com) his last remaining London home (see page ???). Both Gad’s Hill, and the bleak beauty of the surrounding Thames marshes, have strong Dickens’ links; the churchyard at St James’s, Cooling, is recognised world-wide as the opening scene in Great Expectations when Magwitch, the escaped convict, looms from behind a tombstone to grab an unsuspecting Pip. L ook out for the sad little stone lozenges marking the last resting place of 13 children from two families, all barely a few months old. These were referred to in the Dickens novel. Joe Gargery’s forge was likewise modelled on the one in Chalk, which is where Dickens honeymooned with Catherine. Nearby Cooling Castle is home to Jules Holland.

At Cobham, too, the Leather Bottle, built in 1629, has long been known as the ‘clean and commodious alehouse ‘ in The Pickwick Papers. Also associated with his characters are Gravesend probably used for Peggoty’s Boathouse in David Copperfield, a novel largely based in and around Canterbury. It is believed The Sun Inn, close to the cathedral, was ‘the little inn’ that Mr and Mrs Micawber entertained David to ‘a beautiful little dinner.’

‘Our English watering place’

SHOUT ‘Donkeys! ’ at Broadstairs seafront and you could raise a few wry smiles.

For it was here he based Betsey Trotwood – David Copperfield’s great aunt – on Mary Pearson Strong whose Tudor cottage overlooking Viking Bay now houses the Dickens House Museum. Like Betsey in the book, she would berate the donkey boys for daring to bring their charges in front of her sacred cottage lawn.

This always amused Dickens who was staying next door at the Royal Albion Hotel where he enjoyed Mr Ballard’s Holland gin and writing Nicholas Nickleby. He also described her cottage and its furnishings as seen through the eyes of a young David Copperfield, changing the location to Dover, to avoid any embarrassment to Miss Strong said by Dickens’ eldest son, Charley, to be a charming lady of around 70 who fed him cakes.

This delightful story is brought to life, along with a string of similar anecdotes and artefacts, at the museum, named Dickens House before the close of the 19th century.

Bulging with rare Dickens memorabilia, it recalls his many visits to Broadstairs. These began in 1837 when, aged 25, he took lodgings in the High Street to complete part 18 of his already acclaimed Pickwick Papers which had been serialised in monthly form.

I was shown round by the curator Lee Ault, Broadstairs born, and honorary joint general secretary of the International Dickens Fellowship and chairman of Canterbury Dickens Fellowship. She was once asked by the Queen whether she could read Dickens’ famously scribbled scripts. She was just the right person to ask. Pride of place is given in the museum to letters written by him from and about Broadstairs, extolling the virtues of ‘Our English Watering Place.’ www.dickensmuseumbroadstairs.org.uk; tel: 01843 863453 June2012

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f e at u r e * A smiling Lucinda Dickens Hawksley, guest of honour at last year’s annual Dickens on the Strand at the coastal port of Galveston, Texas, is a reminder that her great, great, great grandfather Charles embarked on two major money-spinning tours to the United

© Dickens Museum

States.

Dickens’ Dream, left, depicting the author at Gads Hill surrounded by his creations, is the work of Robert William Buss who, despite being replaced after his illustrations for Pickwick Papers disappointed the publishers, remained a huge Dickens admirer.

Sadly he did not live to complete the watercolour, itself painted after Dickens own death. © Charles Dickens Museum

D

The life AnD TiMeS of A liTerAry giAnT

ickens and London, a new exhibition exploring one of the world’s most influential authors, will open at the Museumtraveller, of London on 9 December 2011. s a small boy I was jokingly threatened with set sail for America for a series of successful lecture

A

being sent to the blacking factory for wasting my pocket money. In Dickens’ case it became horribly true. Aged just 12, with his feckless father John back from Chatham and in debtor’s prison his mother, Elizabeth, sent him to slog for six shillings a week at Warrens’ Blacking factory, a rat-ridden warehouse on Hungerford Stairs close what is now Charing Cross station.

It had a life-long effect on Dickens. With his dreams of fame dashed, he drew on his childhood misery and the sudden reversal in family fortune to create the likes of Fagin, Oliver Twist and Pip. Even his father John, whose mounting debts landed the family in Marshalsea Prison – the main setting for Little Dorritt – became the role model for Mr Micawber’s ‘something will turn up’ philosophy in David Copperfield. As for his mother, a cheerful but cautious soul, she became Mrs Nickleby who continued to put on airs and graces in the face of financial ruin in Nicholas Nickleby. She fell out spectacularly with Charles by trying unsuccessfully to get him sent back to the factory – despite him being allowed back to school; shortly after, with a family inheritance eventually settling the family debts, he became a pupil at Wellington House Academy in North London.

But by 15, he had joined a legal firm in Gray’s Inn where he proved to be a good mimic. He even considered a stage career with his flashy clothes and crimson waistcoats later revealing his love of acting – as well as concealing what he considered his shameful family background.

In 1829 he became a freelance reporter. At 21 his first published work, Sketches by Boz, appeared in magazine form and between 1836-7, as a Morning Chronicle journalist, he wrote The Pickwick Papers. By 28 he was pulling in the crowds, using manic nightly strolls amid the slums, prisons and squalid streets as source material. In 1841 Dickens, an avid

tours. These and his readings, given with a true thespian’s touch, provided a healthy income in his later years.

There has not been a major exhibition on Charles Dickens in the UK since 1970. Dickens LADIES IN HIS LIFE and London will be the largest exhibition marking the 200th ofhishis DICKENS love anniversary life was as complex as plots.birth in First was his overwhelming passion for the 2012. It will reveal that Dickens was the first great Maria novelist of the modern city capricious and the Beadnell, Dora in David Copperfield, who jilted him and secondly romantically charged novels, marriage age of mass culture. Original and rarely seen manuscripts of his hislessmost famous at 24 to Catherine Hogarth, the amiable, daughter of his including Bleak House and David Copperfield, willeditor be on show. on the Morning Chronicle. Even then he became

infatuated with her younger sister Mary, who, after falling ill and dying in his arms aged 17, was believed to have inspired the character of Little Nell in The Old Curiosity Shop.

He eventually turned on Catherine, resentful, it seemed, that he now had ten children – not counting two miscarriages – to support.

In 1858 he and Catherine split amid considerable acrimony.

The result: he fell, tabloid style, in love with an 18 year old actress Ellen – known as Nelly –Ternan. This was kept a close secret as the slightest whiff of scandal would have ruined his image as the archetypal family man – a far cry for his own dysfunctional upbringing.

His bi-centenary, in particular, has seen this tangled 13 year relationship unravel, with researchers exposing the darker side of Dickens by now 45, and indulging his passion for the theatre through which he met Rochester born Ellen.

Dickens loved the railways too, but on June 9, !865, the train he was travelling on first-class with Nelly and her mother to Charing Cross hit a bridge at Staplehurst, Kent, and fell into the river. Ten people died and 49 were hurt. Nelly, who suffered arm and neck injuries, was hastily removed along with her mother before the public learnt they had been travelling with such a famous author. Badly shaken,

The display will examine the central relationship between Dickens and London – the city that inspired much of his work – and that he described as his ‘magic lantern’.

Often walking the streets at night, Dickens would build in his mind the settings, plots and characters of his novels. Evoking the atmosphere of the streets of Victorian London and the river Thames, visitors will follow in Dickens’ footsteps and be taken on a memorable and haunting journey, discovering the places and subjects which sparked his imagination.

The great social questions of the 19th century will be investigated including childhood mortality, prostitution, and wealth and poverty. They will be set against the new features of the modern industrial age such as steam boats, railways, the electric telegraph and the penny post. The display will end with a specially-commissioned film, The Houseless Shadow, by William Raban, one of the UK’s leading documentary 32 j u n e 2 0 1 2 filmmakers. It will explore the continuities between London after dark as it is now, compared with how it was described by Charles Dickens over 150 years ago.

and all softly backed water, and kept the boat straight and true before it. As it came nearer, I saw it to be Magwitch, swimming, but not swimming freely. He was taken on board, and instantly manacled at the wrists and ankles.

Great Expectations

© Ally Carmichael

but unhurt, Dickens went on to help other passengers. ‘more picturesque and quaint than half the innocent places which But his secret trysts were becoming known and for many tourists, following their leader like sheep, have made imposters of ’. years anyone daring to suggest any sexual Mind you, he also writes that ‘the steamer no sooner Lights are shenanigans sparklingwere in the windows this evening, and the ruddy glow of fires is warm held to be ‘despicable scandalmongers’ by Dickens’ admirers. touches the port than all the passengers fall into captivity; and bright upon andboarded soft carpets, and the When Dickens was buried at Westminster Abbeythe at hangingsbeing by an overpowering forcedinner of Customwaits to be served, the behest of Queen Victoria – and at Rochester as is handsomely house officers marched into a gloomy and thenotdinner-table setand forth, though onlydungeon.’ for four persons, and he wished – Ellen was nowhere to be seen. But she did Certainly a far cry from today’s luxury ferries to the board isofcumbrous with plate.

It is drive theaway firstfrom time that the receive £1000 outright from his side will, with the bulk Calais, a 30-minute the ‘bright, airy, house has been his estate shared out among his survivingfor children. cheerful town ‘of Boulogne.’ also thought arranged occupation sincepleasant its late changes, and theHehappy pair are looked for the local fishwives’ legs were ‘the finest ever carved.’ every minute.

LONDON LIFE Dickens not only knew his France, The Tale of Two Cities, after DESPITE the huge number of pages devoted all, was set in Paris, but has many fans among the French, not Dombey and Son to London, there are now relatively few locations related to Dickens and at least in Boulogne. This was evident by the success last year of his characters still Charles Dickens, The standing. One notable Inimitable exhibition exception is the Dickens staged in the magnificent Museum, Doughty setting of the Château Fog everywhere.

Street, currently d’Hardelot from May Fog up theof river, where it closed for a £3.million to October.

Many redevelopment. It the exhibits on loan green aits and meadows; reopens in December are now back in the where in time for the UKriver, and displayed at it rolls defiled annual Christmas the locations described tiers of shipping, and the celebrations, including in pages elsewhere. pollutions of a great and Christmas Day. GETTING THERE: Described as ‘my Bleak House P&O Ferries house in town’, Dickens www.poferries.com lived there from 1837 offer up to 30 sailings to 1839 when he moved in each direct daily to Devonshire Terrace between Dover and to accommodate his Calais; DFDS www. growing family. The dfdsseaways.co.uk house, threatened with who this year launched demolition in 1923, was Above: Original manuscript of Bleak House constant pacing to and fro, that never-ending restlessness, that incessant a new Dover-Calais acquired by the Dickens That © Ally Carmichael service in conjunction Fellowship, opening tread of feet wearing the rough stones smooth and glossy—is it not a wonder how Right: Ellen Ternan © Charles Dickens with LD Lines. in 1925 as the world’s theMuseum dwellers in narrows ways can bear to hear it! Think ofALSO a sick man in such a www.tourismefinest Dickens-related Ternan was 18 years old when Dickens boulognesurmer.com & museum. It has been met her in 1857. He hired her, her mother, place as Saint Martin’s Court, listening to the footsteps, and in the midst of pain and sister to act in his production of The www.pas-de-calais.com working closely with a Frozen Deep. From then on he had a despite secret weariness obliged, himself (as though it were a task he must perform) number of bi-centenary and relationship with her until his death. ( JOHN RULER is author of exhibitions including to detect the child’s step from the man’s, the slipshodthebeggar from the booted Bradt Guide to Nord-Pas de Dickens and London theondon. lounging from the busy, the dull heel Calais: of the sauntering outcast from see www.bradtguides.com) at the Museum of Londonexquisite, (www.museumofl org.uk). This closes on June 10 but the museum remains the quick tread of an expectant pleasure-seeker—think of the hum and noise always a marvellous way to research Victorian London. being present to his senses, andA smiling of theLucinda stream of life thatguest willofnot stop, pouring on, Dickens Hawksley, Look out, too, for Dickens and the Artists from honour at last year’s annual Dickens on the Strand at the June 19 at the Watts Gallery, an exhibition on Dickens on, on, through all his restlesscoastal dreams, as if he were condemned to lie dead but port of Galveston, Texas, is a reminder that her in Southwark at the Cuming Museum which runs until conscious, inanda the noisy churchyard, and hadgrandfather no hopeCharles of for centuries to come. great, great embarked on two November 24, and ‘Dickens and his World’ Streets 5.great, Ellen Ternan © rest Charles Dickens Museum major money-spinning tours to the United States. of Dickens at Holborn Library until December 21.

The Old Curiosity Shop Ternan was 18 years old Th when met h e festival,Dickens based If you don’t fancy one of the many Dickens Walking on 19th century Tours try a Dickensian flavoured coach trip with City secret relationship with her until his death.

Victorian London & Village Tours (www.cityandvillagetours.com) amid general LA BELLE FRANCE razzmatazz is run by Like many cross-Channel visitors, Dickens fell for the Gallic Galveston Historical charms of Boulogne – My ‘French watering place.’ It was here, too, Foundation This or rather Condette, butting on to Hardelot, that he and a young year’s is from Ellen Ternan set up their coastal bolthole to escape the tittle-tattle December 1-2. back home. Now privately owned, the modest white cottage bears a Similar festivals simple plaque stating that Dickens stayed here from 1860 to 1864. are held elsewhere But it was not just Dickens love of Ellen, platonic or otherwise, in North America, that drew him to the area. Prior to his marital bust-up, he took his Europe and by then large family for long summer holidays to sample a resort even India. june2012

33

6. Dickens with his daughters Mary and Ka

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wo things are immediately clear when Will Smith bounds into view and enthusiastically starts pumping hands: first, he’s a true showman and, second, appears to be ageless. While the square afro that he first stepped into the limelight with as The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air may be long gone, there’s no sign of greying on this 43-year-old, who seems to have the energy levels of his just-teenage children Jaden and Willow. And they’re needed, because he’s been busy protecting the earth

36 j u n e 2 0 1 2

Will Smith first donned the Men In Black suit and shades 15 years ago and now he’s back with Men In Black III. The actor reveals why he wanted to take a risk and revisit the franchise. By Kate Whiting from the ‘scum of the universe’ again in Men In Black 3.

It’s fair to say the sequel to the 1997 sci-fi comedy didn’t do as well, and there has been a ten-year hiatus since Smith and his co-star Tommy Lee Jones last donned their black suits as Agent J and Agent K. So why come back now?

“That’s a good question,” says Smith, letting rip his familiar deep belly laugh. According to Barry Sonnenfeld, who’s directed all three, they were half-way through filming the sequel, when Smith piped up with an idea for a third. “He said, ‘You know

i n t e rv i e w

Baz, I think I should go back in the past and do something that has to save Agent K and by doing that, J learns secrets we didn’t know and it would be great to do a time travel version’,” Sonnenfeld reveals “And I said, ‘Let’s get through 2’.”

But the idea stuck and eventually came to fruition. In this new instalment, Agent J has to time leap back to 1969 to stop criminal alien Boris (Flight Of The Conchords’ Jermaine Clement) from killing K and changing the course of the planet. We learn why K became so grumpy and why he’s never willing to open up to J...

Early on in the film’s development, Smith and Sonnenfeld had decided it was only worth making Men In Black 3 if they were going to be “aggressive” and take risks. “That was one of the things we talked about, we can’t be safe. If you’re going to do another one, you have to do it for a reason other than, ‘Hey, wouldn’t it be cool if ?’” says Smith, who’s looking dapper in a salmon pink shirt and cream chinos, when we meet in Cancun. “So you want to reveal something about the characters, and I loved that there was this idea of how detrimental secrets are in relationships. I loved being risky and aggressive with the franchise.”

To play a younger version of Tommy Lee Jones, Sonnenfeld approached lookalikey Josh Brolin, who had already done a pretty good impression of former President George Bush in W. It’s almost unnerving how much Brolin apes a younger Jones and after a few minutes, you forget you’re not actually watching him.

Having bonded so much with Jones on the first two films, Smith admits he was “terrified” by the prospect of playing against Brolin as K. “What was exciting to me about doing this is how dangerous and almost foolish it was to try to make Men In Black and introduce a new actor [to play K]. “There’s a certain rhythm and chemistry that you develop after you’ve worked with someone a certain amount of times, you know? It’s like a great lover, where you just fall in sync and you just know things. And then you get a new girlfriend or boyfriend...” he says, laughing.

“But what was interesting was, it was almost identical. The rhythm, the intonation, the chemistry was just identical.

I was amazed at how on the first day, first scene [with Brolin], there was nothing I had to do differently. It was almost the exact interaction as with Tommy Lee Jones.”

The pairing worked so well in fact, that Sonnenfeld was

reduced to tears of joy. “In all fairness though, he cries when he gets hungry,” Smith quips of his long-time director. He credits Sonnenfeld with bringing the “strangeness and slightly twisted sense of humour” to Men In Black - and reveals that their offscreen relationship has been just as mad-cap. “Every time we work together Barry ends up in the hospital. When Jada was pregnant with Jaden, he broke his fist on me,” says Smith, laughing.

Another time, Smith knocked the director unconscious with an inflatable boxing glove. “I’d just done Ali and we were playing with these huge inflatable boxing gloves. I punched him and the glove popped...”

He’s now almost as well known for his Oscar nominated serious roles in Ali (2001) and The Pursuit Of Happyness (2006), in which his 13-year-old Jaden played his on-screen son. But Smith believes his career could have been very different if it weren’t for the comic breakthrough he had with the first Men In Black film, which came just a year after he finished working on long-running sitcom The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air. “It was right after Independence Day, so Independence Day was the fluke and then Men In Black was like, ‘Oh, well wait a minute, maybe he’ll hang out with us for a little while’. It was the first opportunity to play comedy on that level. It’s a really strange world in Men In Black. You don’t see a lot of fantasy comedies, right? It’s a difficult mark to hit. So it was a really wonderful lesson in comedy and in performance. With Men In Black 3, we sort of went slightly more - not dramatic, but it’s like the story is more emotionally centred than the other two films. We didn’t shy away from the maturity of the ideas, but didn’t lose the fun and the comedy. So for me, it’s probably been the most tricky franchise I’ve worked on and educationally, one of the best movies I’ve ever been around.”

One look at his upcoming film slate and it seems Smith is now wedded to franchises: with Hancock 2, I, Robot 2 and Bad Boys 3 all in the pipeline. But for his next project, he’s teaming up with his son Jaden again and revisiting alien territory in After Earth, about a father and son who crash land on another planet. “Jaden is like Johnny Depp,” Smith has said previously.

“He just wants to do good work. He doesn’t care what money he gets, he doesn’t care what people see or don’t see. He loves acting and wants to make good movies.”

Like father like son? june2012

37

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delicately dazzling - tHe englisH rose look is going to be big tHis summer. lisa Haynes reveals How to Prettify your make-uP. by lisa Haynes

40 j u n e 2 0 1 2

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ith the Jubilympics looming, there’s only one look to work this summer - the English rose.

Championed by the likes of the Duchess of Cambridge, Keira Knightley and Kate Winslet, it’s a natural look that exudes British beauty in the most subtle of ways.

The cosmetics world has cottoned on to its timeless appeal too. Bobbi Brown has recently launched a Rose Gold collection, while pale-skinned beauty Lily Cole is the model face of her own Limited Edition make-up range for The Body Shop, packed with pretty pinks and radiant peaches.

“The English rose look describes a woman with what I call ‘stealth make-up’, as it ensures you look fabulous but not at all made-up,” says make-up artist Jemma Kidd.

“The effect is tidy, polished and groomed, with neat brows, curled lashes and subtly defined eyes.”

Sound like a winning look? Time to make your face blossom with beauty.

Rosy glow

Before you begin your transformation, make sure your make-up bag is pretty enough for the job.

It needs to be planted with creams, pearls and oysters with a slight sheen for eyes and sheer or slightly glossy nude or pale pink shades for lips.

Don’t feel excluded if you don’t have a pale skin and pink lips complexion: “Although it’s typically associated with fair skin, the English rose is a look all skin tones can draw inspiration from,” says Kidd.

“Olive-toned skin would use pale neutrals in buttery creams for the eyes.

“Darker skins can draw from chocolate brown, coffee, praline and taupe for a ‘no make-up’ look, with lips glossed with sheer apricot or soft brown shades.”

Thorny issues

While the overall look is versatile, everyday make-up, careful application techniques are required for make-up that looks ‘barely there’.

It’s all about the skin, according to Kidd: “It needs to look smooth, hydrated and natural - neither too dewy nor too matte, with a flush of youthful radiance.

“Foundation is your canvas, so invest in a good formulation that’s right for your skin.”

The au naturel look is a daunting prospect for some but you can still enhance the English rose for a little daytime or evening glamour.

“Use eyeliner to define the eyes and build up colour intensity,” Kidd suggests.

“Cheek or lip stain also adds an instant flush of colour to cheeks and lips - the final look still needs to be fresh and pretty rather than loud and bold.”

How to blossom

The English rose will have added celebratory appeal for this summer but it’s a perennial look you can create over and over again. Jemma Kidd reveals how, step-by-step: l Even out skin tone using a light liquid foundation and touches of concealer as needed. l Cheeks are key, so blend a fresh pink powder blush from the apple of the cheeks along the cheekbone, or for a more youthful finish opt for a cheek stain, and blend onto the apples of the cheeks for a pretty, fresh, doll-like finish. l For a dewy finish, blend a little ice gold creme highlighter along the cheekbones. l Neaten the brows and lightly fill in the shape. :: Neutral eye shadows with a gentle shimmer are very flattering - use all over the lid from the lash line to the socket and brush a deeper shade into the socket crease and blend well. l Curl the lashes and define with dark brown

lengthening mascara. l Apply rose-tinted balm with SPF to protect and moisturise the lips, then layer shell pink gloss on top, which enhances their natural colour and makes them look full and glossy. l A touch of non-shimmery highlighter at the outer corners of the eye and lips will give the face a flattering lift.

Smelling rosy

An uber-pretty face doesn’t sit well with a heavy, overpowering fragrance.

Keep your scent as light and feminine as your face with a rose perfume.

This summer’s rosy offerings include Stella McCartney’s Summer Rose, Paul Smith Rose Limited Edition and Givenchy’s Very Irresistible Electric Rose.

“The popular flower is often linked with beauty, elegance and of course, romance,” explains Michelle D’vaz of The Perfume Shop.

“With many perfumers adding a modern twist, such as the recent limited edition of Stella Summer Rose, rose continues to be a popular ingredient.”

june2012

41

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LADYLIKE HIKE

After years of clumping around in chunky soles and statement heels, girly shoes are back with bells (and bows) on.

With their dainty stiletto heels, pastel shades and metallic toes, Louis Vuitton’s MerryGo-Round heels have made ladylike cool again.

Add Kate Middleton to the court shoe equation and it’s a feminine takeover on the shoe shelves.

Look for sleek shapes, pointy toes and delicate straps to stay on trend and you can go to town on prints, bows or embellishments to up the girly elements.

For the final authentic ladylike touch, find super-skinny heels - just remember to watch out for drains!

Step into summer

I

t’s fair to say ‘the’ shoe of the year so far has been the wellington boot. Usually reserved for festivals, the humble wellie has enjoyed an extended period of wear thanks to Britain’s recent non-stop downpours. But if, like the rain, your big boots have outstayed their welcome then it’s time to enhance your summer wardrobe with a footwear fix.

It’s not just about traditional tan sandals this year. From the new ‘flatform’ through to Olympic-inspired footwear, shoes are taking fashionable steps into new territory.

steP into summer witH some new footwear. lisa Haynes looks at tHe Hottest styles of tHe season

FLATFORM FEVER

COLOUR BLOCKER

Stand back wedges, there’s a new shoe on the block. Meet the flatform - a cross between a wedge and a flat where the raised platform is virtually the same height from heel to toe.

Their architecture makes them undoubtedly one of the comfiest styles of the season.

Opt for strappy sandal styles for a variation on traditional flats, or try a closed toe if you’re not a fan of flaunting your feet.

As flatforms are trend-led, keep things interesting with a metallic snakeskin or even a glittery contrast heel. Who said flats had to be boring?

Brights are big in our wardrobes this year and eyepopping hues have extended to our shoe cupboards. While brave fashionistas will be stepping out in flashes of neon, primary colours can make just as much of an impact.

Either opt for a single bold shade or try the rainbow approach of clashing colours together on one pair of shoes. Just ensure you keep the basic shape simple and graphic enough to allow the colour to ‘pop’.

Even heels have undergone a colour blocking makeover, so opt for a chunkier platform to make a statement as you strut.

44 j u n e 2 0 1 2

Cool runnings

Back in 2012 Olympics mode, kit your feet out with this summer’s prevalent athletics aesthetic.

Concealed wedge trainers are one of fashion’s greatest inventions since David Beckham’s H&M underwear campaigns, adding height but being comfortable enough to sprint for the bus.

Keep things fresh, summery and less obviously gym-kit with a pale or pastel pair. You may not win any medals for speed but you can still do sporty in slinky heels. Look for mesh panels, cut-out details, grip soles or sporty bright shades.

Full bloom

Take inspiration from RHS Chelsea Flower Show and inject some flower power into your summer footwear.

Botanicals have bloomed onto pumps, wedges and sandals to prettify your feet.

Try dainty digital floral buds or more obvious graphic bold blossoms - the bigger the surface area, such as wedges, the bigger the print impact.

Go full bloom and experiment clashing petal-inspired shoes with floral outfits. For tactile florals that look good enough to sniff, try the 3D approach.

Look for shoes with embellished buds intertwined on straps or bloom-like corsages.

Olympic standards

No need for Union Jack novelty footwear to acknowledge the London 2012 Olympics hype.

Channel the Olympians and step up to the summer podium with medal-inspired shoes instead.

Bronze, silver and gold are the footwear colours of the season and the shiny shades are versatile enough to go with the majority of your spring/summer wardrobe. Metallic shoes come in all forms, from towering wedges high enough to pole vault in, to flat sandals suitable for power walking on the pier.

Add extra sparkle to your look with glitter-embellished styles.

JUNE 2 0 1 2

45

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colours their highly trained technicians & stylists can add amazing volume and/or up to 24� in length in only a couple of hours, they can also transform your hair colour and give you a stylish new hair cut.

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KITCHEN LIFE T H E

Q U A L I T Y

K I T C H E N

G U I D E

J U N E

2 0 1 2

Kitchens ARE THE NEW liVinG ROOMS

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47

kitchen life

Put some personality into your kitchen Staying put, but desperate to improve? A new kitchen’s a wise investment, and you could bag a bargain.

Brilliant Gloss.

Glossy, lacquer finishes are in vogue for homes, and a strong trend for kitchens. Small wonder, as this effect works brilliantly by helping to bounce light around, and can even make standard units look glamorous.

One of the latest finishes for cabinets are high gloss veneers that give a rustic look with a modern edge. High gloss finish kitchens are beautiful and always deliver real impact in the home. Pure white and High Gloss White is a stunning, their streamlined appearance can be enhanced by being handleless.

Black and White

I

f you want to make a home buyer’s eyes light up as they enter your property, you’ll present them with something sleek, glossy, and with curves in all the right places.

Naturally, we’re talking about the allure of a stylish kitchen, which has re-emerged as a key factor in selling a property.

Phil Spencer from Location, Location, Location advises “Branded kitchens go in and out of fashion, so be careful what you choose. You don’t want buyers dating your kitchen by the colour or style of the doors, so opt for classic designs and easy-on-the-eye colours.”

And, as the fashion is for a kitchen to be the multifunctional ‘heart of the home’, he believes it doesn’t make sense to stint on appliances, worktops and tiles. He says a great kitchen can add around 5% to the value of a property and a good kitchen does sell a house faster. Estate agents say that women buyers put the kitchen at the top of the property wish list. But getting the layout right is crucial, so concentrate on putting appliances in the

48 JUNE 2 0 1 2

right place and having properly planned storage space.

That’s Entertainment

Kitchens are now as popular as dining and entertaining areas, and Kelly Hoppen, the renowned home designer has devised her own streamlined recipe for creating space, and the kitchen plays a major role in the process.

“It’s definitely the theatre at the heart of my home,” she says. “To cook and entertain at home is now cool and I have a fireplace up on the wall like a painting, which is a focal point, and cosy in winter.

“As I’m always hosting dinners and love having guests drinking and chatting while I cook, I wanted this to be an open and alluring space for friends to relax.

“The island bar is where everyone gravitates - it’s not only a ‘chill and chat’ zone, it’s a place to work, read and have breakfast and so upholstered comfortable chairs are an essential. Maximising space with an island bar on doublesided central units, using reflective surfaces such as

glossy lacquer or silky polished plaster and employing the colour taupe - a perfect neutral which creates an atmosphere of harmony and calm.

We have checked out kitchen trends so you can choose a kitchen to suit your personal taste and practical needs.

Softer Edges

Hard-edge industrialstyle kitchens initially made popular by TV celebrity chefs are now waning, and a more family friendly look with softer, curved outlines is now appealing.

The days of just buying a total look ‘off the shelf ’ is gone.

People are looking to customise their kitchens and make them as individual as they can. Curves are most certainly back in style and this versatile range allows them the freedom to do that.

Accent doors come in a selection of effects from fuchsia to aubergine or wood finishes like zebrano. Glass splashbacks, and different textures from glossy lacquer to matt wood are other options.

Despite the emergence of more colour in the home, black and white still remains a chic combination that’s unlikely to date. Black and white is a classic and the most popular choice of many buyers. The advantage is that it works in either a modern or more traditional setting. The most daring looks now are all white or all black kitchens, with striking metallics integrated.

Modern Colour

Colour never fails to make an impact, and there’s a kaleidoscope of shades on offer as kitchen companies embrace this trend.

Many traditionalists still favour a stained wood finish, this year the red high-gloss kitchen continues to be a leading choice for those are looking for a modern space.

Less Formal

Thrifty buyers are now comfortable with a kitchen that doesn’t shriek ‘off the peg’ style and has a non-matching or even free-standing look. There’s far less formality in the home than ever before and this is reflected in the trend towards freestanding kitchens. These offer a great deal of flexibility and can be configured in different ways to accommodate the changing needs of the family.

German engineered,

British designed

Kitchens, bedrooms & living furniture Krieder’s sole objective is to create products of beauty, rich in quality & daring in combination.

As a market leader, we push the boundaries of cutting edge design in order to provide solutions of ultimate efficiency, carefully combined with utter indulgence. We spend time understanding the needs of our clients, allowing us to create and then build the most effective and usable product possible.

To discuss your ideas, contact us by phone 01892 619 721 or by email; sales@krieder.com Alternatively visit us online; www.krieder.com or at our showroom; 3 Chapel Place, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN1 1YQ Showroom opening hours; Monday to Saturday 9.30am - 5.30pm

R B Interiors R

B Interiors – offer custom designed kitchens, bedrooms and bathrooms and installed for you at a sensible price!

R B Interiors provide a comprehensive design and build service for bespoke kitchens, bedrooms, home offices and bathrooms that takes you through every stage of creating that ideal home interior. Based out of their showroom in Farnborough, near Orpington, they carry out complete new installations and refurbishments incorporating every trade and skill you need.

R B Interiors maintain a dedicated team of friendly, professional and experienced fitters and company management, ensuring their quality standards are always upheld. They take the greatest pride in high quality workmanship, helpful design services, a highly personalised service and an absolute guarantee of no pushy salesmen!

You will not get better quality or value than R B Interiors.

R B Interiors, 3 Church Road, Farnborough, Kent BR6 7DB Tel: 01689 862417 www.rbinteriors.co.uk Email sales@rbinteriors.co.uk

ILL W WE

T VA LL O N IT A Y PA

!

OU Y R FO

Beautiful Bathrooms Welling Ltd

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johnlewis_kentlife-jun12.indd 1

04/05/2012 12:14

La Belle Cuisine La Belle Cuisine the kitchen & bedroom specialist

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ith 26 years of experience LA BELLE CUISINE prides themselves on offering a complete service from site survey to the completed kitchen, including small building works, plastering, plumbing, electrics, tiling and flooring.

Also they will undertake worktop replacements in laminate and granite and an appliance replacement service. Call in and talk to the experts John or Keith or e-mail labelle.bexley@btconnect.com.

La Belle Cuisine, 42 High Street, Bexley, Kent, DA5 1AH Tel: 01322 555353

kitchen life

JOHN LEWIS

OF HUNGERFORD

I

n what promises to be a quintessentially British year, John Lewis of Hungerford are thrilled to be celebrating 40 fabulous years of British painted kitchens and furniture.

Rightly proud of their heritage the team can look back with satisfaction on 40 years of great design, inspired creations and beautifully finished kitchens delivered to satisfied clients around the UK and beyond. Based in Wantage, Berkshire, this all-British brand is planning to honour their big birthday with a programme of 40% off promotions throughout 2012, as well as unveiling their six new on-trend paint colours.

The new paint colours have been introduced just in time to give your kitchen a new injection of summer colour. Choose from the inspiring Scarf Blue, Persian Green, Cardoon, Euphorbia, Winchester Stone and lastly Birch. Charlotte Hill Baldwin, John Lewis of Hungerford’s head of sales and marketing comments; “The six new additions have been developed to keep our colour options fresh whilst also acknowledging upcoming colour trends. They all work well within our existing palette, especially when combined with the vintage, muted tones that are the most popular choice for our customers.”

The new paint colours join an existing range of over 96 “standard” colours in 4 different finishes all of which have been certified as the most durable in the kitchen industry achieving the highest rating available from SATRA technology centre, certifying

52 JUNE 2 0 1 2

the kitchens for ‘severe usage’.

To celebrate 20 years of the iconic Artisan kitchen, the brand is launching a competition to find the UK’s Most Loved Artisan kitchen – an opportunity for past customers to enter their kitchens to win one of their new Croft dressers, personally signed by John Lewis himself. To enter, proud owners can simply upload pictures of their kitchen to the brand’s website (www.john-lewis.co.uk) along with a 50 word blurb about what they love most about their kitchen. The judging panel will include MD Jon Rosby, John Lewis and the brand’s key design team. “We often get pictures sent through from our past clients with lovely thank you notes for their very much loved kitchens. We really felt that the 20th anniversary of our Artisan kitchen along with our 40th birthday was the perfect opportunity to give back to these customers.

The competition gives our valued customers an opportunity to add a slice of the brand’s future into their own kitchen’s history” says Jon Rosby, MD of John Lewis of Hungerford.

Keen to get back to his artisan roots, John Lewis has designed and made a special piece of furniture to commemorate 40 years since opening the original Hungerford store in 1972.

Launched early this year, he designed the Croft dresser, an update on the popular classic Artisan dresser, finished in Shaker style with sleek pewter fittings. Like all of their freestanding furniture, the dresser is available in any of the brand’s 96 colour options. “When you buy a good dresser it will last you a lifetime and customers buying one of our Croft dressers will be taking a piece of our history in to their home.

After what promises to be an exciting year of celebrations, John Lewis of Hungerford are looking forward the next 40 years of innovation and providing a second to none service.

As one of Britain’s oldest and most popular kitchen furniture manufacturers they will no doubt continue to flourish whilst remaining true to the ethos of producing wonderful kitchens of outstanding quality made in the UK. The future looks bright with further new paint colours, extended furniture collections and some more showrooms too.

For Kent, Tunbridge Wells showroom: 30 The Pantiles, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Tunbridge Wells TN2 5TN. 01892 511355

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kitchen life

The bold and the beautiful k

itchens today are the focal point of our homes, more than purely a place to cook food: somewhere to eat, to entertain and to relax. With less time on our hands and kitchens no longer the domain of ‘housewives’, the function of the kitchen has changed.

It has absorbed a number of roles and transformed the way we use space.

However, the new importance placed on kitchen living does not mean we should ignore its principal function.

For kitchens to be enjoyable places they must work well – the layout of appliances, the provision of adequate storage space and areas of preparation and lighting are just a few of the considerations.

As an intensely used space and one where we are spending more and more time, thoughtful planning and thorough design is essential.

Well designed kitchens allow you to move seamlessly and work comfortably

and efficiently, integrating appliances, equipment and furniture into the space.

The essentials of good planning are the same whether you want to change your kitchen significantly, or you just want to bring it up to date. Thoughtful planning and investment are required to achieve the best result. To reach the ultimate layout you need to look at all the options, taking into consideration functions and space.

When you see a professional kitchen designer you will need to have a good idea of what you want from your kitchen and what style you feel is right for you and your home, but don’t be tied to your existing arrangement. A good design will create a good-looking kitchen purpose made for your way of working. Consider all the options and the benefits will be enduring – a stylish and practical kitchen that you and your family will enjoy for years to come.

Work surfaces, furniture,

“NOW IS THE TIME TO BE BOLD AND ADVENTUROUS AND GO FOR WHAT YOU REALLY WANT.” 54 j u n e 2 0 1 2

flooring and lighting are the fundamental elements that will inspire character in your kitchen. It is important to consider both style and efficiency when it comes to making decisions about the choice of items and finishes for your kitchen. Now is the time to be bold and adventurous and go for what you really want. Devices and appliances are revolutionising the kitchen, becoming increasingly more efficient, the latest advances helping us in every way.

These developments have the potential to change the way we live and how we enjoy and use our kitchens, but should be considered against the overall design and aesthetics of the kitchen.

As the centre of the home, kitchens are the heart of family life. One of the few places where families spend time together, where we can socialise with friends and where we can relax. Enjoy your kitchen and make sure it’s the best room in the house!

For more kitchen advice contact Adrian Graves from Fiesta on 020 8302 1368, via email adrian@fiestadesign.co.uk or visit www.fiestadesign.co.uk

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kitchen life

THE KITCHEN DOCTOR Do you wish you could give your kitchen a facelift without all the effort and expense of a new kitchen? Or would you like to finally sort those broken drawers, loose hinges etc...

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You also make significant savings over the cost of a new kitchen and the disruption is kept to a minimum.

To find out more about how this well established local business could help you, please contact The Kitchen Doctor, Oak House, 1 Sevenoaks Road, Pratts Bottom, Kent BR6 7SF Tel: 01689 850000 Web: www.thekitchendoctor.com Email: chris@thekitchendoctor.com

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o o o DRade t riety d col E B va n m

a

kitchen life The E.G Stoneham & Sons Empire Works at Watson Street, Deptford, from 1926-1959.

The building, originally cowsheds, was converted into a factory building using machines originally powered by gas engine and shaft drive/pulleys.

fine furnishings win royal seal of aPProVal JOHN RULER encounters a family firm whose furniture making skills date back to a Thames–side wood turner in 1864. They now hold a Royal Warrant…

T

he board room at the family run firm of Stoneham at an employee who recently retired after working some 45 years Sidcup, Kent, exudes a reassuring sense of continuity, not with Stoneham, who currently employ 75 people on the 2-½ acre just for the family portraits of past chairmen, peering Foots Cray site that they took over in 1959. Since then they have down at current plans and projects, nor even the cabinets of added a new assembly plant, in 1999, a sheet store in 2003 and a old wood-turning tools proudly displayed on the walls. finishing plant in 2007. Some 60,000 square feet is now devoted It’s more a reflection of how a manufacturer of fine kitchen to their three dedicated factories, from milling to assembly. furniture evolved from a small wood–turning business in Not bad for a firm begun by William Hone Stoneham, one 1864 to a brand name bearing the Royal Warrant. of many dockland wood-turners who in 1864 flourished at And, boy, aren’t they proud of it… sitting alongside current Deptford Creek, buying freshly imported timber from what MD Adrian Stoneham and his chairman father Ed, now 81, I was then the nearest unloading point. Jobs included turning out pored over piles of old black and white prints, rungs for rope ladders, staircase balustrades and ledgers and bills, all pointing to products table legs, also making costermongers’ barrows. which have truly stood the test of time.

His workshop was the basement in the family’s Some ten years ago, Ed – who still arrives at Reginald Square home. In 1884 the business their Powerscroft Road premises by 7.15 – ‘7.20 on transferred to Finch Street, again in Deptford a bad day’ quipped Adrian – was asked by a lady By 1926 E.G Stoneham & Sons Empire caller whether there was any chance of replacing Works set up business at the family’s third a hinge for her 1938 kitchen cabinet. The answer Deptford site, in Watson Street, converting old was ‘yes.’ She was even more delighted when cowsheds into a factory and installing machinery Ed suggested swapping the cabinet ‘somewhat powered by gas engines and shaft drives and dusty as we were bombed out during the war’, pulleys. Company accounts for 1927 show the for a current model. It now has pride of place purchase of one gas engine for £143 and two among similar museum pieces, which include an company bicycles at £3 and £6 respectively! early 1960s’ model which, discovered in a garden The Second World War saw a new twist in the shed, was originally destined to be sold on eBay. Stoneham saga. Having gone from wood–turners The majority of photographs, a rare find to a to cabinet–makers, restrictions on furniture– William Hone Stoneham, founder of local historian such as myself, were collated by making found them producing the streamlined the company, pictured around 1880 a student during the 1960s. They include one of balsa wood noses for the Mosquito, the fast june2012

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kitchen life Far left: Stoneham premises in Reginald Square, Deptford, circa 1864-1884. E.G Stoneham (Snr) is pictured outside the building (circa 1935) that moved the business from here to Finch Street, Deptford.

Left: E.G Stoneham (Jnr), the third generation in the family business, pictured around 1944 at Watson Street.

Below: A Stoneham delivery vehicle, circa 1954

A peep into the past: current MD Adrian Stoneham pictured left, with his father Ed, company chairman, with folders from the archives

twin–engined warrior of Bomber Command.

Gas rattles, ammunition boxes also formed part of their war effort. So, to, did producing scale replica models of Spitfires and Wellington bombers for National Savings Weeks.

Their post–war move to Sidcup signalled the introduction of the Cambridge unit, a freestanding kitchen cabinet that sold in its thousands over a seven year period. The price in 1959 was just over £20.

In 1995 Stoneham was awarded the Royal Warrant as The Queen’s furniture manufacturer. While royal protocol prevents the exact locations, it’s fair to say that the company’s wares are spread throughout the UK’s royal residences. In complete contrast one 1960s’ cabinet appeared in the Trotter household in the TV hit series Only Fools & Horses. All a far cry from those early days in Deptford but for the Stoneham family, of which many play a role, are, recognition of the closeknit desire to succeed. If there has been a wobble it is was when Ed initially decided to branch out into farming, which he did for a year. But, he confessed with a smile, ‘ I missed out on girl friends and all that sort of thing’, so relented and started a five-year apprenticeship as dictated by his grand–father then company chairman. He still has the papers. This meant working on the factory floor, which was not that new to him: pre–war, during the then 44– hour working week, at the age of nine, he swept the machine room floor at the weekend. ‘ I was not earning any money, but I enjoyed the excitement of being in the factory which was then in Deptford’, he said.’ Later, after National Service in the RAF, he returned to the firm to study sales and business.

Nowadays Adrian –a true chip off the family block – pursues the policy of being the best in the business, not easy in tough times when ‘ a 25 year old company in a similar business is too often seen as old and generally sell out to a bigger organisation. Instead profits are ploughed back so we are not beholden to banks to keep us alive.’

The secret of Stoneham’s success, he believes, is that by designing delightful furniture that meets the individual needs and tastes of customers, and providing an outstanding service, Stoneham are recognised as being both in the forefront of bespoke kitchen design and as preferred partners throughout This rare picture, taken around 1940, shows the large force of female factory employees at the time working on the manufacture of gas rattles, ammunition boxes and aircraft components for the war effort.

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the European market. Though they study trends, the firm’s emphasis remains on not just making a kitchen look great and highly functional, but also providing longevity. And that for Adrian still means introducing an element of wood ‘timber being long living and tempers the overall tone.’

This, plus the use of other natural materials, such as stone, marble, granite and even recycled glass, ensures their products will long outlive the whims of fashion. They also have a close relationship with suppliers, especially over lighting, an integral part in contemporary kitchen furnishing.

With a 96–page glossy brochure brimming with the best in British tastes, from the traditional and classic to the ultra– modern, Stoneham’s confidently face a future crafted five generations ago by an ambitious wood turner from the Thames…

Stoneham plc. Powerscroft Road, Footscray, Sidcup, Kent DA14 5DZ. Tel: 020 8300 8181. www.stoneham-kitchens.co.uk

Around 1943 Stoneham produced replica scale models of Spitfires for National Savings Week.

E .G Stoneham (Snr) pictured outside the front gate to the Finch Street, Deptford, premises shortly after Stoneham’s departure. They were subsequently owned and titled Shields and Whitaker – Engineer/Boiler manufacturer.

Bird’s eye view of Stoneham plc Sidcup site today: it comprises three factories with over 65,000ft of production area on a 2-acre site

Evolve - Stone / Macassar, one of today’s eye– catching products.

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house garden

HERE COMES THE SUN And Here Comes The Behar Summer Sale!

A

t last, the long, lazy days of summer are upon us. Everyone is enjoying the warmth of the summer sun – and those with an eye for a sizzling hot deal are making their way to Behar at Petts Wood as their famous Summer Sale is now on.

Now is the ideal time to get a flooring bargain and make-over your lounge, dining room, bedrooms, hallway and kitchen with Behar’s brand-new-season flooring ranges – all with up to 50% OFF in the Summer Sale!

Whether your taste is traditional, contemporary – or even funky – you will be spoiled for choice at Behar. New-season ranges are in stock – and all are included in the Sale! Wool berbers, wool twists, saxonies, velvets, naturals – whatever your taste and style – Behar will enable you to express your individuality with a floor that is “just you!” Behar has just about every colour and texture of carpet imaginable – your only difficulty is which one to choose – especially as everything is in the Sale.

If wood or laminates are more your style – once

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again you will be spoiled at Behar. Every species of wood and laminate is in stock – from real solid oak planks to easy-fit laminates – the Behar Sale has the lot; light woods like oak and beech, dark wood, antique finishes – you will find everything that you can dream of at the Behar Summer Sale.

Design floors are very much in vogue at the moment, and the most stylish and fashionable design floor is Amtico – the most attractive and durable floor imaginable. With Amtico, a stylish bespoke design floor is readily attainable .

And as you would expect from an Amtico specialist like Behar, the company uses only fully-qualified and registered Amtico fitters to install your new design floor.

But it’s not only exceptional value that is on offer at Behar at Petts Wood; established in 1920, Behar has over ninety years’ experience of looking after their customers. Honesty, integrity and professionalism are the founding family values and you will find these self-same values still very much in evidence today as they have always been. Behar’s commitment to consistently delivering an exceptional customer experience is foremost in their objectives – and when you add this satisfying peaceof-mind to the tremendous value on offer, especially now that the summer sale has kicked-in, with up to 50% OFF, there is only one place to make the most of summer – Behar in Petts Wood.

Here comes the sun – and here comes the Behar Summer Sale!

Behar Carpets, Unit 2b/2c Fairway, Station Square, Petts Wood, Kent BR5 1EG, Tel: 01689 822100 www.beharcarpets.co.uk

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It may be dull outside but the future’s orange. Gabrielle Fagan finds irresistible fruity buys that you’ll want to squeeze into your home.

Orange crush B

e honest, if you could import a quick fix of sunshine into your home, wouldn’t you seize it with both hands?

Orange - the colour so associated with burning desert suns, ripe juicy fruit, and sultry, eastern settings - could just be the answer if you’re in the shivery doldrums thanks to the weather. Colour experts credit this shade with conjuring feelings of welcome and a general sense of wellbeing, as well as encouraging creativity.

And if it doesn’t put a spring in your step, featuring this shade in your rooms will definitely enhance your decor street cred, as it’s bang on trend.

Orange evokes the fashionable retro mood of the Fifties and Sixties when it was 62 JUNE 2 0 1 2

a key player. “Orange is a great colour for the home and can help create a warm and inviting focal point in any room,” says Angela Whittaker, showroom manager at fabric specialists JAB Anstoetz. “It works best in a stripe, plaid or pattern design or as an accent colour paired with soft neutrals such as beige, light grey, brown or cream.”

If you want to make a statement, use it as a big block of colour, or add contrasting colours with similar undertones such as bright pink or turquoise, she advises. “Both work amazingly beside orange shades and can help you create an interesting and exciting colour scheme. If it’s all getting too hot for comfort, simply tone down the intensity by featuring some neutrals.”

Orange’s popularity reflects our increasing courage in embracing colour in our homes, says Paula Taylor, colour specialist at wallpaper company Graham & Brown. “After many years of decorating our homes in 50 shades of beige, cream and taupe, we’re now letting our personalities shine through in decoration,” she says “Orange tones bring a warm glow and welcoming ambience to any room. It’s a versatile colour, so brighten a plain white room with a neon-bright shade or create a sophisticated country look by teaming rustic browns with burnt orange.

“It’s also effective in a kitchen as it will look cheerful in morning light and relaxing and warm in the evening.”

Taylor points out

encouragingly: “Using orange, even if it’s just in patterned accessories, will give the impression of colour-savvy confidence and as summer’s hottest shade it will banish an interiors winter hangover.”

Use this juicy, upbeat shade to create rooms that make you smile.

Wake up to orange

As the colour is thought to help stimulate the appetite, orange is ideal for kitchens or dining rooms, although you could be bold and use it for zingy impact as a feature wall in a bedroom.

Pattern has had just as much of a revival as colour this year, and there’s a feast of funky designed wallpapers using orange. Horizontally striped paper adds width

house garden

to a room, and Graham & Brown’s Figaro paper is a subtle combination of terracotta, soft mocha and cream stripes.

LIVING WITH ORANGE

Orange is often thought of as the bright, in-your-face colour which is overbearing and loud - just what you don’t want in a relaxing sitting area. But don’t be too hasty - any colour can have a loud side and a soft side and the shades in between can be perfect for a living area.

It’s key to get the balance right, so mix a light or rich orange with pale wood, gloss white finishes and touches of grey to keep things calm.

A bold piece of furniture in

a striking orange would lift the spirit of an entire room.

Add decorative cushions and any room will transform from stark and formal to fun and comfortable.

SUNSET ROOMS

Orange, especially the burnt variety, can be used to create a warm and cosy atmosphere and is perfect for restful rooms such as bedrooms. Apricots and pale peaches are even friendlier and more soothing.

Co-ordination is vital to this year’s schemes which should have a cohesive sophisticated feel, and using the colour as an accent in fabrics both patterned and plain is a winning approach. june2012

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house garden

Making a Huge Splash Tanby Pools wins SPATA UK Pool Contractor of the Year 2012

Tanby Swimming Pools the multi –award winning family owned business are celebrating a huge win at this year’s prestigious SPATA (The Swimming Pool and Allied Trades Association) awards ceremony. Following their incredible success over the last 8 years running the Surrey based company won the coveted title of UK Pool Contractor of the Year. Managing Director and Vice President of BSPF (British Swimming Pool Federation), Martin Borley says, “It is a great honour for the entire Tanby Team and is recognition for the passion, hard work and dedication to each project. We aim to exceed our client’s expectations and turn their dreams into reality.”

confident that if we did, Tanby would take care of everything with no fuss.” the client comments

Pool after renovation

renovating your tired, dated looking pool is as essential as updating the house interior. “The SPATA Gold Award for Refurbishment shows what can be done with a pool that we built in the 1970’s that was still structurally sound, and water tight but dated and not suitable for the Specialising in building luxury, new owner and his young family. outdoor and indoor, residential and However something as simple as a commercial, sprayed concrete pools, new liner, coping stones or a new this places Tanby Swimming Pools as tile band can transform an old the number one pool company in the pool”, comments Martin Borley.

UK. Established over 46 years ago and founder members of SPATA, “From start to finish the service was Tanby have built up an enviable extremely professional. Firstly we had reputation for the highest quality a free, no obligation consultation at workmanship and innovative pool a time convenient to us. The design design. Pool refurbishment is a major ideas were great and we knew early part of the business. Many clients are on that the quality of the finished improving rather than moving and product was paramount to Tanby.

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Pool before renovation The job was completed within budget and on time with minimal disruption and the finished product exceeded our expectations. We have an amazing pool with features we had never thought of.

Even when we changed our mind about certain features halfway through the installation, everything was sorted out, within the original budget. Tanby also really helped us in matters not involving themselves, for example they helped us replace our old oil tank with no benefit to themselves.

We have had no problems with the installation but we feel very

Covering the South East, it is important to Tanby to treat your property as if it was their own and to minimise the impact of the construction project; the build is only the first stage in an on-going relationship. The ISPE (Institute of Swimming Pool Engineers) trained maintenance team including a Gas Safe engineer are available for anything from one off call outs and repairs to regular weekly service contracts where all you do is swim – Tanby do the rest!

Why not contact Tanby for a free site consultation and look forward to a long hot Summer spent around the pool with friends and family.

For more information about Tanby Swimming Pools, visit the The Pool Centre at 620-622 Limpsfield Road, Warlingham, Surrey CR6 9DS or call 01883 622335. You can also visit the website www.tanbypools.co.uk

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W

ith an exciting mix of chic, boho and practical shopping choices, East Dulwich is a great place to visit for the discerning shopper. You can while away an afternoon very pleasantly with many of the shops being independent and offering something a little bit different and none more so than Lordship Lane Carpets Ltd. In the middle of this thriving community Lordship Lane Carpets Ltd has cut out a niche for itself and has earned its place as a local shopping landmark. The shop has been supplying the local community for well over forty years. Those years have seen it grow from strength to strength with new and stylish products that make this flooring showroom more than just a carpet shop.

With a keen eye on market trends and innovative products they haven’t forgotten about the more traditional floor coverings and you can rest assured that whatever your tastes or budget, you will be getting the best quality

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of flooring and service that your money can buy. “If we have too many quality control problems with a supplier, we just won’t use them anymore.”

Says Glenn, the senior partner. “it’s as simple as that.

We pride ourselves on our reputation and know that in this market we need to stay customer focused and on top of our game”. He adds. “We’ve

seen too many others fall by the wayside in our time. We know how important a good reputation is, especially locally”.

The showroom has a huge choice of all types of flooring (the only type they don’t sell is ceramic) and one could feel slightly overwhelmed if it wasn’t for the knowledge of the helpful staff who are on-hand to guide you through

LorDshIp Lane carPets ltd

the options. The staff have a wealth of experience between them which covers all aspects of the job and their expertise is second to none. With their hard work and ambition they have taken a good business and turned it into great business with an enviable reputation.

They are full members of the Carpet Foundation and are OFT approved.

For hard floors, you can choose from beautiful, oiled, solid or engineered oaks to wood laminates or to hard wearing and stylish Amtico for whom they are a Design Centre. They can show you traditional vinyls for your bathroom or kitchen or something a bit different like warm and practical cork tiles to rubber flooring products in fantastic colours or even a Cath Kidston designed thermo plastic tile. They have a fantastic display of striped or patterned carpets and runners for stairs that would create a ‘wow factor’ in any home. If all this choice sounds a bit daunting and you are not blessed with a ‘designers eye’ then they can even help with this by offering a design service.

“To back up our great products we have a superb team behind us.” Say’s Derek, the junior partner. “Barry, one of our estimators has been with us for over 13 years and is our lynch pin. The process starts with him and we rely on his expertise in communicating the details of each site visit. From there our right hand man and Sales Manager, Ian takes over and progresses each job using well over 20 years of experience to help our customers make the right choices for their homes” “If quality is our key then customer service is the lock we secure our business’s future with”.

129-131 Lordship Lane; East Dulwich; London SE22 8HU; Tel: 0208 693 8728 Email: info@ lordshiplanecarpets.co.uk www.lordshiplanecarpets.co.uk

Time to change your mattress?

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s your mattress over 7 years old, saggy or just not as comfortable as it used to be? Putting off replacing it can lead to disturbed sleep, morning tiredness, stiff neck and back ache. In fact, it’s the main reason for lack of sleep for most people – they just don’t realize it.

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Henman Beds

Henman Beds in West Wickham Awarded Vispring’s Customer Service Award

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A

family run business for over 42 years, supplying beds, but with the emphasis strongly on quality and service, a comfortable bed is essential for good sleep and good sleep is essential for good health.

Henman Beds have recently been awarded Vispring’s (one of the finest bed makers in the world) Customer Service Award, based on customer surveys being sent to Vispring by customers who have purchased a Vispring from Henmans and been impressed with the quality of service they have recieved .

Henmans Beds also sell brands such as Dreamworks, Hypnos and Old English.

They also run their own exclusive range including the popular Park Lane range containing finest grade cotton felt and lambs wool and a beautifully embroidered logo.

When you feel your bed is no longer supporting you correctly or that it maybe has gone past its sell by date come and talk to Henman Beds.

Henman Beds, 81 High Street, West Wickham, BR4 OLS Tel: 0208 777 4853 Email johnhenman@ btconnect.com Closed Weds and Sunday

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EAS FACILITIES MANAGEMENT sPecialist air conditioning

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nvironmental Air Services (EAS), is an established company, with over 30 years’ experience in the air conditioning industry.

Equally conversant with business or domestic requirements, in design and installation, tailor made for the company or individual.

These services incorporate the minimalisation of any aesthetic

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issues within office or home.

The importance of maintaining regular temperatures to a high level of efficiency, is today, paramount in any number of given situations. Regulating air temperature, humidity, ventilation and disinfection, in hospitals, computer rooms, restaurants, food storage facilities and private homes, is a part of modern live

and crucial to the success and well-being of all.

These systems are proven to increase staff productivity and the comfort of customers and clients, at the same time, reducing carbon footprint.

Whatever existing system is in operation, be it a conventional boiler or under floor heating, an air conditioning system will compliment either and can be reversed to provide heat as well as cooling.

There are not inconsiderable savings to be made, where running costs are concerned.

Up to 75% of energy costs and you can expect £4.00 worth of heat output for every £1.00 you spend. This equation is applicable at full speed, anything up to £6.00 where lower usage is involved. (Taken from Toshiba literature 2012) Further good, and not exactly well advertised news, is the Government backed and Inland Revenue approved Enhanced Capital Allowances Scheme (ECA). This enables

businesses to claim 100% first year capital allowances on their spending for qualifying plant and machinery. They are able to write off the entire capital cost of their investment in this technology, against their taxable profits during the period of outlay.

Additional benefits of purchasing ECA qualifying energy efficient equipment, can include improved cash flow, lower energy bills, reduction in Climate Change Levy or CRC payment.

EASFM LLP, is a quality assured company, with ISO 9001 accreditation.

They will happily carry out design surveys and produce estimates free of charge.

Should EAS be engaged, full health and safety documentation, to include method statement and risk assessments, will be provided.

On completion of any contact, installation drawings and date of commission, will be forthcoming in electronic format.

The EAS maintenance team, offer full servicing of all equipment, in accordance with manufacturers recommendations, guaranteeing ongoing peace of mind.

EAS Facilities Management LLP Vector House Merle Common Road Oxted Surrey RH8 ORP Tel: 01883 717220 Email: info@easfm.com

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E

lectric Filament provides a comprehensive range of electrical services and specialises in lighting scheme design and installation within the home, garden and commercial sector. They are passionate about what they do and strive to give a personal service that is tailored for you and represents good value for money.

Lighting Scheme Design

When designing a room or landscaping a garden, lighting can often be almost an afterthought within the overall design. A well designed scheme fully integrated into the design can dramatically enhance the project and lift the finished article to another level.

There are so many products to choose from especially with the rapid improvement in LED technology. So having an expert to guide you through this complex maze is invaluable in producing to create a design you will love.

The process starts with taking the time to listen to your needs and understanding the broader design concept.

Electric Filaments experts can then provide a range of product choices, from seamless downlights to statement pieces. Finally, using the latest lighting design software they plan the scheme in detail from placement of lights right down to the best type of bulb.

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PROFESSIONAL ELECTRICAL SERVICES IN YOUR AREA. Once the design process is complete they can undertake the installation personally or pass it across to your own contractor.

Electrical Services

Employing a reputable, registered electrician is your best way to ensure a safe job. Electric Filament are fully qualified with City & Guilds qualifications, these cover the latest edition of the electrical regulations, inspection and testing plus all aspects of the building regulations. This ensures you can be entirely confident

about employing Electric Filament for all your electrical needs because they cover • Fault finding - tripping RCDs, blown fuses and circuit breakers.

• Consumer unit replacement.

Rewiring of properties.

• Earthing to gas and water supplies.

• New sockets - extending and installation of new circuits.

• Cooker/oven supply, installation and replacement.

• Garden sockets, pond pump supply.

• Immersion heaters and hot water cylinders.

• Power showers & pumps.

You must be confident about the company you employ. Electric Filament holds the latest City & Guilds qualifications covering electrical regulations, building regulations, all aspects of inspection and testing and electro technical theory.

Electric Filament is registered with ELECSA, one of the government’s competent persons schemes for the electrical industry.

ELECSA is owned by the Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA) which is the premier trade association that has represented the electrical industry since 1901.

Fluke Corporation is the world leader in the manufacture, distribution and service of electronic test tools and software. Electric Filament uses Fluke test equipment to ensure you can be confident all our work is reliably tested to the highest standard.

Electric Filament are based in London and predominately work in the Bromley, Beckenham, Dulwich, Orpington and Sevenoaks area. So please contact them to discuss your project, they always provide a prompt response and are happy to discuss your needs in person.

Electric Filament Tel: 020 3589 9377 07833 248415 www.electricfilament.co.uk

Jubilee

Thackray Williams: marking an historic year Staff at Thackray Williams Solicitors are making the most of 2012 and embracing the Jubilee and Olympic celebrations. All three offices have been decorated with bunting - the pennants depicting the Union Jack and Thackray Williams’ own distinctive logo.

Head office staff were able to enjoy the Queen’s visit to Bromley town centre. The processional route to Queen’s Gardens, via Kentish Way, was lined with well-wishers and staff joined the crowds to cheer the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh as they passed by.

The Beckenham branch office has been entered in the Beckenham Business Association ‘Best Dressed Window’ competition on the theme of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

The West Wickham branch office is one of the five main sponsors of the West Wickham Diamond Jubilee celebrations. Partner Kevin Gauntlett (Artistic Director of the musical theatre company WWOS) takes on the familiar role of Master of Ceremonies at the Jubilee evening entertainment at Coney Hall park.

Thackray Williams is also a sponsor of the Jubilee Beacon event at St John’s United Reformed Church in Orpington.

The bunting will stay in place for the Olympic Torch Relay which passes down Bromley High Street early on Monday 23 July. The route then takes the flame down Beckenham High Street (expected at approximately 10am) past Thackray Williams’ offices to the war memorial roundabout and on to Crystal Palace. Staff will be cheering the torch bearers towards the opening ceremony and the first Olympic Games to be held in Great Britain since 1948.

Thackray Williams’ client, the Whitechapel Bell Foundry, Britain’s oldest manufacturing company, has cast eight new bells as part of the Jubilee celebrations. The specially commissioned bells will be rung by the Ancient Society of College Youths on a floating belfry as part of the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant. For information on tours of the 442-year-old foundry go to: www.whitechapelbellfoundry.co.uk

FRONT

Thackray Williams’ legal advisers on a rota to man their advice line Our 2012 aim is to be as approachable and accessible as possible, so we have opened an advice line specifically for new enquiries. Callers can discuss their queries in outline and free of charge with one of our legal advisers before proceeding more formally. The advice line is open 7 days a week between 8am and 8pm.

7 days a week - 8am to 8pm Conveyancing quotes only

All other new enquiries

www.thackraywilliams.com

0208 461 6140 0208 461 6143

Bromley, Beckenham & West Wickham JUNE 2 0 1 2

73

antiQues

i

have just been asked to take part in a television programme concerning the life and work of Thomas Chippendale.

Organised by a team of charming young people I was at first dismayed at the banality of the questions I

had to answer but soon realised that research was needed for me to answer them concisely and to provide the information they knew the audience would want to receive. Rather like the Delia Smith situation when she brilliantly recognised that there was a large group of people who did not know how to boil an egg. So research I had to do and in the course of that a couple of extraordinary events or more accurately discoveries were made. About a year ago I sat with a colleague and 74 j u n e 2 0 1 2

John Bly watched with interest how he surfed the internet searching through catalogues of auction sales. I don’t remember the last time I bought anything at auction – my supply of fine antiques comes directly from private ownership – and I certainly wouldn’t buy anything without seeing it. However, my chum pointed out a sale in the North of England where there were several quite good-

looking pieces. One was a pole screen with a needlework banner. It was described as mid-18th century and indeed it looked to be so. Catching the infectious enthusiasm as he was busily phoning through his bid prices to the auction house I ventured that I would gamble the auctioneer’s upper estimate because I like pole screens, although they are the devil to sell. It was with mixed feelings that learned later that my bid had been successful and I was

the proud owner of the said screen and had to drive north for three hours to collect it.

Worse still, when I saw it I was disappointed. The needlework looked patched, the stand was plain and the only redeeming feature in my eyes was a panel of early 18th c. Chinese wallpaper used as a backing.

When I took it apart the needlework was

in fact not patched and the colours were good, and the stand responded well to a wax. So out it went on display.

Now back to my research.

There are many reference books on Chippendale but the ones acknowledged as the most reliable are those by Christopher Gilbert. Flicking through the illustrated part of his The Life and Work of Thomas Chippendale I happened upon ‘Screens’ and there, believe it or not, was

my screen. I actually owned a piece of furniture by the great man. Imagine the elation.

Not so much a financial gain as more an academic ‘find’; a missing piece of history which hopefully soon now will be appropriately housed, curated and on display for all to see.

I was actually looking for images of chairs, of a sort frequently associated with Chippendale and so much illustrated in his Gentleman & Cabinet Maker’s Director.

I have long been associated with such a chair – illustrated – and always considered it to be c. 1755 and after Chippendale. (However precisely the same in design and execution to a proven Chippendale piece, unless there is documentation such as invoices or delivery receipts as evidence of provenance, one

can never claim definite origins of a piece of furniture being Chippendale’s workshop.)

This chair has one distinctive feature at the back of each front foot, a curious little crest created by the swept back scroll from the front and to date by repute known as peculiar to one designer, Matthias Lock but I had never put time into checking all available material.

In the further course of my searches, I was scanning some images from the collection in the Victoria & Albert Museum when I saw a drawing of a chair, not by Chippendale but Lock, and there clearly shown is that same little crest.

Lock was a prominent designer and maker and his drawings pre-date the publication of Chippendale’s Director. His designs are considered stronger than Chippendale but he was certainly a disciple by the 1750’s, subsequently working successfully in the classical style of Robert Adam in contrast to the high-style rococo for which he is better known. Now happy that I have convincing evidence of an earlier date for the chair than originally thought I remembered that it is also illustrated in Judith Miller’s latest definitive volume entitled Chairs. This is a highly recommendable book containing lavish illustrations and notes on over 100 of Judith’s favourite chairs from 1640 – 2007. The trouble with research is that you get sidetracked and I started to reflect on one of the questions I had to answer for the TV

I was scanning some images from the collection in the Victoria & Albert Museum when I saw a drawing of a chair, not by Chippendale but Lock, and there clearly shown is that same little crest. programme which was “ How did seat furniture affect us socially?” Well of course it didn’t. We affected it. Chairs, settees, sofas and couches were designed to fit our body shapes but more importantly to accommodate the clothes we wore and so, chairs in particular, mirrored our fashion, style and deportment more accurately than any other item in the course of our modern history. A mid-18th century chair with its wide seat, broad back and scrolling legs reflects the wide frock coats or hooped dresses and general ‘look’ of the

period whereas a chair of the 1790’s with its delicate narrow seat and back and slender legs were properly suited to the gentler behaviour and thinner clothes of the neo-classical era. And so we get diverted to climate change, for the wearing by women of diaphanous ‘Empire line’ dresses could only have been practical in a warmer climate than we had had in England until the 1780’s. But it did warm up, and for a decade we saw such heat waves as enabled classical poses to be adopted, such as reclining on a sofa, a position quite impossible

as well as undignified, in a hooped skirt. And so a table was designed to pull over the end of the sofa, and the sofa table was born, thanks to climate change. Now you know that if you are offered a George II sofa table – it cannot be. So I remain most grateful to the young people who put those seemingly banal questions to me, I’ve learnt a lot.

John Bly Est Antiques 1891.

Tel: 01442 823030 Mobile: 07831 888826.

Website: www.johnbly.com Email:john@johnbly.com JUNE 2 0 1 2

75

Valentine gets a

pizza the action With two of his own creations soon to be on the menu at Pizza Express, TV chef Valentine Warner tells all about his love of pizza and the inspiration behind his recipes. By Diana Pilkington

Valentine’s fennel and salami pizza

(Makes one pizza) 1 pizza dough 80g (5½ tbsp) PizzaExpress passata Two pinches of fennel seeds Pinch of dry chillies 8 slices of fennel salami 65g hard mozzarella, chopped into cubes Pinch of black pepper 76 JUNE 2 0 1 2

10g grana padano, grated 50g fresh fennel, finely sliced 10g rocket ½ lemon 2½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil Pre-heat oven to 220°C and create your base (as above).

Evenly spread on passata and sprinkle fennel seeds

and dry chillies on top.

•Place on sliced fennel salami and scatter mozzarella evenly.

Season with black pepper and cook for 10-12 minutes.

• While pizza is cooking, grate zest of the half lemon into a bowl and squeeze out the juice - add both together with extra virgin olive oil and stir well.

• Place sliced fennel and rocket into a separate bowl, add the lemon juice, oil and zest and toss together until the fennel and rocket are thoroughly coated.

• Once pizza is cooked, place on a plate and sprinkle with grana padano. Scatter the salad over the pizza and serve.

food drink

W

e’ve seen him hunting for mushrooms in the English countryside and flinging rods into Britain’s waterways, but one of Valentine Warner’s food passions comes straight out of Italy.

The outdoorsy TV chef, who grew up on a farm in Dorset, likes nothing more than the pleasure of a pizza fresh from the oven. “It’s one of those simple joys,” he says. “Like cake or a cup of tea, you know what you’re entering into. The delicious, crispy dough and cheese or tomato - you get comfort just from the thought of it.”

During the Nineties, Warner worked as a waiter for the popular, no-frills restaurant chain PizzaExpress. Now, with a string of books and TV shows under his belt, he’s a household name - but is going back to his work roots by designing two new pizzas for the chain’s menu. One is packed with fennel (an ingredient Warner says he is “mad about”) and uses a version of finocchiona - a Tuscan fennel salami - made by a charcuterie in Wales.

Warner was also keen to introduce something a bit different onto British menus. “When I’m in Italy, I often gravitate towards pizza that might have cheese but no tomato, or tomato and no cheese. But I’m sure some people will be asking for it with cheese.”

As well as his collaboration with PizzaExpress, the chef is working on his fourth, as yet untitled, book and busy being a dad to one-year-old Minnie. “She’s messy in the kitchen and has a passion for hurling food around,” he laughs. “And she’ll eat pretty much anything put in front of her.”

At home, Warner and his wife Charlotte - who is due to give birth to their second child in August - share the cooking.

“She makes really fantastic chicken, ham and egg pie and does a great pork chop with rosemary and beans,” he says. “I chip in too, but sometimes I just want to relax and be cooked for!”

Here are Warner’s pizza recipes, along with one from his latest book, for you to try at home...

PIzzAEXPRESS DOUGH RECIPE

(Makes two pizza bases) 150ml tepid water - 27°C 1tsp sugar 15g fresh yeast or 2tsp dried yeast 225g plain flour (plus extra for working) 1½ tsp salt Extra virgin olive oil Measure the water into a bowl.

Add the sugar and crumble in fresh yeast with your fingers then swirl the liquid until the sugar and yeast are dissolved. If

using dried yeast, sprinkle over the surface of the water and whisk it in with a fork. Allow the mixture to stand for 10-15 minutes in a warm place until froth develops on the surface.

Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl and make a well in the centre then pour the yeast liquid into it. Lightly oil or flour your hands before gradually mixing the flour and liquid until they bind together - to create your dough.

• Sprinkle your work surface generously with flour then tip

ROASTED SQUASH WITH SAGE AND PECORNIO

(Serves 4-6) 1 large butternut squash olive oil, for roasting flaked sea salt scattering of dried chilli flakes 1 medium red onion, halved and finely sliced 20 large sage leaves 30g pine nuts 1 tbsp good balsamic vinegar Pecorino or Parmesan cheese, for shaving Preheat the oven to 200°C. Cut the squash in half lengthways and scoop out the seeds. Cut the flesh into sickle-shaped pieces around 2cm thick. Flip some oil all over the bottom of a baking tray (big enough to hold all the pieces without them having to be stacked) then throw a little salt over the oil. Lay the squash segments down in one layer.

• Scatter more salt and some dried chilli flakes over the top, and splash with more oil. Roast for about 40 minutes.

• While the squash is cooking, toss the onion slices in a little oil to coat them and season with salt. Halfway through the squash’s cooking time, lift one of the segments - the flesh that is touching the tray should be taking on some good dark colouring and browning on the edges. If they’re

the dough onto it, scraping out any that’s sticking to the bowl. Begin kneading - after about 5-10 minutes the doughball should become silky-smooth, soft and supple.

• Leave the dough to rise, then ‘knock it back’. This releases large air bubbles which otherwise make the pizza uneven. To do it, rub a little oil or flour onto your fingers and slide them down the side of the bowl, reaching underneath the dough. Gently lift it up then punch it down again.

not, cook for longer.

• At this point, turn the pieces over then scatter the onions over the top; the idea is that they will crisp and brown.

Toss the sage leaves in a little oil. About six minutes before the squash slices are ready, scatter the leaves over the top to dry and crisp. Toast the pine nuts if you prefer them this way.

• When the cooking time is up, take the tray out and arrange the segments on a nice plate with the sage and onion scattered all over. Splash over the balsamic vinegar and scatter over the pine nuts.

• Take a piece of Pecorino or Parmesan and, using a potato peeler, cut shavings from the cheese to float down and finish the dish.

• Divide the dough into two equal sections - you should have two lumps each weighing about 200g. Roll them on your palm until you’ve created a sealed ball. Place on a lightly floured work surface and cover each ball with an upturned mixing bowl, damp cloth or foil and leave to rest for 10-20 minutes.

• When the dough balls are soft to the touch but not too springy, they are ready to be stretched and spread into pizza trays. june2012

77

food drink

restaurants reviews

This month, Food Editor Regan Maloney has visited two restaurants in Kent, to give you her verdict. Full reviews of both restaurants, along with other great recommendations, recipes and dinner party game ideas can be found at www.whatiatelastnight.com

if you own or have a local restaurant that you’d like to recommend for review, please email regan@whatiatelastnight.com

Ambiance

Service

Food

Drink

Overview 78 j u n e 2 0 1 2

GAVIN GREGGSET, RE 28-30 HIGH ST S SEVENOAK

R AURANT & BA SAN BAS RESTT SQUARE, 1 MARKE WESTERHAM

Gavin Greggs is set in a cosy period property that dates back to the mid-17th century. The warm glow of candles in the window – visible from the top of the High Street, reflects the welcome received as you step in to the restaurant.

San Bas is a great buzzy restaurant with a really personable owner who welcomes everyone as if they are his best and most valued customer. There was a nice mix of small and large tables with people of all ages.

Service was spot on. Wine suggestions were provided, and dishes introduced and well presented. The whole evening ran with efficiency but also a genuine friendliness that made us feel welcome and looked after.

Service is slick, friendly and effortless. We overheard one diner requesting for a slight change to a dish on the menu and this was no problem at all. Large and small tables were all well serviced, and drinks replenished throughout the evening.

To start, I had the Chicken liver parfait with apricot and tomato chutney, quince jelly and pistachio brioche. It was absolutely delicious – the quince jelly gave a different dimension to the texture, and there was a zing in the chutney that really complemented the parfait.

For main, my partner opted for the Kentish lamb rump with lamb shoulder, which was beautifully presented with the mixed vegetables served in a cute saucepan on the side. I chose the locally sourced fish of the day – Black Bream served on a bed of potato gratin and braised cabbage, topped with crayfish tails, a deliciously rich and creamy sauce, and a good spoonful of lumpfish caviar. The bream had a really meaty fresh flavour. Dessert was poached rhubarb with apple panna cotta, ginger bread and vanilla bean ice cream. A lovely end to an amazing meal.

The quality and presentation of the food at San Bas is amazing. The menu has been thoughtfully put together to cater for everyone’s different tastes, and the proposition is a great one. A large group of friends could all quite happily be catered for here whether they wanted Italian, Mexican or just a really good steak.

Our favourite dishes were from the seasonal specials of the day. To start, a deliciously simple and ultra fresh plate of Kent asparagus topped with a perfectly cooked poached egg and balsamic glaze. For main, both the belly of pork marinated in honey and the Sea Bass served on a bed of prawn risotto were equally delicious.

Dessert was a beautifully presented Crème brûlée with pistachio ice cream sandwiched between handmade bourbon biscuits.

A good selection of wines, and reasonably priced. We had the house red – a Chilean Merlot with great flavour that complemented the lamb. The tasting menu cleverly suggests wines to accompany each of the dishes offering a good variety by the glass.

The wine list had a great selection with full or half bottles available, as well as a good variety by the glass. I opted for the Shiraz, served in a nice large red wine glass at the perfect temperature. A well stocked bar also offers an array of spirits and beers, and a nice fresh mint tea ended the meal perfectly.

A cosy and friendly restaurant with Michelin Star quality food.

A buzzy informal restaurant with amazingly good food to suit everyone’s taste.

Experience the taste of Exotic Thai Food Enjoy Enjoy the the elegant elegant surroundings surroundings that that Thai Thai Moom Moom has has to to offer offer together together with with the the distinctive distinctive flavours flavours of of lemon lemon grass, grass, coconut coconut and and Thai Thai Spices Spices that that create create the exotic dishes on the menu. the exotic dishes on the menu.

This This large large spacious spacious restaurant restaurant comfortably comfortably seats seats up up to to 110 110 guests. guests. Car Car park park opposite opposite

Reservations: 01689 872737 131 Queensway, Petts Wood, Kent BR5 1DG www.thaimoom.co.uk email: booking@thaimoom.co.uk

Bengal Lancer offers superb Indian Cuisine that makes you want to come back again, and again. The stylish décor and exquisite food makes this an Indian Restaurant that stands out from the rest.

Using the best quality ingredients with authentic Indian spices, each dish has a unique flavour of its own.

The extensive menu includes some of the most loved favourites to the more exotic dishes especially prepared exclusive to The Bengal Lancer, so there is something for everyone.

Live piano music Tuesday to Saturday Evenings 15 ROYAL PARADE CHISLEHURST BR7 6QR 020 8467 7088 www.bengallancer.co.uk email info@bengallancer.co.uk

travel

W

e had the place, with its tasty food and welcome shade, to ourselves. It was a quiet restaurant in the Sicilian town of Castelbuono, where my wife and I happily tucked into a local speciality - pasta alla norma. It comes with salty cheese and is quite delicious.

It’s day two of our 11-night tour of the Mediterranean island, and we’d journeyed along winding roads from the coastal town of Cefalu, where we were staying, to

80 JUNE 2 0 1 2

Sun and sights in Sicily Peter Woodman tries out his swing at a legendary golfing hotel on the Med.

By Peter Woodman Castelbuono - famed for its restaurants and views.

Sicily nestles neatly at the foot of Europe and offers some of the best beaches and most dramatic scenery of anywhere on the continent. We were lucky to have visited in early September - the great heat of summer was subsiding and the crowds, seen in their hordes at the height of the holiday

season, are much diminished.

Immediately after landing at Palermo, we were jolted by reminders of the island’s infamous Mafia - the airport (also known as FalconeBorsellino Airport) was named after Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, two anti-Mafia crusaders who were killed in 1992. A plaque in their honour hangs

near the departure hall.

After picking up our hire car, we set off around the top of the island to our first stop - the aforementioned Cefalu. Before the trip, I had never heard of this charming, old-fashioned seaside town, with houses that stretch right onto the beach.

The Sicilians, though, know it well and descend in droves during the summer. We could see why. It’s lovely, with plenty of restaurants, a dazzling beach and an imposing cathedral. We stayed a little out of town at the Alberi del Paradiso, high up a winding side street with good views.

Day two is our gastronomical jaunt to Castelbuono, and next we set off for arguably the most popular of Sicily’s resorts Taormina. Travelling around the top of the island, to get there, has been made easier by the creation of a motorway, which involved carving out a succession of tunnels.

We reach Taormina to learn that ever-erupting Mount Etna had treated sightseers to a terrific firework display the night before. Though we missed the main event, the 10,000ft peak puffed out plenty of smoke during our stay.

Etna dominates the eastern part of the island and seems to be in a permanent state of excitement. It did erupt with deadly force in the 17th century, killing thousands of people, but generally, these days it’s the perfect ‘tourist’ volcano - belching out regularly - but not dangerously.

For this leg of the holiday, we stayed in two OrientExpress hotels. The first - the Villa Sant’Andrea - is right on the beach. We had to pinch ourselves when we discovered we’d been given the best room in the place, with an extended balcony overlooking a hooked, natural bay with a great sweep of white sand.

The following afternoon, one of the hotel staff drove our car - and us - up narrow

one-way systems to our second hotel - the imposing Grand Hotel Time, perched above the sea with great views of the still-smoking Etna.

Right next door is the old Greek theatre, built around 300BC where concerts are still staged. Yes, the town is touristy and the restaurants aren’t cheap, but there’s a buzz about the place and some lovely gardens to visit, where you can escape the heat and crowds.

Three nights on, we faced our longest journey - a fourhour schlep across the island to a new resort close to the southern coastal town of Sciacca (pronounced Shacka).

The Verdura Golf and Spa Resort (a Rocco Forte creation) boasts two worldclass golf courses and luxury accommodation, all set within generous grounds. The rooms are sleek and stylish, with all mod cons and ocean views.

There are handy bikes too, so you can enjoy a leisurely pedal around the vast complex.

Beset by red tape, Forte took around a decade to complete the resort. His efforts have been rewarded with the announcement that Verdura will soon host some major golf tournaments, with the ultimate aim of staging the Ryder Cup. Staying at the luxury hotel will set you back a pretty penny, but it’s certainly worth a visit for the location alone.

The highlight for us was watching the sun setting into the Mediterranean sea, after another glorious, hot day.

Before flying home, we head back to Palermo and check in at the Hilton Villa Igiea, our final hotel. It’s elegant, in a Belle Epoque way, and could not have been more of a contrast to Verdura stately and grand. Photos of visits by King Edward VII adorn the walls, and it felt like we’d stepped back in time - but with all the 21st century advantages bolted onto the charm of the past.

This is the sort of place that divides the haves from the have-yachts.

JUNE 2 0 1 2

81

book reviews

the Bookshelf

An eclectic collection - something for everyone and nary a mention of the Olympics! words by bruce edwards

SON FIGHTING SEA FIGhtInG season GRAHAM lEE PuBliSHED BY: DuCkWORTH OVERlOOk ✱ HARBACk £16.99

Remember Rudyard Kipling and his ‘Kim’? Stories from what was described as ‘The Great Game’? All the tales of derring-do which may stir imaginative memories of the days when we sent soldiers into far-flung segments of the world to defend the British Empire stories that graced the pages of ‘The Boys’ Own’? Shows one’s age - for now it is a different world beyond the Khyber Pass of Kipling’s day, and Lee, a former British Army Officer, reveals many aspects of the on-going conflict in Afghanistan. Related in the abrupt and cynical language so beloved of Service life, this retelling of a soldier’s experiences is gripping in its clarity, its down-to-earth basics and opens the eyes to just what a complex and difficult job our military personnel have out there in the wilds. Written in such a way as to encourage you to pick it up again and again, its narrative will keep you gripped.

REAMS

SUMMER DAYD

summer DayDreams CAROlE MATTHEWS ✱ PuBliSHED BY: SPHERE. PEPERBACk £6.99

Like the idea of a smart new handbag?

Believe you have more talent than the latest Apprentice? That you have a lovely small daughter and a man by your side who’ll stick with you despite all the mistakes you make?

It’s surprising where you can get to if the gutsy determination is as deep inside as Nell’s is. From a fish’n’chip sales girl to a top designer of trendy hand bags within a couple of hundred pages, why, that’s some going. The pace is admittedly so fast it can leave you breathless and just a little scared when things appear to be going badly wrong and you begin to realise what it’s like to be the poseur entrepreneur about to be fired. However, the man in Nell’s life gambles his all to save the day. Daydreams? Almost too good to be true, but it happened. Real life portrayed in fiction in a typically girly fashion.

LIONHEART LIonheart SHAROn PEnMAn PuBliSHED BY: MACMillAn HARDBACk £18.99

Within the ‘historical’ genre there are a fair number of established authors who, in workmanlike manner, manage to weave dry schoolroom factual past into very believable fictional tales.

It is as though today’s passion for exploring the most intimate details of our celebratories, be they in business, politics, fashion or prominent in the socialite’s whirlpool, has been transported back in time. Penman does precisely that, dissecting the affairs of state, analysing characters and creating a credible backdrop to the - then - momentous happenings, building a sensible plot completely in tune with reality. Not a Chadwick, not a Gregory or a Havan, but a re-teller of the past in her own way.

For the serious reader with a mindset to take in over 500 pages of closeset type this is as good a dissertation on Eleanor of Aquitaine’s son Richard - the Lionheart - as it gets.

“Want a change? There’s a new on-line bookstore for the lovers of good British romance.

Visit www.jonbeattiey.info. Excellent quality books to read or use as presents; escapism at its very best .”

82 j u n e 2 0 1 2

25TH ANNIVERSARY

BY APPOINTMENT TO HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN FURNITURE MANUFACTURERS STONEHAM PLC. SIDCUP, KENT.

STONEHAM FURNITURE

SINCE

1864

Infinity White/Black HG

FINE

®

Designed for living Achieving simplicity can be the most complex of challenges, yet every hand-built Stoneham kitchen fulfils its own streamlined elegance both effortlessly and exquisitely. It’s about making the very best of the best – the finest woods and natural materials, the most innovative features and latest technology, supremely crafted by the most knowing and capable hands.

Appointed kitchen centres available locally and nationwide. For a colour brochure and details of the Centre most convenient to you call 020 8300 8181 or visit

www.stoneham-kitchens.co.uk Stoneham plc, Powerscroft Road, Sidcup, Kent DA14 5DZ.

Factory Showroom Opening: Monday - Friday 8am - 5pm, Saturday 9am - 12 midday.