The Bothy in Grayshott 22,23Grayshott Antiques Jeremy Sellick 24Grayshott Antiques Jeremy Sellick

The Bothy in Grayshott The Bothy in Grayshott

Liking themselves as the Liking themselves as the pseudonym Faulty Towers pseudonym Faulty Towers couple, people who know Mark couple, people who know Mark and Janice will immediately and Janice will immediately see the resemblance to Basil see the resemblance to Basil and Sybil!and Sybil! When they first started, a full When they first started, a full english breakfast was very english breakfast was very much order of the day. much order of the day. However, guests quickly However, guests quickly realised, on the longer stays, realised, on the longer stays, the continental breakfast was the continental breakfast was equally substantive and equally substantive and enjoyable. Nowadays guest enjoyable. Nowadays guest much prefer the option of breakfast and immediate online booking. much prefer the option of breakfast and immediate online booking. “ “It’s not all plain sailingIt’s not all plain sailing” ” explains Mark “what may seem normal to explains Mark “what may seem normal to some people may be very different to what we consider normal, so you some people may be very different to what we consider normal, so you have to be flexible and open minded in approach. Also remember the have to be flexible and open minded in approach. Also remember the accommodation is going take a bashing. This is inevitable with the accommodation is going take a bashing. This is inevitable with the coming and going of guests. Therefore, you need to be reactive and coming and going of guests. Therefore, you need to be reactive and prepared to invest the time to keep the accommodation in tip top prepared to invest the time to keep the accommodation in tip top condition and remain the preferred option”.condition and remain the preferred option”. The Bothy works closely with other similar standard accommodation in The Bothy works closely with other similar standard accommodation in the area. This network is important to ensure that demand can be the area. This network is important to ensure that demand can be fulfilled and Grayshott continues to offer visiting guests delightful, fulfilled and Grayshott continues to offer visiting guests delightful, welcoming, unique and an appealing style of accommodation. welcoming, unique and an appealing style of accommodation.

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Jeremy Sellick : The one and only JEREMY SELLICK: THE ONE AND ONLY

It’s fair to say that among the great English clock makers many bear names of French origin including de Charmes, Gavelle, Garon, Debaufre, Rimbault, Grignion, Leroux and Cabrier. So is there a reason why they were working in England and not in the land of their birth? Yes, it was down to their religion. They were Huguenots. The Protestant Reformation of the 16th century had seen religious and political upheaval which heralded the split of Western Christianity into Protestantism and Roman Catholicism. Having suffered persecution throughout that century, Huguenots, who followed the teachings of French theologian Jehan Cauvin (better known as John Calvin), were granted religious and civil rights in 1598. They comprised members of the nobility, the military, intellectuals and professionals in trade, medicine and crafts, but as they gained influence and displayed their faith more openly, Catholic hostility grew. Their privileges began to erode and in 1685, Louis XIV issued the Edict of Fontainebleau which ended legal recognition of Protestantism in France. Again Huguenots suffered widespread persecution and were forced to either convert to Catholicism or flee. More than 200,000 left and it is thought 50,000 came to England, bringing with them a new addition to the English language, the word 'refugee’. They may have fled without possessions but they arrived with skills which revitalised England’s industries, including silkweaving, goldsmithing, printing, bookbinding, jewellery, paper-making, gunsmithing, and of course clockmaking.

One such refugee was Claude Du Chesne, born in Paris in the 1660s. He was a highly talented horologist who by 1693 had been made a Free Brother of the Clockmakers Company and who signed the Clockmakers Company oath of allegiance in 1697. He had workshops in Soho and Long Acre and was one of the finest craftsmen working in London. He was known for musical table clocks, miniature spring clocks and exceptional longcase clocks. One such longcase clock with a moon phase is a rare piece indeed. It has an intricately carved thick oak case which is very likely original to the movement due to its symmetrical carving and floral patterns that match the finely engraved brass dial. France’s loss is undoubtedly our gain.

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ARE THEY PLANTS OR ARE THEY PEOPLE? Are They Plants or are they People?

When looking at many of the plants in our house, garden or in the wild, I see not only the colours, form and texture of the leaves and flowers, but I am also reminded of how, why, when and from where they came and more particularly, the person with whom they are associated.

Each one tells its own individual story and so become that much more interesting than just a plant.

Cyclamen and Coleus were probably my Granny’s favourite plants. It was she who was there for me as a small boy during the war, when my father was in the RAF and my mother was working. The pink Nerines in our garden came from my mother several decades ago.

However, it was a schoolmaster, Mr Sharkey, who sparked my early interest in Botany during my last year at Primary School. Each year he ran a “wild-flower competition” for his class. He taught us how to collect, identify, press and mount the wildflowers. Each mounted flower had to be annotated with the name in both English and Latin (underlined), the plant family, the location found, and the date collected. He awarded book prizes to the winners each year.

In 1949, I collected the 4th prize, a copy of RM Ballantyne’s “Coral Island”. In the opening paragraph Ralph Rover wrote “ I have been an enthusiastic rover throughout the length and breadth of the wide wide world”.

Gorse, the very first wildflower I collected

Are They Plants or are they People?

Luckily, I have been able to do the same, searching for and looking at a wide range of plants worldwide but I am unable to look at the humble “Gorse”, the very first wildflower I collected, pressed and mounted without thinking of Mr Sharkey and his inspiration to be curious and mentally disciplined through wildflowers.

Without the generosity of Peter Catt at Liss Forest Nurseries I may never have had a collection of snowdrops. In a patch of our ‘woodland’ garden are several clumps of different snowdrops, none of which I have been able to name. That said, those plants remind me of Ruby Baker, one of the great ‘galanthophiles’ of the last century. Each one was rescued from her derelict garden in Farnham after Ruby died and before the bulldozers moved in and removed all trace of the history of Ruby and her husband David. Both were internationally renowned snowdrop lovers, but for me, Ruby’s memory lives on through a group of unidentified spring flowers.

There are snowdrops named ‘Mrs. Thompson’, ‘Mr. Thompson’ and ‘St. Anne’s’. These names are not just plants to me, they are real people in a real place, Vanessa and Colin Thompson live in the elegant house and lovely garden at St. Anne’s, Headley Road, Grayshott. In horticultural literature, ‘Mrs. Thompson’ is described as “rare, striking, curious and variable”, known to have two and in one report being seen with three heads! Personally, I have never seen Vanessa with more than the customary one [head!]. When I look at these snowdrops, I do not see just flowers, I see a family and their home.

Mrs Thompson

Are They Plants or are they People?

After I had romantically bought my wife Judith a new garage door as her present for a very special birthday, the following year on St. Valentine’s Day Judith bought me a very special snowdrop. It was called “Grumpy”. This personal association between plant and person is probably more for my wife than for me!

There is one plant which sits on a small table in our conservatory and produces its erect spadix and scarlet spathes continuously throughout the year. It is an Anthurium or Flamingo Flower and belongs to the strange family of ‘Aroids’. This plant reminds me of Trinidad in the early 1960s when I was a student on the island studying tropical agriculture. During that time, I met an American businessman and entrepreneur who suggested to me that I should stay in Trinidad and start a business with him growing and breeding Anthuriums for commercial sale. He would provide the money and I would grow and breed the flowers. As I was already contracted to go to Kenya, I had to refuse a very tempting and exciting offer. Where might I have been today, had I accepted? Pretty certain that it would not be in Grayshott, but the Anthurium on the table at home still reminds me of that man.

The next time you are looking at or thinking about a particular plant, take a moment to ask the question, is it the plant alone you see or does the plant trigger even stronger thoughts of a person with whom you associate it?

Anthurium