Bath Life – issue 361

Dining/Arts/Entertainment/Shopping/Property ISSUE 361/16 – 30 MARCH 2018/£3

@BathLifeMag

CELEBRATING THE BEST OF THE CITY

No 1

LET’S GO OUTSIDE REFRESH and RENEW your garden

COLLECTORS’ EDITION JANE AUSTEN 1775 – 1817 ISSUE 361/16 – 30 MARCH 2018/ART AND SOUL

EASTER TREATS ALTERNATIVE GIFTS from the INDIES

WILD CARD

KIM WILDE on her LOVE OF BATH

COLOURFUL

CLASSICS BATH’S HISTORIC CHARACTERS AS YOU’VE NEVER SEEN THEM BEFORE To celebrate the city’s thriving arts scene, we have five covers to collect

EDITOR’S LETTER / ISSUE 361 / 16 – 30 MARCH 2018

We’re sure Frankenstein author Mary Shelley would love her new look, as created

by Jason Dorley-Brown

Character building

30

MODERN MAKEOVER

Bath’s historic residents have been given a new look by a local artist

Bath’s art scene is so vibrant and rapidly changing that we felt a catch up was long overdue; so, whether you’re a fan of festivals, theatre, sculpture or digital manipulation, turn to page 30 to discover the creatives who are full of imagination. There’s local artist Jason DorleyBrown, whose newest project (which we loved so much that we showcased it on five special front covers this week) gives a punk-meets-glam spin to traditional paintings of Bath’s historic residents, from Mary Shelley to Jane Austen; there’s Vince Smith, whose wooden sculptures bring music and colour together; and there’s Alce Harfield – the founder of Bath Art Fair – who gives her top tips on how to buy art.

Elsewhere, we have been chatting to 80s pop star Kim Wilde about UFOs, touring with David Bowie, and, of course, her upcoming show in Bath (page 122). And, now that the sun is peeping through, we also have a focus on outdoor spaces (page 82); an Easter-inspired shopping feature (page 78); and some colourful vegetarian recipes from a renowned Bath chef (page 72).

See you in a fortnight...

Lisa Evans, Editor Follow us on Twitter: @BathLifeMag Follow us on Instagram:@bathlifemag

FEATURES / ISSUE 361 / 16 – 30 MARCH 2018

Reflective calm in this Rosie Nottage-designed garden

82

READY, STEADY, GROW

Down in the garden, plants are starting to stir. We talk to local experts on how to make them blooming lovely

122 Bath Lives

We talk aliens, gardening and music with Bath-bound singer Kim Wilde

REGULARS / ISSUE 361 / 16 – 30 MARCH 2018 M E ET T H E T EAM

THE ARTS

Editor Lisa Evans lisa.evans@mediaclash.co.uk

30 Perfect illustration

Deputy editor Samantha Walker sam.walker@mediaclash.co.uk Managing editor Deri Robins deri.robins@mediaclash.co.uk Senior art editor Andrew Richmond Graphic design Megan Allison Cover design Trevor Gilham Contributors David Flatman, Grace Williams and Nic Bottomley Group advertising manager Pat White pat.white@mediaclash.co.uk Deputy advertising manager Justine Walker justine.walker@mediaclash.co.uk Account Manager Sophie Speakman sophie.speakman@mediaclash.co.uk Account Manager Annabel North annabel.north@mediaclash.co.uk Sales executive Louis Grey louis.grey@mediaclash.co.uk Sales executive Polly Jackson polly.jackson@mediaclash.co.uk

What art is at the heart of Bath?

The city’s creatives discuss

45 Arts intro The art stars of the future, with the annual Bath Society of Artists Annual Exhibition

46 What’s on What’s hot and happening in Bath

56 Bookshelf Nic Bottomley’s choice will have you coming in from the cold

58 Film Mutts and movies at The Little Theatre

Production and distribution manager Sarah Kingston sarah.kingston@mediaclash.co.uk Deputy production manager Kirstie Howe kirstie.howe@mediaclash.co.uk Production designer Matt Gynn matt.gynn@mediaclash.co.uk

FOOD 60 Restaurant Authentic Italian comfort food at Caffè Caruso in a quirky, tucked-away location

66 Take 5 We talk ice cream with Marshfield Farm

67 Food & drink news Tasty titbits from Pickled Greens, Bath Vegan Festival, Olé Tapas and Framptons

72 Recipes

Chief executive Jane Ingham jane.ingham@mediaclash.co.uk Chief executive Greg Ingham greg.ingham@mediaclash.co.uk

110

Bath Life, MediaClash, Circus Mews House, Circus Mews, Bath BA1 2PW 01225 475800 www.mediaclash.co.uk @The MediaClash © All rights reserved. May not be reproduced without written permission of MediaClash.

Veg out with these plant-based recipes from Bath chef and author, Richard Buckley

78 Editor’s choice

PROPERT Y

Easter-inspired treats with few cocoa beans in sight

110 Property showcase

SHOPPING

BUSINESS

77 Shopping intro

99 Business insider

Throwing shade with light coverings at East of Home

Who’s moving and shaking, inventing and innovating this issue?

The hidden delights of Queen Charlotte’s former home, The Orangery in Bath

About MediaClash We’re a Bath-based publisher, creative agency and event organiser Magazines Our portfolio of regional magazines celebrates the best of local living: Bath, Bristol, Cardiff, Exeter and Salisbury.

We also publish foodie mag Crumbs. (www.crumbsmag.com, @CrumbsMag) and wedding title Vow (@VowMag).

Agency From the design and build of websites to digital marketing and creating company magazines, we can help.

Events We create, market, promote and operate a wide variety of events both for MediaClash and our clients Contact: info@mediaclash.co.uk

DEPARTMENTS 11 18 27

Spotlight Society A man’s world

On the cover This issue has five different front covers to collect.

For more, turn to page 30

BATH: ITS LIFE AND TIMES

EVENTS

THE ICING ON THE CAKE

Jools is suited and booted

MUSIC

PIANO MAN

Bath’s Mary Berry is returning to the city to talk baking – and will also reveal the moments, the people, the places and the ingredients that inspired her favourite dishes.

The Queen of Cakes captured the nation’s love of cooking with The Great British Bake Off, inspiring us with her wise, funny and utterly dependable kitchen guidance.

Mary will be at The Forum for this Topping & Company Booksellers of Bath-organised event on 26 April and will celebrate a brand new collection of recipes from her cookbook, Classic.

Mary will rise to the occasion

For more: 8pm; £12-£26; www.topping.co.uk

This young person has the write stuff

CREATIVITY

WRITE ON

Jools Holland will be tickling the ivories when he comes to The Forum in Bath.

The musical maestro, and his acclaimed Rhythm & Blues Orchestra, will be joined by Soft Cell frontman Marc Almond, who has sold over 30m records worldwide, including Tainted Love and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

Also performing with Jools on 26 October will be talented vocalists Beth Rowley and Louise Marshall.

And, for pop notsalgia fans, original Squeeze member Gilson Lavis will be on drums.

Paper Nations, a creative partnership led by Bath Spa University and funded by Arts Council England, wants to help more young people get involved in creative writing.

It says young people need to know what support is on offer, and plans to create an interactive website to show what projects are available locally.

It now wants those involved in providing creative writing opportunities to share events and current information, with the data used in the interactive website launching this spring.

Bambo Soyinka, director of Paper Nations at Bath Spa University, says, “We want you to help increase regular access to creative writing opportunities for young people.”

Tickets from £29.50; www.bathforum.co.uk

For more: www.papernations.org

SPOTLIGHT

FESTIVALS

GET YOUR GROOVE ON

Jazzie B has got soul

Glastonbury might not be taking place this year, but there will be festivals right on our doorstep.

Shindig takes place from 25 – 27 May at Gilcombe Farm, Bruton in Somerset, with the line-up including Jazzie B’s Soul II Soul, the Jungle Brothers and the Dub Pistols, and comedy from none other than Phill Jupitus and Mark Thomas.

Will Lardner, festival co-founder says, “This year we are so excited about our line-up. We can’t wait to welcome them all to our corner of Somerset – especially Soul II Soul, because they embody the spirit of Shindig – filling dancefloors with good vibes and music.”

CHARITY

GOOD DONATIONS

South West festival Cock & Bull returns to Wiltshire this August for a weekend of music, food and family-friendly fun, and to raise money for Box-based children’s charity Jamie’s Farm.

The festival is for an inspiring mix of live music and DJs, home-grown and homecooked festival food, workshops and familyfriendly fun, all taking place in a secret location in Wiltshire. This year, the festival runs from 10 – 12 August.

Founder Henry Trew says, “When we started Cock & Bull back in 2011, we never imagined it would grow to what it is today, and after a year off in 2017, we’re really excited to be bringing it back to Wiltshire this year.”

Charities in Bath benefitted from the postponement of the Bath Life Awards on 1 March (which was due to bad weather).Heavy snow meant the awards at the Assembly Rooms couldn’t go ahead, but food planned for the evening was donated to local charities.

MediaClash’s chief exec Greg Ingham says, “We were extremely disappointed to have to postpone the Bath Life Awards and we apologise to all concerned. But the weather left us with no option. The response from our sponsors and attendees was magnificent – so supportive and understanding.

“The very best part, though, was the role played by the Bath charities and companies who helped us with the donation and distribution of the food intended for our 500 attendees. Searcys cooked it all; Kersfield helped us with the charities; Savills, Minuteman, Curo and B&NES all lent support; and then Julian House and St John’s found homes for all the food within hours.”

The now even more awaited Bath Life Awards will take place on 22 March.

For more: www.cockandbullfestival.co.uk

For more: www.bathlifeawards.co.uk

Tickets from £50; www.shindigfestival.co.uk

LOCAL LINE-UP Putting the fun into fundraising

The show will go on

Adventures in party-going

Rob Jones and Edwina Hutchison

SCENE

Katy and Chris Hancock

AC ROS S B AT H , O N E S H I N D I G AT A T I M E

SIX OF THE BEST

Andy Philips, Jiri Kucera, Stuart Angin and Paul Jones

Bath Rugby and Lucknam Park hosted an exclusive Six Nations-themed evening in its Michelin-starred restaurant in February, with executive chef Hywel Jones at the helm.

Offering their thoughts on the tournament were Todd Blackadder, Dave Attwood, Francois Louw and Luke Charteris.

And what could be more fitting than a sixcourse meal to reflect the nations taking part?

Photos by Philip Shone www.mamaisononline.co.uk

Anne and Alan Cox

Francois Louw, Claire Rendell, Luke Charteris, Beno Obano and Todd Blackadder

Sarah and Richard Turner

18 I BATH LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

Mike and Charlie Morton with Michelle and Paul Gittins

JOIN OUR TEAM IN 2019 15 TH BIRTHDAY ALL FOUNDATION RUNNERS RECEIVE: • Limited-edition Bath Rugby Foundation running vests • Hot showers in the Bath Rugby players’ changing rooms • Pre- and post-race massage • Pre race hydration and snacks. Post-race food and drink • Goody bags • Secure bag storage throughout the day • The Bath Half’s most raucous cheering teams • Training and nutrition plan and tips on how to perform at your best.

www.bathrugbyfoundation.com | email: foundation@bathrugby.com

Health Education Inclusiveness Employability

Charitable arm of Bath Rugby

SOCIETY Samantha Luxa, Jane Warren and Claire Styles

ROYAL AFFAIR The opening of the Royal Women exhibition at the Fashion Museum, Bath, was marked with a party.

A key speaker was professor Kate Williams, and guests were able to admire a selection of outfits worn by royal women through the years.

These include an ensemble designed by Bruce Oldfield, worn by HRH The Countess of Wessex to the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton in April 2011.

Other outfits include those worn by Queen Alexandra, Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, and Princess Margaret.

Royal Women runs until April 2019.

Photos by Anna Barclay www.annaweddingphotos.com

Professor Kate Williams

Enjoying the cultured costumes Tim Robb from the Bath Spa String Quartet

Hannah Tunstall

Stephen Bird

Tansy Good, Fleur Johnson and Becky Ferris

20 I BATH LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

SOCIETY Bridie McDonnell and Giada Damiani

THE ANGELS’ SHARE A fascinating evening sampling and learning about Japanese whiskies took place in Bath on 21 February.

At the fun event at Topping & Company Booksellers of Bath, guests learned about award-winning author Dave Broom’s travels around Japan and its whisky distilleries.

Photos by Leon Day www.leondayimages.com

Dave Broom

Aaron and Suze Rickard

Amy and Tom Dennis-Jones

Moira Ward and Jane Armston

Martin and Jo Hillier Mark Webb and Nick Lowe

Having a sniffter

22 I BATH LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

SOCIETY

BIRD BATH Ahead of Bath’s latest public sculpture trail being launched in June, an event was held so businesses could get up close and personal with Minerva’s Owls.

The owls – and some owlets – will be dotted in and around the city this summer, and the event meant potential sponsors were able to find out how to get their hands on one of the sculptures.

These will be decorated and are expected to bring thousands of visitors to the city.

Julie Gibbs and Annette Dolan

Chris Dawson, Sonia Hutchison and Philip Jansseune

Photos by Nick Cole www.nickcolephotography.co.uk

Charlotte Moore, Megan Witty and Alan Dun

Allison Herbert and Maeve England

SNAP HAPPY A private view of an exhibition featuring pictures taken by photographer Carlo Chinca, took place at the Bath Royal Literary & Scientific Institution.

The event was organised by local collective PhotoBath, with some of Carlo’s large-format prints on show.

PhotoBath co-ordinator Jon Leahy says, “This was a unique opportunity to see the work of a locally-based photographer who has taken a wide range of celebrated images over the years.”

Ralph Oswick and Jayne Kingston

Bel Mooney and Carlo Chinca

www.photobath.co.uk

Ania Ordoñez, Cathy Jones and Jill Hendy

24 I BATH LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

Daz Smith and Liz Renes

A MAN’S WORLD

DAVID FLATMAN

WEIGHT, WHAT? Don’t panic, but Flats has (accidentally) lost so much weight that he’s wearing old jeans and he’s had to have all of his jackets altered. Here, he ponders the inch-loss mystery…

I

’ve accidentally lost a bunch of weight. Well, either it’s accidental or it’s the result of one binge too many. Before you start to worry on my behalf, don’t; I still have the best part of 20 stone to share with Bath and its environs, so there’s plenty to go around in restaurant and café terms. Because it’s unarguably fascinating, I’ll tell you how it happened.

One of my ritzier rugger chums got drunk at a charity dinner. While drunk, he paid a large fistful of cash for a lunch for 10 at an apparentlyfamous pub up north. Now, none of us lives up north, but still, charity. So he selected an elite crew of social operators and we headed off from London King’s Cross, each of us with a bottle of Malbec to help the time pass. 10.31am on a Monday seemed a touch early to be sucking in red wine but, with not one of us feeling sufficiently self-assured to say no, we all tucked in. Fortunately, the train’s buffet cart had plenty of Malbec, too, as the 10 bottles we had disappeared rather too readily. Thinking back, we ought really to have seen the signs. But we didn’t, and that’s the thing.

Upon arrival at said pub – The Durham Ox, near York – we were merry and hungry. So after three quick pints of Guinness, we were shown to our private dining room.

The owner of the pub – a school friend of Lawrence Dallaglio, the drunkard responsible for this carnage – welcomed us in perhaps the best way anyone has ever welcomed anyone: “Ok, lads,” he began, “as long as you’re thirsty, the Malbec will keep coming; consider it a bottomless bottle. And as long as you’re peckish, the chateaubriand will be endless. Enjoy!”

Fast forward three hours, and try to picture a Labrador who, having

seen a jumbo bag of dog food left accidentally open and exposed, has eaten so much that he can eat no more, yet lies, jaws involuntarily pumping, as his head rests on what kibble is left. We laughed hysterically like only annoyingly loud and macho rugby types can, we told inappropriate stories and jokes, we had games of spoof – the losers of which had to run up and down a hill visible from our own private window – and we ate. God, we ate.

Conveniently, I had a room booked at the Ox. So, around 6pm, I wandered across the car park and back to my room, before promptly collapsing. I wasn’t terribly drunk, but I was terribly broken. So broken, in fact, that I didn’t have a large meal for over a week. You could say I still haven’t, actually. And I am a man who eats many large meals. For reference, I’ve just ordered a Deliveroo from Bath’s Pizza Express, with which I intend to celebrate the conclusion of this column, and I’ve only ordered two starters and one pizza. This is about half my normal intake. So it’s getting serious.

One positive is that my old jeans fit again, but I have had to go back to Gieves & Hawkes and have all my jackets altered. So it goes both ways. Maybe the scrumptious chateaubriand did hit some sort of calorific limiter within me, or maybe I’m just revitalised and aggressively devoted to fitness all of a sudden. My dad, a psychologist, thinks it’s terminal. Ho hum, I’ll just try to enjoy it while it lasts. The champagne and oyster days will return, I can just feel it.

PICTURE A LABRADOR WHO, HAVING SEEN A JUMBO BAG OF DOG FOOD LEFT OPEN, HAS EATEN SO MUCH THAT HE CAN EAT NO MORE

David Flatman is an ex-Bath and England rugby star turned TV pundit and rent-o-mic. Follow him on Twitter @davidflatman

30 I BATH LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

ARTS

ILLUSTRATING

THEIR POINT What art does Bath do best? The city’s creatives debate, here…

By L I SA E VA NS

I

n this issue, we wanted to pose a few questions to Bath’s artists, gallerists and creatives. 1. What style of art would they want to be famous for? 2. Street art in Bath, yes or no?

3. Which of the arts – be it theatre, music, sculpture, painting, or otherwise – are we best at in Bath? Read on to discover their answers.

IN STYLE

Opposite page, clockwise from top left: Postmaster of Bath Ralph Allen; author Jane Austen; master of ceremonies Beau Nash; ‘virtual’ prime minister William Pitt the Elder; this page: painter Thomas Gainsorough. All of these historic characters were, at some point, residents of Bath, and artist Jason Dorley-Brown has given their existing traditional portraits a modern pop art-style spin using digital manipulation

Klimt was known for symbolism, and Picasso pioneered assemblage.

If Bath’s artists were to be known and celebrated worldwide for just one style, we’re curious to know what that would be…

Bath-based artist Jason Dorley-Brown’s newest project was inspired by his in-depth research into the history of Bath’s famous names.

The work features traditional paintings of prominent, local historical characters – including Jane Austen and Mary Shelley – but they have been digitally manipulated in a pop art style – think red lips and blue hair.

“I wanted to achieve a contemporary look, a little ‘punk’, a little ‘glam’,” says Jason, whose other ‘with a twist’ works you can see at Walcot Chapel, Bath, from 23 – 29 April. “I was inspired by Andy Warhol’s pop art style, but also by such artists as Ellsworth Kelly and Francis Baudevin.

“Jane Austen – possibly the most well-known of Bath’s residents – was the first ‘makeover’ I completed,” he adds. “Her novels Persuasion and Northanger Abbey were both set, largely, in Bath. Also, without the vision of Richard ‘Beau’ Nash, the design genius of John Wood, and the stone from Ralph Allen’s Combe Down mine, Queen Square would never have happened.

“Other local characters I ‘made over’ were William Pitt (the Elder), the informal Prime Minister of Britain; Thomas Gainsborough, an incredibly successful and respected portrait artist, and Mary Shelley, who wrote a large proportion of Frankenstein in Bath. The digital revolution has opened up the world of imagemaking to a whole new generation, and I believe that can only www.mediaclash.co.uk I BATH LIFE I 31

Every Cup of Tea She Ever Had, by Ben hughes. Ben’s portrait style juxtaposes traditional representational painting with a modern graphic element

be a positive step, but we must always remember those that have inspired and influenced us on our creative journey.”

Another lover of colour is Vince Smith of BigFabDesigns, who works from his home studio in Midsomer Norton. If he became as famous as Picasso, he would like to be remembered for his threedimensional sculptures. “Wood is both my medium and canvas,” he says. “It’s sometimes left in the condition I found it; other times, I cut, shape and sand it until it takes on a different nature.”

If Emma Rose – the owner of Emma Rose Art Works gallery on Walcot Street, Bath – were to be celebrated worldwide, she would want it to be for her semi-abstract impressionism and technique of building up a myriad of colour in layers of Indian inks, acrylics and gold, silver and copper leaf. And Ben Hughes, who has been a member at Bath Artists’ Studios for 18 years, and is the treasurer of Bath Society of Artists, would like to break ground with his portrait style that juxtaposes traditional representational painting with modern graphic elements.

“I’d like to be known for my portraits that work both as interesting paintings, as well as fair reflections of the sitter,” says oil-painter Ben. “There is an obvious lineage back to pop artists like Caulfield and Lichtenstein, but I am doing something different 32 I BATH LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

from both of them. The dichotomy allows the background to take on a totally different feel to what it depicts, evoking other places or becoming totally fictional.”

Best of Bath

We posed the question ‘What art does Bath do best?’ to creatives in the city. Here’s what they had to say…

“Bath has a long history of innovation combined with creativity, from Gainsborough to the Bath Academy of Art in the 20th century – including figures like Walter Sickert, Howard Hodgkin and Anthony Fry,” says Dr Chris Stephens, director at The Holburne Museum on Great Pulteney Street, Bath. “The exciting thing about art now is that there is the freedom to say what you think in so many different ways – through great technical skill, or simply a lively imagination expressed in whatever medium seems apt – it’s much more open and democratic.”

According to many local creatives, the sheer diversity of arts in Bath is best captured in the variety of festivals in and around the city. Caroline Garland, co-director of Bath’s Kilter theatre, thinks Bath Fringe, Fringe Arts Bath and FilmBath stand out especially.

“We feel lucky to be bringing up our son in such rich cultural

ARTS

THE

DIGITAL

REVOLUTION HAS OPENED UP THE WORLD OF IMAGEMAKING TO A WHOLE NEW GENERATION

Using wood as both the medium and the canvas, Vince Smith of BigFabDesigns creates three-dimensional works, such as Libellula

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BATH LIFE I 33

ARTS

Modern Times is a 9ft-long oil painting of 108 people in a heap, by Nick Cudworth; below: this beadwork basket, on display at The Holburne Museum, dates back to around 1660

surroundings,” she says. “A special mention should go to Forest of Imagination – their programming is really bold and exciting. It’s so important to encourage children and families to experience theatre and art together.”

James Slater, artistic director at Wiltshire Music Centre – a 300-seat concert hall attracting world-renowned performers, and a creative learning centre, in Bradford on Avon – agrees that the local festival scene is thoroughly on point. “Bath is lucky to play host to two major music festivals, plus it has Bath Abbey at the heart of the city and supports two universities with a vast array of courses and opportunities to learn about, and engage with, the arts,” he says. “We’re delighted to be working in partnership with Bath Festivals; together, we’ll deliver a concert performance of West Side Story at The Forum, Bath, in May. “Through partnerships like this, we are able to reach greater audiences,” adds James, who says Wiltshire Music Centre offers 160 events across classical, world, folk and jazz music genres, as well as live screenings of opera and ballet, family concerts, talks, and workshops every year. “It also enables us to deliver high-quality opportunities for a large number of music-lovers, and develop exciting relationships with some of the world’s greatest performers.”

Emma Rose believes Bath is best at championing living artists, which she feels is most refreshing while being surrounded by such ancient heritage; Philip Dye, the director at Adam Gallery on John Street, Bath, thinks the city caters for everyone from the casual buyer to the serious collector; and Heidi Laughton, the owner of Gallery & Barrow on Walcot Street, Bath, embraces the eclectic, edgy, contemporary nature of many of Bath’s galleries. “For a while, 34 I BATH LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

there were too many traditional art galleries in Bath,” she says. “But it’s great to see (along with local art fairs) new, innovative processes and cross-over techniques being explored. Art is going through a really exciting era right now.”

Joanne Cope – a contemporary realist painter, who lives and works in Portland Place, Bath, and specialises in portraits of cattle – agrees that the best thing about the Bath art scene is its diversity.

The city, she says, is also a great place to sell art, as it’s small enough for an artist to be noticed, plus there’s a consistent influx of tourists who visit galleries.

THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVOURITE THINGS

We asked local artists and gallerists to select their alltime favourite artworks…

For Philip Dye at Adam Gallery, his favourite works currently on display at the gallery are Snow Scenes,

by Fred Cuming RA – who is recognised as a supreme master of landscape painting – because, he says, they capture the spirit of the British winter so beautifully. And Nick Cudworth, of the Nick Cudworth Gallery, selects his own work, Modern Times – a 9ft-long oil painting of 108 people in a what can only be described as a heap – as the one he is proudest of. “It could be seen as a community coming together to support each other during tough political times, or a heap of people discarded during these times,” says Nick, who lives above his gallery on London Street, Bath.

Heidi at Gallery & Barrow says one of her current favourite works, on display at her gallery now, is Whiter Shade of Pink, by multidisciplinary artist Alexandra Gallagher, whose work takes the

PHOTO BY ANNA ARCA

ARTS

Dejan Mrdja’s work is on display at The Edge, which is hosting the Jerwood Drawing Prize for the second year; below: Piano Mandala, by BigFabDesigns, uses parts from an instrument made in the previous century

form of collage, street art and painting. “I’m a very visual person and always have been,” says Heidi. “I couldn’t live without art – it sounds corny, but it really does make me happy.”

For Vince at BigFabDesigns, his Piano Mandala artwork is one of his preferred creations. It showcases resurrected piano parts – liberated from an instrument made in the previous century. “The sculptural quality brings about a mesmerising repetitiveness, and the format of a circle meant that each individual part started to form a colour wheel,” he says.

“Music and colour both have ethereal qualities that have come together for this piece. The overall meditative feel of the work is reminiscent of a Buddhist mandala or a Hindu kolam.”

The Jerwood Drawing Prize exhibition is currently being hosted by at The Edge art centre – where art, research and adventure meet through exhibitions, talks, performances and workshops – at the University of Bath, and Sophie Erin Cooper, marketing assistant, says it has such an array of impressive works on show. “The pieces full of repetitive mark-making are the ones that I find particularly satisfying – such as Becky Allen’s Weave,, and David Symonds’ All The ,” she says. “The visual result Days of My Life,” of their hours of dedication is stunning. Drawing machines, fascinating structures, and the 3D works in the show also stand out, bringing the exhibition together.”

A beadwork basket – featuring glass beads and lampwork on a wire frame, from about 1660 – is Dr Chris Stephens’ favourite at The Holburne Museum. “The thing I most love about The Holburne’s collection is the variety,” he says. “I love the portrait of Rosamund Sargent by Allan Ramsay, for its simplicity; I like the 36 I BATH LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

madness of Zoffany’s theatrical portraits; and the 17th-century bead basket for the combination of royalty, animals and Van Gogh skies.”

Ayumi Ellingham, the director of Somerset & Wood Fine Art – an art dealer in Bradford on Avon – says her team was privileged to have recently discovered a culturally important, rare lost drawing by Nicolas-Martin Petit of an Aboriginal boy – the sale of which made for an unforgettable day. “The drawing had a remarkable story behind it,” says Ayumi.

“It turned out that the sitter, Toulgra, was an important resistance leader, and one of the first Aboriginal convicts. It sold for £130,000.”

ART’S DESIRE

Almost everyone is able to recall where their biggest passion stemmed from. We were curious to find out what made local creatives first fall in love with the arts...

Caroline at Kilter theatre recalls the moment she became irreversibly attracted to theatre as a child. “I distinctly remember going on a school trip to watch a show about Chaucer in a London play park,” she says. “I didn’t know theatre could be like that – sitting on swings on a cloudy day watching talented actors leap, jump, shout and sing just for us.

“Great art can bring new perspectives on our world,” she adds. “I was shy as a child, but the arts gave me confidence to do what I wanted to do and be who I wanted to be.”

Artist, sculptor and photographer Godfrey Cake FRSA became Emma Rose’s stepfather when she was 10 years old, and she says that seeing a little pen and ink drawing by Godfrey was what first made her fall in love with art. “He came into our lives on a cloud

Art is going through a really exciting era right now

Emma Rose’s artistic style is semi-abstract impressionism. Pictured is Heaven’s Glow

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BATH LIFE I 37

T

he Framing Workshop, 80 Walcot Street, is a long established bespoke framers, specialising in art and object framing. Quality materials, specialist craftsmanship and an individual service are at the forefront of every job undertaken.

We stock an extensive range of frame, mount and glass options and will talk through the process with you to ensure you find a framing solution to suit your requirements, be it simple or more specialised.

80 WALCOT STREET, BATH BA1 5BD TEL : 01225 482748 www.theframingworkshop.com framing@theframingworkshop.com

ARTS

of nudes in oils, wood and celluloid,” she says. “He photographed that little drawing that I loved and gave me the most enormous print of it. I’ve carried it around for my entire life.”

Ben Hughes at Bath Artists’ Studios didn’t study art at school, so his first love affair with the genre involved comic book artists such as Bill Sienkiewicz, Frank Miller and Walt Simonson.

The artist that Joanne Cope first became infatuated with was Egon Schiele. “So many of his works hit a chord with me, but, in particular, a piece called The Scornful Woman struck me,” she says.

“The form was created using gouache, watercolour and charcoal, then Schiele painted a thick white outline around the figure, which had the effect of electrifying the whole portrait.”

STREET APPEAL

Whether it’s a public art event (such as the Minerva’s Owls of Bath sculpture trail that’s coming to the city this summer) or graffiti on walls, we wonder, is there a place for street art in Bath?

Sophie Erin Cooper at The Edge art centre believes street

art to be an expressive and accessible art form, and says it would be great to see Bath really celebrating its creative side. However, with such a beautifully curated city rich in heritage, she wonders whether there’s any need to add street art into the mix. But, she thinks the colourful mural by local artist Stanley Donwood on Walcot Street is a great example of what could be done.

Ben Hughes at Bath Artists’ Studios agrees that the artisan quarter’s semi-permanent billboard is a wonderful example of what can be done in the area, and says he would love to see more of the same. “I like seeing the street art in Bristol,” he says.

“There must be an opportunity to include something with the redevelopment of Avon Street car park or the other side of the river.”

Street art appearing in Bath without permission – AKA graffiti – is something that Joanne Cope is strongly opposed to.

“Perhaps the council could delegate some areas as ‘street art-friendly’, and run a series of competitions so that artists are encouraged to dream up eye-catching designs?” she says. “Years ago, works by the

Above: Whiter Shade of Pink, by Alexandra Gallagher, is on display at Gallery & Barrow; this image: Wiltshire Music Centre is a 300seat concert hall and creative learning centre in Bradford on Avon

WE

DEVELOP

EXCITING RELATIONSHIPS WITH SOME OF THE WORLD’S

GREATEST

PERFORMERS

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BATH LIFE I 39

ARTS

IT’S

IMPORTANT THE ARTS ARE MADE VISIBLE, AND THE POTENTIAL TO INSPIRE IS MADE

PHOTO BY PAUL BLAKEMORE

POSSIBLE

Jason Lane’s Drawing Machine 2 is on display at The Edge

photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand were exhibited on panels erected near Bath Abbey. Perhaps something similar would work for street art – possibly in Victoria Park, or near the newly refurbished part of the canal towpath.”

While many agree that art in public spaces could ruin the Georgian aesthetic of Bath, Caroline Garland, at Kilter theatre, thinks it could offer an incredible juxtaposition when done well.

“Free public art means anybody can experience the arts, irrespective of their wealth, class or age,” she says. “It’s important that the arts are made visible, and that the potential to inspire is made possible.”

Dr Chris Stephens at The Holburne agrees that we should celebrate all forms of sincere artistic expression. He says good art comes from the soul, and different forms will suit different people and different times, but he does recognise the sensitivities around 40 I BATH LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

living in a historic city. Similarly, Ayumi Ellingham at Somerset & Wood Fine Art believes there’s certainly a place for outdoor art in the city, “Artistic expression of quality, encountered as part of our daily lives, is both life-enhancing and thought-provoking. While any art on the streets must absolutely be done with respect for the city’s heritage and fine architecture, it can only be a good thing if art is taken outside the conventional gallery walls to open up social conversations and debates.”

Emma Rose adds that maybe the ‘place’ for it is on the “depressing to-let spaces” in the city, which could be given a new lease of life when jazzed up with temporary artwork. Context is key for most artists, including Philip Dye at Adam Gallery, whose opinion is that Bath is not big or diverse enough for street art, but, in context, he’s certainly not against it.

FAIR DEALS Artist Alce Harfield – the founder of Bath Art Fair gives her top tips on how to buy art…

• Fall in love with it.

• Don't be swayed by celebrity, price, or what's flavour of the month.

• Don't be tempted to match it to your curtains.

• Let your heart rule your head.

• Small walls demand large pieces – they will make your room look bigger.

Bath Art Fair takes place from 11 – 13 May, and is set in the grounds of the Farleigh Farm Shop in Norton St Philip, Bath. Browse original paintings, handmade prints, hand-crafted glassware, printed scarves and artisan ceramics at more than 60 stands inside and out, with prices starting from £30.

Visit www.bathartfair.co.uk for more

You’ll find works such as Hydrangea, by Andy Walker – whose work is made up of thousands of digitally manipulated triangles – at Bath Art Fair

CLASS OF ITS OWN Ali Gatehouse, cofounder of Art Courses Bath, tells us about the all–day classes and two-day courses that are run in the beautiful surroundings of Bathwick Hill House, Bath…

What courses are on offer?

“Everything from life-drawing with a model, botanical drawing with coloured pencils, and mixed media, to oils, watercolours, pastels, landscapes and portraiture. The majority of our tutors are local artists.”

What can be expected at the courses?

“During the warmer months, we use the extensive mature gardens as inspiration and use the interior of the historic home on occasion, too. When the weather is cold, we will set up alongside the tranquil pool.

In between sessions, you will be indulged with delicious fare from our very own Leiths chef.”

Who would enjoy it?

“It’s a tranquil space for both new and experienced people with an interest in art.

It gives time for reflection and indulgence.”

Prices start from £95; visit www.artcoursesbath.com for more information

David Cobley – whose colourful works (including this one, called Philip Jones) depict the people he observes in dayto-day life – is one of the tutors at Art Courses Bath

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BATH LIFE I 41

nick cudworth gallery

St.John’s Gatehouse Oil on Linen and prints

MARCH EXHIBITION

1 – 31 March An exhibition of original paintings and prints reflecting Nick’s interest in the city of Bath and the surrounding landscapes.

5 London Street (top end of Walcot Street), Bath BA1 5BU tel 01225 445221 / 07968 047639 gallery@nickcudworth.com www.nickcudworth.com

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Music/theatre/film/more

PERFECT PALETTE

Despite the rain in this painting by Ben Hughes, Old Bond Street, leading up to Milsom Street, still manages to look inviting. Should shoppers brave it with a brolly or pop into one of the many shops, and indulge in some rain-enforced retail therapy?

Ben’s work features in the Bath Society of Artists 113th Annual Exhibition, taking place at the Victoria Art Gallery from 24 March – 12 May. Susanna Lisle, chairwoman of Bath Society of Artists, says, “The show is a fantastic mix of artworks in a variety of styles. It’s a selling exhibition with prices to suit all buyers, showcasing work that is both an investment as well as a pleasure to look at.”

And artists taking part will be in some very esteemed company – Walter Sickert, John Singer Sargent, Philip Wilson Steer, Gilbert Spencer, Mary Fedden and Howard Hodgkin are just some notable previous exhibitors. www.victoriagal.org.uk

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BATH LIFE I 45

17 March – 14 April

La Voix will be perfectly madeup at Komedia; Me And My Bee at the egg; fares please – Helen Lederer will turn conductress as part of the Bath Comedy Festival

Exhibitions U N TI L 2 9 M ARC H

JERWOOD DRAWING PRIZE Exciting event including hand-drawn, digital and threedimensional works, from 65 emerging and established UK artists. The Edge, University of Bath; www.edgearts.org

U N TI L 1 9 A PRIL

THE LANDSCAPE COLLECTIVE Exhibition from a group of UKbased landscape photographers, including a recent winner of the Landscape Photographer of the Year.

8am-8pm; Central Gallery, Royal United Hospital, Bath; www.artatruh.org

U N TI L 8 APRI L

ARCHITECTURE UNDER THE LENS An exhibition bringing together a group of talented photographers from Bath and the surrounding area, and exploring the intrinsic link between architecture and photography. Various times and prices; the Museum of Bath Architecture; www. museumofbatharchitecture.org.uk

U N TI L 2 2 A PRIL

DRESSED TO IMPRESS: NETSUKE This exhibition explores the intricate accessories worn

by Japanese men during the Edo period, 1615-1868.

Netsuke are a form of Japanese miniature sculpture that were primarily functional, but evolved into an important art form.

46 I BATH LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

Various times and prices; Museum of East Asian Art; www.meaa.org.uk UNTIL 7 MAY

ANTHONY FRY: A RETROSPECTIVE Celebrating the work of the artist who lived and worked in Box for 60 years, and who created pictures that expressed his principal inspiration of travel. £10/£9; The Holburne; www.holburne.org UNTIL 28 O C TO BER

SIDE BY SIDE: AMERICA AND WORLD WAR I 2018 marks the 100th anniversary of America’s first major military engagement in the Great War 1914 – 1918, with this exhibition uncovering the relationship between the US and Europe,

as well as reflecting on those who went into battle, and those who stayed at home. Various prices; The American Museum; www.americanmuseum.org

Plays/Shows 15 MAR CH – 1 4 AP RI L

AGNES COLANDER It’s three years since artist Agnes left her unfaithful husband, who has seen the error of his ways.

But Agnes has changed, and she’s now an independent woman.

Various times and prices; The Ustinov; www.theatreroyal.org 17 MAR CH

PRESSURE David Haig returns with this tale, set in 1944, at a time when one man’s decision is about to change

©PERMISSION KINDLY GRANTED BY THE ESTATE OF ANTHONY FRY/HOLBURNE MUSEUM/AJ PHOTOGRAPHICS

the course of history, centred on the most important weather forecast in the history of warfare.

Various times and prices; Theatre Royal Bath; www.theatreroyal.org.uk 1 7 M ARC H

THE BALD SOPRANO The Smiths are a traditional couple from London who have invited another couple, the Martinezes, over for a visit.

It gets complicated when they are later joined later by the Smiths’ maid, Mary, and the local fire chief – who just happens to be Mary’s lover.

2pm and 7.30pm; £12/£10; The Mission Theatre; www.bathboxoffice.org.uk 1 9 – 2 4 M ARC H

THIS HOUSE It’s 1974, Edward Heath has been ousted, and the Labour Party under Howard Wilson has formed a minority government. In an order of chaos, both hilarious and shocking, fist fights break out in the parliamentary bars, and the government hangs by a thread.

Various times and prices; Theatre Royal Bath; www.theatreroyal.org.uk 2 7 – 2 8 M ARC H

CURTAIN UP ON MURDER An amateur drama company is rehearsing in a theatre at the end of a pier when a mysterious, ghostly presence passes across the stage. When the assistant stage manager falls to certain death through a trapdoor, the remaining actors are thrown into disarray. 7.30pm; £10;

ARTS

PHOTO BY MANUEL HARLAN

W H AT ’ S O N

Left: Nude 8 can be seen in the Anthony Fry exhibition; above: two queens go head-to-head in Mary Stuart

The Mission Theatre; www.missiontheatre.co.uk 2 7 MA RCH – 15 AP R IL

BATH COMEDY FESTIVAL Laughter-filled festival featuring both famous names and the stars of tomorrow, in this fantastic mix of comedy including stand-up, sketches, cabaret, children’s shows, music, magic and mystery tours.

Various times, prices and venues; www.bathcomedy.com 3 0 MA RCH

TONY LAW: ABSURDITY FOR COMMON PEOPLE Tony Law is back to spearhead the UK’s alternative comedy scene with his brand new show.

Having made appearances on the likes of Nevermind The Buzzcocks, Have I Got News For You and Russell Howard’s Good News, Tony should have you in stitches.

7pm; £12; Komedia; www.komedia.co.uk 4 – 1 4 A PRI L

MARY STUART The struggle of two queens, one in power and one in prison, feature in this production, starring Juliet Stevenson and Lia Williams. And, at times, you’ll find it’s all about the execution.

Various times and prices; Theatre Royal Bath; www.theatreroyal.org 6 A PRI L

THE FABULOUS LA VOIX La Voix is the larger than life star from Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie and a Britain’s Got Talent semi-finalist. Join them for a night to remember, featuring

musicians, hilarious comedy and incredible live singing and vocal impersonations.

7pm; £18.50; Komedia; www.komedia.co.uk

23 MAR CH

Music

THE JAR FAMILY Imagine, if you can, steam punkinfused Bob Dylan wrestling The Pogues, with Bez in a top hat.

7.30pm; £10/£12; Chapel Arts; www.chapelarts.org

17 MAR C H

24 MAR CH

20 MAR C H

24 MAR CH

OYE SANTANA Infectious rhythms in this tribute to Carlos Santana, with toetapping music and a host of talent.

7.30pm; £17-£20; Chapel Arts; www.chapelarts.org THE BATH ORCHESTRAL GALA Music exploring the emotions, memories and lessons learned from the end of the First World War, and the intervening years.

Along with Jason Thornton, conductor of Bath Philharmonia, 20 members of the orchestra will play alongside talented pupils from King Edward’s School.

6.30pm; £15/£5; The Guildhall; www.kesbath.com 22 MAR C H

BOOTLEG BEE GEES Grab your white suits and platforms and do some Jive Talking to Bee Gees tunes.

7.30pm; £18; Chapel Arts; www.chapelarts.org SUPER FLUMINA Join the Paragon Singers and conductor Sarah Latto for works

by Palestrina, Tippett, Gorecki, Delius, Philippe de Monte and Byrd, among others.

7.30pm; £12/£6; St John’s Church, North Parade, Bath; www.bathboxoffice.org.uk 29 MAR CH

THE FURROW COLLECTIVE Awarded the accolade of Best Band at the 2017 BBC Radio Two Folk Awards, The Furrow Collective is made up of Alasdair Roberts, Emily Portman, Lucy Farrell and Rachel Newton, four successful soloists who share a mutual love of traditional song and an intuitive approach to collaboration. 7.15pm; £8-15; Widcombe Social Club; www.widcombesocialclub.co.uk

PORT CITIES A melting pot of three of Canada’s most creative individual talents, fusing divergent styles into a rootsy Americana sound.

7.30pm; £10; Chapel Arts; www.chapelarts.org 5 AP R IL

AN EVENING WITH SARAH MUNRO Sarah is a 21-year-old singersongwriter with a voice reminiscent of Eva Cassidy and Katie Melua. Her debut single For Eternity has been championed on BBC Radio 2 by musician Jamie Cullum and w

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BATH LIFE I 47

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singer Michael Ball.

7.30pm; £15; Komedia; www.komedia.co.uk

PHOTO BY MARK DOUET

9 AP RI L

LOWER THAN ATLANTIS Rock out with this British band who have supported Enter Shikari on tour.

7pm; £16.50; Komedia; www.komedia.co.uk

Family 17 M ARC H

CREATE: TALES FOR TOTS This month’s session will bring the much-loved A Squash and a Squeeze by Julia Donaldson to life, firing children’s imagination, embracing a love of reading and encouraging their creativity in this interactive morning of storytelling, music, drama and crafts.

Various times; £7.50 for parent and child; Ensemble Room, The Edge; www.edgearts.org

27 MAR CH – 1 AP RI L

17 M ARC H

BATH TAPS INTO SCIENCE Free family fair offering the chance to get stuck into the cutting-edge research that goes on at the University of Bath, and across the South West, through interactive, hands-on science exhibitions.

There will also be exciting research to take part in.

10am-4pm; The Rec; www.bathtapsintoscience.com 18 M ARC H

FAMILY EASTER TRAIL Get your walking boots ready for this fun trail in aid of Freshford Preschool, and solve clues, spot lambs and wildlife in a pretty village setting.

Then, when you’ve finished, enjoy a cream tea at Freshford Primary School.

2-5pm; £3; Freshford Preschool is on Facebook.

24 M ARC H – 8 APRI L

EGG HUNT The Easter bunny has left clusters of magical, glow-inthe-dark eggs in all the nooks and crannies of the mysterious chambers in Gough’s Cave, crack the mystery code for a reward.

Clockwise from top: Easter excitement at the Victoria Art Gallery; sharing the spoils with the Gangsta Granny; Ingo’s War is the tale of a lost dog, at the egg

Various times and prices; www.cheddargorge.co.uk 2 5 MA RCH

EASTER EGGSTRAVAGANZA Free family drop-in workshop in celebration of Anthony Fry’s vibrant, colourful paintings.

Little ones can decorate an eggstraordinary Easter egg, and be inspired by traditional Indian patterns.

12pm-4pm; The Holburne; www.holburne.org 2 5 MA RCH

RAISING THE BARRE See the students from the Dorothy Coleborn School of Dancing celebrated in this fabulous dance showcase.

Includes numbers from La La Land, Peter Pan and 42nd Street.

Various times and prices; Theatre Royal Bath; www.theatreroyal.org.uk

48 I BATH LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

GANGSTA GRANNY It’s Friday night and Ben knows that means only one thing – staying with granny. There’ll be plenty of cabbage for tea, plus Ben having the adventure of a lifetime, thanks to granny’s hidden secret.

Various times and prices; Theatre Royal Bath; www.theatreroyal.org.uk

25 – 27 MAR C H

INGO’S WAR Dog Ingo’s life is as easy as pie – until the war looms and his young owner is evacuated. When Ingo gets left on a train he is plunged into an adventure, and his world turned upside down.

Various times; £8.50/£7.50; the egg; www.theatreroyal.org.uk

28 MAR CH

EASTER EGGSTRAVAGANZA Three – 11-year-olds can get crafty, creating eggy crafts and cards to take home.

Various times; Victoria Art Gallery; www.victoriagal.org.uk 4 AP R IL

26 MAR C H

GLORIOUS GARDENS Green-fingered children can celebrate spring by creating a mini Roman garden. Various times; The Roman Baths; www.romanbaths.co.uk

PICTURE ME Use simple collage to create a historical portrait, inspired by those in the gallery, in this free drop-in activity for Discovery Cardholders.

Ages three – 11; Victoria Art Gallery; www.victoriagal.org.uk

27 MAR C H

1980’S GEOMETRIC Admire the geometric designs used in 1980s outfits, and create your own, using bright and colourful collage paper.

Various times; Fashion Museum; www.fashionmuseum.co.uk

5 AP R IL

WORKSHOPS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE An opportunity for GCSE and A-level art students, and young people interested in exploring art, to focus on specialist

Bradford-on-Avon.

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Tel: 01225 866747 27 Market Street, Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, BA15 1LL info@jeremyjenkins.co.uk www.jeremyjenkins.co.uk

ARTS

W H AT ’ S O N

techniques in a friendly, small group environment. This session is entitled Expressive Portraiture: Clay Busts, and young artists will learn how to sculpt an expressive 3D head in clay, working from their observations. Led by learning officer Louise Campion.

11am; £30; The Holburne; www.holburne.org 13 – 1 5 APRI L

ME AND MY BEE Ok, so climate change isn’t funny, but this award-winning show about our fuzzy friends will have you buzzing.

Various times and prices; the egg; www.theatreroyal.org.uk

Other 19 M ARC H

WINES FROM CHILE Presented by Phil Cooke, who says Chile is a winemakers’ paradise. Sample eight wines and enjoy a light supper at the fun event. £20; 7.15pm; Chapel Arts; www.chapelarts.org

2 2 MA RCH

DISCOVER THE MAGIC OF SPRING BULBS Botanical talk and demonstration with Elisabeth Anderson of Amamini Flowers.

Learn how to use bulbs in creative indoor arrangements, utilising foliage from the garden or foraged on a walk.

6pm; £15; Verve; www.verveliving.uk 2 3 – 2 4 MA RCH

MORO POP-UP RESTAURANT Sam and Sam Clark, founders of the award-winning London restaurant Moro, bring their delicious food and the flavours of Spain and North Africa to Bath, to celebrate the life and work of Anthony Fry. Enjoy three courses, three glasses of wine, an exhibition ticket, and a copy of the beautiful illustrated book that accompanies the show.

Various times; £60; The Holburne; www.holburne.org 2 4 MA RCH

21 M ARC H

THE SECRET SCIENCE OF SUPERHEROES Free thought-provoking Minerva Lecture from professor Mark Lorch. 5.15pm; Lecture Theatre 8W1.1, University of Bath; www.go.bath.ac/minerva-series

SPRING IKEBANA Learn how ikebana, the art of flower arranging, became established in Japan and the different styles of this special art form. Led by instructor Ai Jones, you’ll be able to make your own flower arrangement

50 I BATH LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

Clockwise from left: The straight-faced but full-of-laughs Tony Law; tune in to The Furrow Collective; Agnes Colander is an independent woman at the Ustinov

to take home. 10.30am; £36/£22; Museum of East Asian Art; www.meaa.org.uk

7.30pm; £8-£25; Topping; www.toppingbooks.co.uk 30 MAR CH

26 MAR C H

STORY READING: THE HARE OF INABA Inspired by Easter and the netsuke exhibition, join in this special story-reading, and explore traditional Japanese rabbit tales, at this free event.

2pm-3pm; the Museum of East Asian Art; www.meaa.org.uk

FEEL-GOOD FRIDAY Enjoy an electrifying Good Friday filled with entertainment, seven races, a designated family picnic enclosure complete with huge inflatables, funfair rides, face painting and the always popular pony rides.

Various prices; 12pm; Bath Racecourse; www.bath-racecourse.co.uk 6 AP R IL

29 MAR C H

PLANTS TASTE BETTER Owner of Acorn Vegetarian Kitchen in Bath, Richard Buckley, will cook and talk about his new book Plants Taste Better, and inspire you to make overlooked ingredients burst with flavour. See a couple of his recipes on page 72.

WHY DID THE US ENTER THE WAR? An evening with historian David Stevenson, professor of International History at the London School of Economics and Political Science, exploring the US war effort.

7pm; £10; The American Museum; www.americanmuseum.org

e d u c at i o n a d v e r t i s i n g f e at u r e

ad v e r tisi n g f eat u r e e d u c at i o n

taking education further than the classroom

Senior prefects Grace and Luis in the studio

BSS Digital Media & Film academy

O

nce in a lifetime opportunities.

This is how I would describe my time at Bath Studio School (BSS), a digital media and film academy for 14-19-year-olds. Aside from the state-of-the-art filming and photography facilities and the creative curriculum, work experience is a key part of the studio school educational model. BSS support students by finding internships at major establishments such as the children’s digital media company, Complete Control (CC). I was extremely lucky to get offered a work experience placement within CC. Companies as successful as this open doors to experiences like working alongside the BBC’s children’s creative director, Liz Leakey. This has taken my creativity to an entirely new level, by taking education further than the classroom.

Every teacher has an advanced skillset and industry links and, alongside the small class sizes,

this makes your educational experience really unique. One of my favourite industry seminars was from Blue Planet underwater cameraman, Michael Pitts. The creative media students interviewed EMMY award-winning Michael in our multi-cam studio and we were utterly inspired by his life and experiences working alongside David Attenborough.

Part of the ‘endless opportunities’ is knowing that your work will be showcased in public.

Exhibitions are used to demonstrate our industry standard work. In the last couple of months we have held events at 44AD Art Gallery to recognise graphics, digital media, photography and film work. In addition, Moles was used as a venue in which to perform concerts and collaborate with local artists.

I am proud to be part of the student leadership team which helps to raise money for charities, organise trips and supports students through our

mentor system, once again helping students to be independent and ready for life after school.

“Creativity is what we do,” really reflects the ethos of our school. This encompasses everything from the curriculum to wider school life and enrichment. Personally, I love everything about the school and it genuinely has offered me ‘once in a lifetime opportunities.’

– Words by Senior 6th form prefect Grace

BATH DIGITAL MEDIA

FILM ACADEMY

THEBATHSTUDIOSCHOOL.ORG.UK

Frome Road, Bath, BA2 5RF; 01225 831933 marketing@thebathstudioschool.org.uk

ARTS

BOOKS

I SHALL REACH FOR ONE LAST STACK OF FROSTIER, CLOUDIER BOOKS

THE CHILL FACTOR At the time of writing, it’s snowing. So our books columnist NIC BOTTOMLEY has put together an array of fireside reading suggestions, just in case the blizzard returns

A

h March! The spring flowers poke out from the ground, risk an opening of buds, and are greeted with… the Beast from the East, during whose wrath I am now typing. With my spring, nature-themed column lying in sodden tatters around me (I just can’t write about spring, when a blizzard is building outside my window), I shall reach instead for one last stack of frostier, cloudier books. If we have a couple of weeks yet of fireside huddling, you’ll need a few final novels to huddle with.

The queen of fireside page-turners is surely Agatha Christie, and there’s something of her style in a brand-new debut novel by Stuart Turton. The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle (Bloomsbury, £14.99) is a whirlwind of a book. Set in the 1920s, and with all the traits of a twisting, turning whodunnit, it features a group of characters invited to a weekend party at a huge country estate. The party vibe takes a swift plummet when the hostess’s daughter, Evelyn, is brutally murdered amidst all the guests on the evening of the masquerade ball.

56 I BATH LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

But here’s the Groundhog Day twist. Our narrator Aidan Bishop is set to relive the day of the murder eight times before the book is out, each time trying to figure out the identity of the murderer, and each time occupying the body of a different guest. This clever fantastical twist adds to the dark and richly atmospheric narrative style, to create a novel that keeps you guessing all the way through. With so many different players and perspectives, you’re kept on your toes while reading, and it’s certainly a complicated, unpredictable mystery – which is exactly why it’s so rewarding and perfect for a snow-in.

Next, a gripping young-adult thriller with strong elements of myth and romance. The Wren Hunt, by Mary Watson (Bloomsbury, £7.99) is set in a contemporary Irish country town and yet is laced throughout with traditional folklore. It’s also perfect for our never-ending winter theme as it takes place in December on St Stephen’s Day, the traditional day of the wren. The story begins at a wicked pace with Wren finding herself pursued by masked boys through the forest and the town in which she lives. Instead of

being an innocent game, this ‘hunt’ ends in violence, leaving Wren injured and the boys riled up.

This dramatic start leads to a divide in the town. On one side is Wren who is one of the augurs – able to read the future in patterns and the natural world. On the other are the judges, including the pursuing boys, who hold all the power. Desperate to improve their situation, the augurs send Wren on a mission to the judges’ HQ to bring down their magic from the inside, and she soon finds herself discovering many more dramatic secrets than she had anticipated.

Woman at Sea, by Catherine Poulain (Jonathan Cape, £14.99), is my last pick for this set of ‘it shouldn’t still be winter’ warmers, and is only right for the theme because there are sequences in this brilliant novel that will make you feel toasty warm even if you’ve just come in from playing in the snow. The setting is Alaska, and, specifically, the remote fishing community of Kodiak, with its fleet of misfit hardcore seafarers, some of whom have been at it for generations and others who have come to challenge themselves and the elements, or escape another life. Our narrator, Lili, is in the latter category – having fled her native France to come to what feels like the ends of the earth.

Poulain’s descriptions of the hardened dysfunctional individuals working on the cod and crab vessels and docksides and the many immersive scenes on board the boats are so rich in detail and so chilling (literally, not in a crime-thriller way) that it comes as no surprise to learn that Poulain’s own life story closely resembles that of her lead character. She’s spent decades as a rare woman in the world of Alaskan fishermen, and she’s used that experience to create a portrait of a naïve but indefatigable and tenacious character working her way towards being respected and accepted by an apparently closed society.

Next time, something spring-like, I promise. Well, I wish I could promise!

Nic Bottomley is the general manager of Mr B’s Emporium of Reading Delights, 14/15 John Street, Bath; 01225 331155; www.mrbsemporium.com

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ARTS

FILM

Clockwise, from left: Lady Windermere’s Fan will be live from London’s Vaudeville theatre; Swedish film The Square is wondrously odd; enjoy a live broadcast of Carmen from The Royal Opera House; bring your own pooch with you to watch Isle of Dogs

WE’RE HOLDING OUR FIRST-EVER DOG-FRIENDLY CINEMA SCREENING

KIDS AND CANINES They say to never work with animals or children, but they don’t say not to go to the cinema with them…

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pring is in the air, and the sound of bleats and chirps are around every corner. Animals are out in full force, that’s for sure, even at the cinema. Now, hold your horses, the cinema’s not shutting down and turning into a petting zoo; we are, however, holding our first-ever dog-friendly cinema screening. That’s right, for one morning, you can bring your wellbehaved pooch, and the film offering will be Wes Anderson’s latest ingenious animation Isle Of Dogs, on 24 March. What could be more immersive than that? Sit back and relax while your dog snuggles up on their own seat with a cosy blanket and their best buddy by their side.

If that doesn’t catch you, we have a human-only preview on the same day. The film is set in dystopian Japan where all dogs have been quarantined due to a canine flu.

Brave young Atari goes searching for his dog on the island, and the canine dwellers help him on his quest. And, what’s more, the top-notch voice cast includes Anderson favourites: Jeff Goldblum, Willem Dafoe and Edward Norton.

Talking of immersive experiences, our next big release is the wondrously odd Swedish film The Square. While the 58 I BATH LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

director Ruben Östlund has admitted that satirising the art world was difficult, he still managed to scoop the top prize at the 2017 Cannes film festival and an Oscar nom with his marvellous off-kilter gallery saga.

The Square centres on Christian, an artist whose installation, an illuminated square, is exhibited with the intention of inspiring equality. However, a succession of bad decisions leaves Christian in some pretty awkward positions and perhaps not being inspired by his own art.

Weren’t The Oscars just glorious? The gowns, the glamour, the goofs… (okay, guilty, I’m writing this in a timeline where they haven’t happened yet, but I think I’m safe to assume that a speech will be read in a hilarious way or someone will trip on their dress). Were you sat there thinking to yourself “Ohh, I wish I’d gone to the cinema and caught that while it was on”? Well, don’t fret! Throughout March, we’ll be bringing back some of the Oscar winners so you can reclaim film-nerd glory.

For all you theatre-goers, there’s a live broadcast event for everyone this month.

To kick things off, we have an eccentric new production of Carmen, recorded at The Royal Opera House on 26 March and directed by Jakub Hrusa. The design has

a straight-out-of-Berlin feel – right up Brecht’s street. Also from The Royal Opera House on 27 March, they are celebrating the work of composer Leonard Bernstein, who often collaborated with choreographer Jerome Robbins, most notably for West Side Story. This celebration of what would have been Bernstein’s 100th birthday, is a dance experience that shouldn’t go ignored.

We urge you to don your finest attire and indulge in the hilarious Lady Windermere’s Fan live from London’s Vaudeville theatre.

This is one of many productions celebrating the works of Oscar Wilde throughout the year. This particular production is directed by the legend that is Kathy Burke and stars Kevin Bishop and Jennifer Saunders. As you can imagine, this production will have you laughing out of your seats, aided by Saunders especially.

As the mornings draw lighter and your children are more likely to be early risers, I urge you to try out our Saturday morning Kids’ Club. From 10.30am, the lovely Akos and Gabi will run film-related colouring and crafts, followed by a family favourite at 1am.

The titles this month are Home, Finding Dory, and Brave. If your tot can’t manage a full-on cinema odyssey, there’s also the chance to introduce them to the power of cinema every Tuesday morning with Toddler Time. Showing an eclectic range of programmes from Cloud Babies to local hero Tractor Ted – the 30 minutes will fly by.

There you have it – that’s a lot of cinema.

As we step into the season of regrowth and new beginnings, perhaps you can find something in that long list that might make you take a chance on a new experience… and it’s jolly useful to shelter in the cinema when it’s raining buckets outside, especially with a glass of red wine and some salted caramel popcorn – how luxurious!

Grace Williams, marketing manager, The Little Theatre, 1 – 2 St Michael’s Place 01225 466822; www.picturehouses.co.uk

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R E S TA U R A N T

FOOD

Caffè Caruso If you want authentic Italian comfort food in an interesting space – complete with fuchsia zebras and projected movies – then give this tucked-away spot a try Wor d s by L I SA E VA NS Photo g raph s by BE ATA C OSGROV E

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IT’S THE

hen holidaying in Rome a few years ago, my mission, aside from glimpsing millennia-old monuments, was to taste my way through as many authentic tiramisus as possible. I’m not even a dessert person, but give me a clichéd coffee-soaked sponge, and I’m happy.

Carol Massimi, the owner of Caffè Caruso – a tuckedaway Italian restaurant near the Theatre Royal Bath – is all about delivering authenticity (she lived in Puglia and Rome for 25 years), and I’m pleased to see that a ‘real Italian’ tiramisu is on the menu. It wouldn’t be polite to skip straight to pudding, though, so we get stuck into the antipasti.

Beefy olives and crispy baguettes entertain our taste buds as we browse the starters, which include choices such as smoked duck breast with orange coulis and rocket and walnut salad; salmon, prawn and avocado towers; ovenbaked, sundried tomato- and breadcrumb-stuffed sardines; and salami and bean soup. I opt for the scamorza e radicchio, which consists of slices of smoked mozzarella served on grilled radicchio. The hot cheese, oozing across the plate, receives bite and slight bitterness from its purple bed, and sweetness from a sticky honey and wine drizzle.

My dining partner chooses the polpette della casa – meatballs in a rich, garlicky San Morzano tomato sauce – to start, and, for main, he has a baked lasagne, which is made the Neapolitan way: with layers of meaty ragu, and ricotta cheese.

Next, for me, it’s a tough decision between the tortellini Caruso – tortellini baked with cream and parmesan – or the cannelloni con ripieno di ricotta e spinaci – cannelloni filled with spinach and ricotta, in a rich sauce of tomatoes cooked down to their essence. I do sums in my head and resolve (perhaps incorrectly) that the latter has fewer

FOODIE EQUIVALENT OF BEING TUCKED UP IN BED AND KISSED

GOODNIGHT

calories, so that’s the one for me. I’m saving my calories for my caffeinated dessert.

Topped with fior di latte cheese, the comforting dish has soft, rounded flavours and textures. And, even though it’s 90 per cent carbs and cheese, it’s not stodgy. It’s dressed rather than bathed in sauce; I could have personally done with three times the amount of the scarlet, tomatoey goodness, but that’s probably my western taste buds talking. Carol would probably roll her eyes at that comment and pigeonhole me with the people who ask for ketchup.

As well as plentiful sauce, I’m a big fan of strident, eyewidening flavours. You don’t get either here, but that’s ok.

The food isn’t meant to clout you in the face (like maybe Vietnamese or Thai food will), it’s a much calmer, more cushiony cuisine, which hugs rather than hits; it’s the foodie equivalent of being tucked up in bed and kissed on the forehead goodnight. And the Sardinian chef, Elio Cinus – formerly of Martini, Nonna’s and Zaza, in Bath – prepares it perfectly.

The main event has arrived: it’s time to taste the tiramisu. If you have room, I suggest you do the same.

It’s a multilayered confection of mascarpone, espresso and sponge, so saturated with sweet coffee, that the cold liquid trickles out when you sink your fork into it, yet it still retains its structure and poise. Delizioso. My comrade selects the torta del giorno (cake of the day) – a sweet, sharp, creamy pear and ricotta flan from Milan – a delectable thing that has you chasing the last crumbs around the plate.

With all the dishes so pleasingly authentic, it’s a little unusual that the décor is the way it is. While the ground floor has more of an ‘expected’ trattoria-type quality to it, make your way upstairs to the main dining area, and you’re greeted by black and white walls stencilled with bright pink zebras, fuchsia sofas, and a huge screen on to which Italian movies are silently projected. Carol says it’s much more ‘date night’ or ‘girls’ evening’ up here. It’s quiet on this Tuesday evening, but the restaurant – formerly Russell Brooks Hairdressing – only opened around three months ago, so it’s still finding its feet. We suggest you visit before it becomes too popular.

DINING DETAILS Caffè Caruso, 3 Trim Bridge, Bath, BA1 1HD; 01225 426735; www.caffecarusobath.co.uk Prices Antipasti £6.50 each; mains £11.50 each; desserts £5 each Wine Around 22 all-Italian options, and staff are happy to recommend a bottle to your taste Service/atmosphere Very eager to please/ quaint and relaxed

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BATH LIFE I 61

D I N I N G A D V E R T I S I N G F E AT U R E

DINING in BATH Bath Life’s selection of the best places to eat out in Bath and the surrounding area BRITISH THE BATH PRIORY Weston Road, Bath; 01225 331922; www.thebathpriory.co.uk Delicious fine dining overlooking the hotel's award-winning gardens CIRCUS RESTAURANT 34 Brock Street, Bath; 01225 466020; www.thecircusrestaurant.co.uk Voted number four in the UK in The Times's “20 secret restaurants that foodies love” CLIFTON SAUSAGE 5 Bladud Buildings, Bath; 01225 433633; www.cliftonsausage.co.uk Upmarket sausage and mash restaurant and bar, plus a beautiful terrace CORKAGE 132 Walcot St, Bath; 01225 422577 Chapel Row, Bath; 01225 423417 www.corkagebath.com Award-winning small plates restaurant and wine specialist THE DOWER HOUSE, ROYAL CRESCENT HOTEL 16 Royal Crescent, Bath; 01225 823333; www.royalcrescent.co.uk/dining AA 3 rosette fine dining at one of Bath’s most iconic locations HENRY'S 4 Saville Row, Bath; 01225 780055; www.henrysrestaurantbath.com Imaginative modern dining offering a classic menu and also full vegetarian and vegan menus DAN MOON AT THE GAINSBOROUGH RESTAURANT Beau St, Bath; 01225 358888; www.thegainsboroughbathspa.co.uk Creativity meets delicious food with this talented chef MENU GORDON JONES 2 Wellsway, Bath; 01225 480871; www.menugordonjones.co.uk Multi award-winning fine dining with a constantly changing surprise tasting menu THE OLIVE TREE RESTAURANT, THE QUEENSBERRY HOTEL Russell St, Bath; 01225 447928; www.thequeensberry.co.uk One of Bath’s longest established restaurants, overseen by Chris Cleghorn with 3 AA rosettes 62 I BATH LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

WOODS 9-13 Alfred St, Bath; 01225 314812 www.woodsrestaurant.com Legendary Bath dining institution serving French influenced British cuisine

THE CHEQUERS 50 Rivers St, Bath; 01225 360017; www.thechequersbath.com Inventive British food served in a welcoming pub atmosphere close to the Royal Crescent

CAFÉS & COFFEE SHOPS

THE GARRICKS HEAD 7-8 St John's Rd, Bath; 01225 318368; www.garricksheadpub.com City centre pub and dining room next to the Theatre Royal Bath

CAFÉ LUCCA 1-2 Bartlett Street, Bath; 01225 335394; www.cafelucca.co.uk Stylish contemporary café situated at The Loft on Bartlett Street; offering a Mediterranean inspired menu with barista coffee and sumptuous homemade cakes DARCY’S 34 Gay St, Bath; 01225 425308 www.facebook.com/darcysbath Independent café/newsagent in Bath. Serving breakfast and lunch, coffee and cake daily GREEN BIRD CAFÉ 11 Margaret's Buildings, Bath; 01225 487846; www.greenbirdcafe.co.uk Independently-run café located between the Circus and Royal Crescent THE KINGSMEAD KITCHEN 1 Kingsmead St, Kingsmead Square, Bath; 01225 329002; www.fieldfireandfeast.co.uk Laid-back, modern café-bar open daily from 8am until 6pm for breakfast, brunch, lunch and tea using farm produce

CALIFORNIAN

THE HARE AND HOUNDS Lansdown Road, Avon, Bath; 01225 482682; www.hareandhoundsbath.com Airy, relaxed spot with modern British gastropub menu, extensive wine list and scenic outdoor area THE LOCKSBROOK INN 103 Locksbrook Rd, Bath; 01225 427119; www.thelocksbrookinn.com Canalside gastropub in Bath, open every day for drinks, brunch, coffee, lunch, evening meals and grazing in between THE MARLBOROUGH TAVERN 35 Marlborough Buildings; 01225 423731; www.marlborough-tavern.com Award-winning gastropub using seasonal local produce THE NEW INN 24 Monmouth Place, Bath; 01225 442944; www.newinnbath.co.uk Burgers and bar snacks with cask and craft ale and beers

THE FIREHOUSE ROTISSERIE 2 John St, Bath; 01225 482070; www.firehouserotisserie.co.uk Californian and Tex-Mex dishes, prepared over a wood-fired grill in a rustic setting

THE RICHMOND ARMS 7 Richmond Place, Bath; 01225 316725; www.therichmondarmsbath.com Hearty dishes with menu changing on a daily basis

GASTROPUBS

INDIAN

GPT SMOKEHOUSE 44-45 Lower Bristol Rd, Bath; 01225 429509; www.gptbath.com 'Dude Food' menu cooked with an authentic handmade American hot smoker

THE EASTERN EYE 8a Quiet St, Bath; 01225 422323; www.easterneye.com Classic traditional Bengali cuisine in a grand Georgian interior space

KING WILLIAM 36 Thomas St, Bath; 01225 428096; www.kingwilliampub.com Pub with an upstairs dining room serving a modern British menu based on West Country produce

THE MINT ROOM Longmead Gospel Hall, Lower Bristol Rd, Bath; 01225 446656; www.themintroom.co.uk Award-winning contemporary Indian fine dining

A D V E R T I S I N G F E AT U R E D I N I N G

ITALIAN CAFFÈ CARUSO 3 Trim Bridge, Bath; 01225 426735 www.caffecarusobath.co.uk Independent restaurant with authentic Italian dishes SOTTO SOTTO 10 North Parade, Bath 01225 330236; www.sottosotto.co.uk Classic Italian menu with a contemporary twist in candlelit vaulted cellars

PIZZA THE OVEN 21 Westgate St, Bath 01225 311181; www.theovenpizzeria.co.uk Neapolitan artisan pizza using local and Italian imported produce

REAL ITALIAN PIZZA CO 16 York St, Bath 01225 330121; www.realitalianpizza.co.uk Family-owned pizzeria. Wood-fired pizza with fresh authentic ingredients

TAPAS

STEAKHOUSES

THAI

THE HERD 12a Argyle St, Bath; 01225 316583; www.theherdrestaurant.co.uk Locally sourced meat of the finest provenance alongside a simple, seasonal menu

KOH THAI TAPAS 36 Broad St, Bath 01225 311232; www.koh-thai.co.uk Award-winning small Thai tapas plates and delicious cocktails

HUDSON STEAKHOUSE 14 London St, Bath; 01225 332323; www.hudsonsteakhouse.co.uk Award-winning steakhouse in a listed building specialising in prime aged steaks and delicious starters with a fusion twist

TAPAS REVOLUTION 20A St Lawrence St, Bath; 01225 312917 www.tapasrevolution.com/bath Authentic Spanish tapas plus an outside terrace

THAI BY THE WEIR 16 Argyle St, Bath 01225 444834; www.thaibytheweir.co.uk Restaurant overlooking the weir, serving a classic Thai menu

OUTSIDE of BATH BRITISH NO. 10 TEA GARDENS Avoncliff, Westwood, Bradford-on-Avon BA15 2DR; 01225 853361 www.avonclifftea.com An independent tea garden located next to the picturesque aqueduct at Avoncliff.

THE GARDEN 15-17 The Bridge, Chippenham, SN15 1HA 01249 465672; www.thegardenuk.co.uk Relaxed dining using British produce

COUNTRY HOUSE HOTELS LUCKNAM PARK Colerne, Wilts, SN14 8AZ 01225 742777; www.lucknampark.co.uk Michelin-starred fine dining at the renowned Park restaurant, and more informal dining at the stylish contemporary brasserie at this five star country house hotel WIDBROOK GRANGE HOTEL Trowbridge Road, Bradford on Avon BA15 1UH; 01225 864750; www.widbrookgrange.co.uk

Modern farmhouse cuisine, locally sourced and freshly prepared

Award-winning modern British food and cask ales in country inn

GASTROPUBS

THE PEAR TREE INN Top Lane, Whitely, Wilts, SN12 8QX; 01225 704966; www.peartreewhitley.co.uk An elegant revamped country inn with an acclaimed restaurant and contemporary rustic-chic bedrooms

BUNCH OF GRAPES 14 Silver St, Bradford on Avon BA15 1JY; 01225 938088; www.thebunchofgrapes.com Bar and restaurant inspired by the village bistros of South West France THE GEORGE AT WOOLLEY 67 Woolley St, Bradford on Avon, BA15 1AQ; 01225 865650; www.thegeorgebradfordonavon.co.uk Lovingly refurbished gastropub from awardwinning team HOMEWOOD PARK Abbey Lane, Freshford, Bath BA2 7TB 01225 723731; www.homewoodpark.co.uk Luxury hotel with two rosette restaurant and spa THE LONGS ARMS Upper South Wraxall, Wilts, BA15 2SB; 01225 864450; www.thelongsarms.com

THE WHEELWRIGHTS ARMS Church Lane, Monkton Combe, BA2 7HB 01225 722287; www.wheelwrightsarms.co.uk Pub featuring modern takes on British classics, plus understated, individually decorated guestrooms

FARM SHOPS ALLINGTON FARM SHOP Allington Bar Farm, Allington, Chippenham SN14 6LJ; 01249 658112; www.allingtonfarmshop.co.uk Shop and café selling local produce

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a d v e r tisi n g feat u r e d i n i n g

Giggling Squid founders Pranee and Andrew Laurillard

GIGGLING SQUID IS NOW OPEN IN BATH! Check out this beau-Thai-ful new addition to the giggling squid family, recently opened in Saw Close

L

ocated within the beautiful Grade II listed Bluecoat House, Saw Close, locals will be treated to a very competitively priced lunchtime Thai tapas menu and an extensive evening menu. Both feature a varied selection of seafood, meat, curry, noodles and stir fry options. Street food style snacks and carefully curated cocktails are also available in the exclusive separate lounge and bar.

Founder, Pranee Laurillard is delighted to open in Bath, “Bath is such a beautiful city and we are so happy to now be part of it.

When we first saw the building we instantly fell in love and knew we had to do it justice! It’s been lovely to see guests bring it to life whilst enjoying our fresh take on Thai food. Lots of happy faces and laughter!”

Giggling Squid, Bluecoat House, Saw Close, Bath, BA1 1EY T: 01225 331 486 www.gigglingsquid.com ba @GigglingSquid

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FOOD & DRINK W H AT ’ S M A K I N G T H E G O U R M E T N E W S I N B AT H

Down on the farm with Dawn and Will

One scoop or two?

TAKE FIVE

The Hawking family have been dairy farmers at Marshfield Farm since 1971 and have been making ice cream since 1988, combining Dawn and Will’s passion for farming with their love of delicious ice cream and sorbets

A

fter three decades of producing delicious ice cream and sorbets, what better way to celebrate than with a timely, new flavour?

With the nation’s love of gin in mind, Marshfield has developed Gin & Tonic Sorbet. It’s made using allnatural ingredients and the smooth, clean taste of premium gin carries a noticeable alcoholic kick. Dawn Hawking tells us more.

Why are you joining the gin crowd?

We thought our 30 years needed to be marked and what better way than with a celebratory sorbet packed with top-quality local gin?

How hard was it to get Marshfield sold in Waitrose?

We tried for over four years and it wasn’t until we did our rebrand that they decided they would have us. There was a great store manager at the time called Nigel Huxley who was so pro-Marshfield, (he loves our blackcurrants in clotted cream flavour) and he pushed it through. That, and a lot of support from locals who were regularly requesting it.

Will you ever produce a vegan version?

We currently do six sorbets which are all 66 I BATH LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

suitable for vegans. As for a totally dairyfree ice cream, it is on our list for product development, but, as we are all about the dairy here on the farm, it’s not top of the list.

What is your most popular flavour?

By volume it is Vanilla Clotted Cream, but our Chocoholic Heaven is the most popular in our scooping parlours Does your work scale back in the winter?

We run both our ice cream lines from the second week in January and put them into cold storage, so we have plenty of stock ready made for the summer months. From the end of September, we shut down one of Here are some they made earlier

our lines and concentrate on our Christmas flavours and all those mini tubs that we sell into theatres ready for the panto season.

Tell us a little about your multi-tasking staff…

We have over 28 people working on both the farm and ice cream, we are a closeknit bunch, and when there are busy times on either of the businesses we all chip in.

It means we can utilise staff across the businesses instead of having to get in temp staff to cover jobs like van-driving or feeding the calves How well do you and your husband Will work together?

Well, we are still married after 25 years!

I would like to think our skills complement each other – he is brilliant on logistics, production and farming, and I love the sales and marketing side – which he doesn’t like.

What are Marshfield’s green credentials?

We currently recycle all our plastic containers, our packaging is recyclable and in our farm parlour we are transferring all we can over to compostables – coffee cups, sundae cups, spoons and straws.

For more: www.marshfield-icecream.co.uk

FOOD & DRINK

Anthony wants people in Bath to eat well

Sam has the cutting edge

NEW CHEF, NEW MENU Framptons, at Grand Parade, Bath, has a new menu and a new chef eager to serve up some delicious dishes.

Head chef Sam Stone has been heading up Framptons’ Tunbridge Wells kitchen, and is delighted to return to Bath having studied and trained in the city.

The menu has a focus on artisan and seasonal food, in line with the company’s policy of only using ingredients sourced within a 20-mile radius.

Sam Stone says, “I want to bring exciting new dishes to the menu, reflecting the seasons, and use the wonderful produce this area has to offer.”

Dishes include The Bath Crumpet – homemade crumpets topped with whisky- and oak- smoked Somerset beef short rib, poached eggs, hollandaise sauce and pickled shallots – and truffled asparagus spears, toasted pine nuts, shaved parmesan and a fried hen’s egg.

For more: www.framptonsbar.co.uk

MOREISH MORSELS Olé Tapas has opened a new eatery in Saw Close, Bath. The Spanish restaurant replaces Gascoyne Place, with its menu featuring tasty meat, fish and vegetarian tapas.

Dishes include organic mature goats’ cheese served with raisins, red mullet with poached onions, and Iberian ham from pigs fed on acorns.

The tapas bar also has a restaurant in nearby John Street, with both restaurants having live music and flamenco dancing.

For more: www.oletapas.co.uk

A little of what you fancy

EAT YOUR GREENS Pickled Greens is the new venture for mother and son Anthony Bado and Lesley Whitaker.

The eatery at 2 Abbey Street, Bath, was previously The Foodie Bugle, and the owners are set to continues its reputation for good food and drink.

“We have introduced a deli counter into the front room and more tables for dining,” says Anthony, who has 16 years of experience in the hospitality industry.

“We are also selling wine, which will be available to drink in or take away, and plan to start opening for the evenings in the spring, serving local cheeses and English meats to pair with the wines.”

Lunches will include tasty treats such as toasties, soups and salads, while, in the evening, diners will be able to enjoy sharing boards packed with cheeses, charcuterie and terrines.

For more: www.pickledgreens.com

FROM FIELD TO FORK Put down your forks, meat-lovers, as available to eat in or take home, including there’s a new festival in town. Bath Vegan cheeses, breads Festival will be the city’s first ever festival and butters.” to celebrate vegan cuisines, with stalls, Bath Vegan Festival takes place on 28 free samples and cookery demonstrations.

July at Bath Pavilion from 10.30am.

For more: Bath Vegan Festival is on Facebook “Veganism is growing at a huge rate for various reasons,” says event organiser Victoria Bryceson.

“This includes love of animals and wanting to live a more ethical lifestyle, health reasons and because eating more plant-based foods benefits the environment.”

But non-vegans worried about going hungry need fear not.

The festival will have an extensive menu including vegan versions of Baileys, cakes, ice creams and chocolate. “We’ll have authentic Indian catering, the best Greek food you will ever taste, plus Jamaican and Chinese catering,” says These meringues Victoria. “We will also have really are vegan! a huge range of cold foods www.mediaclash.co.uk I BATH LIFE I 67

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3 32 Bathwick St, Bath BA2 6NZ • 01225 464845

Fresh and seasonal food. Open 7 days (closed Sunday evenings)

LIVE MUSIC EVERY SATURDAY 9pm FREE ENTRY www.foxymusic.net

The White Hart | Widcombe | Bath | BA2 6AA T 01225 338053 | www.whitehartbath.co.uk

Tel: 01225 444437 www.abbeyales.co.uk

www.thebarleymowbath.co.uk

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6-8 Brougham Place, Larkhall, Bath, BA1 6SJ T 01225 311655 E info@roseandcrownlarkhall.co.uk www.roseandcrownlarkhall.co.uk

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The Royal Crescent

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The Holburne Museum

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A36 Pulteney Rd

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Upper Bristol Road, Bath, BA1 3AT T 01225 422563 E info@victoriabath.co.uk www.victoriabath.co.uk

Southgate

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Bath Spa Station

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EAT DRINK SLEEP The Rising Sun

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Delicious home cooked food including traditional Sunday Lunches Good wine selection Cask Marque real ales

BED & BREAKFAST 3-4 Grove Street, Bath BA2 6PJ 01225 425918 www.therisingsunbath.co.uk

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KEY: 1. White Hart Widcombe 2. Barley Mow Bathwick 3. Abbey Ales The Trinity Inn, The Assembly Inn, Coeur De Lion and Star Inn 4. Old Crown Kelston 5. Catherine Wheel Marshfield 6. Sign of the Angel Lacock 7. Six Bells Colerne 8. Northey Box 9. Longs Arms South Wraxall 10. Fox and Hounds Colerne 11. Old Ham Tree Holt 12. The Fox and Badger Wellow 13. The Inn at Freshford Freshford 14. New Inn Monmouth Place 15. The Raven Queen St MAPS FOR ILLUSTRATION PURPOSES ONLY 16. Rising Sun Grove Street 17. Victoria Upper Bristol Road 18. Rose and Crown Larkhall

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JUST A PUB, NOTHING MORE, NEVER LESS.

SPEND TIME WITH US & ENJOY A RURAL ESCAPE 01225 425045 7 Queen St, Bath, BA1 1HE www.theravenofbath.co.uk

24 Monmouth Place, Bath, BA1 2AY T 01225 442944 E info@newinnbath.co.uk www.newinnbath.co.uk

Traditional country pub set in the Bath countryside

Passionate about food | Seasonal menus | Local produce | Real ales | Garden The Hill, Freshford, Bath BA2 7WG | 01225 722 250 | www.theinnatfreshford.com

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The Catherine Wheel, Marshfield.

A 17th century country pub with real ales, great food and accommodation.

ESCAPE THE CITY WITH US

Traditional country inn with historic charm and contemporary craft flavour Great food | Seasonal menus | Local produce | Real ales | Large pub garden Marshfield, Bath SN14 8LR | 01225 892220 roo@thecatherinewheel.co.uk | www.thecatherinewheel.co.uk

Kelston, Bath BA1 9AQ | 01225 423 032 | www.oldcrownkelston.com

7 Marshfield

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Chippenham

Biddestone Thickwood Colerne

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Batheaston Bathampton

Corsham

AVAILABLE FOR PRIVATE HIRE & FUNCTIONS CALL US FOR DETAILS

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Box

Neston

Bath

Tel: 01225 742413

33 High St, Colerne, Chippenham, Wiltshire SN14 8DD www.sixbellsinn.rocks

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Atworth

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THE SIX BELLS

Lacock

Box, SN13 8AE

Melksham

Combe Down

Holt

Limpley Stoke

Bradford on Avon

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11 Hilperton

Wellow

Come and visit us or have a look at www.ohhpubs.co.uk T: 01225 742333

Trowbridge

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Smokehouse

South Wraxall

North Bradley

Buckland Dinham

Country pub

THE LONGS ARMS

Bratton

Beckington Westbury

South Wraxall | Bradford on Avon | BA15 2SB @thelongsarms

TheLongsArms

Tel: 01225 864450 | www.thelongsarms.com

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Opening Hours: Mon–Thurs: 12pm–3pm, 6pm–11pm Fri & Sat: 11.30am–12am Sun: 12pm–4pm

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The Fox and Hounds

Food served: Mon–Sat: Lunch & dinner Sun: Lunch only Railway Lane, Wellow Bath BA2 8QG Tel: 01225 832293 www.thefoxandbadger.com

THE OLD HAM TREE, HAM GREEN, HOLT, WILTS, BA14 6PY

TEL: 01225 782 581 WWW.THEOLDHAMTREE.COM

Tel:01225 744847 9 The High Street, Colerne SN4 8DB www.foxandhoundscolerne.co.uk

Spring Events at the Wheelwrights Arms The Crown Gin Festival – Friday 25th May, 3pm start

MEXICAN NIGHT TASTING MENU Thursday 22nd March £35 per person.

Bookings essential

TEQUILLA WITH HABAS FRITAS RED SNAPPER CEVICHE REFRIED BLACK BEANS WITH CHEESE QUESADILLAS GUACAMOLE, AUBERGINE CHIPS & HONEY AND TORTILLAS CHILLI CON CARNE WITH CORIANDER AND LIME RICE RICE PUDDING WITH RAISINS & CINNAMON

12TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION Charity Cycle Relay Race Sunday 13th May Barbecue and Bands in the garden with strawberries & cream. Start: 12pm. Adults: £15, Children: £7.50. Teams of 4 / £40 per team. Maximum of 20 teams. Please book teams by first week of May. All donations go to Children’s Hospice South West.

Register at the bar.

f

THE VEG OF GLORY

Try your hand at these recipes from Plants Taste Better, a brand-new cookbook from Bath chef Richard Buckley of Acorn Vegetarian Kitchen

T

his month, Richard Buckley, chef proprietor of Acorn Vegetarian Kitchen restaurant in Bath, launched a recipe book, called Plants Taste Better, which celebrates plant-based eating, from root to fruit. It introduces the reader

to 70 top-notch recipes that take vegetable-cooking to a new level, and it shares them in a way that will help with an understanding of how to cook – by highlighting specific techniques that will enhance cooking prowess across the board. Learn how to make two of them, here...

PISTACHIO PÂTÉ (Serves: 4) For the pâté 90g Iranian pistachios 90ml top-quality olive oil 15g parsley leaves 1 tsp orange zest 1 clove of garlic 110ml cold water Scant 1 tsp agar powder Sea salt Cayenne pepper For the orange and marjoram salad 3 oranges (a sweet, seedless

variety like navel) 5 tsp light, grassy olive oil 2 tsp marjoram leaves, shredded Black pepper For the garnish 4 organic, unwaxed oranges (for the orange zest powder) Carta di musica (you can find the recipe to make your own, elsewhere in the book) 4 tsp broken pistachios Few small salad leaves Few marjoram leaves

72 I BATH LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

Method 1. Make the orange zest powder (this recipe makes a couple of tablespoons; that’s enough for about 20 servings – keep it in your cupboard for next time). Ideally use a dehydrator set to 45ºC/113ºF, or preheat the oven to its lowest setting. Peel the zest from the orange in strips, avoiding as much of the white pith as you can. Put the strips onto a dehydrator tray and dehydrate for eight hours or until completely dry and brittle. If using the oven, place on a baking tray for two hours, then check. Using a pestle and mortar, grind the dried strips into a fine powder. This will keep for two weeks in an airtight container.

2. To make the pâté, place a 12cm-square pastry frame on a small board lined with cling film.

3. Put the pistachios for the pâté into a blender and process until they resemble fine breadcrumbs. Add the olive oil, parsley, orange zest and garlic, and blend. Now you’ll need to work fast, as the pâté will set as it cools.

4. Put the water into a small saucepan and, adding a little at a time, whisk in the agar and bring to the boil, whisking continuously. As soon as it boils, remove from the heat.

Quickly measure the hot agar mix into the blender jug and make it back up to 110ml by adding a little cold water if necessary. Blend until silky smooth. Add salt and cayenne pepper as necessary.

5. Pour the pâté into your prepared mould, and cover the top with cling film – in contact with the surface of the pâté to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least two hours to set.

6. About 45 minutes before serving, make the salad. Using a sharp knife, remove the orange peel and the pith. Cut cleanly down the membranes to remove each segment. Cut the segments into chunks and put into a bowl with the olive oil, marjoram and a twist of black pepper.

Leave for 10-30 minutes for the flavours to come together.

7. Remove the pâté from the mould and cut into four slices. Serve with a few broken pistachios, spoon the salad in a pile next to the pâté, dust the plate with pinches of orange zest powder and add a few salad and marjoram leaves and the carta di musica.

RECIPES

FOOD

MOIST APPLE CAKE, WITH APPLE MOUSSELINE AND PLUM PURÉE (Serves: 4) For the mousseline 6 Bramley apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1cm dice 2 tbsp caster sugar 5 tsp water 5 tsp extra virgin olive oil For the purée 250g red-skinned plums, halved and stones removed 50g caster sugar 1 cinnamon stick 1 star anise 1 vanilla pod, cut in half and seeds scraped out For the sponge 180g plain (all-purpose) flour Scant 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) 2 tsp ground cinnamon Scant 1/4 tsp sea salt 150g soft brown sugar 110ml extra virgin olive oil 55ml water 1 tbsp cider vinegar 4 large Bramley apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1cm dice 50g demerara sugar

Method 1. To make the mousseline, place the diced apple in a saucepan with the sugar and water. Cook gently until the apples break down.

2. Transfer to a blender and process to a smooth purée. Clean out the saucepan and return the apple mix. Cook until the apple becomes thick and gloopy, then remove from the heat. Using a wire whisk, whisk in the olive oil to give a glossy texture.

3. Transfer to a small container and cover with cling film, in contact with the surface, and leave to cool. Place in the fridge for four hours to become very firm.

4. To make the plum purée, in a bowl mix together the plum halves, sugar, cinnamon, star anise, vanilla pod and seeds. Place an 18-inch strip of foil over a deep baking tray and cover with an 18-inch strip of baking parchment, forming a well in the middle. Put the plum mix into the well. Fold the tin foil/paper in half and roll up the edges to form a sealed parcel.

5. Bake for 20 minutes then remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before opening. Remove the cinnamon, vanilla pod and star anise, then transfer the plums and liquid to a blender and blend until completely smooth. Strain

through a sieve and place in the fridge.

6. Next, make the cake. Preheat the oven to (fan) 140°C/160°C/310°F/gas mark 21/2. Grease and line an eight-inch-square, loose-bottomed baking tin. Mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, salt and brown sugar together in a large bowl. In a jug, mix the olive oil, water and cider vinegar together, then pour it into the flour mix. Using a spoon, mix gently until just combined.

7. Fold the diced apple in. Pour the mix into the prepared baking tin, and level out. Sprinkle with the demerara sugar and bake for 30–40 minutes until the top is golden and it is cooked through (check by inserting a cocktail stick into the centre – it should come out clean). Leave to cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the tin, and leave on a cooling rack until cold.

8. When ready to serve, slice the apple sponge. Place a slice of cake on four dessert plates. Drizzle two tablespoons of plum purée around each plate, then add a scoop of apple mousseline and serve.

Recipes from Plants Taste Better by Richard Buckley, £25, published by Jacqui Small; www.acornvegetariankitchen.co.uk

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BATH LIFE I 73

Your OHH Pub’s Bespoke Events!

Keep an eye out for our Pub’s bespoke events! The last Wednesday of every month will see all OHH Pubs simultaneously host their own Event day or evening. Stay updated on our website and why not choose the monthly event that suits your mood.

OHH Brunch Social Just £17.50 per person for 90 minutes of Bottomless Brunch with unlimited tea or coffee to accompany. Line the stomach with pastries on arrival and choose from an array of Breakfast and Brunch dishes to continue. Reservations only. Why not Fizz up the experience and enjoy 40% off a glass of Mimosa or Prosecco.

Visit any OHH Pub on the first Saturday of every month.

Reservations from 9.00am to 10.30am.

Coffee & Cake Social Enjoy a mug of tea or freshly ground coffee with a slab of homemade cake for just £3.50.

Available at any OHH Pub weekdays until 5pm

Tuesday night is Steak night Enjoy a mouth watering steak and homemade chips for just £10. Wash it all down with a fine bottle of House red wine for just £12.

Served every Tuesday at all OHH Pubs 5pm - 9.30pm

Fizz Thursdays Come and relax with a glass or bottle of Prosecco.

40% off Prosecco all day and evening every Thursday.

Available at all OHH Pubs every Thursday throughout the day, from lunch to dinner.

Come and visit our pubs or take a look at www.ohhpubs.co.uk

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Fashion/gifts/stores/more

LIGHTARTED

Searching, sourcing, creating and finding has been a way of life for as long as Felicity Chuter – the owner of recently opened East of Home on Walcot Street, Bath – can remember, often culminating in the question “Where did you find that?”.

Her curated store in the Artisan Quarter of Bath is the embodiment of a long-held dream and desire to create a space where she could sell pieces that hold resonance and have meaning; keepsakes that last forever – the polar opposite of ‘fast fashion’.

She says East of Home can’t be summarised by tag lines, it’s no ‘one thing’; it’s a collaboration

between artisans, crafters and designers. We’re big fans of these Inq lampshades by local independent maker Florence Saumarez, who works from her studio in Lansdown Mews, Bath. Sold at East of Home, they are created using unique handmarbled papers (bonded to a fire-retardant core) meaning no two Inq lampshades are ever exactly the same.

From £80, available at East of Home, 144 Walcot Street, Bath, www.eastofhome.com.

Visit www.inq.ink for more information

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BATH LIFE I 77

1

3

2

5

4

1. TWEET TWEET

2. GOOD HARE DAY

3. HOP TO IT

4. YOU CRACK ME UP

5. BUN WHILE IT LASTED

Chicken and egg print, £40 This clever print by local designer Fivebargate brings a colourful, playful spin to the ‘which came first’ causality dilemma From Leak, 3 Larkhall Square, Bath

Rabbit head, £60 The birch plywood finish on this wall-trophy can be left as it is or painted to suit your personal taste From Clive Roddy, Bath; www.cliveroddy.co.uk

Hare print, from £20 This handmade linocut print, by Bath illustrator James Nunn, can be hung alone or as a cluster with his four other hare illustrations From James Nunn, Bath; www.jamesnunn.co.uk

Decorative eggs, £10.50 per box Choose from various types of decoration – made from real eggshell, polystyrene or papier-mâché – which are painted in-house in pastel hues From Article, 3 Bartlett Street, Bath; www.articlebath.com

Chocolate hot cross buns, £9.99 Bite-sized and adorable, this selection of white and milk Belgian chocolates makes a great sharing selection From Choc on Choc, Rode; www.choconchoc. co.uk

78 I BATH LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

ED’S CHOICE 7

SHOPPING 8

9

6

EASTER TREATS

WE’RE FAR FROM ANTI-CHOCOLATE, BUT OUR PICK OF EASTER- AND SPRING-INSPIRED TREATS WILL LET YOU GIVE THE COCOA A REST…

10

6. MERCI BOUQUET

7. EGG-CEPTIONAL

8. FOR REAL DOE

9. WHIRLED PIECE

10. SOMETHING KINDA BUNNY

Narcissi Pheasants Eye, £2,200 OK, way too expensive for an Easter gift, but a springinspired treat to yourself at some point maybe?

From Beaux Arts Bath, 12-13 York Street, Bath; www.beauxartsbath.co.uk

Egg cup, £8.50 Whether you like your eggs runny, hard-boiled or perfectly in between, these two-tone, glazed, ceramic cups will make for beautiful holders From Libby Ballard Ceramics, Studio 3, Pound Arts Centre, Corsham; www.libbyballard.co.uk

Geometric woodland fawn print, £29.95 The perfect combination of cute and contemporary, attach this striking piece of art to a plain wall for instant detail From Graham and Green, 92 Walcot Street, Bath; www.grahamandgreen. co.uk

Easter fudge, £2.90 per 100g piece Dieters, look away. These vanilla fudge pieces have mini eggs swirled through the middle and on top From The San Francisco Fudge Company, 6 Church Street, Abbey Green, Bath; www.sanfranciscofudge. co.uk

Hanging decorations, £8.75 each These fabric Easter bunnies are finished with beautiful attention-todetail, and the coats are embroidered with spring adornments From Rossiters of Bath, 38-41 Broad Street, Bath; www.rossitersofbath.com

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BATH LIFE LIFE II 79 www.mediaclash.co.uk I CLIFTON 69

Bareface Make Up tuition offers you:

Refresh and Restore 1 hour Breathes new life into your make up bag by talking through your desired look. You can then discuss the products and tools you need to do this.

Upfront and Personal 90 mins With Carol’s expertise and guidance, you’ll be shown the perfect way to apply your make up.

Practice and Perfect 45 mins Here you have the option to follow up and practice your technique as well as discuss anything you’re not sure about.

To discuss prices contact Carol: 07831 504124 carol@barefacemakeup.co.uk

KEEP it GREEN

Down in the garden, plants are starting to stir. That’s the incentive for making sure the outside of our homes look just as good as the inside

By Sa m a n t h a Wa l k e r Potted perfection from Woodhouse & Law

82 I BATH LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

EXTERIORS

N

ever judge a book by its cover, the old adage says.

The trouble is, when it comes to our homes, and particularly the outside space, it’s hard not to judge.

Peeling paintwork, unkempt plant beds, and less than imaginative exterior accessories don’t exactly make gardens inspiring places to be in.

But, with a little bit of time and thought, these areas can be transformed, and, in some cases, become an additional ‘room’ for our homes.

TIME TO GET GROWING

“From a horticultural point of view, now is the time to let the air get to your garden,” says Rosie Nottage, who offers garden design in Bath and around the UK. “Cut back the last of the woody growth from last year’s perennials to let air and light reach the emerging buds, and put a mulch of mushroom compost around the plants to knock back any weeds starting to germinate and give a boost to the growing plants.”

There are other chores to be done too, to make sure you capitalise on the growing season.

“If you haven’t already done so, now is a great time to clear out old plants in your greenhouse and disinfect the area, and any old pots and tools can also be thoroughly cleaned,” says Simon Lowe, plant manager at Whitehall Garden Centre, which has a branch in Chippenham.

WE’VE MADE

TRELLIS FOR MICK JAGGER AND GEORGE CLOONEY

Below: blooming lovely design from the Hegarty Webber Partnership

And help is at hand if your fingers are less than green, and you need some guidance.

“As well as a general tidy and check for frost damage comes the need to prune roses and to weed and mulch the beds,” says Nick Woodhouse from Woodhouse & Law, an interior and garden design company at George’s Place, Bath.

“Perennials need protecting from slugs, and might also need to be lifted and divided if they have become congested.

“We now provide a month-by-month maintenance schedule tailor-made to each planting scheme we introduce to a garden.”

TRADITIONAL SKILLS

Hilary and John Thurman launched Garden Requisites almost 15 years ago, both determined to offer well-designed and well-made wirework and ironwork products that were missing from the high street. Their showroom is in Batheaston, and it’s the only company in the UK creating handmade garden and home products by weaving their own crimped wire.

“We’ve exhibited at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show for many years, says Hilary.

“We’re now focusing on attracting customers worldwide as well as the UK, and have several exciting projects with Urban Outfitters in the US. Customers over the years include arches for Jamie Oliver, a garden trellis for Mick Jagger and, more recently, a wall trellis for George Clooney’s conservatory.” w

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BATH LIFE I 83

EXTERIORS

LOW MAINTENANCE

“Now is the perfect time to plant summerflowering bulbs,” says Nick Woodhouse from Woodhouse & Law. “They take up very little room in the border so can provide additional impact to even the fullest of spaces. Hardy varieties can be planted now, with the more tender ones benefiting from being planted in containers inside to give them a head start. These are very handy, too, for transferring from pot to border as and when any gaps in the garden become evident later in the season.

“Unless you are a real plant expert, it is important to grow easy and trouble-free plants,” recommends Lesley Hegarty from local garden designers the Hegarty Webber Partnership.

“Life is too short to struggle with difficult plants when there are so many varieties which are easier to maintain. If you need a hardy perennial, we recommend geranium Rozanne for its longevity, ground cover and free-flowering qualities. If it’s roses, look no further than David Austin Roses that have been carefully bred for fragrance, disease-resistance and repeat-flowering. Rosa Munstead Wood is particularly stunning.”

LOOK AT YOUR LANDSCAPE

Now is the time to put your stamp on your garden, and reap the rewards all summer and autumn long.

“Having only just left behind the dreary days of winter, we are very aware of the extent to which our gardens may not be up to scratch,” says Lesley Hegarty from the Hegarty Webber Partnership, “Perhaps they are lacking all-yearround interest or sufficient structural elements

A calm low-maintenance space from Woodhouse & Law

such as evergreen planting and/or clipped shrubs, which are the garden’s backbone throughout the year? Spring is the ideal time to implement a new landscape and get your new plantings in and established before temperatures rise.

For Simon Maughan, owner of gardening company The Botanic Man, in Bath, it’s important to plant for the year ahead.

“I cannot tolerate a garden that reaches its peak at the end of June, when most of us are just waking up to the idea of summer,” says Simon.

“I want a garden that is at its peak during the summer holidays, in August, and I also want a garden that lasts well into autumn – and beyond.”

LET THERE BE LIGHT

This zinc door canopy has been crafted by Garden Requisites

84 I BATH LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

“With all our lighting designs, through the early winter nights and warm summer evenings we bring the inside out, making the exterior a usable space,” says Matt Butler, the owner of Lumos Lighting in Calne, an innovative company which specialises in exterior lighting systems.

“We also like to highlight the best features on a building or in the garden, which brings the landscape to life.”

The key, says Matt, is to make features stand out. “Silhouetting is one of the most used effects in gardens or courtyards, the light is w

Be it large or small, town or country, we are dedicated to designing your perfect garden.

01934 853273 | www.thehegartywebberpartnership.com

B O O K A C O N S U LT A T I O N

DESIGNING GREAT GARDENS FOR YOU

EXTERIORS

placed between an object, such as a plant or tree, and a wall or building,” he says.

“This gives a silhouette effect to the object in front.”

FRENCH FANCY

Melanie Simpson, is the owner of Chippenhambased The Lacock Planter, which sells readyto-paint, hand-crafted wooden planters, plus decorative finds sourced during regular trips to South West France.

“I tend to go to France every four to six weeks and visit local private house sales, brocantes and independent antique and vintage stores,” says Melanie. “I buy items which, for me, have an immediate beauty, a timeless appeal – whether humble or opulent, decorative or simple, finds with a history, texture, patina, and elegance and which would fit seamlessly in most gardens or interiors.

“Occasionally, something unexpectedly quirky and unconventional takes my eye. My favourites are probably a pair of imposing stone garden urns, a gorgeous Louis-style canapé and the most charming small, carefully crafted wooden boxes, sent in the 1940s by a jeweller, still bearing the hand-written addresses on yellowing paper, seals and the remains of tying string, broken to expose the watch or jewellery within.”

Lumos Lighting shines a light on the landscape

GIVE BEES A CHANCE

“As the population of bees decline, I think it’s important to find an area in the garden which can be set aside to help pollination, and perhaps promote a wildflower garden,” says Simon Lowe at the Whitehall Garden Centre.

“Plant native primroses, British bluebells, field scabious, and poppies to name but a few.

“A very popular plant right now is Dianthus Pink Kisses, with double pink flowers, which has an abundance of flowers, nice and compact, and suitable for balconies and containers.”

HOW TO MAKE YOUR GARDEN POP WITH COLOUR

“Planters and pots help to dress up gates and doorways, and can create a striking entrance and announce a beautiful interior,” says Francophile Melanie Simpson of The Lacock Planter.

“They provide interest and focus and the opportunity to experiment with dramatic colour, shape or texture you may not want to use elsewhere in the garden.”

“There is little substitute for accessorising your garden with good-quality garden furniture such as that manufactured by Barlow Tyrie, Gaze Burvill and Verdon Grey,” says Lesley Hegarty, from The Hegarty Webber Partnership.

“This can always be accented by the current season’s choice of colour for your cushions, table placements and seasonal tubs and planters – be it vibrant magenta, fizzing orange or a cool Cape Cod colour. Pops of teal stand out well as a colour as it is rarely found in flowers.”

86 I BATH LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

A wrought iron gazebo adds structure in this design from the Hegarty Webber Partnership

EXTERIORS

WE INSTALLED 160 METRES OF

TWINKLE LIGHTS ON A LARGE TREE

IN DECEMBER BUT THE CLIENT LOVES IT SO MUCH THEY KEEP IT ON ALL YEAR ROUND

Rosie Nottage also suggests using a strong colour to make a statement.

“I like using reflection such as silver leaves and white flowers, but, to create a statement, it’s still good to use one brightly coloured piece of furniture,” she says. “Fermob have a good range – hot pink, yellow, red or orange all work well with green.”

Fittingly, a lush green is Nick Woodhouse’s tip.

“The 2018 Pantone verdure colour palette is likely to be the one that resonates most in our gardens this year, taking its influence from colours found in vegetation and woodland,” he says.

And illumination is key, says Matt Butler at Lumos Lighting.

“We install festoon lighting for events; for example, we installed 160 metres of twinkle lights on a large tree in December, but the client loves it so much they keep it on all year round,” he says.

FLORAL FAVOURITES

“Ferns are fashionable at the moment with rich green foliage complemented with either white flowers or big bold hosta leaves,” says Simon Lowe at Whitehall Garden Centre.

“Grasses such as Festuca Intense Blue is a winner for the more contemporary garden which prefers full sun to keep the intense blue leaves. Bamboo is also a good addition which w

Even a small space can be home to plants say Garden Requisites

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BATH LIFE I 87

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EXTERIORS

needs to grow in a large pot to allow the roots to spread and provide plenty of water.”

The striking colour of a semi-cactus has caught Nick Woodhouse’s eye.

“I love the bruised maroon colour of the cactus dahlia Nuit d’Eté,” says Nick. “This cactus dahlia has double flowers from July, and is best suited to a sunny border where it will add real interest, especially if planted in drifts.”

Left: A well-stocked garden from Rosie Nottage; right: the double flowers of Dianthus Pink Kisses

TRENDS AND TIPS

Simon Maughan set up his gardening business, The Botanic Man, in 2006. He has over 16 years experience with the Royal Horticultural Society, and currently looks after 25 well-tended gardens in Bath.

“The garden as an outdoor room is a concept that has been around for decades, but it’s more relevant than ever as our living spaces dwindle and winters are becoming shorter,” says Simon.

“I’m also seeing a greater appreciation for nature-focused gardens, both those that are accommodating to wildlife as well as those that derive from naturalistic influences.”

Texture in landscaping, as well as in the leaves

YOU HAVE BEEN READING www.woodhouseandlaw.co.uk www.rosienottage.com www.garden-requisites.co.uk www.whitehallgardencentre. co.uk www.botanicman.co.uk www.thelacockplanter.co.uk www.hegartywebberpartnership. com www.lumos-lighting.co.uk

of plants, will make your garden on trend, and more interesting, says Rosie Nottage.

“There are some lovely new products on the market, such as oak setts, which you can see in the new paving outside Bath’s new casino,” she says.

“Garden structures as focal points are currently fashionable, be it wrought iron gazebos, simple planed wood pergolas or Grillkota barbecue huts.

“These items can be both sanctuaries to which we escape from our busy lives and focal objects within the landscape.”

And, says Rosie, don’t be afraid to fake it, with artificial grass a must for those who want an easy life.

“These days there is stronger interest in artificial grass, once regarded as rather naff, but now of such a quality as to offer a sensible, low-maintenance alternative for smaller gardens,” says Rosie. “Current trends for fewer in number, but larger pots and planters are a good thing for plants, as we tend to put them into pots that are too small,” says Hilary Thurman from Garden Requisites. “Our larger square and circular planters are a great alternative to lead or timber.” www.mediaclash.co.uk I BATH LIFE I 89

E N V I R O N M E N T A D V E R T I S I N G F E AT U R E

PROTECTED TREES OF BATH WEST COUNTRY TREE SERVICES highlight the importance of trees in Bath’s conservation areas

T

he historic importance and architectural beauty of the City of Bath means that it is one of the biggest conservation areas in the UK, covering almost three quarters of the city.

It’s not only the listed buildings of Bath that are situated in the city’s conservation areas – there are a great number of trees as well. This means that, as local tree surgeons, we at West Country Tree Services have to be knowledgeable and well-versed in the laws pertaining to trees in conservation areas, and those subject to a Tree Preservation Order (TPO).

We are highly experienced in consulting with property owners and authorities in Bath, and ensuring that the city’s trees are treated with as much care and consideration as the rest of its heritage landscape. We can also guide you through the process of obtaining permission from Bath and North East Somerset Council for undertaking works or felling on a tree in a conservation area or under a TPO. In general terms all trees in a conservation area with a trunk diameter of 75mm or more – measured at 1.5 metres above natural ground

level – are protected under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. You have to give at least six weeks notice to B&NES Council if you want to prune or fell such a tree, or face a hefty fine (up to £20,000 for cutting a tree down).

It’s important to remember that all parts of a tree in a conservation area are protected – including its roots. You need to give notice to the council if you plan on doing any building work or digging that may impact on a tree’s root system.

West Country Tree Services Ltd are highly qualified, experienced and professional tree surgeons covering Bath and Wiltshire. We provide our customers with the highest quality and

competitive tree surgery services including stump removal and firewood supply in Bath, Wiltshire and the surrounding areas.

We have gained an excellent reputation for the work we carry out due to our exceptional levels of customer care and professionalism.

We guarantee to provide a complete, hassle free service tailored to meet your requirements.

We offer competitive, free, no obligation quotations and aim to beat any like for like quotation on both price and quality.

All of our quotes are confirmed in writing for your peace of mind. Contact us today for a free, no obligation quotation!

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✆ 01225 475800

A D V E R T I S I N G F E AT U R E L I G H T I N G

LIGHT UP YOUR LIFE Lighting experts LUMOS can illuminate your homes and gardens

L

umos are an exterior lighting and electrical business who create bespoke and specially lit landscapes and gardens. During the summer natural light brings the landscape to life, but Lumos installations and projects will illuminate it all year round. Inspired by both urban and country exterior lighting from around the world, Lumos offer a comprehensive package starting with unique design and conceptual planning, through to installation and aftercare. The objective at all times is to provide an unbeatable service and deliver an exquisitely lit landscape. Their process is firstly a free survey which involves a walk through the area with the client, to better understand what they would like to see. From this, they will produce an in-depth drawing of the area to make sure

customers are happy with the ideas – it's only then that they'll quote.

Specialist qualified installers will then handle all aspects, including the landscaping and aftercare, delivering on time, on budget and on spec. A two year warranty is provided.

Whether it’s the gardens of residential homes, the grounds of commercial properties such as hotels or offices, one-off events like parties and weddings, Lumos will deliver beautiful creative outdoor lighting with state-ofthe-art technology.

www.lumos-lighting.co.uk info@lumos-lighting.co.uk 07909 227498

01225 428977 www.mba-architecture.co.uk Winner of Building Control Design Quality Awards 2016 Winner of the Brian Marson Award for Works to a Listed Building 2016 Finalist in LABC West of England Building Excellence Awards 2017

A D V E R T I S I N G F E AT U R E V E T E R I N A RY C A R E

PAWS OFF!

Keep chocolate away from our furry friends this Easter

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t this time of year chocolate is in abundance in many households, many of us love the taste of chocolate and the availability increases as we hand our Easter eggs to our loved ones. However chocolate poisoning in pets is a common issue, especially around Easter time. Don’t be tempted by those puppy dog eyes – while your pet will love the smell and taste of chocolate, even a small amount can be toxic to your pet.

Make sure you keep all Easter eggs out of reach of your pet. We all know a cheeky pup or a nifty cat who can be quite clever when it comes to getting to food he or she craves, so this means keeping chocolate in high cupboards – and beware of the ingenious dog who can open doors when you’re not looking.

Chocolate contains ingredients that our pets cannot tolerate. These ingredients, theobromine and caffeine are found in chocolate, the highest concentrations are found in dark or bakers’ chocolate. This means that there is not a ‘safe’ amount of chocolate to give your pet. Even white chocolate, which has the lowest theobromine level, has lots of fat and sugar which can cause pancreatitis, as well as contribute to obesity.

We recommend giving pet approved

‘chocolate’, which contains carob, we have many treats available to buy from our surgery shops and are a much better way to give your pet some indulgence of their own this Easter.

If you think that your pet has eaten chocolate, it is very important to call your local vet. We at Bath Vets have eight local surgeries combined with 24 hour emergency care at Rosemary Lodge Veterinary Hospital. If you suspect that your pet has ingested chocolate, even if you only think they may have, but aren’t sure – it’s better to be safe than sorry.

We are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year at Rosemary Lodge Veterinary Hospital.

For more information on our services and latest offers visit www.bathvetgroup.co.uk, call us on 01225 832521 or follow us on Facebook, just search Bath Vets. From all at Bath Vets, we hope you have a lovely Easter!

Rosemary Lodge, Wellsway, Bath, BA2 5RL, 01225 832521 www.bathvetgroup.co.uk f Bath.Vet.Group

OUR CLINICS: • Rosemary Lodge Hospital Wellsway, Bath, BA2 5RL; 01225 832521 • Bath Cat Clinic 4 Beaufort East, London Road, BA1 6QD 01225 312061 • Chapel Veterinary Surgery Forest Road, Melksham, SN12 7AA 01225 702427 • Marshfield Veterinary Surgery 57 High Street, Marshfield, SN14 8LR 01225 891171 • Oldfield Park Veterinary Surgery 4 Third Avenue, Oldfield Park, BA2 3NY 01225 423652 • Peasedown Veterinary Surgery, 46 Bath Road, Peasedown St John, BA2 8DL; 01761 435673 • Saltford Veterinary Surgery 478B Bath Road, Saltford, BS31 3DJ 01225 872002 • Station Road Veterinary Surgery Lower Weston, BA1 3DY; 01225 428921 • Park Road Vets 11 Park Road, Keynsham, Bristol, BS31 1BX; 0117 9339 933

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BATH LIFE I 93

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Showroom open 8am - 5pm Monday to Friday and Saturday 9am - 12.30pm Tel: 01761 412934 info@hobbsmarbleandgranite.co.uk • www.hobbsmarbleandgranite.co.uk Kitchen worktops • Bathrooms • Fireplaces • Bespoke templating and fitting service • Memorials

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H E AT I N G S E R V I C E S A D V E R T I S I N G F E AT U R E

CLOSE THE SKILLS GAP Debbie Williams of JOHN WILLIAMS HEATING SERVICES calls on companies to embrace apprenticeships

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ebbie Williams, co-founder of one of the South West’s leading heating and plumbing companies, has urged employers to embrace apprenticeships during National Apprenticeship Week 2018, which ran from March 5 – 9. Over the last year the number of apprenticeships offered by employers has dropped dramatically – in spite of a Government plan to increase the number of apprentices to three million by 2020.

One of the reasons cited for this drop was the introduction last year of the new Apprenticeship Levy which – it’s believed – many companies still don’t understand. This scheme imposes a tax on large businesses with a wage bill of £3m or more, who have to contribute a small percentage of that wage bill to the cost of funding apprenticeships nationwide. This levy affects around the top two per cent of UK businesses.

Debbie, who is president of the Chippenham Chamber of Commerce, says: “Apprenticeships are a key part of our business and always have

been. We currently have six apprentices and many of our staff started off their careers as apprentices. It’s a fantastic route to a career and we have a large skills gap in this country and relatively low productivity compared with many other nations.

“This drop in apprenticeships may be due to the introduction of the levy which will take some time to bed-in. However I would urge any employer to explore apprenticeships through colleges and other providers in their area. Most businesses don’t pay the levy, but this does mean there is funding available across many sectors and disciplines to train people up in the necessary skills while they learn on the job.”

National Apprenticeship Week is in its 11th year and this year’s theme is Apprenticeships Work. Events will take place nationwide to showcase the value apprenticeships can bring to the UK economy. One of the recent apprentices at John Williams Heating Services is Debbie’s own daughter Georgina, who is now the office manager of the busy Wiltshire-based company.

CDAB

Five of the apprentices at John Williams Heating Services

“I’ve gained a much wider knowledge of business and a wealth of experience whilst also studying at the same time,” she says. “Now I’ve taken on a responsible job which challenges me every day and I know I’ve introduced changes which have made the business more efficient.”

Debbie says: “Georgina has brought so much to us – from fine-tuning our processes through to teaching us many aspects of efficient administration. It’s not just about what we can do for an apprentice, it’s equally about what they can do for us.”

Bumpers Farm Industrial Estate, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN14 6LH www.jwheating.co.uk; 01249 709024

Telephone 01761 451764 www.orientalrugsofbath.com Email katya@orientalrugsofbath.com Bookbarn International, 1 Hallatrow Business Park, Wells Rd, Hallatrow, Bristol, BS39 6EX

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Shake-ups/launches/intel/promotions

B AT H G E T S S ER I O US

Young bookworms reject technology at the Beaufort Bookshop

QUOTE OF THE ISSUE James knows learning through play is key for young minds

BUSINESS

THE NEXT CHAPTER After teaching for over 20 years – many of those as head of English at St Mark’s School, Bath – James Thomas wanted a new challenge And what better for a lover of the English language than opening The Beaufort Bookshop in Larkhall? It’s a multi-purpose space, including a café, tuition centre, space for hire and piles of books – 5,000 of them.

“Books ranging across many genres are crammed onto the shelves, and tend to overflow into piles dotted around the shop floor,” says James.

“The slightly jumbled layout alludes to the classic second-hand bookshop style, allowing serendipitous discoveries to be made. In our view, bookshop browsers want to make new discoveries not simply stock up on titles they are already aware of.”

The love of literature means Larkhall has welcomed the bookshop with open arms; a monthly book group has plenty of members eager to discuss novels, and a Saturday Lego club has been a real hit with children.

Future plans include evening events such as a philosophy discussion group and a board games club.

The bookshop is also a hub for tuition, meaning eager little minds can learn and achieve their potential in relaxed surroundings.

“Being situated a short walk from St Saviour’s schools means there are plenty of children that can get involved in our literacy workshops that take place over half-term holidays,” says James.

“This offers a creative output for those who love English and creative writing, or a way to inspire those who don’t. After teaching for such a long time, you might think that I’d have had enough of it. However, when I ventured into opening the Beaufort Bookshop I wanted English tutoring to be a key focus.

“Since September, the calendar has filled with students aged eight to 44. I cover the basics of spelling, grammar and punctuation, through to the new 9-1 GCSE English and English literature specifications for Year 10/11 pupils.

“I have also supported adults with their OU degree courses and helped students with entrance exams for private schools.” www.beaufortbookshop.co.uk

“THE MOST INCREDIBLE YACHT WE HAVE DESIGNED HAS ITS OWN PRIVATE INDOOR PADEL TENNIS COURT” Pascale Reymond on luxe living aboard a superyacht.

For more: see page 100

5,000 THE BIG NUMBER

The number of second-hand books found on the shelves, and floor, at the Beaufort Bookshop.

For more: see opposite

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BATH LIFE I 99

ONE TO WATCH

PASCALE REYMOND The Bath-based designer has a certain je ne sais quoi, and uses her artistic streak to create state-of-theart opulence aboard the high seas

What was your first job?

It was in London in 1987 as a stained glass assistant, I was paid £2.50 per hour.

A SUPERYACHT IS A MOVING SCULPTURE, A FORM OF TRANSPORTATION AND A PRIVATE HOME AT THE SAME TIME How did Reymond Langton come about?

In 1989, I found an incredible job with yacht designer Donald Starkey. I was employed as his PA for six months. And got promoted very fast as his head designer. In 2001, with my partner and colleague Andrew Langton, we made the jump and decided to create our superyacht design studio Reymond Langton Design.

It took us eight months to get our first commission, and since than the work keeps coming in.

What is your favourite design you’ve completed? And the most opulent?

The most opulent yacht might be the 94-metre Kismet. My favourite design is Mogambo where we designed the exterior and interior. She was in Bristol a few years ago. The most beautiful exterior is Lady Lara, 91 metres, and the most incredible yacht we have designed has its own private indoor padel tennis court, this is our latest yacht, Aviva, 98 metres, that was completed last year.

How do your different professional backgrounds complement each other in the business?

Andrew is a car designer, and my artist background 100 I BATH LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

What makes a yacht a superyacht?

A superyacht is a moving sculpture, a form of transportation and a private home at the same time. It’s incredible to combine all these qualities together.

What are the best aspects of your job?

After all the hard work and design concepts, when a yacht sails away we can physically see the result of our effort. This makes you feel very proud to be part of such an incredible industry which brings so much work to small artisans in the UK. Tell us something about you that might surprise us...

I have a degree in archaeology, and I paint as a hobby.

Where are you happiest – on sea or on dry land?

On my paddleboard, or at my beach hut in the South of France, which is literally two metres away from the most wonderful turquoise water. www.reymondlangtondesign.com

Above: Pascale on board Kismet; below: the superstylish Lady Lara

PHOTO CREDIT: TOM VAN OOSSANEN

What did you want to be when you were little?

I wanted to be many things at once, ranging from an air hostess and archaeologist, to a painter.

really helps us to design a truly well-balanced yacht inside out.

PHOTO CREDIT: CHANNEL 4

Tell us a little about your background From a very young age I was always on the move. I lived in six towns ‘en Bretagne’ over a period of 15 years. Therefore I developed a great taste of travel and adventure.

BUSINESS INSIDER

MOVERS, SHAKERS, ETC

BATH RUGBY NEWS Bringing you the latest from the Bath Rugby headquarters

A CGI of Sovereign Point

POINT TO POINT Property agent Savills has been instructed to market luxury riverside apartments at Sovereign Point; the muchanticipated sister building of Royal View at Crest Nicholson’s Bath Riverside development.

Anna Fairman, associate director at Savills in Bath says,“The development breaks new ground in Bath, offering an exceptionally high quality of living in a prized location.”

The development offers a collection of 52 elegant oneand two-bedroom apartments, and is set on the banks of the River Avon. www.savills.com

RUFF STUFF A seminar looking at the law around dangerous dogs takes place in Bath on 14 April.

The event will be led by solicitor Trevor Cooper, who specialises in the civil and criminal law of dogs.

The seminar will be looking at dangerous dog laws in detail, providing delegates with an in-depth knowledge of the subject. 2pm; £75; Bath Cats and Dogs Home. www.bathcatsanddogshome. org.uk

IDEAS, PLEASE Stadium for Bath, the project bringing together Bath Rugby, Bath Rugby Foundation and Arena 1865 to create a new sport and community-focused destination in the heart of the city, wants people to comment on designs.

Redevelopment of Bath Rugby’s current stadium is the catalyst for the project, and its chief executive Tarquin McDonald says, “We want people to share their aspirations for such an important part of the city.” www.stadiumforbath.com

Rugby raconteur Gareth Chilcott is just one of the legends who’ll be waxing lyrical about his former club at an event on 4 May. Gareth will be joined by legendary commentator Ian Robertson, who is set to retire at the end of 2018, after over 35 years of radio broadcasting on rugby union, including numerous European Cup finals.

Guests to tthe Legends Evening will hear a host of amusing stories – and doubtless some poignant moments too.

Gareth had a liver replacement at King’s College Hospital in London in September 2016, and has to take a cocktail of drugs and monitor his blood daily.

But the former player is positive about the future, and the treatment that saved his life.

He will be joined by a number of past players for an evening looking back over some classic rugby tales, and you can be sure there’ll be plenty of banter.

Other Bath Rugby legends attending include Olly Barkley, Phil de Glanville, Russell Earnshaw, Steve Ojomoh, Lee Mears and Mike Tindall.

The event takes place at the Apex Hotel, Bath, and includes a three-course meal.

Tickets cost from £85 (up to £2,500 for a sponsor’s table of 10).

Gareth ‘Coochie’ Chilcott takes the mic

For more: www.bathrugby.com

BUSINESS MATTERS DIARY From city centre conferences to networking breakfasts, make a note of these dates and make them work for you 2 1 MA RCH

INNOVATING YOUR BUSINESS MODEL Join Dave Jarman on this free session and learn how you can make your business work harder and get more value from your existing resources, activities, customers and partners.

10.45am; Corsham Business Show, Springfield Community Campus, Corsham; www.eventbrite.co.uk 2 2 MA RCH

FINANCE ESSENTIALS FOR BUSINESS OWNERS A free event for those who find

business finance and forecasting daunting, or want to understand what your bookkeeper or accountant is telling you, this workshop is for you.

Bath and County Club; www.eventbrite.co.uk

3 AP R IL

BUDDING ENTREPRENEURS NETWORKING EVENT Connect with other entrepreneurs working on exciting projects.

6.30pm; Spaces, Northgate House, Bath; www.tbeclub.com

28 MAR C H

MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS FOR BUSINESS OWNERS A free session for those who are daunted by marketing or who want to reach more customers.

9am; Bath and County Club; www.eventbrite.co.uk

5 AP R IL

MUMS IN BUSINESS NETWORKING EVENT A chance to grow your business and network with other women.

10am; £16.31; Parade Park Hotel; www.mumsinbusinessassociation. com

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BATH LIFE I 101

BUSINESS INSIDER

FANTASTIC FOUR

Craig is happy to donate his time

Our pick of the most exciting, intriguing or important local business stories right now

SCRUM ON DOWN! Sam Warburton and Evan Sawyer have plenty to celebrate

A former Kingswood School pupil has been named Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors Player of the Year at a ceremony in London.

Evan Sawyer now works for Cushman & Wakefield as a chartered surveyor, and sported a fetching Bath Rugby bow tie for the evening.

His rugby career started with Bath RFC Minis when he was sevenyears-old, playing for Somerset and then senior rugby with Clifton 1st team squad.

He also played in New Zealand and, on his return, semi professionally for Chinnor while at university.

recognise the efforts of other staff, with the ceremony held at the Assembly Rooms in Bath.

An organisation that puts charities in touch with businesses has welcomed its 150th member. The Bath Percent Club helps local charities, who don’t have large advertising budgets, to present their needs directly to local businesses and individual members.

And member Craig Jenkins, who runs a number of businesses, including TSL Accounting, says there is more to charitable giving than money.

“I joined the Percent Club in 2016 through one of my Bath-based businesses TSL Accounting,” says Craig.

“I feel strongly that supporting charities should not be just about donating money – making sure that individual charities are properly funded and managed is of course extremely important, but it is every bit as important to donate your time and expertise, which is invaluable to help them run more effectively, grow, and deliver on their charitable objectives.”

Membership is free.

For more: www.ruh.nhs.uk

For more: www.thepercentclub.com

www.cushmanwakefield.co.uk

THE FLYING SQUAD A pioneering specialist team of doctors, nurses and therapists at the Royal United Hospital, Bath, was just one of the winners at its annual awards event.

The Frailty Flying Squad works in the Emergency Department and Medical Assessment Unit, identifying older patients who, with some intensive assessment and treatment, can return to the community rather than being admitted to hospital.

Consultant geriatrician Genevieve Robson says: “It’s recognised that sometimes hospital is not the best place to be for an older frail patient. Bed rest can lead to loss of strength and a deterioration in health, wheras going home quickly to a safety net of family support can actually be much better.”

Other awards were made on the night to

POSITIVE PARTNERSHIP

These award-winners dressed for success

MEET AND GREET

Naomi has plenty of get-up-and-go

102 I BATH LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

A new networking group for small businesses has been set up in Bath.

The first GO Get Networking event took place on 22 February at Framptons, with further events planned every three months.

The idea for the group came from Naomi Summers, founder and managing director of GO Get Organised, after she noticed a lack of

opportunities for smaller businesses in Bath.

“The format is an hour of chat, followed by a 10-minute presentation by one of the group or a guest speaker,” she says. “At the February event, this was about how to showcase yourself on video.”

For more: www.gogetorganised.co.uk

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T e c h n o l o g y a d v e r t i s i n g f e at u r e

Meet the IT Specialist The local experts who have the knowledge for all your IT needs

Robert Groves Catch On Consultants rob@catchon.consulting

What sets you apart from other companies?

I bring thirty years of IT experience gained consulting to some of the largest companies in the world, such as PWC, Citigroup, BP, BT and GSK, which I now want to use to benefit businesses in the West Country. I have a comprehensive skillset, that I can bring to your business, which spans all parts of the IT industry whether it be implementing a new Cloud infrastructure or changing your telecom provider.

How can you benefit my business?

I will work side by side with you to help evaluate your current IT environment, identify your future needs and either make improvements to your systems or propose fully costed solutions, and then manage the implementation through to go live. I will work with current IT providers or find new providers when necessary to make sure you are getting the best cost of ownership out of your IT. Most rewarding aspects of the job?

Supporting and nurturing business decision makers to make the correct IT choices, by enabling them to realise the full benefits of the IT options available in the marketplace.

106 I BATH LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

Rob Phelps

Netzen 01225 588588 www.netzen.co.uk

What will be the biggest IT challenges for businesses moving forward?

Based on recent events I would have to say the threat posed by cyber criminals.

With large organisations like the NHS falling victim to Ransomware attacks, it is a wake-up call to business owners that network security has to be taken seriously and significant investment should be made in recovery.

If you could give one bit of advice what would it be?

Budget for increasing IT costs as software vendors (like Microsoft) are changing to subscription-based billing models. As fibre and faster internet services are now becoming more common, software vendors are utilising the Cloud to provide services that will incur monthly or annual subscription charges.

What sets you apart from other IT companies?

We don’t just provide IT support, we work with businesses to try and help them thrive on the web. We are frequently launching new websites and promoting them with our search engine optimisation techniques that help them to get a strong position on Google.

Tom Cannon

Managing director, Moore Stephens IT 01225 486100 www.msbit.co.uk

What are your thoughts on Internet speeds in Bath?

Speeds in the city can be challenging at times! We have partnerships with all main providers, so that we can check all options and recommend a range of speeds and prices which should suit all businesses.

What should businesses be doing about GDPR and security?

Have a look at the ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office) 12 Steps To Take Now. We are giving out a lot of advice at the moment to our clients around this subject. Please contact me for more information and I would be happy to help – it’s a broad subject.

How does being based in Bath help your business?

It’s great for us, because we can respond instantly to IT problems for many businesses based in the city centre. We support a wide range of businesses, hotels, pubs and even hospitals in the centre of Bath.

We often prefer to walk to a client’s office rather than make a telephone call as the faceto-face IT support experience works really well.

Andrew James Commercial director, soVision IT 0117 986 4026 www.sovisionit.com

What risks do businesses face in 2018?

The biggest risks businesses face come from cyber threats such as ransomware, GDPR breach fines and loss of productivity following systems failure. Without the right protection in place such as Cyber Essentials certification and robust layers of protection the financial impact to businesses could be catastrophic.

How can I get my business ready for GDPR? You can get your business ready for GDPR by ensuring your systems are protected from cyber threats, encrypting data on portable devices, identifying how to find and remove client data from your systems, robust backups and cleansing old data. We recommend that you review your internal procedures and achieve Cyber Essentials as this will help your business with GDPR compliance.

How can businesses increase their reliability? soVision IT believe that reliability comes from the correct investment ensuring a stable infrastructure that uses the latest technology.

a d v e r t i s i n g f e at u r e T e c h n o l o g y

durgan cooper Cetsat 0800 195 3838 www.cetsat.com

What makes CETSAT different from other IT providers?

We employ some of the top tech talents in the South West. #teamcetsat are innovative and forward thinking, always keeping one step ahead of current trends and legislation.

We are able to offer our clients the very latest in software, hardware and cyber-security solutions. Our clients cover a wide expanse of different industries from multi-nationals to micro SME’s and we pride ourselves on offering each and every one the same level of service and attention to detail.

What is the most interesting project you have worked on in recent times?

Over the last few months we have deployed a Cyber Analytics Tool into a financial services organisation. It is bleeding edge cyber threat detection technology, capable of identifying malicious intent and compromise, which traditional mainstream methods cannot.

What will be the biggest IT challenges for businesses moving forward?

Finding an experienced MSP who can effectively and efficiently manage their IT needs in a constantly changing technological landscape. Offering protection (cybersecurity solutions), performance (stable and supported platforms maximizing up time) and productivity (bespoke software solutions).

Brad Snow

Engineering manager, Datasharp Integrated Communications 08000 328274 www.datasharp-ic.co.uk What services do you offer?

Our five areas of expertise are; voice, data, security, mobile, video and the consultancy, design and deployment around integrating these together.

What will be the biggest IT Challenges for businesses moving forward?

I believe – the ability to be flexible about where you work and being able to collaborate and communicate with colleagues easily then managing the security around these environments are the big challenges. GDPR is also a big talking point and we can help with the network security requirements around this.

What sets you apart from other IT companies?

Most importantly we are not an IT company! We come from a telecoms background and, as technology has developed, our world has moved into servers, software, virtualisation, networking, VoIP, security, wi-fi and the Internet of Things. Most importantly, it’s our customer service that keeps our partners happy and we have a fantastic local technology centre that you can come and get hands-on with everything we do.

Our support team here become an extension of your internal team, or you can outsource to us completely.

james eades

Systemagic 01225 426 800 www.systemagic.co.uk How long have you been established for?

We’re just celebrating our 19th birthday, so next year is a big one for us.

What areas of IT do you specialise in?

We’re lucky to have a security specialist, an Apple specialist and server specialists on our team, which add to our very varied skillset.

What services do you offer?

IT support and maintenance, Cloud solutions including Office 365 and Azure and connectivity. We also help businesses with security, including becoming Cyber Essentials certified.

What are the most rewarding aspects of the job?

It’s fantastic that we have such great relationships with our clients – some have been with us since 1999!

Being able to support other businesses as they enjoy success is fantastic.

If you could give one bit of advice what would it be?

We’re firm believers that if you focus on the basics – connectivity, security and a robust IT system, you can’t go far wrong. There’s a million ways to waste money on fancy solutions but for 99 per cent of businesses starting with the basics is the key.

Ged FitzGerald

SOS Computer Solutions 01225 819815 07766 704423 gedfitzgerald@gmail.com

What services do you offer?

Computer supply, troubleshooting, setup, tuition, servicing and virus removal. Home and small business visits.

What makes you different from other IT technicians?

We offer a friendly, personal, local service tailored to individual needs.

What sets you apart from other companies?

We offer a complete package of computer supply, setup and troubleshooting designed to help make computing easier.

Most rewarding aspects of your job?

Many of my older computer clients are so vulnerable to scams that I am heavily involved in trying to make them more security conscious at all times. I recently prevented a customer from being scammed out of £50,000 which had been quietly slipped into a holding account after the scammer had gained access to his computer.

What piece of advice would you like to offer?

Treat every email you receive with suspicion, never click on links within them and never pay large bills when requested by email, without first checking by phone first.

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T e c h n o l o g y a d v e r ti s i n g feat u r e

william wood Datasharp Integrated Communications 08000 328274 www.datasharp-ic.co.uk

What services do your company offer?

I wish there was a simple way to summarise, but it’s pretty much everything to do with business communications, whether supplying a modern VoIP phone system, video conferencing, internet connectivity, network security or business mobile phones.

Ultimately, it’s about us understanding what your business goals are, whether saving money, securing against the latest threats, saving travel time via use of video conferencing.

What sets you apart from other comms companies?

We’ve got a superb technology suite in our Bath office, allowing us to demonstrate everything we provide. There’s easily 30 different systems and platforms in there, covering all the different aspects of what we do, allowing customers to get hands-on with the technology and understand the differences between vendors before making a decision.

What does a typical Datasharp client look like?

We have customers ranging from 25 users in a single office to 1,500 users spanning multiple sites across the globe. Generally, they want to partner with someone they can trust to advise and support systems critical to the business.

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Gildas jones

Dial a Geek Ltd 0117 369 4335 www.dialageek.co.uk

Aren’t all IT companies basically the same?

We strive to be better. We don’t believe in a one-sizefits-all approach to IT support because no two businesses are exactly alike, so the service you receive will be the best for your business.

What services does your company offer?

Everything you need to help and support your business – from consultations to nittygritty tech solutions.

What is the biggest misconception about IT support?

Business owners often think their business is too small to need outsourced IT support, but as your business grows so will your tech requirements, and things like network security, cloud computing, and VoIP systems will become a necessity.

What makes you smile when you’re at work?

Quite a lot! There’s usually someone (trying) to be funny in the office. We also get some fantastic testimonials, but seeing clients’ businesses grow is definitely the most rewarding part of the job.

Do I need to sign up to a contract to benefit from your support?

If you’re not ready to sign up for a support plan, you can still use our pay-as-you-go IT support.

Bradford on Avon’s only Independently Regulated Agent, specialising in 100% property management and letting.

We are family run and owned, established in the area for over 15 years.

3 Kingston Square, Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire BA15 1FH

01225 869235 | www.thetotallettingservice.co.uk

PROPERTY

SHOWCASE

THE ORANGERY Queen Charlotte’s former home in Bath is currently on the market. Take a look inside this simply exquisite Grade-I listed Regency residence

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SHOWCASE

PROPERTY

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PROPERTY

SHOWCASE

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aving previously belonged to the estate of 93 Sydney Place, where Queen Charlotte once lived, this unique Grade-I listed property, The Orangery, is of particular architectural and historic interest. Built in 1812, the impressive single-storey residence’s fascinating history dates back over several centuries. It’s also brilliantly positioned in a historic part of the city; King William IV had a home at 103 Sydney Place, Jane Austen lived close by at No 4, and the building also neighbours Bath’s first museum, The Holburne, and Sydney Pleasure Gardens, which were enjoyed by Georgians in days gone by.

The Orangery was an extension to 93 Sydney Place – a much larger house – and has eight separate doors opening out onto its stunning Italianate walled gardens. And, despite being on the pavement, many people passing the 80ft-long property might not know of its existence, with The Orangery resembling a boundary wall rather than a home of such significance.

It has been the subject of various changes over more recent times, thanks to the highly regarded Mark Watson of Watson Bertram and Fell architects; let’s take a look inside.

The accommodation, which has elevations of Bath stone, is of a very versatile nature, with all the principal reception rooms overlooking the delightful gardens.

The property is entered into via an inner hallway with a practical, matted entrance way. This leads through to the centrepiece: a simply breathtaking rotunda atrium with a glazed atrium roof. This circular room has limestone flooring and underfloor heating, a Bath stone fireplace, 112 I BATH LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

Clockwise, from top left: unusual and delicate touches decorate one of the bedrooms; the outdoor space is meticulous; there’s a regal touch about the place; breakfast in this room would be a treat

HOUSE NUMBERS

2,012

square foot of space

4

bedrooms

4

bath/shower rooms

Italianate Walled Gardens

£2M

offers in excess of

a corniced ceiling and two sets of double doors opening straight out onto the garden. There is also a utility/ cloakroom with a Belfast sink, plumbing for a washing machine and tumble dryer, and a W.C. To the south side of the property are two excellently sized double bedrooms with plenty of built-in wardrobe space, and both benefit from en suite bathrooms. The kitchen/breakfast room is beautiful and provides a range of base and wall units, and the dining area has distinctive cornicing and large lantern roof.

On from here is a bathroom and a further reception room, or, as the current owners use it, a bedroom. The drawing room is exceptional and benefits from a marble fireplace with gas insert fire and access to the garden.

There is another bedroom with an en suite, and there’s a useful study area with access to the garden.

Externally, the south-facing Italianate landscaped gardens of The Orangery are of particular note and are a real gem in the heart of the city. The gardens are absolutely delightful; they have been designed with ease of maintenance in mind but benefit from carefully selected foliage and flagstone terracing, with inset plants and shrubs and a central canopy of lime trees.

Occupying a prime location in a much sought-after area of the city – in a quiet position near Sydney Gardens, yet within a level walk to the centre of Bath, via the striking Great Pulteney Street – this simply exquisite Regency residence ticks pretty much every box.

Savills Bath, Edgar House, 17 George Street, Bath, BA1 2EN; 01225 474 500; www.savills.co.uk

Above: the Italianate walled gardens; below: relax and enjoy the view

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a d v ertising f eature P R O P E R T Y I N S I G H T

Bath remains a desirable prospect in a sensitive property market Steeped in tradition, yet vibrant and modern, Bath is one of the most aspirational places to live in the country. But, in the wake of tax changes and an uncertain economic and political climate, how is our city’s property market holding up?

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uyers come from near and far to secure best-in-class property in Bath. Ranging from Georgian and Regency townhouses and country mansions through to contemporary villas and modern new-build developments, the city and its surrounding countryside offers a wealth of desirable property.

The national picture Nationally however, the prime market is slowing. Prime country growth stalled to just over 0.7% last year, while prices in prime London actually dropped. The increase in stamp duty for higher value properties, alongside the surcharge introduced for additional properties, have impacted growth at the upper end. The Brexit fall-out continues to influence the wider market, as the economy responds to uncertain times ahead. Buyers remain cautious.

The local market The city market in Bath however is showing resilience, bucking the national trend, with growth of 1.9% over 2017. A five year view reveals an even healthier picture, with city prices rising by 31.8% since 2012, considerably above the average growth in the South of England of 14.6% over the same period. It seems that Bath’s enduring appeal is indeed enduring.

Relocation, relocation, relocation A relatively small city, Bath punches above its weight in everything from architecture and literary connections, through to shopping,

“A relatively small city, Bath punches above its weight” dining, theatre and sport. Excellent transport links are a considerable asset, and are set to improve further, with the electrification of the rail line, which will cut travel time by ten per cent by 2019.

Some say Bath has a lot more in common – economically, at least - with towns and cities in the South East. Perhaps this is why more Londoners are buying here; with our figures revealing that a substantial 15% of buyers now hail from the capital, up from 11% in 2015. London buyers are becoming increasingly prominent in the £1.5m and above market, now accounting for 26% of buyers spending in this price bracket.

In fact, relocation is the biggest reason for purchase in Bath, with 42% of buyers moving in from outside of the area. Nearly a quarter of buyers are doing so for investment or development purposes – a significant proportion – but the vast majority are choosing Bath as their main place of residence. People are buying in Bath to live in Bath.

Looking ahead The next couple of years will see a continuation of the sensitivities we have seen in the last year. Buyers and sellers who are

mindful of this, and whose expectations align, will be those that see success. By 2019 we expect confidence to have returned to the market, not least because our long-term relationship with the EU will be clearer. This confidence is likely to bring modest price growth, indeed we are forecasting growth of 14.2% in the South of England over the next five years.

We understand not only every aspect of the local market, but also what our clients want and how we can best help them get it. If you’re looking to buy or sell property in Bath, contact our team of local experts.

Luke Brady; 01225 474501 lbrady@savills.com; savills.co.uk

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P R O P E R T Y a d vertisi n g feature

ATRIUM PROVIDES a SPECTACULAR ENTRANCE Residents at the breathtaking Royal View and Sovereign Point buildings have an oasis of greenery within their homes

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he most stunning internal feature ever included in a new property development in the West Country, has proved a huge success with those fortunate enough to have moved into one of the brand new apartments in which it acts as the communal heart.

Unlike anything that’s ever been seen before – arguably outside of London – the central atrium that greets residents and their guests as they enter (or leave) Royal View, at Bath Riverside, has not only captured people’s imagination, but has added a huge ‘wow’ factor to the Bath property scene.

The idea behind the atrium is to connect residents with the outside elements, providing a direct link with the sky above, while drawing in natural light. Stretching from the ground floor all the way up the eight storeys of the building, it includes columns of greenery that mirrors the organic surroundings of the building.

Inspiring residents to change the way they live their lives, it has already encouraged many to enjoy the open spaces, parks and boulevards that surrounds the development.

Image: Hundven Clements

“the idea behind the atrium is to connect residents with the outside elements” Marcus Evans, sales and marketing director at Crest Nicholson says: “The central atrium really is breathtaking and prospective buyers just love the columns of draped greenery.

“Features like this are not just the preserve of the capital, and it’s so nice to see people’s reactions when they step inside the atrium for the first time. It also demonstrates, and is indicative of the level of thought and high-end spec of all the buildings that have been built here at Bath Riverside. It’s the sort of feature that you will never get tired of.”

Such has been the success of Royal View, its sister building, Sovereign Point – which was launched in February – also includes a central

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atrium. With six properties being sold within an hour of its launch, it seems to indicate that the appetite for high-end, new properties is strong in the world heritage city.

Marcus added: “There are a few properties left in Royal View plus a selection of two bedroom apartments in Sovereign Point. Those wanting to live somewhere that has a real sense of having something different should make an appointment to take a look around. If they haven’t been here before they will not be disappointed with what is a superb example of inner-city regeneration and architecture.”

For further information please call 01225 463517 or visit www.bathriverside.co.uk The marketing suite on Victoria Bridge Road is open daily from 10am to 5pm

JUST VISITING

Q&A

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he platinum-selling, BRIT Award-winning Kim Wilde is coming to Bath with her latest tour. Kim, the eldest child of the 1950s rock’n’roller Marty Wilde, burst onto the music scene in 1981 with her debut single Kids in America. She also happens to hold the record for being the most-charted British solo female act of the 1980s, with 17 UK Top 40 hit singles throughout the decade. Her other careers have included author, DJ, television presenter and gardening expert. Here, we chat with her...

When was the last time you came to Bath – and what did you like about it?

Bath has such beautiful architecture. The sweeping crescents and stunning stonework of the buildings make it a lovely place to go for a walk. My band and I stayed there a few years ago when we were doing a show nearby, and it reminded me what a beautiful place it is. I can’t remember the hotel we stayed in, but it had so much character. I can’t wait to come back this year.

What can people expect of your Bath show?

We are a rocking eight-piece band; most of us have worked together for many years. I’m excited to announce we’ll be bringing two drummers for a really powerful sound; it’s the first time I have ever worked like this. My brother Ricky is joint leader of the band with me, and his daughter, Scarlett, who has done all of the incredible artwork for the campaign, is on backing vocals.

We’ll be playing my greatest hits as well as selected tracks from the new album.

What’s the enduring appeal of Kids in America, and how do you feel about performing it all these years on?

The energy of Kids just keeps coming; I’m amazed after all these years the power the song has to transform an audience into a jumping, fistpumping, chanting crowd as soon as the pulse starts at the beginning.

You and your brother Ricky have managed to work so well together for so long. Do you ever have sibling squabbles?

Very rarely; Rick and I are completely on the same page when it comes to music and most other things.

KIM WILDE

The 80s pop star discusses her upcoming show in Bath, the time she saw a UFO, and what it was like touring with David Bowie and Michael Jackson

By SA R A H MOOL A You won a BRIT in 1983, what can you remember of that night?

I had no idea what the ‘BPI Awards’ were, as they were called then. They were not televised and were an intimate music industry event. I went with Ricky; we were completely gobsmacked when we arrived. There are several great pictures on the internet of me holding my BRIT that night with Paul McCartney, Pete Townshend and Michael Jackson.

And where is your BRIT now?

I gave my award to Ricky; it lives in his recording studio, The Dog House, in Hertfordshire.

You’ve had continuous and mega success in Germany, France, the Scandinavian countries and Australia, sometimes even more so than at home. Any particular theory as to why?

I have travelled to all those countries countless times since 1981, and that definitely makes a big difference. In recent years, my live work with my amazing band makes sure we always get asked back.

What was it like touring with David Bowie and Michael Jackson?

The Jackson tour was over a period of three months, but I only met Michael once for a publicity photo. He was tall and shy and very

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gently spoken; I only saw him from the side of stage after that, and he was breathtaking. I played 21 shows with Bowie on his Sound & Vision tour; he’d pop his head round several times to wish me a good gig – he was very down-to-earth, selfeffacing and utterly charming.

You once made a successful career move into gardening. Is this something you are still passionate about?

I tried two careers for a while with music and horticulture but it was too much with bringing up children. Horticulture has returned to be my private passion where I prefer it to be, and it most certainly is all about the music now. I’ll be away on tour throughout April in the UK, but will be heading straight to the garden in May. Do you regret revealing you once saw a UFO from your garden?

Not at all, I believe it won’t be long until we read about it being confirmed on the front covers of all the newspapers – that will put the cat among the pigeons!

Any recent out-of-this world happenings?

No, but I’m always keeping my eyes to the skies.

Kim Wilde is performing at her Here Come the Aliens show at The Forum, Bath, on 4 April; for more, visit www.bathforum.co.uk