Bath Life – Issue 401

Food/Arts/Entertainment/Shopping/Property @BathLifeMag

CELEBRATING THE BEST OF THE CITY

ISSUE 401 / 27 SEPTEMBER – 11 OCTOBER 2019 / £3

ISSUE 401 / 27 SEPTEMBER – 11 OCTOBER 2019 / ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK

ORANGE CRUSH THE WARM GLOW OF AUTUMN INTERIORS

HARVEST TIME

SUPPER CLUB AT CASTLE FARM

ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT WOMEN IN BUSINESSS

THE C WORD

YUP, IT′S TIME TO BOOK THE CHRISTMAS PARTY

EDITOR’S LETTER

ABOVE: Lighting from

Knees Home and Electrical (page 36); BELOW: Graham and Green mirror (page 142)

I

t’s official. We’re in autumn now. All hail the bright, nippy, life-affirming walks that are, hopefully, ahead of us.

This mellow season is also the time to become reacquainted with the interiors of our homes, to once again cosy up to our cushions, sofas and blankets. After all, absolute comfort is crucial when sitting down to watch Series 3 of The Crown (it starts on 17 November for those of you on countdown mode). And if you were deliberating over whether or not to spruce up your abode, one look at the on-trend designs and homeware in our special interiors feature will swiftly make up your mind. Think deep, warm, colours; fun, witty pieces; and a sense of mindfulness for your interiors. Not sure what the heck that means? Turn to page 36 to find out.

Elsewhere we’re shining a light on the women business owners in Bath (page 154) and we take a tour of the beautiful Francis Gallery (page 91).

And, brace yourselves, we give you the lowdown on the Christmas party venues in and around Bath (page 116). I know, I know, but if you get the party sorted pronto, you can then forget about it and concentrate on enjoying autumn in Bath. So: book it now, fling a scarf around your neck and then step out to Vicky Park for a blustery stomp on the autumn leaves.

Enjoy!

HARRIET NOBLE Follow us on Twitter @BathLifeMag Instagram @bathlifemag

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BATH LIFE I 3

Issue 401 / 27 September – 10 October 2019 COVER Lux & Bloom mandarin wallpaper (page 36)

INTERIORS

36 Get the juice on this autumn’s trends. Think orange,

think glowing, think bold colours and fabrics

THE ARTS

89 ARTS INTRO Love at first light in Whitewall Galleries 91 FRANCIS GALLERY Owner Rosa Parks shows us her

new art collection in Fountain Buildings

94 WHAT’S ON Who’s treading the boards this issue?

105 THEATRE A look back at Bath’s balletic background 107 BOOKS Nic Bottomley puts us in the picture

FOOD&DRINK

109 FOOD & DRINK NEWS Things we’ve heard on the

91 91

gastronomic grapevine

111 TRY 5 There’s something fishy going on here 112 RESTAURANT When’s a hidden gem no longer

hidden? When we’ve reviewed it of course…

116 CHRISTMAS PARTIES What may be a chore in other cities is a joy in Bath. Plenty of places to party!

SHOPPING

141 INTRO Bring a day-glo glow to your home 142 EDITOR’S CHOICE Mirror, mirror on the wall, can I

buy you for my hall?

116

© JOHAN PERSSON

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Issue 401 / 27 September – 10 October 2019

LIFESTYLE

146 GARDENS Alice Palfrey downs tools and chats about

being head gardener at Prior Park

194 LIVES Labour MP Jess Phillips calls time on BS

BUSINESS

154 WOMEN IN BUSINESS The message is clear: be

bold, courageous, optimistic and creative

163 BATHWORKS Business news and events with a

sprinkling of sport too

PROPERTY

181 SHOWCASE Worlds away from Bath’s Georgian

face, yet just up the hill in Lansdown

DEPARTMENTS

© THE NATIONAL TRUST

19 SPOTLIGHT 23 SOCIETY 29 A MAN’S WORLD

154

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146 Editor Harriet Noble harriet.noble@mediaclash.co.uk Deputy Editor Lydia Tewkesbury lydia.tewkesbury@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 Nic Bottomley, David Flatman, Anna O’Callaghan, Imogen Wilde, Rachel Ifans, Matt Bielby, Nick Woodhouse and Wendy Lyne Group Advertising Manager Pat White pat.white@mediaclash.co.uk Deputy Advertising Manager Justine Walker justine.walker@mediaclash.co.uk Deputy Advertising Manager Polly Jackson polly.jackson@mediaclash.co.uk Account Manager Annabel North annabel.north@mediaclash. co.uk Sales Executive Louis Grey louis.grey@mediaclash.co.uk Production/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 Chief Executive Jane Ingham jane.ingham@mediaclash.co.uk Chief Executive Greg Ingham greg.ingham @mediaclash.co.uk 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.

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 and Exeter. We also publish foodie mag Crumbs (www.crumbsmag.com, @CrumbsMag). 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

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

SPOTLIGHT Lacock Abbey

If The SLIpper fITS

Charity

TED’S BIG DAY OUT The annual fundraising event for children’s therapies at the Royal United Hospital (RUH) is about to roll our some more furry fun. Schools, nurseries and youth organisations are invited to take part in the day on 18 October.

“This year’s theme is Celebrate Your Way. It’s up to you whether you organise a fancy dress day, wear a silly hat, have a teddy bears’ picnic or do something else in exchange for a suggested £1 donation per pupil, whilst having fun along the way,” explains Lauren Noble, senior community fundraiser with the Forever Friends Appeal, the brains behind Ted’s Big Day Out. Several schools and nurseries have already joined up, and brownies, guides, scouts and other youth groups are also invited to get involved in the fun.

Visit www.tedsbigdayout.com or call 01225 824013 to sign up and receive your free fundraising pack. The first 10 organisations to sign up will receive a visit from everybody’s favourite fluffy mascot, Big Ted.

conservation,” explains Sonia Jones, house and collections manager at Lacock. “Muddy shoes and grit embedded in the mud can lead to increased wear and tear of the abbey floors. In the past, we’ve acted reactively by cleaning the floors when they’re dirty but particularly at this time of the year, the extra cleaning needed to remove the mud and dirt – even if it’s done very carefully – can damage the floors further. So, this year, we thought we’d be more proactive and try to stop the floors getting dirty in the first place, to then limit the amount of wear the floors sustain.”

For more: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/lacock

BYO slippers at Lacock this Autumn

© AL ANA WRIGHT

Sign up and Ted might pay your a visit

Visitors to Lacock Abbey are being encouraged to bring their slippers.

No, this isn’t just a fashion statement, but a means to preserve the abbey’s historic floors.

The thing is, the abbey at Lacock has played host to over a million pairs of feet in its 800-some years, and those feet have had an impact. The earthen floors of the abbey have been worn and compacted by visitors to such a degree that the National Trust team is now asking visitors to help reduce their impact by bringing along a pair of slippers to walk around in.

“The autumn months are particularly tricky in terms of

Shake your booty once a month at Komedia’s Motorcity night

Motorcity

MOVIN’ ON UP Motorcity is going monthly! The Komedia’s funk and soul shakedown will now take place every last Saturday of the month. Stevie Wonder, Gloria Jones and James Brown hits will provide the soundtrack to your monthly dance off. A pro photographer documenting the proceedings, classic Motown moments played on the big screen and out-there decorations make this more than just your average club night.

For more: www.komedia.com/bath

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BATH LIFE I 19

SPOTLIGHT Charity

LISTEN UP

“I turned out the light, I laid back in the bed and thought ‘what happens now?’ Is there another switch to turn off? I have no idea what to do. How do I get to sleep without alcohol?”

So begins The Developing Health and Independence (DHI) Podcast. The new four-part series starts with John’s story, where he details how his traumatic childhood led to a life consumed with alcohol and drugs and, eventually, a spell in prison – before he finally received the

support that he needed.

Rosie Phillips, DHI’s founder and chief executive, says, “This podcast series is something we wanted to do to mark our 20th anniversary. We felt it was important to share the stories of some of the remarkable people who’ve been part of the organisation, in particular those who have overcome personal difficulties and turned their lives around.”

Further episodes will follow this autumn packed with stories that demonstrate DHI’s vital work. Find the podcast on DHI’s website or via your chosen podcast app.

For more: www.dhi-online.org.uk/podcast

Dom Chambers interviews Rosie Phillips for The DHI Podcast

Charity

STIFF COMPETITION

Competition was fierce at the Carter Jonas Bath annual Softball Tournament at Stothert & Pitt RFC. The day’s games raised over £500 for Bath Cancer Unit Support Group, which provides vital funding for equipment and facilities at the cancer unit. Teams included Carter Jonas and Bath businesses like Handelsbanken, Thrings, Bishop Fleming, Mogers Drewett and Royds Withy King.

Although Bishop Fleming emerged victors at the end of the day, all participants were winners. Colin Scragg, partner at Carter Jonas says, “Thank you to everyone who helped make this year’s Carter Jonas softball tournament such a success. It is always a pleasure to see people coming together to raise money for a good cause; that they did so with so much enthusiasm – as well as a competitive spirit – made it all the more enjoyable!”

For more: www.bcusg.org

The team at Carter Jonas presenting a cheque to Michael Taylor, Chairman of Bath Cancer Unit Support Group

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

Sam Attard of the SHARE shop

Eco-friendly

SHARE AND SAVE

Have you heard of the Frome SHARE shop?

Set up in in 2015 by Edventure Frome CIC (Community Interest Company) in partnership with Frome Town Council, it’s doing mighty well. A recent impact report showed that 476 items were borrowed 1,435 times, saving Frome-ians a mind-boggling £62,620 as well as 92 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, 117 tonnes of raw material and 10 tonnes of manufacturing waste.

So, what’s it all about? The shop has a variety of stuff including lawnmowers, power tools, blenders, wine glasses and bunting, which it lends to people living in the community in exchange for a small donation.

Mayor of Frome Mark Dorrington says, “SHARE really harnesses our town’s community spirit and is such a simple way for residents to save money, while accessing the things they need. Whether you’re organising a camping trip, getting stuck into a DIY or craft project, planning a party or just wanting to try before you buy, SHARE is bound to be able to help you on your way.”

For more: www.sharefrome.org

Recently sold homes in and around Bath.

Wellow

Bath

1

1

An immaculately presented apartment on three levels in a converted Grade I listed townhouse in Bath.

Guide price £1,800,000

Bath

1

This superb Grade II* listed house has been stylishly refurbished by the current owner, blending the historical charm neatly with modern services throughout.

6

Guide price £2,750,000

Bath

The stunning penthouse apartment of One Tram Yard with roof top views of the city.

4

4

Batheaston

1

Guide price £1,950,000

Ashley

1

1

A unique residential development within a Grade II listed building. Currently at 70% sold.

A beautifully presented Grade II listed 5 bedroom terraced home.

A delightful detached period 5 bedroom family home, near Box.

Guide price £325,000 - £545,000

Guide price £800,000

Offers in excess of £1,000,000

Northend

Bath

Atworth

1

1

1

An attractive Grade II listed detached 4 bedroom family home close to Bath.

A city centre, top floor, 2 bedroom apartment in a Grade I listed townhouse.

A beautiful Georgian detached house with classic elevations and natural Cotswold stone under a slate tiled roof.

Guide price £925,000

Guide price £325,000

Guide price £549,950

Call the Bath Sales team on +44 122 5616 708, we'd love to help you. knightfrank.co.uk Connecting people & property, perfectly.

All potential tenants should be advised that, as well as rent and the deposit, an administration fee of £288 and referencing fees of £48 per person will apply when renting a property (if not an AST). (All fees shown are inclusive of VAT.) If the landlord agrees to you having a pet, you may be required to pay a higher deposit (if not an AST) or higher weekly rent (if an AST). Please ask us for more information about other fees that will apply or visit www.knightfrank.co.uk/tenantfees.

SCENE T H E L AT E S T A DV E N T U R E S I N PA R T Y- GO I N G AC ROSS BAT H

Alex Robins and Janice Book

Veronica Hannon and Lizzie Westlake Andrew Summers and Emma Summers

Ellie Musson and Pippa O’Keefe

Miles Robinson and Craig Taylor

GET THE JUICE

Lee Bignell and James Barnacle

After taking a brief August hiatus, the Bath Life Business Club returned this month with speakers Emma and Andrew Summers of Juice recruitment taking to the mic. After an as-ever delicious lunch at The Royal Crescent Hotel – with a little pining for the last club, when we were all gathered outside in the sunshine – Emma and Andrew shared their perspective on Juice’s success over the years. It was a fun and lively talk, revealing everything from what it’s like to work with your spouse to how recruitment agencies stay relevant in the age of LinkedIn. www.bathlifebusinessclub.com Vicky Kingston and Debbie Still

Photos by Betty Bhandari, www.bettybhandari.com

Andy Paradise, Ian Lloyd and Daniel Kenyon

Olly Barkley, Ed and Lois Jackson

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BATH LIFE I 23

SOCIETY

Catherine Colston

Ashley Clarke and Mark Nicholls

Lizzie Heffer

THE CATCH-UP

Thrings hosted the latest in its series of networking events, known as Thrings PM, in September. Held at Café Walcot, Thrings PM gives the company a chance to spend some time with their clients, referrers and other contacts. This autumn event made for a casual catch-up at the beginning of the academic year; perfect timing for everyone getting back into the old routine after summer holidays. Guests were heard cooing over the delicious canapés, including a particularly popular cinnamon doughnut and a toffee apple and custard éclair. www.thrings.com Chef at work

Photos by Beata Cosgrove

Rob Buckland, Pippa O’Keefe, Robyn Blackmore and Will Foulkes

Matt Weaver and Warren Reid

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

Sarah Mansfield and Ian Taylor

Kevin Murphy, Warren Reid, David Newton and Allan Lloyd Rowan Payne, Anna Christie, Naomi Keith and Rupert Hart

Richard Madley and Thomas Sheppard

SOCIETY

What a pretty picture!

The gang from Arke

Making a splash

The Advance Party from Advance Investments Ltd.

HERE BE DRAGON BOATS Bath Riverside recently saw its third Dragon

Boat Race, when teams went head-to-head in a series of races on the Avon hoping to become champions. In the end, only one team could prevail and that was Cognisess, with Advance Investments and CIL Consultants coming a close second and third respectively. The whole event was held in aid of two charities: Designability, a Bath-based charity creating products for people living with disabilities and long-term health conditions; and The Mountain Way, who support military veterans suffering with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). www.designability.org.uk Secure Together from Secure Meters and Horstmann It was neck and neck right to the end

Team Oarsome from Kendall Kingscott

Centre for Digital Entertainment, University of Bath

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

Thomas Williams, from Centre for Digital Entertainment

Photos by Fiona Cromwell

Team Ability

Attention Business Owners and Directors Do you need more than just accounts and tax returns from your accountant?

Being able to prepare your MTD returns, accounts and tax returns is a given for a professional firm.

Seven Reasons why hundreds return to PG Owen Ltd each year.

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Contact us now: The Terrace Suite, Kelston Park, Bath BA1 9AE T: 01225 422183 E: bath@pgtax.co.uk

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Crafting beautiful homes Norwood Dene, Bath Luxury apartments from ÂŁ795,000

01225 791155 ashford-homes.co.uk

A MAN’S WORLD DAVID FLATMAN

Women’s work

© TAKING PICTURES

Flats considers what the world might look like if businesses woke up to the potential of working mums

“Mums are a shamefully underused resource in the workplace”

W

e all know someone who posts inspirational quotes on social media and, while we love them, they fleetingly make our cheeks and eyes tingle with cringe chemicals as we scroll onto them and ‘like’ them with our two-faced thumbs. We know that we hate it and we know that this continued double-tapping serves only to perpetuate this digital misery, but we’d rather do that than confront the issue at thumb.

Now and again, though, someone posts something that cuts through the motivational morass; something that sticks for a minute. I saw a post on Instagram from Rochelle Humes, the singer from The Saturdays, and it pointed out that we expect mums to work like they don’t have kids, and to raise kids as if they don’t work. While we are doubtless at a point in time where this happens less than ever, it of course still happens far, far too much.

I don’t really have a proper job, and I don’t work for a big – or small – business, so I’d likely be unwise to write a few hundred words on the working conditions and expectations of different genders. However, I would like to write about mums. I’m not on some virtue-signalling crusade here; I just think some of the many great ones who want to work more are wasted. I do think – and I’m talking here from personal, anecdotal experience – that mums are a shamefully underused resource in the workplace.

An actual professional would, I expect, confirm what is essentially a guess from me by producing figures, but I feel sufficiently confident to assert that too few mums are given the chance to earn money, find renewed purpose and enjoyment through work, and add value to businesses who don’t yet know how much they need them. Presumably because having kids means

they can’t be in an office when everyone else is, and they might not be able to arrange or attend meetings so readily as others.

But so what? One of my closest friends is also my agent, and she left her job at a big firm when she had twins a couple of years ago. She assured me that her quality of work wouldn’t dip, but she just wouldn’t be part of a big business anymore and wouldn’t, therefore, have that backing. I wasn’t worried, and now she does an infinitely better job for us both (we both benefit directly from my work, so I see it as a joint exercise).

She doesn’t get on trains before breakfast. She doesn’t waste hours on irrelevant conference calls.

She doesn’t waste a day a week preparing colourful spreadsheets designed to tell a boss what she’s doing. Now she sometimes doesn’t respond to an email instantly; it might be an hour or two. She spends all the time she wants with her babies, and she opens her laptop – delivering brilliant work because she has a brilliant brain – whenever it works for her to open it. In her words, she works her t**s off, but she does it when she wants to and she does it in her pants. An outright inspiration, she also earns more than ever by the way.

Just think of the millions of brains that would love to work but that are stopped because they can’t or won’t meet the assumed working schedule of a male bank executive from 1952.

Were I running a business that put intelligence and creativity and clarity over mere attendance, I’d be targeting those mums, because everybody would win.

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

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Make Tennis and Squash YOUR sport

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Success in Tennis and Squash will add so much to your life: health, fresh air, friends and fun.

It’s easier than you might think, and before November 30th, 2019, it’s free!  We’ll take you through the basics of the game and ensure you know what you are doing and how to play, whatever your experience.  We'll help set you up, with free lessons and like-minded people to play with.  We’ll encourage you and help you along your path to sporting success.

All at the most beautiful and largest tennis and squash club in Bath, with 11 tennis courts, 4 squash courts and a welcoming bar with a lively calendar of social events for all age groups.

Our offer to you includes six group training sessions with a professional coach, use of the courts (at specified times, for practice), and unlimited use of the bar and facilities up to December 31st, 2019.

The Lansdown Club, Northfields, Bath BA1 5TN | 01225 425763 | www.lansdownclub.co.uk | reception@lansdownclub.co.uk

BRING IT HOME What links the colour orange, mindfulness, rattan, and a healthy dash of eccentricity? It’s the hot-off-the-press autumn interors trends, of course. But how on earth do you incorporate these into your home?

By Harriet Noble

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

interiors

W

e went all out, exploring the designs and furnishings that are sending our local designers and retailers into a frenzy.

The result? Colours, textures, layerings, and shapes that can be described as warm, strong, fun and something called refined bohemian. Sounds good to us.

Jo Berryman designs are digging the blue vibe

“There’s a definite sense of nostalgia coming back into patterns and fabrics” www.mediaclash.co.uk I BATH LIFE I 37

INTERIORS 1

MAKES ME BLUSH

Coral was named Pantone Colour of the Year and, since January, the colour has spilled out, stretched its legs and confidently parked itself across a sizeable portion of the rainbow. What is en vogue now encompasses everything from pastel pinks to raunchy rouges, jolly tangerines to burnt-out oranges. Basically, yank out any lipstick or blusher from your handbag and it’s likely to be on the trending pallette.

Within this spectrum of colours, though, everyone seems to have a favourite.

“We are really excited about the rise of orange in interiors this autumn,” says Cassie Rowland, creative director at Jim Lawrence Lighting and Home.

“You can see this colour coming through in both design and fashion everywhere at the moment. It’s a great colourway to work with as it has a lovely depth and warmth and works so well as a counterbalance colour with the current trend for greys in design.

It’s a sumptuous, rich colourway perfect for this autumn.”

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SHOPPING LIST

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HOW TO MAKE IT WORK

Worried that pinky interiors will make it one sparkly unicorn away from resembling a 7-year-old’s bedroom? The key is to match it will more subtle, grown-up shades.

The combination we’ve seen a lot is pink and grey, which is super stylish. Also, keep the pink ratio at a minimum. If you’re going with the pink/grey colour scheme, keep the pink at less than 10 per cent.

1. Hibiscus, limited edition giclée print, framed £190, unframed £60; Emma Rose Art works; The Art Studio, Knight’s Barn, Wellow; www.emmaroseartworks.com 2. Hunstanton velvet cushion cover in burnt orange: £29.50; Jim Lawrence Lighting and Home; Bath; www.jim-lawrence.co.uk 3. Concrete basin; available in January 2020 from Ripples; Bath,www.ripplesbathrooms.com 4. Lux & Bloom Fabric-Chrysanths Nuit pure silk in blush, cerise and mandarin, £115pm; available at The Lux & Bloom Studio, or on request at the Verve popup shop (Upstairs @ Gorges Larnicol Chocolate Shop between Oct-Dec); www.luxandbloom.com/ www.verveliving.uk 5. Claire Sofa, £2,500, Rossiters of Bath; www.rossitersofbath.com

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A WORD FROM PEOPLE IN THE KNOW…

“The presence of purple in all its tones from lilac to deep violets will be everywhere in 2020; in furniture, textiles, accessories and wallpaper.

Many of our designs have been based around the colour purple as it represents all the elements to describe our business – glamorous, dramatic, and warm with a touch of the exotic.

Louise Rushford, artistic director and founder at Lux & Bloom

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INTERIORS 2

1

PURE AND SIMPLE

While minimalism is considered a mainstay in the fashion world, there’s a new breed of the less-is-more trend, which is not so much about stark designs but more about enjoying the simplicity of things.

“In terms of decoration, the everyday is set to become the extra special,” says John Law, director at Woodhouse & Law. “A sort of mindfulness for the home, designers are using everyday pieces such as hand-painted and decorated plates from small pottery companies, or the likes of rattan baskets in interesting compositions, mounted on walls. There’s a real joy in encouraging the viewer to see beauty in the simplest things, and the timely sense that everyday objects can also be multi-functional.”

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SHOPPING LIST

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MAKING A COMEBACK ARE…

Rattan and cane, but they’ve been given a sprucing and are now being incorporated into schemes in a sophisticated and elegant way.

“Combined with painted timbers in rich colours and simple, curved shapes, it’s something we’re seeing on everything from the backs of chairs to bed frames, and panels within cabinetry” says John Law. 7

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

1. Blacksmith Kindling Ring, £175, Salcombe Trading, Bath; www.salcombetrading.co.uk 2. Various lighting and homeware accessories; Jim Lawrence Lighting & Home, Bath; www.jim-lawrence.co.uk 3. Sheepskin, £295, Salcombe Trading, Bath; www.salcombetrading.co.uk 4. Eichholtz drinks trolley; £1,199; available at Woodhouse and Law, Bath; www.woodhouseandlaw.co.uk 5. Silver Sentimenti ceramic and leather pot; price on request, available at Woodhouse and Law, Bath; www.woodhouseandlaw.co.uk 6. Leather pegs; £35, www.salcombetrading.co.uk 7. Skagerak Fionia Stool, £219, Salcombe Trading, Bath; www.salcombetrading.co.uk

SHINE BRIGHT

Lighting is one of those areas of interiors that shoppers are really spending time, money, and effort on.

There’s a realisation that you can have the most interesting and plush furnishings in the world but if the lighting is garish, or just doesn’t fit, it can ruin the feel of the place. Get it right, however, and you’ve nailed the right mood and atmosphere for your home.

So what’s hot right now? Well, lots of different styles, and that’s kind of the point. Bronwen Powell, head of buying at Knees Home and Electrical, tells us that the industrial look is still going strong.

Copper, black and ‘caged’ lighting with warm filament bulbs and iridescent glass lighting taking centre stage in the lighting world.

Elsewhere, there’s also a big nod to the lampshades of yesteryear. “Fluted glass lighting is appearing more regularly, taking inspiration from reclaimed vintage shades,” adds Sarah Flavell, interior designer at Point Three Design.

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WHERE ARE WE WITH METALS NOW?

“The metals trend for home interiors continues to evolve. Over the next season, the trend will be for much more muted metals than previous seasons, with brass becoming increasingly popular. Styling metal alongside marble, complimented with pink and grey velvet fabrics will make the look soft, inviting and on trend for your home.

Bronwen Powell, head of buying at Knees Home and Electrical

SHOPPING LIST

1. Selection of lighting; Knees Home and Electrical, Trowbridge; www. knees.co.uk 2. The Midi Light; £75; Knees Home and Electrical, Trowbridge; wwwknees.co.uk 3. Concrete Slab Lamp; £99; Salcombe Trading, Bath; www.salcombetrading.co.uk 4. Fisher Wall light; £102.90; Jim Lawrence Lighting & Home, Bath; www.jim-lawrence.co.uk 5. Roisin Light; Knees Home and Electrical, Trowbridge; www.knees.co.uk 6. Floor Lamp, £2,200; 8 Holland Street, Bath; www.8hollandstreet.com

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INTERIORS 1

2

MAKE BOLD

“We are continuing to see a lot of the darker colours, such as navy, dark green and charcoal,” says Michelle Sames, director at Salcombe Trading.

“We are encouraging customers to be bolder with darker tones. We particularly love a mix of black with white oak.”

Yes, strong colours are here to stay for the moment; as well as the greens and blues, there’s a healthy dash of mustard circulating the design houses too. Sarah Flavell says her colour for this autumn is definitely dark green.

“It looks sophisticated, glamourous and luxe,” she says.”It looks fabulous with pale grey walls on kitchens cabinets, joinery items and you will see it appearing on front doors near you very soon.”

SHOPPING LIST 1. Xxx 2. Xxx 3. Xxxx 4. Xxxx 5. Xxxx 6. Xxxx 7. Xxx 8. Xxxxx

My place is tiny – why would I furnish it with dark colours?

If you’re one of the lucky ones living in a sizeable Georgian pad, you can be fairly liberal with these strong, dark colours – but they can still work in smaller spaces too. Just make the strong-coloured furnishings the areas that ‘pop’ – think accessory items like cushions and lampshades – rather than going overboard and painting your whole bedroom midnight blue.

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SHOPPING LIST

1. Esme Chair, £350.55; Knees Home and Electrical, Trowbridge; www. knees.co.uk 2. Coral Dreams, limited edition giclée print, framed £190, unframed £60; Emma Rose Art works; The Art Studio, Knight’s Barn, Wellow; www.emmaroseartworks.com 3. Kate Hume hand-blown pebble vases, from £449, available at Woodhouse & Law, Bath; www.woodhouseandlaw.co.uk 4. Teal ‘Mountains’ Sideboard; £1750; Scout & Boo, Bath; www.scoutandboo.co.uk

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FEELING BLUE

“Blue is having yet another resurgence,” says Jo Berryman of Jo Berryman Studio.

“I love a dark, smouldering velvet, a nubuck in navy or a striking electric blue off set with gold accents for added edge and glamour.

I’m thinking a tarnished, brassy, mirroreffect wallpaper by Cole & Son or brassintegrated pieces of furniture.”

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SHOPPING LIST

1. Butterfly Grey and Amber Pots; available on request at Woodhouse & Law, Bath; Bath; www.woodhouseandlaw.co.uk 2. Soho Home Anthropologie Adriana Velvet Pouf, £348; available at 3 Point Design, Bath; www.pointthreedesign.com 3. Concrete Basin, £1,950; Ripples, available in January 2020 from Ripples, Bath; www.ripplesbathrooms.com 4. Newgate Mr Clarke Clock Pill Blue; £65; Rossiters of Bath; www.rossitersofbath.com

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

4

“The everyday is set to become the extra special”

If you fancy going fancy…

“For bathrooms, changeable LED lights are popular when creating a great atmosphere, whether you need to energise with a shower or relax in the bath. Being able to control lighting from a Smart device is the way to go now.

I think we will also see wall lighting and lamps coming back in fluted designs that boast stunning brassware giving a retro, Parisian look.

Being a man who likes to indulge in a good wellness experience, I’d love to incorporate the new RainTunes technology which offers different showering scenarios that bring all five senses to life. You can control the lighting, music, scents and spray pattern all from your phone which is geared up to suit the variety and busyness of our daily lives from a post-exercise soak to a energising morning wash.”

Senior designer, Neil Curtis in Ripples Bath

Ripples bathrooms: where you can have your own disco if you so wish

www.mediaclash.co.uk I bath LIFE I 43

INTERIORS 1

SUCH FUN

“Anything that is loud and eccentric should be brought in to liven things up a bit,” says Tobias Vernon, founder of 8 Holland Street.

Yes, amongst all the dramatic velvets and functional metallics, we’re thrilled to learn that unadulterated fun is a major player right now. Playful designs especially in lighting, ceramics, wall art and cushions are all over the shop, literally.

Why? “Because the changing look for our homes is towards being more cosy and natural, I think we’ll see more personality and individuality coming through, as well as the confidence to try things out and express our own character.

Look out for more unique touches,” says Louise Rushford, artistic director and founder at Lux & Bloom.

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SHOPPING LIST HEAVENLY CREATURES

“There seems to be a really fun trend for exotic birds in interiors this autumn. From flamingos to pelicans, watch out for those stylish feathered fowl.”

Cassie Rowland, creative director at Jim Lawrence Lighting and Home

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

1. Claudia Rankin pieces; available at 8 Holland Street Bath, Bath; www.8hollandstreet.com 2. Ink & Drop Neon look prints; £25; available at Verve Living, (Upstairs @ Gorges Larnicol Chocolate Shop Corner); www.verveliving.uk 3. Claudia Rankin Green Bird Candlestick; available at 8 Holland Street Bath, Bath; www.8hollandstreet.com 4. Zebra Rug; £145; Rossitors of Bath, Bath; www.rossitersofbath.com 5. Mineheart Velvet Cushion, £55; Verve Living, (Upstairs @ Gorges Larnicol Chocolate Shop); www.verveliving.uk 6. Eichholtz pumpkins, available at Woodhouse & Law, Bath; www.woodhouseandlaw.co.uk 7. Beetle Wall Art; from £45; Graham & Green, Bath; www.grahamandgreen.co.uk

INTERIORS 1

SOMETHING OLD AND SOMETHING NEW

“We are seeing a really interesting trend for ‘refined bohemian’ styling this autumn in interiors, with an emphasis on mixing up layers of antique and vintage pieces to create a feeling of relaxed boho-inspired style,” says Cassie Rowland, creative director at Jim Lawrence Lighting and Home.

Senior designer from Ripples, Neil Curtis, adds, “Geometric patterns are still on trend but have morphed into different shapes such as hexagons and herringbone patterns particularly with tiles.

“I am seeing people lean more towards a William Morris look too, there’s a definite sense of nostalgia coming back into patterns and fabrics with a more historical influence.”

SHOPPING LIST

1. Mirror £638, basin £924, washbasin frame £1716.00; all available in January 2020 from Ripples, London Road; www.ripplesbathrooms.com

TOTALLY FLOORED

The fashion for strong, dramatic colours also extends to flooring.

“The trends for this autumn are definitely towards darker, richer toned floors, ideal for setting off the more dramatic colours and patterns that are leading the style stakes across textiles, soft furnishings and walls, while at the same time providing a versatile, inviting backdrop that could be paired equally well with softer, more classic styling,” says Vanessa Garett from Broadleaf Timber. “A beautiful wood floor is an easy update in any room, that adds an instant sense of luxury and wellbeing.

“Parquet remains a firm favourite among leading designers, in both contemporary and vintage style depending on the interior. Mixing colours to create a more individual or quirky look is definitely an increasingly popular trend, be it just the odd contrasting block, a subtle mix of similar tones or a dramatic mix of shades.”

SHOPPING LIST

1. Broadleaf Blakeney Oak – trend leading tones and a unique and tactile texture, solid and solid engineered options in a choice of widths to 300mm. Priced from £82m2 ; Broadleaf Timber; 134-136 Walcot Street; www.broadleaftimber.com

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

Image shows Hugh Mackay Safari Zebra

TRANSFORM YOUR HOME WITH PLANTATION SHUTTERS Plantation shutters are a stylish interior feature for any home that provide superb light control, insulation and privacy. Available in many different styles, all of our shutters are made to measure and personalised to suit your needs and design preferences.

Visit our showroom to speak to our dedicated design team, and see how plantation shutters can improve your home.

01225 469 559 info@aspectwindowstyling.co.uk www.aspectwindowstyling.co.uk or visit our showroom 1 Saracen Street, Bath, BA1 5BR

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Taking a taste of Somerset to the capital

MOBIUS WORKS provides high quality design and build services.

The Yeo Valley Café in London’s Kensington Gardens is a case in point…

Y

eo Valley is a household name throughout the UK. Based in Somerset, it has grown to become an internationally renowned organic dairy business. However, if you think Yeo Valley is just about the yoghurt, you’re wrong. Throughout Somerset, Yeo Valley is equally renowned for its amazing organic café located at its HQ in Blagdon.

When Yeo Valley decided to take a taste of Somerset to London, Mobius was delighted to be asked to take care of the fit-out. This really is a café like no other.

Located just a few metres from Kensington Gardens, the newly opened Yeo Valley café brings a delicious menu devised by Chef Paul Collins. It offers organic food served in a wonderfully quirky environment that does indeed bring Somerset to the people of London. It provides both a feast for the palate and a feast for the eyes where delicious food meets unique fixtures and fittings in a casual and unusual environment. There is something to see everywhere you look – even the toilets are something to behold – and, of course, the Yeo Valley Café wouldn’t be complete without its very own yoghurt bar.

Mobius was engaged to carry out and manage all electrical, mechanical, build and decorative elements of the complete café fit-out, and the results speak for themselves.

It really does have the wow-factor. Work was completed to the highest of standards within a matter of weeks and the Yeo Valley Café opened its doors as aptly planned on Somerset Day in May. Commenting on his experience of working with Mobius, Yeo Valley Properties Ltd Managing Director Adrian Fenton said: “Mobius proved to be a dynamic and reliable construction company. They were able to work flexibly to accommodate all requests, no detail was too small and no challenge too great. Their work was of an extremely high quality, and we’re keen to work together again as part of a long-term relationship.”

The results speak for themselves. If you visit London and fancy a little taste of home, you’re in for a treat! ■

If you’re thinking about a new project for your restaurant, home or business, we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch today for a no obligation consultation.

0117 403 8560; hello@mobiusworks.co.uk www.mediaclash.co.uk I BATH LIFE I 53

It’s all about the little details…

NE W SH OW ROO M W I T H E XC LU S I V E TI M E L E SS C L AS S I C PA I N T E D T I M BE R K I TC HEN S

8 Pulteney Terrace, Bath, BA2 4HJ Email: kelly@kellymariekitchens.com Showroom: 01225 481881 Mobile: 07796 554466 www.kellymariekitchens.com @kellymariekitcheninteriors | Supplier: www.haecker-kuechen.de

The Flying Pig Renovation Company

New website now online w w w. f l y i n g p i g i n b a t h . c o. u k

T h e C u r ta i n E x c h a n g e For the best dressed windows

IN BATH

11 Widcombe Parade, Bath, BA2 4JT | Tel: 01225 422078 | Email: curtainexchange@live.co.uk www.curtainexchangebath.co.uk

Nยบ Twelve Queen Street Bath, Somerset BA1 1HE

PERIOD AND CONTEMPORARY DESIGN DECORATION AND FURNITURE CAROLE ROBERTS BATH 01225 462363

EMAIL interiors@twelvedesign.co.uk WEB: www.twelvedesign.co.uk

P R erfect

ooms

FOR GREAT DESIGN IDEAS, COME & VISIT OUR

INTERIORS SHOWROOM

Bespoke Curtains & Blinds, Upholstery, Interior Design, Fabrics & Wallpaper, New furniture ranges, Vincent Sheppard, Whitehead Designs. Flooring, Rugs, House Accessories.

Find us at Silver Street, Gastard, Corsham, SN13 9PY

We are just a 4 minute drive from Corsham Town Centre with free customer parking available

BATHROOMS AND WARDROBES FROM INSPIRATIONAL BATHROOMS

www.perfectrooms.co.uk • Tel: 01249 716445 • interiors@perfectrooms.co.uk

www.foxonandfoxon.co.uk

Follow us on

oak flooring – carpets – luxury vinyl

Showroom in Chelsea Road, Bath 5 Chelsea Road, Bath BA1 3DU www.interiorharmony.co.uk

01225 483818 info@interiorharmony.co.uk

YOUR ONE STOP, LOCAL, INDEPENDENT SUPPLIER OF: CARPETS, VINYLS, LUXURY VINYL TILES (LVT), WOOD FLOORING, BEDS, DIVAN SETS, MATTRESSES, FURNITURE & ACCESSORIES

FREE PARKING ON SITE • FREE MEASURING SERVICE We pride ourselves on our service and competitive prices OPEN MONDAY TO FRIDAY 9AM – 5PM SATURDAY 9AM – 4.30PM Out of hours shopping by appointment

01225 302 599

The Old Cinema, Coomb End, Radstock BA3 3AW

Telephone: 01761 432808 Email: marketing@radstockcarpetandbeds.co.uk Visit our website:

www.radstockcarpetandbeds.co.uk

The Bespoke Furniture, Upholstery & Soft Furnishings Experts Clifton Village 62-64 The Mall, Bristol, BS8 4JG

Bedminster 196 North Street, Bristol, BS3 1JF

Open Mon – Sat 9AM – 5PM 01173 702745 www.swupholstery.co.uk

20% OFF - BATH RESIDENTS SALE Increase your property’s kerb appeal Maintain privacy when you need it Help insulate - saving you money

PREMIUM WINDOW SHUTTERS

Make cleaning easy Up to 5 years’ warranty

For your FREE consultation, contact Simon your local Shuttercraft specialist:

01225 941016 www.shuttercraft.co.uk

PROUD TO FIT S:CRAFT PRODUCTS

13/09/2019 15:36:42

• Enriched Cornices • Cornice Cleaning • Corbels • Enriched Friezes • Plaques • Plain Cornices • Center Pieces • Panelling & Dado • Niches • Arches

Call us to discuss your project today on:

01225 315404

Email: artisticplastercraft@outlook.com View more of our work: artisticplastercraft.co.uk Artistic Plastercraft Ltd, 4 Lyndhurst Mews, Oldfield Park, Bath BA2 3FZ

Fireplaces, wood burners, gas fires, chimney and flue specialists

Classic to contemporary – concept to completion

Chesney’s . Barbas Bellfires . Hwam . Stuv . Jetmaster Contact us today or visit our showroom Mendip Fireplaces (Bath) Monkton Combe, Bath, BA2 7HD | 01225 722706 info@mendipfireplacesbath.co.uk | www.mendipfireplacesbath.co.uk

Interiors & Homewares Work from local artists and makers Prints, Cards & Gifts 10 Margaret’s Buildings, Bath BA1 2LP homefrontinteriors.co.uk T: 01225 571711 E: info@homefrontinteriors.co.uk

Handmade, Reclaimed, Sustainable & Vintage

Original cast iron radiators, lovingly restored and ready to plumb straight into your exisiting central heating system.

We are a local Bath-based business with a huge choice of stock available now.

Call David Lucas on 07540 978 408

www.reclaimedradiators.co.uk

Ltd.

Inspired design and styling can excite and enhance our lives enabling us to feel nurtured and uplifted.

Whether it be redesigning the interior and exterior of a property, altering the colour palette, introducing a new style, changing soft furnishings, refreshing, replacing or de-cluttering ~ leave it to me‌ The Coach House, Linden Gardens, Weston Road, Bath BA1 8DB M. 07710 223285 E. lucy@lucycollins.me www.lucycollins.me

SOVEREIGN DAMP & TIMBER LTD We offer a comprehensive service for all kinds of damp proofing, basement waterproofing, timber treatment and specialist replastering.

Tel: 01249 716161 | Tel: 01225 811222 1 Ingoldmells Court, Edinburgh Way, Corsham, Wiltshire SN13 9XN www.sovereigndpc.co.uk | info@sovereigndpc.co.uk

Westside Design Bespoke Kitchen Makers Since 1983 Lansdown Road, Bath BA1 5EQ info@westsidedesign.co.uk

Closed Mon & Thurs. Open Tues, Weds & Fri, Sat, 10.00 - 4.00

• Domestic and commercial roofing specialists • Covering Bath, Bristol and the South West • Trading since 1985 Tel: 01225 421499 Email: mail@youngsroofing.co.uk www.youngsroofingbath.co.uk Braysdown Lodge, Woodborough, Peasedown St John, Bath BA2 8LN

EMMA ROSE Original Contemporary Paintings Limited Edition Giclée Prints . Cards Commissions

ANTIQUE AND MODERN CARPETS BOUGHT, SOLD REPAIRED AND CLEANED NOW IN OUR 30TH YEAR IN BATH LARGEST SELECTION IN THE SOUTH WEST

The Art Studio Knight’s Barn . Wellow . Bath BA2 8QE 9 8 Wa l c o t S t r e e t , B a t h B A 1 5 B G Te l 0 1 2 2 5 4 6 9 2 4 0 E m a i l c o n t a c t @ h a l i d e n . c o m w w w. h a l i d e n . c o m

07885 235 915 www.emmaroseartworks.com

INTERIORS DIRECTORY Our local businesses are poised and ready to help with all your home needs for autumn ARCHITECTS, BUILDERS, CONSTRUCTION AND PROPERTY SERVICES Aaron Evans Architects

3 Gay St, Bath; 01225 466234; www.aaronevans.com; Award winning architects practice established for 40 years in Bath Aqua Fortis

01225 285 500; www.roofersbath.com; Roofing solutions Artistic Plastercrafts

www.artisticplastercraft.co.uk; 01225 315404; Three generations of ornamental plastering experts, formed in 1985 Ashley Collins Decorating

01761 431354; www.ashleycollinspainting.co.uk; Experienced painting contractors in Bath. Fully insured and licensed

by IPAF for working at heights.

The Build Bristol Group

7 Charles Rd, Filton, Bristol; 07545 339908; www.thebuildbristolgroup.com; Architects and builders providing both commercial and residential design and construction service Casa Architects

Toll Bridge Road, Bath; 01225 851871; www.casa-architects.co.uk; Established Bath-based practice combining original contemporary design with sustainable principles DKA

The Malt House, 17-20 Sydney Buildings, Bath; 01225 465701; www.dka.co.uk; Local architects with over 20 years’ experience of designing and delivering quality buildings.

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

Esmond Murray Architects

21 Van Diemen’s Lane, Bath; 01225 447165; www. esmondmurrayarchitectscom; Award-winning Chartered RIBA Practice formed in 1991 with a new approach to private client residential design, bringing together architecture, interior design, landscape architecture and project management The Flying Pig Renovation Company

Ashley House, 4 Gloucester Rd; 01225 420370; www.flyingpiginbath.co.uk; Design, Build and construction of residential properties to the highest standards Hawker Joinery

North End, Batheaston, Bath; 01225 858233; www.hawker-joinery.co.uk; The oldest established joinery business in Bath, with a reputation for quality service and workmanship.

Specialising in doors, interiors and cabinetry The Home Service

01225 685111; www.thehomeservice.co.uk; Home moves, home service and project management

Norton Masonry

38 Long Barnaby, Midsomer Norton, Radstock; 01761 419422; www.nortonmasonryltd.co.uk Point Three Design

07966 416869; www.pointthreedesign.com; Architectural & Interior Design Company with expertise in extensions, alterations, renovations and refurbishments for both modern and period properties.

Room Studio

Lower Ground Floor 4 Elm Place, Bloomfield Rd, Bath; 01225 311 528; www.room-studio.co.uk; Architecture and interior design practice Saltford Building Services

01225 874676; www.saltfordbuildingservices. com Specialists in complete building and property development services Sovereign Damp Proofing

01249 716161; www.sovereigndpc.co.uk; Comprehensive service for all kinds of damp-proofing Sydenhams

07710 223285; www. lucycollins.me; Property dressing and styling

Hawthorn Grove, Bath; 01225 833585; www.sydenhams.co.uk Long-standing builders merchants plus fitted kitchens and bathrooms

Mobius Works

Timber Windows of Clifton

Lucy Collins

Corum, Mobius HQ Suite 1, 2 Crown Way, Bristol; 0117 403 8560; www.mobiusworks. co.uk; Luxury residential fit out offering complete service

29 The Mall, Bristol; 0845 652 7300; www.timberwindows.com Beautiful real timber doors and windows with dedicated installation team

Youngs Roofing

01225 421499; www.youngsroofingbath.co.uk; Roofing services and contractor

BATHROOMS Bathrooms at No 5

12a Trim Street, Bath 5 The Shambles, Bradford on Avon; 01225 309110; www.bathbathrooms.com; Specialists in the supply of bathrooms in Bath and the surrounding areas Corinium Bath Renovations

56 Berry Hill Crescent, Cirencester; 01285 658615; www.coriniumbathrenovations. co.uk; Original bath restoration and renovation Ripples

Chelsea House, London Road, Bath; 01225 447971; www.ripples.ltd.uk; Creators of award-winning luxury designer bathrooms for decades

COURSES AND WORKSHOPS

The Marmalade House

The Loft, 1-2 Bartlett Street, Bath; 01225 445855; www. themarmaladehouse.co.uk Learn how to paint furniture at their popular Annie Sloan courses

CURTAINS, BLINDS, SHUTTERS AND SOFT FURNISHINGS Aspect Window Styling

1 Saracen Street, Bath; 01225 469559; www.aspectwindowstyling.co.uk; Blinds, shutters, awnings, curtains, poles and accessories The Curtain Exchange

11 Widcombe Parade, Bath

INTERIORS 01225 422078; www.thecurtainexchange.co.uk; A wide range of bespoke and ready-made curtains and blinds Just Shutters

01225 302599; www.justshutters.co.uk; Plantation Shutters and Interior window shutters Shuttercraft Somerset

01749 649171; www.shuttercraft.co.uk; Stylish and comprehensive range of shutters and blinds

FIREPLACES AND WOODBURNERS Ignis Stoves

Fire Engine Shed, Unit 6 Colliers Yard, Radstock; www.ignisstoves.co.uk; 01761 437366; Based in showroom created within an old fire engine shed with a fantastic range of wood burners to suit all styles and budgets.

Kindle

Glenavon Farm, 331 Bath Rd, Saltford, Bristol; 0117 924 3898; www.kindlestoves.co.uk; Wide range of woodburning stoves and accessories in purpose built showroom Mendip Fireplaces ( Bath )

The Old Mill, Mill Lane, Monkton Combe, Bath; 01225 722706; www.mendipfireplacesbath.co.uk; Fireplace, stove and chimney specialists with an extensive range of open fires, wood-burning

FLOORING AND CARPETS Bath Contract Flooring

4 Kingsmead Square, Bath; 01225 471888; www.bathcontractflooring.co.uk; Specialists in flooring

Boniti

Dunsdon Road, West Littleton, Chippenham; 01225 89200; www.boniti.com; Natural stone and timber flooring, decorative tiles, garden furniture with a specialist bespoke design service Broadleaf Timber

134-136 Walcot Street, Bath; 01225 463464; www.broadleaftimber.com; Solid wooden floors, plank and parquet, oak flooring, made-tomeasure internal and external oak doors, staircases and joinery Capitol Carpets of Bath

120-122 Walcot Street, Bath 01225 333341; www.thecarpet.co.uk; A range of affordable carpet and stone flooring Frith Rugs

Unit 10, Shield Retail Park Filton, Bristol; 01745 584404; www.frithrugs.co.uk; Largest selection of Oriental carpets and rugs in the UK Haliden Oriental Carpets

98 Walcot Street, Bath; 01225 469240; www.haliden.com; Antique oriental carpets, Persian rugs, tribal weavings and antique turkmen carpets Interior Harmony Flooring

5A Chelsea Road, Bath; 01225 483818; www.interiorharmony.co.uk; Specialists for vinyl, carpet and hardwood flooring, floor sanding and wood floor renovation Oriental Rugs of Bath

1 Hallatrow Business Park Wells Road, Hallatrow; 01761 451764; www.orientalrugsofbath.com;

Rugs, kilims and various pieces of furniture Radstock Carpet & Bed Centre

The Old Cinema, Coomb End, Radstock; 01761 432808; www.radstockcarpetandbeds.co.uk; Experts in carpet, vinyl, hard and natural flooring and mattresses Tile & Flooring Bath

1 Mile End, London Road West Bath; 01225 31056; www.tileandflooring.co.uk; Family-run business specialising in the supply, installation and restoration of flooring from a selection of hundreds of different styles and materials Willett and Wilson

2 W Mall, Bristol; www.willettandwilson.co.uk; Authentic Victorian and period tiling for hallways

FURNITURE, INTERIORS AND HOMEWARE SHOPS Avenida Home

27 Walcot Street, Bath; 01225 571718; www.avenidahome.com Classic home accessories The Bath Framer

7 Walcot Buildings, London Road Bath; 01225 920210; www.thebathpictureframer.co.uk; High-quality framing services Dible & Roy

Bridge Street, Bradford on Avon; 01225 862320; www.dibleandroy.co.uk; Fabrics, flooring and furniture at their two-storey showroom Emma Rose Artworks

The Art Studio, Knight’s Barn, Bath;

07885 235915; www.emmaroseartworks.com; Original art in beautiful studio just outside Bath The Framing Workshop

80 Walcot Street, Bath; 01225 482748; www.theframingworkshop.com; Box framing, glass and perspex boxes, hand-finished and gilded frames and more Graham and Green

92 Walcot Street, Bath; 01225 418300; www.grahamandgreen.co.uk; Exceptional range of furniture and home accessories in a global, glamorous, individual and life-enhancing style Homefront Interiors

10 Margaret’s Buildings, Bath; 01225 571711; www.homefrontinteriors.co.uk; New, vintage finds, handmade, sustainable, reclaimed and recycled homewares and decorative interiors pieces and gifts Julia Davey

20 Wellsway, Bath; 01225 738551; www.juliadavey. com; Hand made contemporary homeware and gifts Knees Home and Electrical

Spitfire Retail Park, Bradley Road, Trowbridge; 01225 754161; www.knees.co.uk; Carefully selected range of kitchen appliances, furniture home accessories.

Leekes

Beanacre Park, Melksham; 0845 0508240; www.leekes.co.uk; Quality furniture, electricals, home accessories and more

INTERIORS Oka

26 -27 Milsom Street, Bath; 01225 443074; www.okadirect.com; A 4,000 square foot interiors haven in the heart of Bath Perfect Rooms, Interiors and Upholstery

Silver Street, Gastard, Corsham; 01249 716455; www.perfectrooms.co.uk; Fabrics, carpets, wallpaper, furniture, homeware and gifts Rossiters

38-41 Broad Street, Bath; 01225 462227; www.rossitersofbath.com; Offering quality furniture, accessories, fabrics, plus an interior design service Silcox Son & Wicks

5-7 New Bath Street, Bath; 01225 463933; www.silcox.co.uk Eclectic collection of furnishing gems to suit a range of tastes The Salcombe Trading Company

76 Walcot Street, Bath; 01225 334 281; www.salcombetrading.co.uk; A distinctive mix of high quality furniture and accessories in brand new store Verve Living

5 Burton St Corner, Upper Borough Walls , Bath; 07785 332536; www.verveliving.uk; An interiors space that fosters creativity and craftsmanship, combining hands-on styling and sourcing services with furniture, artworks and homewares, all sourced and created in Britain

GARDENS

Garden Requisites

286 High St, Batheaston, Bath; 01225 851577; www.garden-requisites.co.uk Designer and manufacturer of door canopies, metal trellis panels, window boxes, zinc galvanized steel planters, iron porches and fire guards T. Deacon Fencing

Dunkirk Business Park, Southwick, Trowbridge, Wiltshire; 01225 769145;

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

www.tdeaconfencingand landscaping.co.uk; Fencing, decking and sheds Woodhouse & Law

4 George’s Place, Bathwick Hill Bath; 01225 428072; www.woodhouseandlaw.co.uk Full landscape garden and design service

HOME ENTERTAINMENT Moss of Bath

45 St James’s Parade, Bath; 01225 331441; www.mossofbath.co.uk; Independent home entertainment retailer and solution provider

INTERIOR DESIGN Claire Rendall

01225 859940; www.clairerendall.com; Luxury interior design Clair Strong Interior Design Ltd

Walcot Studio, Old Orchard 88a Walcot Street, Bath; 01225 426905/07855 797311; www.clairstrong.co.uk; Innovative design for commercial and residential settings both large and small Etons of Bath

108 Walcot Street, Bath; 01225 639002; www.etonsofbath.com; New showroom offering full range of interior design services Jo Berryman

The Guild Hub, High Street, Bath; 01225 560826; www.joberryman.com; luxe, aspirational interiors for both residential and commercial spaces No. Twelve Queen Street

Room Studio

Lower Ground Floor 4 Elm Place, Bloomfield Rd, Bath; 01225 311 528; www.room-studio.co.uk; Architecture and interior design practice Woodhouse & Law

4 George’s Place, Bathwick Hill Bath; 01225 428072; www.woodhouseandlaw.co.uk; Full interior design service; will advise on and source fabrics, furniture, bathrooms and kitchens

KITCHENS

The Bath Kitchen Company

7-9 North Parade Buildings Bath; 01225 312003; www.bathkitchencompany.co.uk; Family business designing unique, beautiful and functional kitchens for over 20 years Cheverell Wood

Cheverell, Hopton Park Waller Road, Devizes; 01380 722722; www.cheverellwood.co.uk; Highly skilled craftspeople specialise in the design, manufacture and installation of bespoke wooden kitchens, bathrooms, libraries and bedrooms

12 Queen Street, Bath; 01225 462363; www.twelvedesign.co.uk; Truly personal design service focusing on private residential, hotel and commercial work

Elmore Kitchens

Point Three Design

Unit 111, Central Park Trading Estate, Bristol; 01275 892937; www.foxonandfoxon.co.uk; Independent family run kitchen, bedroom and bathroom.

Manufacturing business dedicated to customer service

07966 416869; www.pointthreedesign.com; Architectural & Interior Design Company with expertise in extensions, alterations, renovations and refurbishments for both modern and period properties

5 Saracen Street, Bath; 01225 335600; www.elmorekitchens.com; Inspirational kitchens and living spaces Foxon & Foxon

Kelly Marie Hicks Kitchen Interiors

8 Pulteney Ave, Bath; 01225 481881; www.kellymariekitchens.com; Independent luxury kitchen design with over 15 years experience Saltford Kitchens

439 Bath Road, Saltford, Bristol; 01225 874676; www.saltfordkitchens.com; Bespoke kitchen and worktop design and installation Schmidt Bath

1 Park Road, Bath; 01225 337276; www.home-design.schmidt/en-gb; Made to measure kitchens, dressing rooms and furniture Westside Design

Lansdown Road, Bath; 01225 864260; www.westsidedesign.co.uk; Kitchens, cabinet makers and joiners

LIGHTING

Antique Textiles and Lighting

Lansdown Road, Bath; 01225 310795; www.antiquesofbath.com; Antique shop specialising in period textiles, embroideries, quilts, antique lighting and chandeliers

RADIATORS

Reclaimed Radiators

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THE ARTS S N A P S H O T S O F B AT H ’ S C U LT U R A L L I F E

LOVE SHINE A LIGHT Beware of New Bond Street – a siren lurks there this autumn. The Story of Grand Love – a large and luminous canvas hanging in the window of Whitewall Galleries from 28 September – could spark the head-over-heels kind of stirring you don’t expect when you’re out and about shopping.

Canadian artist Danielle O’Connor Akiyama lives on the west coast of Ireland and is drawn to its neverending light parade and the wildness of the ocean and hills. Abstract and free, her works are also inspired by worldwide travel and Japanese brush-painting; look out for the red Japanese chop marks in all her pieces.

And sure, her paints are colourful but it’s the textures and light achieved by pounding and mixing minerals like gold, quartz and diamond into her paints that really strikes a chord.

The Story of Grand Love is an original painting on a 48x48in canvas, £8,500. Danielle will be in Whitewall Galleries on Saturday 28 September from 6pm-8pm to introduce her new collection. Call to be put on the guest list. 01225 424124, 17 New Bond St, Bath BA1 1BA

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BATH LIFE I 89

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arts

Pale fire Magazine editor, book publisher and Francis Gallery owner Rosa Park likes things soft, calm, quiet. She’s rarely met a shade of taupe she didn’t love.

But that doesn’t stop her bubbling with energy and ideas…

What’s the most calming thing we can think of?

Sitting in Francis Gallery with a cup of chamomile tea

www.mediaclash.co.uk I bath LIFE I 91

O

nce upon a time, in another life, Rosa Park worked on this very magazine. She’d write the What’s On listings, and corral the business news. But then came the launch of Bath Life sister title Crumbs and a short stint there, and a bigger leap – to publishing her own international magazine, Cereal, an uber-slick twice-yearly journal of travel and style.

Cereal is all pale light, washed-out neutrals and empty landscapes, as if a Scandinavian Edward Hopper had lost all his primary coloured paints and rocked up, lost, in Tallinn or Chiba or Bhutan.

In other words, it’s rather ace.

After a few different homes in Bath and Bristol, Cereal is currently based upstairs from Rosa’s latest business, Francis Gallery at Fountain Buildings, the old Bang & Olufsen store at the bottom corner of

Rosa at her desk: furniture is antique or bespoke, the picture frames custom-made in Frome and London

Lansdown Road. Here in two spaces – one full of light, flooding in through large windows facing onto the junction, the other more like a domestic living room – you can see a selection of paintings and intriguing domestic items, chiefly ceramics and small pieces of furniture, as carefully curated as the magazine. “I’ve always felt people should be able to see the art they buy in a space that resembles their own home,” Rosa says, “not just a white box gallery.”

Finding links between the style of the Georgian period and the crisp, simple aesthetics of her native Korea – Rosa arrived in Bath via a tortuous route that takes in Canada, the United States and other stops besides – she takes delight in placing the two together, so a simple wooden English 18th century butter stamp becomes shelf-mate to a Korean rice cake stamp of the same period. They’re close cousins.

Most of the ten or so artists on Rosa’s books are emerging talents from across the world. She tends to come across them, buy one of their pieces, then asks them to join her gang. Usually, there’s just one on display at a time here, the new exhibition featuring a collection by French artist Jean-Baptiste Besançon called The Blue Hour.

Jean-Baptiste is in his early 30s, lives in Bordeaux, and works very spontaneously; we ran an example of his work on the cover of Bath Life 400, and you can see a few others on these pages. “His work is dark and dramatic,” says Rosa. “Very masculine and gestural.” Beautiful colours, too – though that’s a given here.

Prices at Francis tend to start at a little under £500 for the art and run into the low thousands; the ceramics are considerably cheaper. “But I hate it when people ask if it’s expensive,” Rosa says. “I don’t know what their budget is, and it’s such a relative term. These days, all the money that I can spare goes into art, furniture and travelling, because they are – I’ve decided – the things that give me the most pleasure. Will it be the same for you? Maybe – or maybe not. But I’m very happy for people to come into the gallery, have a look around and a chat, sit down and flick through the art books. Maybe they’ll buy something one day and maybe they won’t. There’s no pressure.”

I know what Cereal is like, and I know how you like to live. And this gallery seems to me to be very Rosa…

Francis Gallery is all camel, sand, ecru, fawn, buff and – just occasionally – cream

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

But at the same time, it has to have its own point of view – one that

ARTS Pieces from The Blue Hour by Jean-Baptiste Besançon

isn’t fully reflective of my own taste in art. I mean, it is and it isn’t. At home I’ll have Old Masters – not Rembrandt, obviously, but beautiful, dark Dutch and Flemish paintings in that style – and I’d never have those here. I’ll put them in the living room next to some very abstract piece by an artist the Francis does carry, as I love mixing and matching.

Personally, I find it very boring to subscribe to only one style.

There’s a very Korean sensibility to this place, isn’t there?

Which we play with. Our sign is vertical, because in Korea text reads vertically. And – outside of antiques and bespoke furniture – we only sell Korean pieces. It’s fascinating to see how good Korean ceramics look in a Georgian English context. Korean style is the simplest in Asia, the purest in terms of form and colour palate, almost no decoration at all. Most of our ceramics are made by current artisans to 13th century designs: you see ones just like them in Seoul museums, but at the same time they look very modern.

Do you still feel Korean?

More and more all the time. I’m married to an English guy, but I came here too late to feel English. Though I love the people and culture, I’m constantly asked where I’m visiting from. Of course, a lot of that has to do with my [vaguely American] accent.

How do people find out about this place? Do they just wander in off the street and go, ‘wow, look at this’?

Not so much. We sell more online than we do through the gallery, and

“I’m kind of an old-fashioned person. I wanted a physical space” Instagram is definitely the biggest traffic driver to the site. We’re in Bath and our buyers are everywhere, so the only thing I have is Instagram.

I wouldn’t have opened this gallery pre-social media, because it would have been a catastrophe.

Why didn’t you just do a virtual gallery? Much cheaper.

There are lots of them about these days, and it’s a good and successful model – but I’m kind of an old fashioned person. I have a print magazine, I make printed guide books, and I wanted a physical space.

When we do a pop up gallery in London I’ll get frustrated, because I can’t customise the space. The only way to really make it the way you want to have it is if it’s permanent.

And what’s next?

We have a London show at Christmas – one that won’t be frustrating!

It’s at the Mayfair house of a lovely lady called Isabella Ettedgui, the widow of Joseph Ettedgui, founder of the fashion brand Joseph. She now owns Connolly Luxury Goods, an off-shoot of Connolly Leather, and has the most stunning shop and gallery in a Georgian house.

Isabella herself will curate ‘Francis at Connolly’, featuring many of our artists. We’ll do more pop ups next year, and I hope to open a second permanent Francis Gallery in Los Angeles in 2021. It will be much bigger, and really Californian, reacting to the local vernacular rather than trying to reproduce Georgian Bath in LA. These days Los Angeles feels like the new art capital of America, and has the great advantages of excellent light and large houses – so people have lots of wall space! n Jean-Baptiste’s work was on the cover of Bath Life 400, regular and hardback

Jean-Baptiste Besançon’s The Blue Hour is available to view and buy now; www.francisgallery.co

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WHAT’S ON

© DANNY CLIFFORD

27 September – 27 October

Not just a rock concert. Squeeze is performing at the Forum on 30 October – an evening also aimed at raising funds and collecting non-perishables for food banks

EXHIBITIONS Until 24 November

EXPERIMENTS WITH FLYING Artist Richard Twose is displaying a collection of works inspired by a residency at Elisabeth Frink’s former studio. Inspired by her bird men, horses and bulls, Twose created his own characters using studies of acrobats at CircoMedia in Bristol.

The works deliberately test the limits of balance (and falling).

Mon-Sun, 10.30am-5pm; free with general admission; Victoria Art Gallery; www.victoriagal.org.uk

Until 14 December

PLAYING THE PICTURESQUE A lot of people think our obsession with the ideal ‘Insta-perfect’ life is a new phenomenon, but this

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

exhibition is here to reject that assumption. Playfully traversing the space between real and virtual realms, the work shows the way that 18th century artists and architects became obsessed with producing aesthetically pleasing, stylistic, ‘ideal’ landscapes.

Tues-Sat, 11am-5pm; Andrew Brownsword Gallery, The Edge; www.edgearts.org

28 September – 31 December

INTERVENTIONS/2 Yoko Ono’s first solo show to visit Bristol arrives there this month.

Including a series of iconic films that she made back in the ’60s and early ’70s – as well as the installation ARISING, first exhibited at the Venice Biennale in 2013

– INTERVENTIONS/2 asks Bristol audiences to engage with the city’s less proud history. The curator, Jimmy Galvin, says, “It is a way to bring a new spotlight onto Bristol’s heritage and involvement with the slave trade, and, as with all great art, it gives us permission to open dialogue and create a better understanding of ourselves and our city’s past, as well as its future, and what role we need it to perform.”

Sat-Tues, 11am-4pm; The Georgian House Museum, Bristol; www.bristolmuseums.org.uk

4 – 6 October

MOMENTS OF LIGHT We all need those sometimes, right? Three landscape painters are showcasing their pictures of the world seen at its best angle.

Capturing the moment in its best light is no easy task, but these artists have got it down pat. No Instagram filter required.

10am-5.30pm; West Barn, Barton Farm, Bradford on Avon www.valeriepirlot.com

12 – 13 October

MIRANDA CARTER EXHIBITION Miranda Carter is an abstract artist based in Wiltshire. She paints intuitively – that is, with no particular endpoint in mind for her work. She simply allows the natural flow of the paint to take the lead. The result is beautiful, brightly coloured works that are absolutely worth a look.

Mon-Sun; 6am-8pm; Walcot Chapel; www.mirandacarter.com

15 – 19 October

BPS ANNUAL EXHIBITION

WHAT’S ON The talented lot in the Bath Photographic Society (BPS) have pulled together yet another stunning collection of images for their annual exhibition. There’s a great diversity of work from portraits to landscapes, and even the occasional animal shot. The club itself can claim an impressive history and heritage – it's been around since 1888, making it one of the earliest photographic clubs in the country.

10am-4pm except the 19th, when it closes at 3pm; St Michal’s Church; www. bathphotographicsociety.org.uk

with one entirely sh*t-faced cast member. What could go wrong?

Doors 6.30pm, show starts 8pm; £20; Komedia; www.komedia.co.uk

PLAYS/SHOWS

22 – 25 October

2 – 3 October

ABOVE: Clare Teal returns to the West with her Trio and special guest Pee Wee Ellis LEFT: How about a faceoff with impressionist Luke Kempner at Komedia?

BELOW: Give teens a shake-up with Youth Quake at the egg

THE DOGS OF WAR England is at the mercy of the royal family as a petty dynastic squabble plunges the nation into war. The entire population is torn between the two sides.

The Dogs of War uses the themes from Shakespeare’s plays to tell a story of bravery and stupidity where neighbour is pitted against neighbour in a ensemble production.

By Shakespeare Live, a well-known amateur company from Wiltshire.

8pm; £12; Mission Theatre; www.shakespearelive.com

2 – 5 October

THINGS I KNOW TO BE TRUE Growing up is a nightmare, right?

Andrew Bovell’s complex portrait of the mechanics of a family shows just that; told through the eyes of four nearly-grown siblings desperate to define themselves outside of their parents’ expectations.

7.30pm; £14/£12 conc; Rondo Theatre; www.bathdrama.co.uk

4 October

LUKE KEMPNER: HOUSE OF FACES The thing with Luke is, no-one is off limits. Spend an hour or two with this comedian and impressionist and you’ll see celebrities, politicians and even royalty going head to head like you never seen them before.

Doors 6.30pm, show 8pm; £15; Komedia www.komedia.co.uk

11 October

SH*T-FACED SHAKESPEARE: A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM The Fringe darlings and internationally renowned thespians are finally touring their acclaimed production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The concept isn’t complicated: it’s Shakespeare, but

12 October

TREVOR NELSON’S SOUL NATION A pioneer of the Urban scene, veteran DJ Trevor Nelson is currently on tour with his iconic club night. Dance the night away to the best in R&B, hip hop, soul and more of Trevor’s favourites.

9pm-1am; prices vary; Cheese and Grain, Frome; www.cheeseandgrain.com YOUTHQUAKE Sounds terrifying, but it’s actually an intriguing look at getting Gen-Z – otherwise known as the Netflix and Deliveroo generation – out the door and into a seat at the theatre. Awardwinning theatre company ZEST Theatre is rolling into the egg with a play aiming to do just that. Full of issues – political and personal – taken from the stories and opinions of the 800 young people the company spoke to when putting together the performance, the show narrates the lives of hidden teen Britain.

7pm; call box office for prices 01225 823409; the egg; www.theatreroyal.org.uk

MUSIC 2 October

DAMIEN O’KANE AND RON BLOCK What happens if you cross a bluegrass banjo and an Irish tenor banjo? BBC Radio 2’s Folk Awards Best Album award nominee, Damien O’Kane, has joined forces with Alison Krauss & Union Station’s banjo star Ron Block to create a captivating new sound.

Doors 7.30pm, show starts 8pm; £14; Chapel Arts; www.chapelarts.org

10 October

CLARE TEAL AND HER TRIO Three-time British Jazz Singer of the Year and BBC Radio 2 broadcaster Clare Teal and her Trio will be performing in Wells in October. The winning combination of the fabulous arrangements and Clare’s warm and witty storytelling will make this one a night to remember. This time she’ll be performing with special guest Pee Wee Ellis.

7pm; prices vary; Cedars Hall, Wells Cathedral School, Wells www.clareteal.co.uk

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WHAT’S ON

THE ROLLING STONES: HAVANA MOON Calm down: it’s an immersive concert screening, but still pretty cool. One of only 11 dates in the UK, don’t miss your chance to see The Rolling Stones’ legendary 2016 Havana Moon concert. The super HD production will bring you up close and personal with The Stones against a backdrop of iconic Cuban culture. Time to party like it’s 1965!

Or 2016. Up to you.

8.30pm; The Forum; www.bathboxoffice.org.uk

16 October

THE WILDHEARTS The Renaissance Men Tour Part II is now in full swing. The Wildhearts have been around on the British rock scene for 30-odd years now, so they know how to put on a show.

This tour welcomes back long-time bandmate Danny McCormack on bass. Cue applause.

7pm; £25; Komedia; www.komedia.co.uk

23 October

LUCY SPRAGGAN Former X-Factor contestant known for playing one of her own songs she’d written – gasp – on the show, Lucy Spraggan is popping to Bath for one night of her 32-date UK tour. Five consecutive top 30 albums under her belt, with her latest release Today Was A Good Day she moves into a new chapter musically and personally – producing the most confident and accomplished sound of her career.

7.30pm; £18; Komedia www.komedia.co.uk

24 October

WILLY PORTER Willy Porter’s singular signature finger-picking sound blurs the lines between indie-folk and rock in a way that has been captivating crowds for decades – since his breakthrough album Dog Eared Dream in 1994. A long-time touring artist, Willy knows how to work a crowd – guitar-driven songs about universal themes of love, loss and the occasional triumph will have you hooked from the off.

8pm; £12 advance/£14 door; www.chapelarts.org

30 October

SQUEEZE Quintessential Brit rockers of the 70s are headed to Bath. The Difford and Tilbrook Songbook Tour is part fun night out, part awareness-raising

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activity for The Trussell Trust. It’s about more than dancing: you’ll also find multiple food bank drop-off points and collection boxes where you can donate non-perishable food or money. Where possible check with the local food banks for what they need first.

Doors 7pm, show starts 7.30pm; prices vary; The Forum; www.bathforum.co.uk

FAMILY

27 September – 6 October

BATH CHILDREN’S LITERATURE FESTIVAL Children’s authors of all genres are descending on Bath for the book event of the year: the Children’s Literature Festival. There are events pretty much all day every day for kids of all ages – from picture books right through to YA. Various times, prices and locations; www. bathfestivals.org.uk/childrens-literature

11 – 13 October

THE DAY I FELL INTO A BOOK A mix of sound, creative lighting and projection create the heady world of The Day I Fell Into A Book. Disappear into a world of lost tales to reclaim your love of reading. Feel free to pretend you're doing it for the kids – we don't believe you!

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

81 – 21 October

TOUCH Less a performance and more an improvised and interactive workshop, Touch is performed by four dancers and a DJ who offer the audience the chance to watch, play and dance as they deftly move about the room. There are walker and pre-walker experiences for the really little ones, so do check the website for more details.

Various times; £8; the egg; www.theatreroyal.org.uk

OTHER 1 October

RSPB 50TH ANNIVERSARY Celebrate the RSPB’s 40th birthday with the Bath and District Local Group. Resident One Show wildlife expert and RSPB president Miranda Krestovnikoff will lead the celebrations with a lively talk about the historic development of conservation, connecting families with nature and her experiences presenting TV programmes.

© MAT THEW BUSHEY

16 October

ABOVE: Chapel Arts hosts wandering wonder Willy Porter on his 2019 tour trail LEFT: Oh, Vienna!

A hotbed of creativity and decadence. Find out more at BRSLI on 26 October BELOW: See Jagger jiggle and girate in HD at the concert screening of Havana Moon

WHAT’S ON 7.30pm; prices vary; Kingswood School Theatre; www.bathboxoffice.org.uk

2 October

4-5 October

HIMAL AUTUMN ANNUAL EVENT In aid of the Charitable Foundation for the Education of Nepalese Children, this fair is a great spot to start the dreaded Christmas shopping. Beautiful jewellery, cashmere scarves, ponchos, blankets and some very fancy-looking pyjamas make up just a few of the treats in store.

10.30am-4.40pm Sat/ 11am-4pm Sun; 5 Old King Street next to Hall & Woodhouse

6 October

ASSEMBLY ROOMS WEDDING FAIR A wedding fair bang in the centre of Bath? Yes please! In partnership with Whitewed Directory, the Assembly Rooms will host a wedding fair this month. Grab the standard bubbles and goody bag on arrival – everyone wedding shopping needs to down at least one glass of Champagne – and dive into a day packed with 50 wedding professionals, a showcase of gorgeous trends and styles, a catwalk show, style and planning hub and plenty of live music and entertainment.

10.30am-3.30pm; free; Assembly Rooms; www.bathvenues.co.uk/wedding-fairs-andopen-evenings

6 October

VINTAGE FAIR Another special event to celebrate Save the Children’s 100th birthday.

Pop into the Walcot Street shop to rifle through a variety of cute vintage-ey goods of the kind sisters Egalantine Jebb and Dorothea

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

© ANDREW CROWLEY

THE BECKFORD BIRTHDAY LECTURE Charlie Courtenay, Earl of Devon, is popping up to Bath to tell the story of William Beckford and William, third Viscount Courtenay. Poor old ‘Kitty’ Courtenay (as he was known to family and friends) was always somewhat maligned – everyone considered him a flamboyant spendthrift who fled England to escape his creditors – but, as Charlie will reveal, recent research has revealed “the most beautiful boy in England” to be a much more complex and sympathetic man.

6.30pm; £15, please book in advance – this event is expected to sell out; Beckford Tower; www.beckfordstower.org.uk Buxton might have worn when they founded the charity all those years ago. Happy centenary!

12-4pm; www.savethechildren.org.uk

9 October

TOP DOG FILM FESTIVAL A collection of heart-warming short films about dogs? We’re so sold. This cinematic celebration honours the unique bond between pooches and their people, with a range of films about inspiring and entertaining dogs – from filmmakers around the world.

Doors 6.30pm. starts 7.30pm; £13.50; Komedia; www.komedia.co.uk

26 October

DECADENCE AND CREATIVITY: VIENNA IN THE TIME OF FREUD, KLIMT, MAHLER AND WITTGENSTEIN A day-long symposium about life in late Habsburg Vienna with leading experts and academics dedicated to what was a seminal period in Western history. It’s set to be one of the highlights of the BRLSI calendar for this year.

9am-6pm; ticket prices vary; BRLSI www.bathboxoffice.co.uk

28 October

SOMETIMES IN BATH Author Charles Nevin is having an event for his new book, Sometimes in Bath: Her Stories and History. In an exclusive reading from the book, Charles promises to make you view all the places you know and love in the city from a fresh perspective.

7pm; Bath Spa Hotel; search Bath Spa Hotel on Facebook for more information

30 – 31 October

WESTONBIRT SHOPPING FAIR Shop and donate to charity at the same time at Westonbirt Shopping Fair. It’s a great not-on-the-highstreet shopping opportunity where you’ll find a range of unique handmade stuff. We hate the say it – you know what's coming – but it’s perfect for Christmas.

10am-4.30pm; £8/£7.50 booked online; Westonbirt School; www.westonbirtfair.org n

ABOVE: Join Charlie Courtenay for a revealing Beckford Birthday Lecture at the tower BELOW: Super-talented Lucy Spraggan caused ripples when she performed her own song on X Factor.

Listen to her whole repertoire at Komedia in October

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Dancing Delights

© JOHAN PERSSON

© JOHAN PERSSON

THEATRE ANNA O’CALLAGHAN

Anna O’Callaghan takes a look back at the rich history of dance performances in Bath and the brimming autumn programme

T

he Theatre Royal’s stage is a perfect setting for all forms of dance. The great Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova, danced The Dying Swan here in 1920 and Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev performed a specially choreographed performance of Bartok’s Divertimento conducted by Yehudi Menuhin in the 1964 Bath Festival. It was a Butterfly Ballet which was part of the 1948 pantomime Little Red Riding Hood which led to the legend of a ghostly butterfly, the symbol of success at the Theatre Royal. (A piece of scenery from that ballet remains hanging in the fly tower to this day.) Companies from Northern Ballet Theatre to Phoenix Dance Theatre and BalletBoyz to the Gera Ballet of Thuringen have strutted their stuff on the Theatre Royal stage and shows from Tapdogs to Vincent and Flavia’s Tango Moderno have found appreciative audiences in Bath.

It was in October 1943, that one of the UK’s most prestigious dance companies, Marie Rambert’s Ballet Rambert, made its first ever visit to the Theatre Royal with a programme described as a repertory of its original ballets. These included Tartans, featuring The Lassie and The Laddie; Lady into Fox about the sudden changing of Mrs Tebrick into a vixen, and a piece choreographed

by Ninette de Valois, Bar aux Folies-Bergère.

From the 1950s onwards, Ballet Rambert was a frequent visitor, switching its focus from classical to contemporary in 1966. Its

September 1987 tour launched in Bath under the new name of Rambert Dance Company with Richard Alston as artistic director and a striking 60th anniversary programme which included Alston’s Strong Language and Michael Clark’s Swamp. Among the dancers was Mark Baldwin, who became the company’s artistic director from 2002 – 2018 during which time it became known simply as Rambert.

As a lover of contemporary dance, some of my all-time favourite evenings at the Theatre Royal have been provided by Rambert (or Ballet Rambert or Rambert Dance Company, whatever it was at the time). Robert North’s Flamenco-inspired Entre dos Aguas from the 1980s sticks in my memory as heart-stopping and exhilarating. More recently, Henrietta Horn’s slinky Cardoon Club was mesmerising with gorgeous costumes, and Ben Duke’s Goat, danced to the songs of Nina Simone, was that rare thing, a genuinely laugh-out-loud dance piece. Then there is the irresistible Rooster, Christopher Bruce’s electrifying celebration of the music of The Rolling Stones which last played Bath in 2014.

Rambert returns to Bath this October with three ballets which represent moments of breakthrough from three of the world’s most distinctive choreographers: Wayne McGregor’s PreSentient, danced to Steve Reich’s Triple Quartet with costumes by Ursula Bombshell; Hofesh Shechter’s In your rooms, intense and haunting, which blends the personal and the political; and Rouge, a new creation by Marion Motin, whose hip hop-influenced style is best known

“Ben Duke’s Goat was that rare thing, a genuinely laugh-out-loud dance piece”

BELOW:

LEFT: Dancing duo in PreSentient; The cast of Rouge was up in arms

24 – 26 October: Rambert 27 – 28 October: Same Same…

But Different 29 – 30 October: Alice in Wonderland 26 – 29 January: The Nutcracker 31 January – 1 February: Richard Alston Dance Company through her work with Christine and the Queens and Dua Lipa. Rambert might be Britain’s oldest dance company but this is contemporary dance at its most cutting-edge.

Richard Alston’s own company is also a firm favourite. Last year ,the illustrious choreographer, recently knighted, introduced a programme of highlights from his repertoire of 50 years’ work wearing pyjama bottoms and with an injured foot in a surgical boot (pyjamas were the only clothing he could get over it). Now Richard Alston Dance Company returns at the end of January for the last time with The Final Edition Tour featuring elegant choreography accompanied by music which includes madrigals

by Monteverdi, Mazurkas by Chopin (played live) and Elgar’s unmistakably melodic Introduction and Allegro. Don’t miss this chance to see them while you still can – they will be folding in spring 2020 following changes to their funding.

In the egg theatre, October half term week sees a plethora of dance for all the family with Same Same… But Different combining the Indian classical dance form Kathak with contemporary dance in a story for children aged from five years, and the ever-popular Let’s All Dance returns with its new ballet of Alice In Wonderland.

Saint Petersburg Classical Ballet is back in the main house in the New Year with its spectacular baroque version of Tchaikovsky’s magical story of The Nutcracker for those who prefer their dancers in tights and tutus.

Anna O’Callaghan, Marketing Manager, Theatre Royal Bath, Sawclose; 01225 448844; www.theatreroyal.org.uk

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Sparkling Matters Limestone and travertine floor Specialist cleaning services 07977 563167 info@sparklingmatters.com

BOOKS NIC BOTTOMLEY

Picture this The latest children’s picture books are out, and grown-up appeal abounds

“Prepare for star-crossed alien lovers”

T

he first sign of autumn, for many, is the turning of the leaves. Or perhaps the first ripe blackberry plucked from a hedge or the first sore head from an inopportune conker drop.

Not for me, though. Not for any bookseller.

For us, the first sign of autumn is the arrival in the shop of the latest offerings from the handful of household-name children’s picture book authors.

Whereas in adult, or even middle-grade or teen, fiction there are many writers whose future releases are eagerly awaited and talked about by fans and booksellers alike. With picture books, the pre-publication hype tends to be much less. I suppose that’s because, thankfully, the readership don’t spend any time on social media. And because, in most cases, the captive audience for a picture book only remain big fans of the genre for three or four years, before they fly the visual nest and move on to chapter books.

But with the likes of Julia Donaldson, Oliver Jeffers and David Litchfield, the fanbase can pass from generation to generation and there’s plenty of buzz when a new book hits the shelves.

Indeed, the new Oliver Jeffers book The Fate of Fausto (Harper Collins, £16.99) may appeal more to grown-ups than their children. As ever, the soft-tone illustrations are stunning, but the simple and understated story is a shade or two darker than most of Jeffers’ previous offerings. The hero, Fausto, is a confident man. To a fault. His life is defined by a wish to control everything he comes across. That plays out just fine when he exerts his authority over a flower and a sheep – they’re both happy to submit to his orders.

A mountain however proves more troublesome and the sea, well maybe that’s where Fausto should draw the line.

Unfortunately he doesn’t prove awfully good at giving up his quest for ultimate power and, because we’re dealing with a “show some humility” message rather than yet another “you can achieve anything” one, you can see Fausto’s fate coming from a far way off.

To hammer home the point, the book ends with a quote from Kurt Vonnegut (I told you this wasn’t just for the kids) about a conversation he once had with Joseph Heller,

in which Heller refused to admit jealousy of a billionaire they had both met because he had something the billionaire did not possess, “the knowledge that I’ve got enough”.

Julia Donaldson has remained truer to her core audience with her new picture book, as the title Smeds & The Smoos (Scholastic, £12.99) indicates. In this latest collaboration with Axel Scheffler, Donaldson brings her trademark rhyming text to an alien environment which allows her to play particularly loose with language.

Words like ‘loobular’, ‘humplety’, ‘trockles’ and ‘glompoms’ are bound to make toddlers descend into the kind of giggling fits that you need like a hole in the head just before bedtime. As for the story, prepare for starcrossed alien lovers in a Romeo and Juliet meets The Sneetches tale of tolerance and diversity dedicated to “all the children of Europe”.

Rising star of illustration, David Litchfield (of The Bear and the Piano fame) has also gone to another planet for his latest book Lights on Cotton Rock (Frances Lincoln, £12.99). The main character here is called Heather and she dreams of heading off into space and then, during a scary solo adventure into the woods, finds her wishes granted as she is beamed up from Cotton Rock by a friendly alien who looks remarkably like a spoon.

Or rather, almost beamed-up. At the last minute, Heather decides to stay on earth as she spots her parent hunting for her – a decision she then second guesses throughout her life as she yearns for another connection with her alien pal. The luminescent illustrations are fabulous – particularly the kaleidoscopic flying saucer – and the messages about the excitement of adventure and the contrasting pull of home are marvellously conveyed.

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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FOOD & DRINK S N A P S H O T S O F B AT H ’ S F O O D S C E N E

THE GRAPES OF FROTH

As I walked home from the cinema a couple of weeks ago (yes – Fleabag, yes – just like the rest of Bath), I heard a sound I hadn’t heard for so long. Not since a romantic trip to Connemara in County Galway in the early 90s, anyway.

Coming from an open door on Westgate St, I heard the intoxicating mix of laughter, clinking glasses, hearty chat, foot-tapping (yes, I was listening very carefully), a fiddle and an upbeat, folky melody.

The Grapes on Westgate St – erstwhile, dare we say it, dingy dive – has had a recent facelift and is looking to add something different to the Bath pub scene. As co-owner Ellie says,“As a Free House without tie, we aim to make this a great bar for the local community that appeals to locals wanting drinks, honest food and some live entertainment.”

From what we’ve seen so far, they’ve hit the nail on the head. Along with the Irish craic, they’ve already hosted Ishikaya supper clubs (Japanese tapas), a talk on the history of Bath’s pubs, and their upstairs room is home to a yoga class too. Pop in and find out more for yourself.

For more: The Grapes, 14 Westgate St, Bath BA1 1EQ; www.thegrapesbath.co.uk

Take advantage of the low-hanging fruit: put The Bunch of Grapes on your dining-out wishlist now

GOOD NEWS ON THE GRAPEVINE The Bunch of Grapes in Bradford on Avon has been included in The Good Food Guide 2020 and the small Silver Street team is tickled pink.

Head Chef Tony Casey says,“We’re all tremendously pleased with [the] entry. Being awarded a score is a great achievement for all our staff and wonderful recognition within the industry. It is also good to know we are on the right path, having only taken over the business in July 2018.”

The selection process for entry is a combination of Good Food Guide score, editor appraisal and reader feedback. The Bunch of Grapes is no slouch when it comes to its fanbase; it had a whopping 325 Excellent reviews on Tripadvisor at the time of going to press.

Other well-loved locals to make the cut are The Methuen Arms, Bistro Lotte, The Garden Café and Whatley Manor.

For more: www.thebunchofgrapes.com

Have you popped into The grapes yet?

Worley’s Special Reserve cider, from Shepton Mallet, has won the Nigel Barden Heritage Award at the Great Taste awards. The cidery uses an ancient process called keeving to naturally sweeten the drink.

Nigel Barden, broadcaster and cook, commented, “The cider apples that make this brew herald from the Somerset Levels, a warm silty plain with the perfect growing conditions of plenty of rain and sunshine. Some are fat and knobbly, others small and mean, however they produce an absolute belter of a 5.4% cider, being delicate, elegant and gently fizzy.”

And by our reckoning, the keeving means there’s no added sugar. Meet you at the bar, then!

For more: Worley’s Cider, 07753 633964; www.worleyscider.co.uk

© SAM PELLY PHOTOGR APHY

SOMERSET CIDER FARM CERTAINLY KNOW ITS APPLES

(L to R) John Farrand, Guild of Fine Food, Neil Worley of Worley’s Cider, Nigel Barden and Keith Jordan from category sponsor, Dunbia

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TRY FIVE 2

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SOMETHING FISHY

Bath may not be known for its seafood options, but there are some great spots for when you find yourself craving the fruits of the sea – and perhaps some chips, too

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THE SCALLOP SHELL A Bath institution, the family-run The Scallop Shell fish and chip restaurant and seafood grill is everything you want in a culinary catch. The perfect combination of nautical and slick, unique interior touches like the bath tub on a plinth at the front of the restaurant give the place a feel all of its own. Strong believers in the fresh, sustainable catch from UK waters, the team is obsessed with provenance. That means a daily changing main menu primarily sourced from small artisan day boats – ooh-la-la. And the transparency doesn’t end with the fish – you can even peek through a window into their ‘potato room’ to see the chip-making action. www.thescallopshell.co.uk

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FELCE FOODS You can catch this award-winning, familyrun smokery and fishmonger every weekend at the Green Park Station farmers market.

Buy the finest smoked and wet fish direct and get cooking – the finest ingredients make the finest meals, after all. The smoked fish is pretty special; using only traditional smoking methods without a mechanised smoking machine in sight, you get that individual smoked flavour as a result. And your fish is free from any nasty dyes or additives. www.felcefoods.co.uk

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SALT & MALT (AT CHEW VALLEY LAKE) Sometimes you need to go to the water, right?

In our opinion, there are few better options than a leisurely wander around Chew Valley Lake followed by fish and chips at Salt & Malt.

Served with their signature gluten-free batter, these fish and chips will never let you down.

They also have some mouth-watering breaded options on the dinner menu, from the classic fishcake to their breaded whole-tail Scottish scampi – all of which goes down nicely with the truly breath-taking view. www.saltmalt.com/chew-valley

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WHITE ROW FARM (NEAR FROME) Who doesn’t love a good farm shop, really?

And as for one with its very own chippie – well, it sounds like heaven. With fish sourced straight from the on-site fishmongers, like everything else at White Row Farm you know you’re only getting the best, local-as-possible dishes of the highest quality. They’ve got a couple of different fryers too, so you’ve got the option of chips cooked in beef dripping or vegetable oil if you prefer. www.whiterowfarm.co.uk

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HONDO SUSHI It would be rude to round up the best fish of Bath without at least touching on sushi.

Hondo Sushi on St James’s Parade offers authentic Japanese dishes. Known for their intimidatingly massive menu, they offer a huge range of cooked and sushi fish dishes ranging through hosamaki, temaki, nigiri, ura maki and more. Their bento boxes are great too – a sectioned box packed with small dishes, the salmon Bento is particularly good. n www.hondosushi.co.uk

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RESTAURANT

CASTLE FARM It’s not unheard of for the finest cooking to crop up in the most unlikely places, and a beautifully located – if somewhat unlovely – Midford tractor shed happens to host one of Bath’s best hidden foodie gems

By Matt Bielby

W

here’s your favourite place to eat in Bath? If you’re like me, you probably keep changing your mind – it depends on your mood, your bank balance, what you saw someone scoffing on last night’s TV. Quite often, though, I’ll wake up on a Saturday morning (after Friday’s curry night) or a Sunday (after Saturday’s supper club) and know exactly where I think is best. It’s this place, Castle Farm.

Still not quite on everyone’s radar – no bad thing in some ways, as it means there’s still a chance you can book a place – it offers a winning combination of great food, keen prices, and a friendly family atmosphere. That it feels like your own special little discovery doesn’t hurt, either.

Make no mistake, though, it’s not posh. At least, not white table cloth, obsequious sommelier posh. You’ll be eating in a barn. A warm, dry barn to be sure, but it doesn’t take much imagination to be able to picture exactly what it was like when Massey Fergusons still roamed here.

It’s a great big box: the exterior’s sludge green, the floor’s concrete, the top’s corrugated iron, and there are no

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windows anywhere. (There is a large door they throw open early in the evening to give gorgeous views of the valley beyond, then thankfully shut as the night gets chillier.)

None of which sounds particularly promising, perhaps, but Castle Farm has been done up in such a pleasingly ramshackle way you can’t help but be charmed: there are candles, mirrors, and fairy lights everywhere. It gives a warmth and authenticity that’s perfectly reflected in the welcome you get, too – and the food.

This place had been a café-cum-restaurant for a few years now, and under the auspices of husband-and-wife team Pravin and Leah Nayar since June 2018. Chef Pravin – once of The Talbot Inn in Mells and Beckford Arms in Tisbury – heads up the open kitchen with pal and fellow chef Nigel Everett, while much of the produce comes from the organic farm you see all around you.

During the daytime they serve up breakfasts and lunches – the Sunday roasts, served family-style, are legendary – and they open in the evenings on Friday and Saturday nights; there are occasional cookery classes and special events, with guest chefs, too. Friday is a comforting curry night, a great low-key end to a hectic week, while on

Saturdays they run their supper clubs, a good value multicourse set menu that changes each month.

Usually £35 or £40, and totalling six or seven courses, each one reflects what’s in season – and what Pravin and Nigel fancy cooking. (It’s this variety and sense of fun that are part of what makes Castle Farm so attractive.) In October they’ve a meaty Bavarian-themed Oktoberfest spectacular planned, with beers and bratwurst, and in November it goes all Middle Eastern.

The particular September night I rocked up with P, though, was titled Harvest & Wild, a largely vegetarian feast which combined freshly picked produce – artichoke, squash, celeriac – and foraged berries, with just the occasional meaty grace note for those that way inclined.

It used to be that you could drive right past Castle Farm without spotting it – especially at night – but now they have a huge sign, making things much easier; there are two dirt car parks, and plenty of outside seating next to the very plots where some of tonight’s food will have grown.

They could serve about 40 inside and 40 outside if they wanted to push things, but they rarely do, and tonight we’re all eating inside. Through the barn door you’ll find white-painted brick walls and wooden panelling, plus framed prints and plenty of jars and candles. Each of the mismatched tables is set with linen napkins, cool cutlery and huge slices of tree, home to a still life of twigs, candles and berries.

Tonight we start with a Bramble – a classic cocktail of gin and blackberry – and an amuse bouche of charred leek, with soured cream, fennel breadcrumbs giving a mild but noticeable aniseed flavour, and (for the carnivores only) a topping of bright orange cod roe.

Next up, deep fried crispy artichoke, designed to be dipped into a pool of whipped ricotta with garlic oil, then an autumn salad, with the likes of celeriac, carrot tops and nasturtium, served with a most delicious Swedish rye bread. Its associated whipped butter came, in a quirky twist, atop a large pebble.

The main was the only time actual meat turned up, in the form of a thick slice of nicely cooked duck breast.

(Though the vegetarian option opposite hardly missed out, with a big chunk of roasted chicory occupying the same plate space.) Both were just support acts, though, to the headlining rotolo, a classically hearty Italian dish that’s basically a corral of pasta, encasing a rich vegetable mix, with mushrooms and sage prominent. (Think a stout, short cannelloni, standing on its end.)

Puds came in two parts: a between-course of natural yoghurt with baked white chocolate and a berry compote, then a final custard tart with elderberries, blackberries and other hedgerow flavours.

Most things are local here – except for when, for reasons of authenticity or playfulness, they’re not – and we enjoyed West Country white wine, plus a Bath Culture House jasmine flower kombucha (very trendy), a homemade lemon and thyme cordial, and a raspberry lemonade from Lovely Drinks in Bristol.

With knowledgable, friendly service, a totally chilled atmosphere, and great food that happily mixes-andmatches styles and influences, this is a relaxed, casually romantic experience. Best of all, the cooking is creative – but refuses to show off about it. Leah and Pravin are clearly having a hoot running this place, and it can’t help but rub off on you. Roll on the schweinshaxe and weisswurst, the brezen and sauerkraut and spätzle. (Or, indeed, whatever it is they decide to cook for Oktoberfest – not knowing is part of the fun.) n

“The cooking is creative – but refuses to show off about it” DINING DETAILS Castle Farm, Midford Road, Bath, BA2 7PU; 07564 783307; www.castlefarmmidford.co.uk We ate Lots of local produce in a series of largely vegetarian courses, the meat more of a treat on top than the foundation around which everything else revolved; in this, it felt like a taste of the future Vegetarian options About half the lunches and a good percentage of curry night choices; the supper clubs often have a vegetarian bias or variation, but check for individual menus Prices Breakfasts £3-£8, lunches £5-£16, curry night items £5-£15, Sunday sharing roasts £16 (£8 vegetarian), supper clubs £35-£45pp Drinks A small but well-chosen range, including local craft ales, wines and alcohol-free options Service / atmosphere Friendly, informed and informal. It’s more like eating around a friend’s than a regular restaurant experience What else? One of Bath’s best kept secrets, Castle Farm offers truly terrific food in a homeaway-from home setting. (If your home was a big barn.) It’s like being at a particularly well catered hobbit wedding, but without Gandalf’s fireworks or the dancing on tables

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celebrate christmas i n s t y l e at t h e centurion

£38.50

Christmas Party Nights

new year’s eve

Bar opens at 7pm, your meal will be served at 8pm followed by a disco from our resident DJ until midnight. Also included Nigel Coles will be providing his Funky Photo Booth on all evenings.

LIVE MUSIC PROVIDED BY ULTIMATE FLOYD

06/12/2019 (Full) 14/12/2019

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Arrive / bar open from 8pm | Band will start around 8.30pm - 12.30am Live Music provided by Ultimate Floyd | Roast Pork & Stuffing Baps TICKETS: £20.00 ADVANCE OFFER If bought between 1st October & 30th November. £25.00 From 1st December

21/12/2019

Christmas Menu 2019 STARTER

MAINS

Red onion & goat cheese tartlet with dressed salad Curried parsnip soup with herb pesto Chicken liver parfait with chutney & toasted ciabatta Smoked salmon with dill mayonnaise, pickled cucumber

Roast turkey with all the festive trimmings Vegetarian nut roast with roast potatoes & veggie gravy Roast loin of pork topped with savoy cabbage crust Baked Cornish pollock with dauphinoise potatoes

DESSERTS Dark chocolate mousse with raspberry sorbet Selection of 3 cheeses, chutney & crackers Passionfruit cheesecake with chantilly cream Christmas pudding with rum custard

All dishes can be made gluten free, just let us know.

Vegan options are available.

FESTIVE CHRISTMAS IN THE RESTAURANT Lunch 2 Course £18.50 Dinner 2 Course £23.50

3 Course £22.00 3 Course £27.00

Best Western Plus Centurion Hotel, Charlton Lane, Midsomer Norton, Nr Bath BA3 4BD | 01761 417711 | centurionhotel.co.uk

’Tis the season Whether you’re after high-end cuisine in an elegant setting or hearty pies and a much-needed boogie – these are the places to be this Christmas

By Harriet Noble

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christmas parties

“We’re ditching boring roast dinners in favour of a handpicked selection of staggeringly tasty festive pies”

S

o you’ve drawn the short straw and been lumped with booking the Christmas office do. It’s not that bad. At least this way you can make it the party of all parties insuring you’re adorned with praise, booze and multiple kisses under the mistletoe. So, we’ve trawled through the food and booze establishments in Bath to find out what’s on offer.

Abbey Hotel

North Parade, Bath

It’s always a starry night at Locksbrook Inn

This joint really comes to life during Christmas with their popular Aprés Ski Bar, decked out in a plethora of festive alpine décor. If you’ve found it a bit too cosy in the past, this year – for the very first time – private parties can book out the bar between 21- 27 November for either lunchtimes or evenings. Groups of 30 to 60 people can enjoy warming goulash, delicious soup, mince pies and lots of hearty drinks.

If you’re after something a little more refined, there’s the Koffmann & Mr White’s restaurant, serving a mix of English and French dishes. Expect all the Christmas classics, plus treats such as celeriac and hazelnut soup, butternut squash pithivier and treacle tart.

If it’s the three Ds you’re after – drinks, dinner and dancing – the shared party nights at the Abbey are happening on Friday and Saturday nights throughout December.

www.abbeyhotel.co.uk

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CHRISTMAS PARTIES THE GRIFFIN INN

LOCKSBROOK INN

If you’re after a bit of cosy, pubby charm this might be the ticket for you. The Griffin team has the traditional Christmas menu covered, including a festive pie, with a promised golden buttery pastry, and loads of sharing boards if that’s more your bag. When we chatted to the team in the pub, they told us that their festive homemade charcuterie is already in their charcuterie shed ageing to perfection, while they’re busy preparing their homemade chutneys and pickles.

Anything else? “Paddy and I will be serving up our winter cocktails guaranteed to make you feel all warm and festive inside,” says general manager Carys Dean.

“Browse the shelves to try a new spirit – we have one of the largest collections of tequila and mezcal in Bath. Paddy is our resident mixologist and other general manager, and it’s great fun to watch him whip up a cocktail.”

Sitting pretty on the bank of the canal in Lower Weston, this establishment has got the roaring open fires and overhanging fairy lights that really set the mood. The Christmas dishes that have caught our eye are the smoked rabbit and prune terrine, pickled vegetables, celeriac purée and sourdough. They’ve also promised piggies in blankets – we’re there.

Monmouth Street, Bath

www.thegriffinbath.co.uk

THE HARE & HOUNDS

Locksbrook Road, Bath

www.thelocksbrookinn.com

KOMEDIA

Westgate St, Bath

Wandering tipsily around Bath in minus temperatures looking for a half decent club is no-one’s idea of a good night. Enter Komedia, the joint which has pretty much has everything going under one roof. The Krater Christmas Specials offer cracking comedy, with an optional one-course or three-course Christmas meal, followed by dancing to cheesy floor-filler classics until the early hours.

Lansdown Road, Bath

The climb up the hill is definitely worth it with this place; come Christmas it would win first prize in a beauty contest what with the country cottage vibe, to-die-for views and twinkly lights.

On the menu this year are vegan options including the starter of spiced chickpea and sweetcorn fritters, pomegranate salad with red pepper dressing; full-on roasts for mains and a festive dessert of orange crème brûlée and cinnamon shortbread. Oh, and they also sell Christmas trees in the garden so you can pick up a fragrant spruce, pine or fir after your bounteous feast.

FEELING COSY?

Enjoy mulled wine beneath the stars in the glorious gardens at The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa. The trees will be festooned with fairy lights and blankets will be provided. A warm, fuzzy feeling is guaranteed. www.royalcrescent.co.uk

www.hareandhoundsbath.com

“Enjoy mulled wine beneath the stars”

The Hare & Hounds is a pretty picture at Christmas

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CHRISTMAS PARTIES It’s worth going to The Bird just for the Inspector Morse style pints with handles

“This year, we’re ditching boring roast dinners in favour of a hand-picked selection of staggeringly tasty festive pies,” says Komedia’s Oli Cliffe.

“We’ve got a whole host of Christmassy choices available to suit even the fussiest eaters, from turkey, ham and cranberries, to honey roast parsnips, chestnuts and west country cheddar.”

www.komedia.co.uk

THE METHUEN ARMS 2 High Street, Corsham

The team in Corsham certainly don’t do Christmas by halves.

Along with the festive menu (think beetroot velouté, salt beef terrine or crispy goose, and the thing that’s got us super excited here – a festive trifle), they’ve even got their own Methuen Christmas Market in the courtyard. From 12 –15 December they’ll be showcasing a variety of local artisan food and drink producers, makers and crafts offering bespoke pressies to help make light work of Christmas shopping.

If that’s not enough, on 14 December, they’re hosting their Christmas garden party with performances from three live bands.

Tickets are £5 with proceeds being donated to Julian House, and we’ve had word that Father Christmas himself will be making a special appearance in the grotto with real reindeers on 14 and 15 December.

www.themethuenarms.com

THE CHRISTMAS TAVERN AT THE BIRD, BATH 18-19 Pulteney Road, Bath

Tree-lined walkways, snow-capped mountain scenes, a cosy woodburner with vast fireplace surround – this is the new Christmas Tavern at The Bird. This pop-up party venue, which is open from 28 November – 31 December, is a total log-cabin style venue immersion experience that will get you hugging yourself with Christmas merriment. Guests can enjoy afternoon tea, dinner for a two or three-course dinner and drinks and plenty of Christmas cheer. There will also be a DJ and dancing if the night should go that way.

www.thebirdbath.co.uk

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MINT ROOM

Lower Bristol Road, Bath

There’s a sizeable bunch of folk who sigh and moan when envisaging a desert-dry turkey and all the trimmings. “I never eat turkey, why should I be forced to eat it at Christmas?” they say.

Well, opting for vibrant Indian is a great alternative. The chefs at Mint Room will be concocting banging flavours of traditional Indian cuisine but with their signature shot of contemporary flair.

So, how will the evening shape up? You’ll kickstart the evening with fizz, Indian-inspired cocktails, and street-food-style canapés on the heated roof terrace before heading in for your feast. You’ll then gorge on the likes of Kashmiri lamb chops or spiced Scottish Salmon. There is turkey for those of desire it, but here it’s a spiced roast affair, served on a bed of mixed peppers and onion in a creamy sauce. Puds include classics like Christmas pudding served with cinnamon custard and traditional Indian caramelised rice pudding with a saffron-infused cream.

www.mintroombath.co.uk

WHERE TO GO AFTERWARDS… FOR COCKTAILS… The Botanist: Couple beautiful Instagrammy drinks with the dreamy melodies coming from the piano.

The Octagon, No, 25 Milsom Place; thebotanist.uk.com FOR MORE PINTS… Framptons: Guaranteed buzzy atmosphere.

The Empire, Grand Parade, Bath; www.framptonsbar.co.uk FOR A BIT OF A BOOGIE… Mandalyns: A friendly welcome and loads of dancing

(open Wednesday – Sunday).

Fountain Buildings, 13 Lansdown Rd, Bath; www.mandalyns.co.uk Sub 13: Lots of fun happening, at ground floor level, downstairs or even in the garden if you’re feeling brave.

Edgar Buildings, 4, George St, Bath; www.sub13.net The Common Room: It may be a pint-sized dancefloor, but it’s gallons of fun 2 Saville Row, Lansdown, Bath; www.commonroombath.co.uk

Christmas spaghetti scampi at Ponte Vecchio?

Why not

“Their festive homemade charcuterie is already in their shed aging to perfection”

The baby sister of a pint of Guinness: Cocktails at The Griffin

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CHRISTMAS PARTIES THE PEAR TREE

Whitley, Melksham (27 minutes from Bath)

The 17th century farmhouse transforms in to a Christmas wonderland throughout the whole of December; think rustic garlands entwined around charming beams and a huge Christmas tree. On the menu this year is potted shrimp with handpicked Brixham crab, lemon, dill and nutmeg, sea salt flatbread crackers; mouth-watering braised beef cheeks with bacon, red wine and prunes, bashed carrots, thyme and turnips. Finish up with a ginger and orange panacotta, cinnamon walnut granola.

Need another reason to go there? They’re using Christmas crackers with a conscience; all fully recyclable and with each a 9% donation to the Shelter charity.

www.peartreewhitley.co.uk

PONTE VECCHIO

Spring Gardens Road, Bath

Ever tried Italian mulled wine? No, neither have we. That’s just one of the reasons to go Italian this Christmas. Other reasons might be Ponte Vechhio’s Neapolitan and Sicilian fusion menu. Expect dishes such as smoked duck breast served thinly sliced with a crisp fennel and honey salad; fresh cod served with carefully selected Cornish clams, mussels and prawns, prepared in a warming cherry tomato sauce. And don’t forget the jewel in the Ponte Vecchio’s crown – its balcony. Look out over Pulteney Bridge, the silent river and the city buildings all lit up, dreaming of what the next year will bring.

www.pontevecchiobath.com

TIMBRELL’S YARD

49 St Margaret’s St, Bradford-on-Avon If you fancy getting out of the city, and opting for somewhere just a little bit on the gentle side, this is the place to go.Timbrell’s Yard is well-placed by the riverside with great views from the airy doubleheight restaurant. The kitchen is headed up by executive chef Tom Blake, formerly head chef of River Cottage, and there are three Christmas party menus available to suit all budgets and tastes.

Among the treats being served are truffle and Old Winchester arancini; duck, pistachio and black pudding terrine; squash, chestnut and quinoa empanada; and spiced belly of Gloucester Old Spot with fennel and sea salt crackling. Puddings are equally enticing with spiced baked apple, cherry sorbet and pumpkin seed praline, and cherry and chocolate tart with honeycomb. Muddy boots, families, and dogs are always welcome. n

www.timbrellsyard.com

FANCY SOMETHING A BIT DIFFERENT?

Le Vignoble on Milsom Place is hosting a port tasting event on 21 November, hosted by expert Ramos Pintos who’ll guide you through the history, production methods and beliefs. You can also book a bespoke Christmas party to include private wine tastings, Christmas themed wines to match festive foods, a fun quiz and activities, and even blind tasting. www.levignoble.co.uk

Expect Wham!, Maria and more at Komedia’s parties

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CHRISTMAS PARTIES

THE LIST

More local options to get the party started...

IN BATH

The Bath Spa Hotel

Sydney Rd, Bath; 0344 879 9106; www.bathspahotel.co.uk Beckford Bottle Shop

5-8 Saville Row, Bath; 01225 809302; www.beckfordbottleshop.com Bonghy-Bo

The Holburne Museum

Great Pulteney Street, Bath; 01225 388569; www.holburne.org Le Vignoble

12/13 Milsom Place, Bath; 01225 465907; www.levignoble.co.uk Mandalyns

2-3 Barton Court, Upper Borough Walls, Bath; 01225 462276; www.bonghy-bo.co.uk

13 Lansdown Road, Bath; 01225 425403; www.mandalyns.co.uk

The Botanist Bath

The Marlborough Tavern

The Octagon, Milsom Place, Bath; 01225 632577; www.thebotanist.uk.com Cappadocia

4 Newmarket Row, Bath 01225 461946; www.capparestaurant.co.uk The Chequers Bath

35 Marlborough Buildings, Bath 01225 423731; www.marlborough-tavern.com Number 15 Great Pulteney

15 Great Pulteney Street, Bath 01225 807015; www.no15greatpulteney.co.uk The Peking Chinese

50 Rivers Street, Bath; 01225 360017; 1-2 New St, Bath; www.thechequersbath.com 01225 466377; www.pekingrestaurantbath.co.uk Circus Café & Restaurant

34 Brock Street, Bath 01225 466020; www.thecircuscafe andrestaurant.co.uk The Eastern Eye

8A Quiet Street, Bath 01225 422323; www.easterneye.com The Gainsborough Bath Spa

Beau St, Bath; 01225 358888; www.thegainsboroughbathspa.co.uk The Herd

12A Argyle Street, Bath 01225 316583; www.theherdrestaurant.co.uk

The Pump Room

Abbey Chambers, Church Street, Bath; 01225 444477; www.romanbaths.co.uk Royal Crescent Hotel

16 Royal Crescent, Bath; 01225 823333; www.royalcrescent.co.uk Tagine Zhor

1a North Parade, Bath; 01225 466437; www.taginezhor.co.uk Woods Restaurant

9-13 Alfred Street; Bath;

Top Lane, Whitley, Wiltshire SN12 8QX

01225 704966

01225 314812; www.woodsrestaurant.com

OUT OF TOWN Allington Farm Shop

Allington Bar Farm, Allington Chippenham, Wilts; 01249 658112; www.allingtonfarmshop.co.uk The Bunch of Grapes

14 Silver Street, Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire; 01225 938088; www.thebunchofgrapes.com The Catherine Wheel

39 High Street, Marshfield Chippenham; 01225 892220; www.thecatherinewheel.co.uk Centurion Hotel

Charlton Lane, Midsomer Norton Radstock, Somerset; 01761 417711; www.centurionhotel.co.uk The Eastbury Hotel

Long St, Sherborne, Dorset; 01935 813131; theeastburyhotel.co.uk The Fox and Hounds Colerne

9 High Street, Colerne; 01225 744847; www.foxandhoundscolerne.co.uk The Green House

The Pavilion, Roundwood Way, Off Westwells Road, Corsham 01225 584500; www.thegreenhousewg.co.uk Hartley Farm Shop

Winsley, Bradford on Avon; 01225 864948; www.hartley-farm.co.uk The Holcombe Inn

Stratton Rd, Radstock, Somerset; 01761 232478; www.holcombeinn.com

Lucknam Park

Colerne, Wiltshire; 01225 742777; www.lucknampark.co.uk Orchardleigh House

Orchardleigh Park, Frome; 01373 472550; www.orchardleigh.net Wadswick Green

The Pavilion, Roundwood Way, Off Westwells Road, Corsham 01225 584500 www.wadswickgreen.co.uk Whatley Manor

Easton Grey, Malmesbury, 01666 822888; www.whatleymanor.com Woolley Grange

Woolley Green, Bradford-on-Avon 01225 864705; www.woolleygrangehotel.co.uk

CHRISTMAS PARTY CATERERS AND OTHER SERVICES Great Western Wine

Wells Road, Bath; 01225 322810; www.greatwesternwine.co.uk Larkhall Butchers

1 Lambridge Buildings, Bath; 01225 31398; www.larkhallbutchers.co.uk Snap in a Box

07720 704690; www.snapinabox.co.uk Taste of Bath

01225 683021; www.taste-of.co.uk

T f @peartreewhitley www.peartreewhitley.co.uk

BAR & KITCHEN

Open every day 11:00-23:00 | 16 Argyle St, Bath BA2 4BQ 01225 807770 | info@underwoodrestaurantbath.com www.underwoodbath.com

Bar � Brasserie � Restaurant 9 - 13 Alfred Street, Bath, BA1 2QX

THE GOOD BEAR CAFE & BAR

01225 314812

BREAKFAST - BRUNCH - LUNCH and special supper clubs evenings

Over 40 Years of

Outstanding Food, Value & Service

www.WoodsRestaurant.com

Open Mon - Sat 8-5 01225 330255 www.thegoodbear.co.uk 7 Hayes Place, Bear Flat Bath BA2 4QW b a @goodbearcafe

GREAT BURGERS FRESH LOCALLY SOURCED PRODUCE DELICIOUS COCKTAILS

MEATBUSTERS Previously Burgers and Barrels

2 Victoria Buildings, Lower Bristol Road, Bath, BA2 3EH www.meatbusters.co.uk

ADVERTISING FEATURE

An Italian christmas Celebrate the festive season with PONTE VECCHIO and enjoy a selection of tasty Italian dishes

H

ere at Ponte Vecchio we are real foodies, so it’s our pleasure to serve the most mouth-watering dishes and complement them with outstanding customer service to create great memories.

Our a la carte menu is a Napolitan and Sicilian

fusion, and features a great range of dishes, catering for all dietary requirements and allergies.

We are super excited about this Christmas, with our new head chef Ernesto Ziqaro having just joined the family. We have created a festive menu that we are very proud of, which promises two courses for £29 or three courses for £32.

The menu contains classic Italian dishes as well as a new twist on Nonna’s recipes. For instance, our delicious anatra starter sees smoked duck breast served thinly sliced with a crisp fennel and honey salad, while the baccalà e frutta di mare is our chef’s special – expect fresh cod served with carefully selected Cornish clams, mussels and prawns, prepared in a warming cherry tomato sauce.

To get our customers in the festive mood, we are going all out with Christmas decorations and will also be serving our Italian mulled wine, which is a must-try! We are going to ensure that every customer gets a great Italian Christmas experience. n

Ponte Vecchio, Spring Gardens Road, Bath BA2 6PW; James Kjaedegaard 01225 424800 info@pontevecchiobath.com www.pontevecchiobath.com

N E W CHRISTM AS M ENU. NOW TAKING BOOKINGS F OR CHRISTM A S

S pr i n g Gar d e ns R oad , Bath BA 2 6 P W 0 1 2 2 5 4 2 4 8 0 0 | I NF O @ P O N T EV EC CH I OB ATH .COM | W W W.PONTE VE CCH I OB ATH .COM

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£24.50 FOR THREE COURSES £19.50 FOR TWO COURSES PRE-BOOKED CRACKERS INCLUDED!

STARTERS

Mushroom, walnut & chestnut soup with crusty bread (v,df) Pork, chorizo & pink peppercorn terrine with piccalilli & sourdough toast Roasted beetroot, goats cheese & walnut salad (v,gf)

MAIN COURSES Roast beef, caramelised shallots, Yorkshire pudding & gravy Sweet potato, mushroom & spinach wellington with gravy (v,df) Sea bass fillet on Provençal lentils with a creamy chive dressing (gf) Most mains served with roast potatoes & seasonal vegetables

PUDDINGS Book your Christmas meal now at

The Catherine Wheel Marshfield, Bath SN14 8LR 01225 892220 roo@thecatherinewheel.co.uk www.thecatherinewheel.co.uk

Traditional Christmas pudding with brandy sauce Chocolate torte served with Marshfield vanilla ice cream Selection of Marshfield ice creams (gf) and sorbets (df) Cheese with chutney & savoury biscuits £6.50

Available from Friday 29th November to Moday 30th December (excl 25 & 26 Dec) v = vegetarian / gf = prepared using no gluten containing ingredients / df = dairy free.

Other allergy options available – please ask and we will try to accommodate any requests

Now takin book g ings

!

C hristmas at e Inn CHRISTMAS EVE

Dinner service as normal.

CHRISTMAS DAY After a break last year we’re back to a full Christmas Day service with a fabulously created menu by our Head Chef.

NEW YEAR’S EVE Dinner and live music and dancing with The Lewis Creaven Band Our ever popular Christmas Party Menu runs from November 29 throughout December.

STARTERS Squash Chilli and Sage Soup, with garlic croutons Deep Fried Sharpham Brie, glazed pear, lamb’s lettuce & balsamic dressing Garlic Buttered Chicken Liver Parfait, with onion rosemary & red wine jam & sourdough toast Smoked Haddock Scotch Egg, curry sauce, spinach, coriander and cashews MAINS Braised Rolled Ox Cheek, parmesan polenta, mushroom cream & truffle oil baby carrots Pecan Aubergine Celeriac and Carrot Bake, red wine gravy celeriac & apple puree, roasted root vegetables Roast Salmon, new potatoes & seaweed, saffron cream leeks and mussels Roasted Turkey Breast, Cumberland sauce glazed pig in blanket, creamed cabbage, roast carrots & parsnips, roast tatties DESSERTS Christmas Pudding, spiced custard and creme fraiche Warm Chocolate Almond and Pear Tart, orange and cardamon ice-cream Apple, Raison and Cinnamon Strudel, rum caramel sauce, vanilla and mincemeat ice-cream Crème Brûlée, with cherry and pistachio biscotti crème Cheese Board 3 cheeses (£2 supplement) Two courses £23.95 | Three courses £29.95 Table decorations and Christmas crackers included A discretionary 10% service charge applies to parties of 10+

The Holcombe Inn Stratton Road, Holcombe, Bath BA3 5EB T 01761 232478 E bookings@holcombeinn.co.uk www.holcombeinn.co.uk

ADVERTISING FEATURE

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Festive breaks

It’s a season of celebration at THE EASTBURY HOTEL CHRISTMAS & NEW YEARS HOUSE PARTIES 2019–2020 Christmas and New Year stays at the Eastbury Hotel will be very special occasions. Friendly, relaxed house parties for an intimate, cosy and tranquil hideaway. Spend time with family and friends, relax and recharge in comfort! Enjoy the best seasonal dishes in our award-winning Seasons restaurant, lively entertainment and warmest ambience. Read a good book or indulge in a board game in one our comfortable residents’ lounges, or just sit back in relax in our new Woodland Luxury Spa. The new spa features a hydrotherapy pool, sauna, steam room, mini-gym and two private treatment rooms offering a range of treatments and massages.

CHRISTMAS HOUSE PARTY 3 NIGHTS 24–27 December 2019 CHRISTMAS EVE – Tuesday 24 December Arrive to a warm and friendly welcome; settle into your room with its luxurious furnishings and complimentary sloe gin offering you a relaxing start to your stay. Relax in our residents’ lounges with

a glass of mulled wine and mince pies. Later add some sparkle to your evening at the Christmas Eve cocktail party followed by a delicious Christmas Eve supper in our restaurant.

CHRISTMAS DAY – Wednesday 25 December A blissful day of celebration, kicking off with our legendary Champagne English Breakfast to start the day in style. The main event of the day will be a sumptuous seven course feast created by Matthew Street, our executive chef and his talented team.

The afternoon can be spent playing snooker, a game of bridge or perhaps just a leisurely read in front of the fire. A delicious buffet will be served in the evening accompanied by music played by our resident pianist.

BOXING DAY – Thursday 26 December After a light or traditional English breakfast, the day is yours to enjoy. Catch up with friends and family, enjoy a local pantomime or take a guided walk around historical and beautiful Sherborne with one of the local Blue Badge Guides.Alternatively, just relax with a good book or enjoy a treatment* in the Woodland Luxury Spa. A delicious dinner served in our ward winning 2 AA Rosette Seasons restaurant will round off another memorable evening.

SAY OUR GOODBYES – Friday 27 December Enjoy a hearty breakfast followed by fond farewells before departing for your safe journey home. n

The Eastbury Hotel, Long Street, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3BY. Tel: 01935 813131; relax@theeastburyhotel.co.uk www.theeastburyhotel.co.uk

CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR AT THE GRAPES This year The Grapes will be open for Christmas Day 12-4pm for lunch (booking in advance only) Christmas Day Lunch £85.00 per person for 6 courses New Years Eve £65.00 per person for 6 courses.

CHRISTMAS PARTY NIGHTS are available to book now, see online for our menu £25.00 Two Courses / £32.00 Three Courses 14 Silver Street, Bradford On Avon, BA15 1JY Telephone: 01225 938088 Email: maylee@thebunchofgrapes.com

www.thebunchofgrapes.com

Family run and providing quality food and service since 1985

1-2 New Street, Kingsmead Square, Bath BA1 2AF Tel: 01225 466377 www.pekingrestaurantbath.co.uk a @PekingBath f pekingrestaurant Opening Hours: Monday – Saturday 12 noon – 2.00pm and 6.00pm – 10.30pm | Closed Sundays.

Award-Winning, Family Run Farm Shop Established for over 30 years Selling Quality Local Produce Open Daily 9am – 6pm (9.30am – 5pm on Sundays) HOME & LOCALLY REARED FRESH MEAT, POULTRY & GAME HOMEMADE SAUSAGES, BURGERS & FAGGOTS CHRISTMAS MEAT ORDERS NOW BEING TAKEN

LOCAL CHEESES & HOME COOKED MEATS LOCALLY GROWN VEGETABLES, FRUIT & SALADS HOMEMADE CAKES & PIES LOCALLY MADE CHOCOLATES & FUDGE FINE WINE, LOCAL ALE & CIDER PRESERVES & CHUTNEYS GIFT HAMPERS www.allingtonfarmshop.co.uk Tel: 01249 658112 Allington Bar Farm, Chippenham, SN14 6LJ

Welcome to Mantra, an Indian Restaurant in the heart of Bath, that specialises in serving progressive Indian food. Mantra is a family run authentic Indian restaurant. Our dishes are healthily packed with flavour, crunch, punch and zing offering plenty of choice to vegetarians and vegans.Inspired by seasonal ingredients, our food contains only the freshest produce prepared in a way that captures the amazing diversity of India’s regional cuisines and childhood street food memories.

5, Bladud Buildings, The Paragon, Bath BA1 5LS Tel: 01225 446 332 Email: info@mantraofbath.co.uk | www.mantraofbath.co.uk

CHRISTMAS PARTIES AT THE BOATMAN!

Our lovely Boathouse restaurant is a great venue • Delicious food • Distinctive wines • Unique riverside setting • Ten minutes walk from Bath city centre • Customer car parking A twinkly cosy wooden boathouse with a terrace overlooking the river We offer exclusive use of the restaurant for parties of 45+ (no hire charge) Enjoy Christmas crackers, festive tunes, our pretty Christmas tree by the bar, while you indulge in delicious home-cooked food.

The Bathwick Boatman Forester Road, Bathwick BA2 6QE Please phone Ben & Rosy on 01225 428844 www.bathwickboatman.com

A REAL MOROCCAN RESTAURANT, BATH

Experience real Moroccan food cooked and served in a distinctive and traditional manner together with genuine warm hospitality in absolutely beautiful Moroccan surroundings.

CHRISTMAS PARTY BOOKINGS NOW BEING TAKEN

ARABIC & FRESH MINT TEA AND BAKLAVA • SHISHA PIPE • BAZAAR SHOP 1A North Parade Bath, BA11LF Reservations: 01225 839822 Enquiries: 01225 466437 WWW.TAGINEZHOR.CO.UK

BATH LONDON DEVON Independent boutique on Milsom Street specialising in Italian leather jackets, handbags, fashion & jewellery.

www.portmanlondon.uk www.kikiloungewear.com

Bath’s ďŹ nest bespoke tailoring, dressmaking and alterations service We cater for all types of tailoring including made to measure and bespoke hand made suits for both men and women to bridal alterations

25 Milsom Street, Bath, BA1 1DG t: 01225 920 263 info@citytailors.co.uk www.citytailors.co.uk

shopping live well, buy better

Household flame We like a racing green and a red wine hue as much as the next person but they can be a bit old hat, a bit costume-drama, a bit stern, a bit bushy-eyebrowed. Enter these fabulous fluoro candles, destined to transform any dinner party gathering into proper day-glo night-time fun. They are hand poured in Wiltshire and come in orange, purple, pink, tangerine, turquoise, yellow, or luxury ivory.

We’ve, somewhat prematurely, started our Christmas wishlist, and these slim-jim dinner candles are on them. Fingers crossed.

Fluoro candles start at ÂŁ3 and are available from Graham and Green, 92 Walcot Street, Bath, BA1 5BG; www.grahamandgreen.co.uk

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BATH LIFE I 141

MERMAID POCKET MIRROR, £5 Indulge your inner mermaid with this dinky little pocket mirror. It comes in a whole range of themes too – expect peacock, dancer, trees, doves and more.

By Frome-based Mary Kilver; available on www.etsy.com

MOSAIC WALL MIRROR, £120 Jazz up any room with this joyful mirror, coming in at 45cm high by 34cm wide. We’re thinking it should have pride of place in the bathroom From ArtizanMoscaics; available on www.etsy.com

SUDDENLY I SEE Ornate, contemporary, sleek and vintage – these beauties are definitely worth looking at

EXTERIOR MIRROR, £169 Short on garden space?

This garden exterior mirror will add metres to your outdoors while allowing you to nail that Georgian look you’ve been pining after From Silcox Son & Wicks; 5-7 New Street; www.silcox.co.uk

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

SAVOY MIRROR, £750 We’ll be putting on our electric blue eyeliner, and taking sips from a double G&T in front of this glam, gold circular fancy.

From Rossiters of Bath, 38-41 Broad Street; www. rossitersofbath.com

VANITY MIRROR SET, £59 There’s something really pleasing about the design of these mirrors: turned from a single piece of English Oak and with a beeswax and oil finish, the mirror set comprises a small magnifying mirror, a slightly larger plain mirror and a peg to hang them on.

From joyojoyuk; available on www.etsy.com

MIRROR CLOUD GARLAND, £9.50 Hang this sparkly, light-catching garland over your bed to ensure a restful snooze

By Frome-based Natty Deco; available on www.etsy.com

BLACKBIRD MIRROR, £295.00 Birds and foliage gracefully decorate this ‘Chinoiseries’ style mirror.

From India Jane, 20 Milsom Street; www.indiajane.co.uk

ED’S CHOICE GREEN MIRROR, £24 This rustic rope mirror has a chunky, robust feel to it that oozes beach hut chic. This range of handpainted mirrors come in a variety of colours and can either be lightly distressed for a country French feel, or painted in a solid colour to look more elegant From Marmalade House; www.themarmaladehouse.co.uk

SNAKE MIRROR, £44 Guaranteed to make you feel all sexy and sultry, this Cleopatra-style snake mirror gets a gold mark from us.

From Graham & Green; 92 Walcot Street; www.grahamandgreen.co.uk

GEOMETRIC SUNBURST MIRROR, £100 Create an eye-catching architectural centrepiece with this Scandinavian himmeli-style mirror made from copper and brass tubes.

From GeoAttic, available on www.etsy.com

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BATH LIFE I 143

Tel: 01225 284023

118a Walcot Street,Bath, BA1 5BG Opening Times: Monday 9am – 5pm, Tuesday to Friday 9am – 6pm, Saturday 8am – 4pm

Ladies and Gents Hairdressing Salon Friendly team • Relaxed atmosphere Highly trained in all the latest colour techniques and cuts. Using L'Oreal colour and Professional Joico Shampoo and conditioner.

Open: Mon 9.30–5.30, Tues 9-6, Wed 9.30–5.30, Thurs 9.30–7.00, Fri 9.30–7.00, Sat 9.00–5.00, Sun Closed

Caroline our newly qualified hairdresser will be building her clientele at 20% off.

A great deal – expires 30th November.

2 Upper Lambridge Street, Larkhall, Bath BA1 6RY Tel: 01225 462108 Vanessa Meyers Hairdressing

THE HEADS UP Nick catches up with Alice Palfrey – head gardener at Prior Park Landscape Garden – to talk crayfish, tea huts and changing landscapes Words by Nick Woodhouse Photos by The National Trust

A

s a child, Alice was always happiest being surrounded by nature in its full glory. Long country walks with her family and caving trips further afield each proved a new adventure on which Alice now looks back with evident fondness.

This call to the wild ultimately brought her to her role today at Prior Park Landscape Gardens, not only as the National Trust’s youngest head gardener but also overseeing an all-female team, a refreshing sign of long-due change within the industry.

Despite Alice’s relative youth in such a role, her experience is long founded. As a child, she would learn her craft working with her dad in

on a journey of the senses through a carefully planted and sculpted landscape. It’s a privilege to care for the work of forward-thinking philosophers, artists, and craftsman such as Alexander Pope and Capability Brown.

How easy is it to honour the work of these hugely influential names as a head gardener in what are now very different times?

Being a head gardener in 2019 is very different to what one might first imagine. Managing a 28-acre site with a fantastic team of staff and volunteers, we look after all aspects of the garden from plants to historic garden buildings, we build walls and monitor archaeology. We also get involved in many visitor events and have the challenge of adapting to climate change and new pests and diseases, with the biggest threat being ash dieback, which has really taken hold at Prior Park over the last year. It is a challenging and hugely fulfilling role and I couldn’t dream of doing anything else.

“It’s a challenging role but I couldn’t dream of doing anything else” private gardens to earn some pocket money.

Over time, her responsibilities grew, initially raking the leaves and eventually gaining the right to use the much-coveted hedge trimmer and loppers. After undertaking an environmental science degree, she was drawn back to horticulture in her early 20s, working on the gardens of both Dyrham Park and the fields overlooking the 18th century landscape of Newton Park. And now here at Prior Park, which Alice describes as the perfect example of ‘a tamed wildness that consults the genius of the place’. I was keen to know more about the draw of this very genius.

Can you tell us a bit more about the team helping you with these tasks?

What do you think makes Prior Park such a special place?

Yes, it already feels like there have been lots of changes and plenty of progress made, and we haven’t even got to the main engineering phase of the project yet. Over the last few months we’ve been busy preparing the garden for the

I think it works with nature to create drama, reveal views and places the visitor into a theatre set, which unsuspectingly takes them

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

We have a fantastic team of gardeners; usually two staff and a team of volunteers, some of whom have been volunteering at Prior Park for 25 years. I have taken on some extra help for the dams project this year to ensure we can sail through it. This makes us a skilled team of four women, which in a line of work which has traditionally been male led, is a wonderful sign of changing times.

That’s great to hear. It must be an exciting time for all the team with the dams project in full swing.

contractors’ arrival as well as carrying out archaeology in the most sensitive areas of the garden, which we will be using to help inform our restoration project. Crucially, earlier this year we began our management plan to reduce the garden’s population of invasive American signal crayfish through sterilisation and trapping; this will help protect our newly restored dams from the damage caused by their burrowing. I’m excited not only to share this once-in-a-life-time restoration project with our visitors but also for the volunteer opportunities that this project offers those looking for hands-on involvement.

And do you have a favourite spot in the gardens to escape to while all this is happening?

My favourite spot can change throughout the day, depending on where the sun is at the time.

In the mornings there is nothing better than spending some time on the Cabinet; as the sun moves over this area, the water sparkles as it falls down the cascade and the flowering shrubs wake up. We have temporarily moved our tea hut to this location, right next to our new natural play area nearby, which we’ve created using the wood from the ash trees that have been felled. In the afternoon, I’d recommend taking a seat in the summer house and watching the sun cast shadows through the trees and across the glade.

Prior Park Landscape Garden; 01225 833 977 For more information on volunteer opportunities at Prior Park, head to: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/prior-parklandscape-garden Nick Woodhouse is the co-director of interior and garden design company Woodhouse & Law on 4 George’s Place, Bathwick Hill, Bath; 01225 428072; www.woodhouseandlaw.co.uk

GARDENS

CLOCKWISE: Palladian bridge sitting comfortably in Prior Park Gardens;

Alice Palfrey with her trusty digging spade

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BATH LIFE I 147

World Squash Open Day SATURDAY 12TH OCTOBER Juniors 10.00am until 12.00 noon Adults 2.00pm to 5.00pm Followed by Exhibition Matches

FREE

SQUASH OFFER Tel: 01225 425763 email: reception@ lansdownclub.co.uk

The Lansdown Club, Northfields, Bath BA1 5TN | 01225 425763 | www.lansdownclub.co.uk | reception@lansdownclub.co.uk

Blossom and Wren Yoga • Fitness • Lifestyle

English Rose Leggings £48

www.blossomandwren.shop

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF BUSINESS

"Massive thanks to our customers for their love and support over these 10 years, we hope to have many more with you!"

Open Tues – Sat. Open until 7pm Thurs. New customers very welcome! 01225 337245 15 Old Bond St, Bath BA1 1PB www.bobbymak.com

ADVERTISING FEATURE

The beauty of autumn The city’s go-to experts for AW19’s top hair and beauty

ENHANCE MEDISPA

Lower Ground Suite, 3 Miles’s Buildings, George Street, Bath BA1 2QS; 01225 422851 www.enhancemedispa.co.uk Enhance Medispa is an independent salon in central Bath, which prides itself on offering a bespoke and personal service, specialising in both aesthetic and beauty treatments. The team boasts a wide range of professional skincare products and services, including a doctor-led injectables clinic, as well as natural alternatives such as cosmetic acupuncture. Choose an advanced skin peel, an aesthetic facial or maybe go for a relaxing and luxurious Elemis BIOTEC or Hands on treatment. The team at Enhance offers complimentary consultations for anyone who wants advice on skincare or treatment information, so drop them a line to book an appointment.

LE BARBIER

118a Walcot Street, Bath BA1 5BG; 01225 284023 Le Barbier was established in 2009 and has recently opened a new barber shop on Walcot Street. Working with brands such as Moroccan Oil, Evo and Daimon, the Le Barbier team provides some of the highest-standard cut and shaves available in Bath.

Owners of Le Barbier Bath – Orges and Gary – value every customer and know their reputation is based on putting customers first and providing the highest standards of service. The team makes sure there are free refreshments on offer, that the salon itself is kept spick and span, and they also pride themselves on a friendly welcome for all customers.

LA ROSE PARFAITE

8 Chapel Row, Bath, BA1 1HN; 01225 426123; www.laroseparfaite. co.uk 10 years in and the ethos hasn’t changed: La Rose Parfaite is a small friendly independent salon that aims to offer the very best in relaxing, welcoming environments.

Treatments range from manicures and pedicures, to waxing, facials, dermaplane and peels, using highquality products to ensure the best results every time you visit.

Lycon products have been a permanent feature since the salon opened in 2009 as have CACI and SkinCeuticals so the team’s knowledge and skills with these products are honed to perfection.

La Rose Parfaite is beautiful space in the city centre with wonderful staff, each with their own skills and specialisms.

BOBBY MAK

15 Old Bond St, Bath BA1 1PB; 01225 337245; www.bobbymak.com Bobby Mak is a proudly independent hair salon, managed and owned by founder and director Trevor Razzell (specialist at cutting) and his friend of over 20 years, director Kelly Meade (specialist at colour). Working together with Steve, Hannah, Kelly-Anne, Alice and Lauren, they cover all aspects of modern hairdressing.

With wonderful city views and buskers for background music, the team provides a relaxed, friendly and fun service, even welcoming families and dogs in the salon. Trevor says, “Having previously worked in chain/corporate hair salons, we try to create the opposite in terms of atmosphere and a non-rushed appointment, giving customers what they actually want, rather than pushing the latest trends. Thank you to all our customers for helping us reach our 10-year milestone – from all the team at Bobby Mak.

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THIS WOMAN’S WORK Bath is packed with interesting people running interesting businesses, and a fair few of them have XX chromosomes.

But what extra issues – if any – do they face, here in 2019?

By Wendy Lyne

S

ometimes we wonder whether we should run ‘women in business’ features at all. After all, coming up with a convincing business idea, sorting finance, getting the damn thing off the ground, building a customer base – and, ultimately, making decent money – is quite the challenge, no matter what sex you are. But then we look at the stats – like the one that says women are only half as likely as men to start a new business in the first place – and know there must be reasons. (An obvious one is to do with funding for female-centric products, when so many decision-makers are men.)

So what’s been the Bath experience? We caught up with a number of prominent local women in business – yes, we said it again – to find out.

JULIE COOPER IS MARKETING MANAGER at the Army Parachute

Association – “I co-ordinate 16-year-old cadets learning to solo parachute, as well as those wanting to tick that bucket list box,” she says – but is also chair of Bath Business Women’s Association.

“I was always encouraged to follow my heart,” she says, “but in the ’60s women weren’t expected to enjoy a career path. Things are better now, and one reason I’ve been involved with Bath Business Women’s Association for years is the support network. So many women are juggling life with careers, so it’s more important than ever.”

Frustratingly, many women talk about ‘imposter syndrome’ – where you doubt your ability and fear you’ll be exposed as a ‘fraud’– in the context of their careers. Is this something you can relate to?

“I would be surprised if every woman hasn’t felt this at some point in their lives. I certainly have! Every time you begin some new task, there’s a fear of failure. Today’s pressures are immense, but it’s important not to let it get to you, or overthink things. Take a deep breath, believe in your ability, look people in the eye – and just do it.”

That easy? “Well, the looking people in the eye bit can be a pain if, like me, you’re only 5’ tall!”

FOR NICKIE PORTMAN, once a teacher at Kingswood School, retail

is in the blood: she would run one of her family’s many shops in the holidays, and opened her own Bath pop-up in late 2017. Portman is now an established fixture of Milsom Street.

“The family business, specialising in suede and leather, began in Devon 50 years ago, but I’ve more recently decided to create my own Portman brand,” she says. “It began with jewellery, then I took over one of the family businesses in Lynmouth, developing the fashion side for six years. In Bath, I had a furniture shop on Dorchester Street, but the real highlight has been establishing myself on Milsom Street. Going from pop-up to permanent has been fantastic.”

Nickie’s family gave her huge encouragement, so she always felt well supported. And indeed, her two daughters have recently set up their own businesses too; Jessica runs the online side of Portman – www.portmanlondon.co.uk – while Kiana has just launched her own outfit, Kiki Loungewear. “They’ve been surrounded by business talk,” Nickie says, “and although you definitely have to prove your ability as a women, I’ve always felt it’s possible – it just might take a bit more time!”

A MORE RECENT Bath-based fashion business is Pjoys, a very specific pyjama company established by Michelle Morgan and Susie Moore. “The idea came to me at the end of 2016,” says Michelle. “I suddenly and violently burnt out, triggering a terrifying episode of anxiety and depression. During my recovery, though, the pyjamas I couldn’t get out of became my inspiration. I wondered, could we use the symbolism of the ‘PJ day’, together with the joy of art, to make mental health an everyday conversation? So I teamed up with friend

DOING IT FOR THEMSELVES, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: daredevil Julie Cooper of Bath Business

Women’s Association; Milsom Street fashionista Nickie Portman; Cherie-Anne Baxter of Unividual; Helen Mulloy Reid of Bare Beauty

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WOMEN IN BUSINESS

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WOMEN IN BUSINESS and brand expert Susie Moore – and my husband, artist Remi Rough – to create Pjoys, ‘pyjamas with a purpose’.”

Susie, too, had a very specific reason to get involved: a few years ago her brother, Dave, took his own life. “So far, the business has been more rollercoaster than bumpy road,” she says. “We’re only six months old, and we have an online store, we’ve announced our first retail partnership with Fenwick, we’ve been part of London Fashion Week, and we’ve launched our ‘Wear Your PJs’ campaign, which anyone can take part in on World Mental Health Day, 10 October.”

Neither of them had any business role models growing up, they say – “we didn’t think further than The Smiths and The Cure!” – but now they’re inspired by individuals who are passionate about a cause.

“When I was at school it didn’t even occur to me that I could create a business,” Michelle says. “But it feels like that’s changing.”

And ever felt the dreaded imposter syndrome?

“Yes,” says Susie, “but I don’t think it’s just women. Sometimes you need to just put your leadership cloak on and ‘fake it till you make it’.

But it’s okay to say you don’t have all the answers.”

BATH BUSINESSES COME IN all shapes and sizes, and sometimes do

the most unexpected things. Take Pascale Langton, of specialist design firm Reymond Langton. She designs the interiors and exteriors of bespoke super yachts, ranging from 40m to 134m. She’s worked in the industry since 1989, and – after 12 years at a London-based yacht design business – started her own studio here in 2001.

“I’m actually a qualified archaeologist, and became a super yacht designer by pure accident,” she says. “I’ve tried everything from walking the red carpet at Cannes Film Festival to making stained glass windows and selling antiques on King’s Road in London. But I was always interested in design and art, and my current position reflects this more than the archaeology route.”

Do you think women are given enough support to go into business?

“Not really, and I’m trying to make a difference. The yachting industry is very male orientated, but our studio is 75 per cent female, and we’re definitely making a big impact in that world. I’d say to anyone starting out, be courageous – and do not despair. If you’re good and not pretending, you will make it. Before you can get to the top, though, you need to stay humble, as you have to learn your trade.”

Got any flaws?

“I’m a very good listener, but sometimes a bit too passionate!”

And imposter syndrome?

“What’s that? I’ve never heard of it.”

CUTTING A SIMILARLY confident figure is Helen Rich of Taste of

Bath. Local, highly enthusiastic and with a love of good jazz and better food; her independent hamper company uses artisan produce – made near the city – to create memorable gifts for the business sector.

“The joy of Taste of Bath is that it helps bigger businesses support local producers,” she says. “But Taste is an evolving concept. Originally we were meant to be an online shop, like a local Ocado, but we’ve evolved into a hamper company, something dictated by our clients. In our team, we say, ‘What they want, they get’ – it’s that simple.”

Helen used to troubleshoot ailing retail stores for a living, but, as she says, “entrepreneurs are constantly dissatisfied by others’ failings and tend to be more risk taking, and I really wanted to make my own decisions. I’ve never been as fulfilled as I am now.”

The first three years were tough – “thanks to a few duff pricing concepts, and entering the B2B World with no B2B background” – but she feels lucky with the mentors she’s met along the way. “I’m an extrovert who lives and breathes the business, and has no interest in failure. I wish I was better at being hard-headed – I too often compromise to keep clients happy – but I was bought up knowing I could achieve anything I wanted. (Though dad did always say, ‘Just because you can, Helen, doesn’t mean you should’.)”

Do you think women are given enough support in business?

“I think sex has nothing to do with it: it’s equal opportunities, in my view. The real issue is that young people are not equipped with the mindset for business; they’re not taught how to operate in a commercial setting. The trick is to refine your offering and keep it simple. And though I do still come across chauvinists in my business life, working patterns and cultures are changing. Women need to be vocal, supported and encouraged – but isn’t that also true of men?”

ONE LONG-ESTABLISHED Bath shop is The Dressing Room on

Quiet Street, a lingerie and swimwear specialist. It’s been around since 1985 and Tessa Brand is the longest-serving owner, having taken it on in 2003. “But it still feels quite new and exciting,” she says.

Tessa never particularly wanted her own business, but the skills she learned everywhere from Aston Martin to the Royal Navy have proven strangely applicable to this role. “It’s almost as if I was training for this forever,” she says. “It will sound naff, but I can honestly say I’ve loved every moment. Many customers have been shopping here for decades.”

Are young women given enough support to become entrepreneurs?

“My careers officer suggested I should become a teacher, nurse or secretary – but I just knew I wasn’t suited to a nine-to-five, hence the Navy. Nowadays, I think young people know the world is their oyster.

My daughter, at 25, is a strategic land manager – what even is that?

– and has bucketloads of confidence. If she wanted to start her own business, she’d have no qualms. Let’s not forget that she grew up with parents who run their own businesses, so thinks that’s the norm.”

And what about women in business generally?

“I think that, by asking that question, you’re already pigeonholing women as less able or capable. Everyone needs support, women and men alike. What I would actually like to see is a lower tax rate for small businesses, and more realistic rent and rates.”

Finally, any top tips?

“I have five. Start making lists of everything you will need, from premises to paperclips. Get the best staff you possibly can. Never compromise. Take a holiday now, because you have no idea when you’ll get another. And invest in vodka.”

HELEN MULLOY REID is mum to four young adults, and granny to two, but thinks she was always destined to run a business. Her Bare Beauty is five years old now and constantly evolving, as she adds to her knowledge and skill-set. “My treatments cover all traditional aspects of skin care, make-up and massage, as well as holistic therapies and yoga,” she says. “Being a competent, confident therapist comes easily, but managing the less ‘creative’ aspects had to be learned and mastered.”

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Helen Rich of Taste of Bath; Susie Moore and Michelle

Morgan of Pjoys; Tessa Brand of The Dressing Room; Green Bird’s Claire Hunton

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WOMEN IN BUSINESS Her world is a female-dominated one, and she uses skills learned in two previous careers – running a nursery in Surrey and a florists in Edinburgh – in her current role. “Given my journey from floristry to beauty, it’s not surprising that I’m inspired by a British icon of business who made a similar transition, Jo Malone. Like me, she suffers from dyslexia, but it didn’t stop her developing a massively successful fragrance company based on her absolute passion for nature.”

Naturally, balancing developing a business – particularly one that relies on being available to clients – with motherhood can present challenges. “Affordable childcare would have made a huge difference to me, as you have to devote time to a business,” she says. “But sometimes families need to take precedence too. Women have to make choices about their work-life balance more often than men – though not exclusively – and they’re predisposed to feel guilty to a greater degree.

We have to let go of the fear and just go for it.”

“MY CUSTOMERS ARE my inspiration,” says Ann Perry of Consciously You, a new indie start-up on Chelsea Road in Weston, selling sustainable gifts and household items. “They’re agents of change who consider things like social, environmental and ecological impact. They believe individual actions do make a difference, as do I.” It’s early days for Ann, who finds herself learning different skills all the time. “I didn’t have ambitions when I was younger,” she says, “and school didn’t engage me. It wasn’t until I started in my first shop job that I felt I could express myself and make a difference. Nothing compares to being able to open the door to my own business, though. I believe in being passionate in all you’re doing – it will see you through the bumpy bits. If you don’t believe in the products you’re selling, how can you expect anyone else to?”

Ann’s had 30 years in retail, but her grandmother was her first and best inspiration: she ran a corner shop in Bath for many years. “Young people are the biggest influencers at the moment, though,” Ann says.

ABOVE: Zoe Jeffery of new fitness and yoga lifestyle brand Blossom and Wren LEFT: Anne Perry has just launched a new Weston shop, Consciously You

“I’m always reaching out to them for ideas about what they’d like to see in my shop. Entrepreneurship, though, needs to be sparked, supported and encouraged at any age.”

Any advice for someone starting out for themselves?

“You’ll probably be working alone initially, so make sure you have family or friends to bounce things around with. Without them, it’s too easy to think all your ideas are brilliant!”

AT WIDCOMBE VEGETARIAN café The Cakery, Ella Cooper – a woman who loves to bake – is living her dream. She’d always made cakes, which grew into selling them at markets, supplying them to restaurants around Bath, and, finally, starting her own shop. “When a small space in Widcombe came up, it seemed too good to miss,” she says. “No-one should underestimate how much hard work is involved, though – the first few months are mainly bumps in the road.”

Ella is proud of the number of vegans who travel to visit. “We’re very conscious of the environment, so like to make sure everything we have is as eco friendly as it can be. I’ve always been an anxious, quiet person, and opening your own shop requires you to take that on, as there’s nowhere to hide. I’ve gained lots of self belief over the last 18 months.”

Do you think school encouraged your entrepreneurial ideas?

“There was little or no support for someone like me, who was less academically inclined. Women don’t need financial incentives to become business owners, just the encouragement to take it on.”

And any advice for someone thinking about doing similar?

“Be realistic: you’ll always spend more money setting up your business than you think, and it will take time to build. Be honest: if something isn’t working, change it. And remember, it’s not a matter of life and death. Small businesses do fail, and if yours does, it should never define you – it was just another life experience.”

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WOMEN IN BUSINESS CLAIRE HUNTON RUNS The Green Bird Café on Margaret’s

Buildings with her husband, Henry, a business they started when Henry needed something new after managing Chandos Deli for 12 years, and Claire was ready to return to the working world after having their children. “A family changes your view on life,” Claire says, “and I wanted to create something that was ours. I knew I was a good organiser from previous jobs, and with Henry’s chef and hospitality experience, it seemed a winning combination.”

Luckily, the couple were surrounded by encouraging self-employed friends. “Bath is bursting with people with interesting, alternative jobs,” she says, “and I couldn’t imagine returning to a role where I’d see the same people every day; I wanted something more exciting.”

There are dangers with couples working together, of course – “my main obstacle was convincing Henry we wouldn’t end up strangling each other!” – but she likes to think that she was right, and that their skills complement each other. “And he’s now admitted it, too,” she says.

They needed to be patient waiting for the right location, especially as they didn’t have much budget to play with. “Plus, I had to learn a lot in a short amount of time. As well as working in the café, I do all the admin, the staff rota, payroll and so on, none of which I’d done previously. There are sacrifices we’ve made, like working weekends that should be spent with the children, but the positives outweigh the negatives. And I hope I’m setting a good example to my children!”

BLOSSOM AND WREN is a fitness and yoga lifestyle clothing brand,

PHOTOGR APHY BY ULI WEBER FOR BOAT INTERNATIONAL

founded by Zoe Jeffery in Timsbury, near Bath. It gives women the opportunity to co-design their garments through a customisation platform, but Zoe also runs design workshops for her customers, allowing her to get the fit spot on. “I’m still in the early stages of the

business,” she says, “but I feel I’ve almost built a brand that could change how women shop for clothing. There’s a long way to go, but I now have a brilliant mentor, and more support to make this happen than ever.

Creativity is one thing, but innovation’s where the value lies.”

Right now, Zoe is still getting to know the women who buy her stuff.

Blossom and Wren leggings come in sizes 8-26, and she’s made a point of building a diverse range that’s the opposite of fast fashion.

Ever felt imposter syndrome?

“It’s natural to feel you’re not capable,” she says, “especially when you go for something risky or scary. As women, we are capable of being innovators, leaders, footballers and wonder women, so don’t limit yourself for the sake of others. Be passionate, be determined, be resilient – and have fun.”

FINALLY, WE CAUGHT up with Cherie-Anne Baxter of Unividual,

a family-owned chartered financial planning firm. “We set the business up to be different,” she says, “believing our clients to be unique and individual – hence the name – and that the advice they receive should reflect this. We also pride ourselves on providing long-term advice, supporting clients through the good, the bad and sometimes the ugly.”

They’ve now grown to 20 full-time staff, 40% of them women.

“That’s been a fantastic milestone for me personally,” Cherie-Ann says, “as this is uncommon in the finance industry.”

Anyone she looks up to? Yes, it turns out…

“I was a keen hockey goalkeeper at school, and my favourite player is the GB Ladies goalkeeper, Maddie Hinch. She’s now widely recognised as the best in the world, but she only got there through hard work and determination. There are lots of lessons women like Maddie can teach, and I try to carry them into my personal and my professional life.” n

YOU HAVE BEEN READING

Bare Beauty; www.barebeautytherapy.co.uk Bath Business Women’s Association; www.bbwa.biz Blossom and Wren; www.blossomandwren.shop The Cakery; www.thecakerybath.co.uk Consciously You; www.facebook.com/consciouslyyoubath1 The Dressing Room; www.dressingroombath.com The Green Bird Café; www.greenbirdcafe.co.uk Pjoys; www.pjoys.co.uk Portman; www.nickieportman.co.uk Reymond Langton; www.reymondlangtondesign.com Taste of Bath; www.taste-of.co.uk Unividual; www.unividual.co.uk ABOVE: Pascale Langton of Reymond Langton, superyacht designers

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BATH LIFE I 159

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Meet the tax specialist

Rachael Verinder, Tax Partner at Bath-based accountancy practice MILSTED LANGDON, talks about her current role and how work life has changed for women over her career.

Tell us a little about your business…

Milsted Langdon was originally established over 30 years ago and is one of the leading independent firms of Chartered Accountants and Business Advisors in the South West.

With offices in Bath, Bristol, London, Taunton and Yeovil, we act for individuals and a wide range of owner-managed businesses throughout the UK, and this client base continues to grow steadily as a result of the high quality of work we carry out, as well as our proactive advice and unique attitude which focuses on the achievement of our clients’ goals.

Tell us about your role and the areas in which you specialise…

I’m a Tax Partner with particular expertise in working with high net worth and ultra-high net worth individuals and with non-UK domiciled and/or non-UK resident clients, with a focus on inheritance tax and capital gains tax planning.

I began my career in 1993 and have always worked across the South West. I now split my time between Milsted Langdon’s Bath and Bristol offices where I specialise in advisory work, focusing mainly on private client and entrepreneur tax planning, as well as trusts, international tax matters, tax planning for company sales and Enterprise Investment Schemes. Over the years I’ve enjoyed getting to know my clients really well, in order to fully understand what they wish to achieve whilst maximising tax efficiency.

The employee experience is high on the agenda and that includes promoting equality, celebrating diversity and facilitating the right work-life balance.

A few years ago, we introduced flexi-time to help our teams manage their time, whether that’s for childcare commitments or other things like sports or hobbies. Earlier this year Milsted Langdon was also a proud winner of a Successful Women in Business Award for our excellence in professional services – it’s great to see awards championing successful women. ■

How have things changed for women in business over your career?

When I first started out in accountancy, there were very few female partners and it was rare to see other women at networking events. I even recall that ladies were not allowed to wear trousers when I started my first role! I’m pleased to see that is no longer the case. As a firm, we’re very proud that our gender split is 50% male, 50% female.

4 Queen Street, Bath, BA1 1HE 01225 904940; www.milsted-langdon.co.uk

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

Protecting your assets How effective are Asset Protection Trusts in protecting the value of a person’s home against depletion through payment of care fees? HELEN STARKIE explains…

I

n a previous Bath Life piece, I have explained the potential pitfalls of gifting or selling your home to your children during your lifetime. An arrangement of this sort is rarely advisable. In most cases it will neither save inheritance tax nor protect the value of the home against means testing for care funding purposes. In many instances, it will cause expensive problems.

Some people believe that a ‘safe’ alternative is to set up an Asset Protection Trust (APT) and transfer ownership of their home into that. In certain, and very limited, cases this can work, but, again, there are risks.

I am not going to consider the inheritance tax issues here – I haven’t got room – but let’s have a look at the possibility of protecting the value of one’s home against means testing for care funding purposes by using an APT. If it decides that a home placement is needed for an individual, the local authority must carry out an assessment of that person’s ability to pay for that care. If the individual has assets worth more than £23,250 they will have to pay for their care in full.

For a permanent care placement, the value of the person’s share in their home will be taken into account in calculating their worth, unless it is occupied by their partner, spouse, older or incapacitated relative or a dependent child.

First, the good news. If your will is properly drafted, it is absolutely possible and acceptable for you to ring-fence the value of your share in your home against means testing and depletion should your partner or spouse need to be in residential care after your death using either an outright gift to individuals other than that partner or spouse or a trust (the latter usually being the more attractive option to retain some flexibility in the arrangement of their affairs for the surviving partner or spouse).

The bad news is that if you dispose of an asset during your lifetime with the intention of taking it out of the equation for means testing by the local authority, should you yourself need care then the local authority is entitled to regard that disposal as a ‘deliberate deprivation’ of capital and assess you as if the asset was still yours.

The term Asset Protection is in itself a bit of a give-away here. The phrase is used not to describe one particular type of trust (it can apply to a variety of sorts) but the purpose of

“TREAD CAREFULLY AND SEEK PROPER ADVICE SHOULD YOU BE TEMPTED TO PART WITH THE OWNERSHIP OF YOUR PROPERTY. ALL IS NOT AS SIMPLE AS IT MAY AT FIRST APPEAR!” the trust is to protect the assets in it against means testing and use for care funding and/or tax liability.

The problem is the same whether you give or sell the asset to the trust. In the latter case, you may well incur a liability to stamp duty land tax as well as the expense of a formal valuation of the property and a land registry fee. If you gift the property or sell it at an undervalue you may also find yourself having made a ‘gift with reservation of benefit’ for inheritance tax

purposes – or alternatively incurring an annual charge to income tax under the ‘previously owned asset’ taxation rules.

Once the home is disposed of to someone other than the occupier, the capital gains tax ‘principal private residence’ relief on it is lost, and in addition there will be no tax-free uplift to the market value of the property when the person who disposed of the property dies.

And of course, once disposed of, you lose your control of your own home. So, tread carefully and seek proper advice should you be tempted to part with the ownership of your property. All is not as simple as it may at first appear! ■

Helen Starkie Solicitor 38 Gay Street, Bath, BA1 2NT; 01225 442353; www.helenstarkie.co.uk www.mediaclash.co.uk I BATH LIFE I 161

It’s the city’s business

BATHWORKS THIS ISSUE >>IN THE NET TEAM BATH RECRUITS (165) >>CBD IN BATH (167) >>BIZ CLUB JUICE ON JUICE (168)

PROPERTY AWARDS SET FOR SECOND YEAR SUCCESS Finalists for the second Bath Property Awards were set to be announced as Bath Life went to press, following a packed launch at the Apex Hotel. Many category sponsorships for the second Awards event have been snapped up, with a fresh mix of new companies and familiar faces involved.

“Finalists are expected to bag a vast amount of tickets soon after their release and we expect to sell out completely before the event again,” says Steph Dodd, events director at MediaClash, organisers of the Bath Property Awards.

The event is taking place on 15 November and sponsors are being led by headline sponsor Mogers Drewett and category sponsors include: Blaise Commercial Finance, Halsall Construction, Hawker Joinery, Juniper Homes, London & Country Mortgages, RateSetter, Spaces, Tile & Flooring Bath and Unividual, plus Awards partners at the Apex City of Bath Hotel.

For more: Some category sponsorships remain. Please contact Rosanna Hood rosanna.hood@mediaclash.co.uk / www.bathpropertyawards.co.uk

The Bath Property Awards is just around the corner Sam Wilson new studio shop opens in October

Wilson on Milsom Cotswolds-based designer Sam Wilson is set to open her third eponymous shop this autumn. The new shop on Milsom Street in Bath will display a wide range of her bold designs.

Inspired by her background of printmaking and illustration, Sam Wilson creates eye-catching linoprint designs for the modern country home. Sam is dedicated to manufacturing in the

UK: textiles from Lancashire and ceramics made in Stoke-on-Trent line the shelves, all manufactured by other small businesses and designed by Sam herself in her 400-year-old cottage in the tiny hamlet of Saintbury. Expect a beautiful range of home and kitchen accessories, stationery and Sam’s atmospheric archival prints.

For more: www.samwilsomstudio.com

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BATHWORKS

LIFE IS AN ECHO

The Holburne Museum hosts this year’s TEDxBath

As you’ve surely heard by now, on 21 September, 10 inspiring speakers took to the stage at The Holburne Museum to give their take on the subject ‘Echoes of the City’ for TEDxBath.

Tickets sold out within days, as ever, but TEDxBath wanted their message to reach further than the relative few in the audience on the day – and even those who tuned in via the livestream. So they’ve teamed up with Rocketmakers, who have created an app that relates to each of the 10 speakers.

The Echos of the City app will highlight an ‘echo’ and imagine how it might impact the future. The team is currently looking for voluntary curators to help collate the content for each echo – volunteers should be fascinated by the past and curious about the future.

Want to find out more? Please email Steve Fuller, comms and marketing lead of TEDxBath, at steven@thehouse.co.uk For more: www.tedxbath.co.uk

BOULES RAISES OVER £40K FOR LOCAL CAUSES

The Sunday Times’ accolade is a boost to Pure Planet, a Bath-based green energy firm

News just in. Bath Boules 2019 raised over £40,000 for local charities, bringing its fundraising total to over £600,000 since the first time a silver ball was chucked for charity in Queen Square in 1990. By our calculations, that makes next year’s event the 30th anniversary of Bath Boules, so we’re expecting it to be full to the brim of joie de vivre. Tickets are on sale 24 March 2020 and the tournament – new headline sponsor Brewin Dolphin – takes to the pistes 19-21 June.

For more: www.bathboules.com

This year’s Big Cheque. If you’re a charity that would like to request a future grant from The Bath Boules Trust, go to the website for info

RIGHT ON TRACK Pure Planet has been named one of the 10 most exciting new UK tech firms by The Sunday Times in the Tech Track shortlist.

The Bath-based renewable energy supplier was listed as one of 10 ‘Ones to Watch’ in the awards, which identify the topperforming technology companies. Pure Planet operates a market-disrupting digital-first platform that allows members to buy clean energy with a single zero-mark up tariff, and has drawn a lot of attention – an innovation that more than earned them a place on the list.

Andrew Ralston, co-founder and CEO of Pure Planet, says: “We started out with an idea to build a digital-first clean energy company that allows members to buy energy for less than the cost of power that pollutes. We are very proud to have led the way in shaking up the energy sector.

“We are also extremely proud to be a Bath-based business. As well as being a beautiful place to live and work we have found the area has a wonderful pool of creative, talented individuals and innovative tech companies who help drive our growth.”

For more: www.purepla.net 164 I BATH LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

BATH SPORTS NEWS Where Bath gets its sweat on Imogen has a busy year ahead on and off the court

BUSINESS MATTERS DIARY

MOVERS AND SHAKERS ETC

From networking breakfasts to invaluable evening courses – and even a networking walk, of all things – make a note of the courses and classes that will help your business flourish 3 OCTOBER RADICAL PIVOT Do you own or work for an agency? If so, you must join the folks at Creative Bath for a Q&A panel event where you’ll hear from the likes of Jake Xu and Shane Carnell-Xu, owners of Ready – which they recently announced plans to replace with a cosmetics company – followed by Sammy Mansourpour, managing director of AgencyUK, and Jayne Noblet, founder of The Collaborators and The Seed Fund. 5.30-8pm, Walcot House, £12.10; www.creativebath.org

IMOGEN ALLISON PLAYS FOR BATH AND ENGLAND IN 2020 Imogen Allison has become the fourth player to sign up for the Team Bath Netball team for the 2020 Vitality Superleague season. She’s also been named in England head coach Jess Thirlby’s first Roses squad so, with her international netball career and Sports and Exercise Science degree to be getting on with, she’s in for quite the busy year.

Team Bath Netball Superleague head coach Anna Stembridge says, “I am absolutely delighted that Imo will be returning to the Blue & Gold this year. She was brilliant for us last season and took her game to a whole new level, not just technically and tactically but the way in which she controlled the line and led from the front.

“I believe she is one of the Superleague’s brightest stars and one of our club’s future leaders. I am very excited about building upon Imo’s performances and leadership from last year.” www.teambath.com/netball

8 OCTOBER NETWALKING IN BRADFORD ON AVON Who doesn’t love a netwalk? Let the picturesque Kennet and Avon Canal be the backdrop for an autumnal morning spent making new connections, sharing ideas and best practice and drawing some inspiration from nature with the added bonus of some fresh air and exercise. 11am1pm; £6.95; Tithe Barn www.rfmcoaching.com/

A GOOD VINTAGE The National Vintage Games is the UK’s first ever sports tournament for the over-50s. Since it began in 2017 it has grown exponentially, from a mere 56 participants in its first year to a whopping 400 in 2019.

Age is no barrier to competition Walking rugby, netball and football dominated the disciplines, which aim to provide an enriching sports experience for people over the age of 50, regardless of sporting experience or aptitude.

For more information, or to sign up for the National Vintage Games 2020, visit: www.nationalvintagegames.com

10 OCTOBER GO GET NETWORKING Don’t miss your chance to be at the final GO event of 2019. The networking event for small businesses has a relaxed and simple approach to networking for businesses located in Bath. For small businesses only, the event is organised in a very nonpressured way that keeps you meeting new people throughout. 9.30-11.30am; £7.50; Abbey Hotel; www.gogetorganised.co.uk

Kathryn Davis joins the Visit Bath team

VISIT BATH APPOINTS INTERIM CEO

Kathryn Davis will be joining Visit Bath as interim CEO until spring 2020. On secondment from her role as head of tourism at Destination Bristol, she will oversee all areas of Visit Bath business including the Visitor Information Centre on Terrace Walk, the Bath Christmas Market and a range of destination marketing and commercial activity.

Kathryn says, “I am thrilled to be part of the Visit Bath team and look forward to being able to work with members, partners and stakeholders in the strategic development and delivery of the visitor economy in Bath and North East Somerset.” www.visitbath.co.uk

COUNCILLORS APPOINT NEW CHIEF EXECUTIVE

Will Godfrey has been confirmed as the new chief executive for Bath and North East Somerset Council.

He will replace Ashley Ayre, who is retiring after 13 years with the council.

Previously of Newport City Council, Will has extensive experience working at a senior level with UK and Welsh governments. He has also held roles with Bristol City Council and East Hampshire District Council.

Councillor Dine Romero, council leader, says, “As we welcome Will to his new role, I want to personally thank our outgoing chief executive Ashley Ayre, who we all will miss.

Ashley has skilfully overseen significant organisational and budget changes and greatly contributed to the success, stability and wellbeing of our area. We wish him the very best in his retirement.” www.bathnes.gov.uk

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AJ Removals Removals - Storage - Shipping - Packing Unit 12 Stable Yard Industrial Estate, Windsor Bridge Road, Bath BA2 3AY

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BATHWORKS “I GENUINELY BELIEVE WE HAVE ELEVATED THE CONSUMER PERSPECTIVE OF CBD” based in Broad Street) so it was perfect all round.

What makes Goodbody different from other CBD retailers there?

It’s a mix of store design, layout, testing, the provenance and quality of our products, and the investment we’ve made in training our team. I genuinely believe we have elevated the consumer perspective of CBD by creating such unique and enticing stores.

What are you most proud of professionally?

ONE TO WATCH

Chris Jones

Chris Jones’ enthusiasm for Goodbody Wellness is infectious. We can’t help but think these local CBD* stores are on the brink of phenomenal growth…

So, Chris, how did your path take you to managing director at Goodbody?

I’ve worked for many years in various sectors like telecoms and e-cigarette retail environments.

Goodbody is part of Sativa, and because of my background with the company, I was approached to launch this exciting new retail chain. I joined in January 2019 and haven’t looked back!

What do you find most satisfying about the job?

Building a brand that is being so well received by customers.

I also love working with really

passionate people; the team is excited about CBD in general, the Goodbody brand in particular, and delivering amazing customer service.

You seem to have pulled out the stops and opened three stores in the blink of an eye?

It’s been enormously rewarding to see an idea move from concept to reality in such a short space of time. I’m very proud of our achievements and I want to ensure the shopping experience is unique, rewarding, relaxing and enjoyable for customers.

And we’ve heard whispers there are plans for 100 more stores?

The focus now is to build a successful national chain. The actual number of stores depends on many factors, but certainly the ambition is to have a national network of franchised stores as soon as possible.

Why was Bath your choice for flagship store?

Three reasons really. The Bath store is only eight miles away from our head office in Beckington, which works well! I’m very fond of Bath and the demographic here is a good for our customer base. We also found a beautiful building for the shop (they’re

I have been MD of a number of businesses in my career and have taken companies to #1 positions in the market, but when I look back I’m more proud of the teams I have built and the work environments I have had a part in creating.

Lovely to still be close friends with colleagues from the past who I’ve encouraged and mentored and enjoyed watching succeed. Very rewarding – trust and honesty mean everything to me.

What’s next for Goodbody Wellness?

We want to develop a successful and happy franchise network and to increase awareness of Goodbody as a brand. It is wonderful to see more people using our CBD products in their daily life and as part of their wellbeing routine. *CBD is Cannabidiol, a chemical extracted from the cannabis plant. It’s non-psychoactive and won’t get you high. Many people who take CBD products believe it helps with a sense of wellness as part of a holistic approach to looking after the body and mind. www.goodbodywellness.co.uk

BATHWORKS

© BET T Y BHANDARI

honest and ask to know more. Very quickly you’ll learn to understand the market,” says Emma.

The Juice team has even been known to go and spend a couple of days with a company to get a more in-depth understanding of the client’s needs.

BATH LIFE BUSINESS CLUB

EMMA AND ANDREW SUMMERS OF JUICE RECRUITMENT Recruitment is a notoriously tough business, but Juice has distinguished itself as a fresh-thinking, dynamic company – and one that isn’t afraid to have a little fun

T

ired by target-driven, sales-obsessed traditional recruitment companies, Emma Summers set up Juice 20 years ago in a tiny office, determined to make relationship-building more important than chasing figures. More than two decades later, with offices now in Bath, Bristol, Cheltenham, Trowbridge and Swindon, she and operations director husband Andrew run one of the most well-respected recruitment companies in the South West.

We met them at a time of transition, with Emma moving from managing director into a role as founder and CEO that will see her partner with local businesses to develop foolproof recruitment strategies; meanwhile, long-time sales director Vicky Kingston will step into the role of MD. SAME SAME BUT DIFFERENT Deciding to go out on your own and start a business is always a scary step, but for Emma, at least, she had precedent: her father had owned his own business when she was growing

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up. She explains, “We all used to sit at the dining room table with mum putting the dinner out and my dad would come in all ‘oh the bloomin’ VAT returns, so-and-so has done this’ – and I was absorbed by it all.”

Unsurprisingly, then, starting her own company was always on the cards – it was just a matter of finding the right field. Following a successful career at Deloittes, she decided that recruitment was her path – she just wanted to go about it a different way.

“I told mum and dad what I wanted to do and they said, what’s the worst thing that can happen?

You’ll have to get another job.

That’s as bad as it’s going to get. So Andrew and I got married, sold my car and had £7,000 to set up a little office in Bath on Manor Street in a tiny room.”

And so Juice was officially born.

ALWAYS EVOLVING The future of recruitment – like so many things – has been uncertain for a long time. From the advent

of online job boards to the impact of LinkedIn, there’s always the question of obsolescence, but, Emma believes, there will always be a place for recruiters in the complex employment landscape.

“The thing with social media is it’s time consuming, so getting somebody else to provide you with candidates who already knows your business, someone that is your eyes and ears in the market, is a worthwhile investment,” says Emma.

“It’s the value for an employer in knowing that candidates from Juice will actually meet the brief of what they’re looking for,” Andrew adds.

Meeting that need has meant that recruitment has become a lot less ‘generalist’ as time has gone on – meaning it pays for recruiters to have some specialist knowledge of the industry they are providing people for.

“It’s understanding when you’re on the phone to various different specialist sectors that there will be times when you’re thinking ‘oh my goodness, what’s this?’ When that happens it’s important to be really

INVESTING IN THE RIGHT PEOPLE With the days of a career for life long behind us, one of the greatest challenges in recruitment in 2019 is getting employees who will stick around for a while.

The antidote to that, Emma believes, is a robust recruitment strategy – something she’ll be focusing on more in her new role. She explains, “With a robust plan in place, you’ll be recruiting on core values, getting people to demonstrate those values, their alignment to the business and to understand the journey they’re on – they’ll really buy into the experience of the business.

“If that journey is transparent from the offset, then people hopefully will stay the course because they too believe in the journey ahead – where you’re going as a business.”

Juice thinks of it as the talent solution, and one of Emma’s responsibilities going forward will be working with the businesses Juice serves to help them find, and most importantly retain, the best people.

“It’s getting in front of companies and finding out – how are you doing?

“There’s so much knowledge that comes from businesses that you can then share to help others build solutions. I’m really excited about it – I cannot wait to get in front of businesses and do that.”

As ever, it sounds like there are exciting days ahead. www.juicerecruitment.com

FRESH THINKING OVER A FINE LUNCH The Bath Life Business Club, sponsored by Bishop Fleming, brings together a select group of senior business people for a twocourse lunch at The Royal Crescent Hotel, and to listen to a leading speaker. The next is held on 21 October with Carole Banwell and Jerry Gill of Bath City FC. If you’d like to join, contact Stephanie Dodd (stephanie.dodd@ mediaclash.co.uk). And remember, these things sell out quickly, so look out for the emails... www.bathlifebusinessclub.com

Successful, well-established year-round language school in the centre of Bath requires

HOMESTAY HOSTS IN BATH to host both short-term and long-term students.

We teach adults and teenagers, and need both single and twin-room accommodation.

For further details, including rates of payment, please contact our Accommodation Manager: Sarah Wringer, KIE Bath, 5 Trim Street, Bath, BA1 1HB Direct Line (01225) 473502, Email: sarah.wringer@kaplan.com

BATHWORKS

BATH LIFE AWARDS 2019 Graham Street, managing partner at Royds Withy King, recalls the firm’s Bath Life Award win, an accolade that really was the icing on the cake after an outstanding year What does the win mean to you?

It was an honour and a brilliant feeling to win the Legal & Financial category, especially as there were nine other finalists. It capped a significant 12 months for us, with lots of hard work and success to celebrate. The award win illustrated this and was a brilliant way to remind the team of our achievements and thank them for their hard work.

LEGAL & FINANCIAL WINNER SPONSORED BY

Where do you keep the award?

It has pride of place in the reception area of our Bath office.

Why do you think you won?

Our entry highlighted what is ‘unique, innovative and distinctive’ about our organisation. We focused on what made 2018 a standout year for us, including our record turnover, commitment to making our firm a great place to work, significant client wins, innovative product and service launches and the addition of key personnel to establish a new business services leadership team. This included how we had hired directors with significant industry experience to

drive investment, innovation and change within our firm. A UK top 100 law firm, we were also the winner of the Managing Partners’ Forum’s Best Managed Firm award earlier this year.

What sets you apart from your rivals, do you think?

We strive to be ahead of the curve, looking to the future, anticipating and responding to the needs of our clients and our people. Our focus is individualism and being inspirational, which are key differentiation elements that set us apart from other law firms.

What do you really love about your job?

Making a difference. Our business is centred around our clients and people, underpinned by a strong commitment to community engagement and social responsibility. Locally, we have supported and promoted the first TEDxBath, run our own thought leadership events, and raised lots of money and awareness for nominated local charities.

Where do the frustrations lie?

We’re acutely aware that this is a time of significant challenge, comprising geo politics, political and economic uncertainty. All of this impacts the ability of our clients to make informed decisions on their future plans. It’s difficult to say what’s going to happen, although preparing for all outcomes has been imperative.

What’s the best part about working in Bath?

The city’s collaborative nature is an excellent fit for the vision of our leadership team, which is intent on building a robust and sustainable

business focused on clients and employees. Bath is also a brilliant strategic hub which allows us to provide an excellent service to private clients and businesses locally and across the region, while also facilitating our work nationally and internationally through our network of offices. We’re also very pleased to have recently re-signed our contract with Bath Rugby as the club’s official law partner.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?

Don’t make assumptions. Listen carefully and ask lots of questions so you truly understand what’s happening around you.

“THE CITY’S COLLABORATIVE NATURE IS AN EXCELLENT FIT FOR THE VISION OF OUR TEAM” Any exciting plans for us to watch out for?

There’s always lots going on for us.

We are just about to celebrate the first anniversary of our innovative digital legacy portal, Life Safe®.

We’re also building our technology and innovation focus; Dan MeadonBower joined us from TSB Bank as a partner in our Bath corporate and commercial law team this year.

Our new legal services product, called HELP, was launched in May in response to unprecedented demand from HR professionals and business leaders for expert HR and employment law advice at an affordable cost. We’re looking forward to using the product to help even more Bath clients.

Elsewhere, we’re very excited about supporting our nominated local charity, Julian House, as we continue to work with a wide mix of clients, including the likes of Pure Planet, Rotork, SearchStar and Shakeup Cosmetics.

© SOUL MEDIA

Lastly, tell us something surprising about you or your company

Royds Withy King’s Clive Weeks, Stuart Brazington, Will MacFarlane, Graham Street, James McNeile, Angus Williams and Kevin Peake

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Royds Withy King has been the fastest growing mid-market law firm in the UK over the past 10 years.

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

Tips for minimising inheritance tax – lifetime gifts Jacqui Bowden from Bath-based chartered accountants and tax advisers PEARSON MAY gives her advice for limiting your IHT bill…

S

ome statistics have recently been issued by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) which indicate that, in the 2018/19 financial year, the average Inheritance Tax (IHT) bill was £200,000. With the current main rate of IHT being 40% and the Nil Rate Band (the amount up to which an Estate has no IHT to pay) having been frozen at £325,000 for over 10 years now, IHT is a tax which can generate significant sums for HMRC. So, what can you easily do to minimise your IHT bill? Giving away money by way of gift can be relatively straightforward and I have highlighted below some helpful tips, but these are by no means an exhaustive list and, as always, each individual’s circumstances will be different and specific advice tailored to your needs is essential.

EXEMPTIONS FOR LIFETIME GIFTS A large part of IHT planning is making use of the exemptions which are available to us all.

One of the simplest examples of this is gifts made more than seven years before one’s death. These are, generally speaking, exempt, provided that you haven’t enjoyed any benefit from money or property which you gave away after the date of the gift, e.g. one cannot just give a property away and continue to enjoy

living in it rent free. Professional advice should be sought if the gift is not outright or you continue to enjoy some benefit.

THE FOLLOWING GIFTS ARE ALSO EXEMPT: • Small gifts of up to £250 to each or as many individuals as the donor wishes to benefit; • Annual gifts of up to £3,000 per tax year.

This exemption is applied to larger gifts not covered by the £250 exemption above. It can also be carried forward for one tax year only if it is not used in the year in question; • Gifts that are a wedding or civil partnership gift worth up to £5,000 to a child, £2,500 to a grandchild or great grandchild and £1,000 to anyone else; • Gifts to charities in the UK or EEA, museums, universities, political parties, housing associations, national heritage bodies or community amateur sports clubs.

“IN THE 2018/19 FINANCIAL YEAR, THE AVERAGE INHERITANCE TAX (IHT) BILL WAS £200,000” GIFTS FROM SURPLUS NET INCOME Perhaps one of the most overlooked IHT exemptions is one entitled “normal expenditure out of income”. For gifts to qualify for this exemption, which means that even if the donor dies within seven years they are still not subject to IHT, there are three main criteria which have to be met: • The gifts must have been made as part of the normal expenditure of the donor and generally speaking there has to be some regularity to the gifts being made; • Taking one year with another, the gifts must be made out of income (not capital); and • After allowing for all gifts etc. forming part of the normal expenditure, the donor must be left with sufficient income net of income tax to maintain his or her normal standard of living.

Jacqui Bowden, a partner at Pearson May

You must also maintain careful records of your gifts and expenditure in order for your executors to be in a position to prove that you

were able to maintain the same standard of living after making the gifts.

If your Income Tax Returns and tax calculations are retained, they should go a long way to providing details of your taxable income and if you also summarise your annual expenditure and your non-taxable income from time to time, this also helps loved ones dealing with your affairs after your death.

By way of example, let’s assume Mr A has an income net of income tax of £50,000 per annum and having reviewed his regular expenditure on holidays, utilities etc. and his other general expenditure (let’s assume he is fortunate enough to have paid off his mortgage) there is a surplus of net income of £12,000 in most years. He has two children and he decides to set up a standing order to each of them of £300 per month. He would also like to set up a standing order to accounts in the names of his two grandchildren of £200 per month. Provided that his circumstances remain roughly the same, after 5 years of making those payments he will have contributed £60,000 to his children and grandchildren, considerably helping their financial circumstances and potentially reducing his IHT liability by £24,000.

Although lifetime gifts are a useful means of reducing future IHT bills, I will end this article by reminding you to ensure that you do keep enough for your own needs in the future, whatever those may be. As life expectancy increases, providing for future care becomes an important factor and until crystal balls become more reliable, none of us can be certain of what lies ahead.

The above is for general guidance only and no action should be taken without obtaining specific advice. ■

Jacqui Bowden Bsc (Hons) ACA Pearson May Chartered Accountants & Chartered Tax Advisers Bath, Chippenham and Trowbridge 37 Great Pulteney Street, Bath BA2 4DA 01225 460491; mail@pearsonmay.co.uk www.pearsonmay.co.uk www.mediaclash.co.uk I BATH LIFE I 173

ADVERTISING FEATURE

MEET THE

ARCHITECT

Creating buildings demands an eye for detail and design

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BATH LIFE I 175

ADVERTISING FEATURE RICHARD LOCKE

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, ARCHITECT BBA ARCHITECTS 01225 460427; bba-architects.co.uk How many people work in your practice?

BBA Architects Ltd employs 20 staff.

There are three Directors, three Associate Directors, one Associate, 11 staff and two administrative personnel. We range in age from our 20s to our 60s and in total have over 200 years of combined experience to draw on!

We have had plenty of local school students over the years who undertake a week of work experience to get a feel for working in an architects’ practice. And we participate in the RIBA Mentoring scheme each year for Bath University and UWE architecture students. We

are proud of that there is always a great mix of talent in the studio.

How long has your practice being established for?

BBA Architects Ltd has been incorporated since 1992, so 27 years. In that time, it has seen many changes in the profession. The secondgeneration of Directors are now planning the future path of the company which in these uncertain times is no easy challenge.

is directly opposite. During lunchtime it really helps you relax and be peaceful during what is usually a very busy day. We currently occupy two floors of the building we rent but would really like to get all of us into one space in order to unify the design studio. Our company will keep evolving with the changing times.

Where are your offices based?

We are located behind Great Pulteney Street in Henrietta Mews – it’s a bit of a hidden gem.

Unless you have business there, you might not even venture that way. It’s always great fun in the summer to relax in Henrietta Park which

PHILIP MITCHELL

SENIOR ASSOCIATE, AARON EVANS ARCHITECTS LTD 01225 466234; philipm@aaronevans.com; www.aaronevans.com

ADRIAN ABBS

DKA; 01225 465701; www.dka.co.uk What areas of architecture do you specialise in?

DKA works in all sectors of commercial architecture particularly healthcare, residential, education, community/leisure, engineering, and research & development facilities. I have experience in all sectors but specifically lead the Healthcare Team.

Which individual project have you most enjoyed working on?

Bridgwater Community Hospital. We had previously designed three other community hospitals for the same NHS Trust so Bridgwater was the culmination of everything we had learnt to date. This was also the largest and most challenging in terms of timescale, budget, site constraints and clinical accommodation requirements. From our past experience, we fully understood the client’s exact requirements and quickly came up with a scheme that was approved and with few design modifications required.

What are the most rewarding aspects of the job?

Healthcare buildings can have a significant impact on the lives of those who use them, whether it be those who work in them or those who visit them. It’s amazing how simple things like bringing natural light into corridors, positioning a window to get a view, using quality materials or having a personal en-suite bathroom in a bedroom, can make such a difference to those who experience these buildings, which at times can be in quite stressful circumstances.

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Tell me about your time at Aaron Evans Architects…

LinkedIn reminded me this week that I have now worked at the practice for eight years!

It doesn’t seem that long since I first joined the team. My time at the practice has been eventful; notably with the sad passing of Aaron Evans in 2012, the move to our present offices in Gay Street in 2014 and our 40th anniversary celebration last year.

Which awards have you won?

The ‘cherry on the cake’ of our 40th celebrations was winning the Architect award at the Bath Property Awards.

We were up against some excellent competition and it was a great honour to win. This year we also won the Property award at the Bath Life Awards.

What do you enjoy most about being an architect?

For me, I really enjoy working with people who are skilled at what they do, whether they are others in our practice, consultants we work with or contractors and craftsmen and women who take pride in delivering great results.

Occasionally I also get to use huge cherry pickers for inspections!

This photo was taken at a height of 40m while inspecting at the Royal High School in Bath.

CHRIS EVANS

MOON ARCHITECT AND BUILDER 01225 312977; www.moonarchitectandbuilder.co.uk How long has your practice been established for?

Moon has been established for over 17 years and has built over 300 projects.

What areas of architecture do you specialise in?

Moon specialises in the domestic, residential sector, primarily extensions, refurbishments and one-off new builds. The company also has experience in the retail and commercial sectors with projects ranging from restaurant fit-outs to unique office spaces.

What sets you apart from other architects?

Moon is unique as it’s an architect and builder in one. This means that from an early stage we can provide the client with a cost appraisal for the proposed work which is then updated through the design and build process. We believe that good budget management is fundamental to minimising the client’s stress.

Also, being an architect builder, we can guarantee quality from the first pen strokes on paper to the last paint strokes on the walls.

Having designers and builders together, as well as facilities such as a joinery workshop, provides a large pool of expertise from which everyone can share knowledge. This lifts the quality of work produced.

ADVERTISING FEATURE ANDY BATTLE

ASSOCIATE, SRA ARCHITECTS 01225 827444; www.sra-architects.co.uk What’s the most important quality required to be a successful architect?

The ability to listen; to the brief, to those who will use the building, to specialists, to the industry, to the wider political and economic context. Only then can we hope to understand the challenges. Once we’ve listened, the creative process starts.

ANN ROSS

HETREED ROSS ARCHITECTS 01225 851860; www.hetreedross.com What’s the most important quality required to be a successful architect?

An architect needs to be a good communicator both verbally and graphically. It’s no good having the most amazing ideas and vision if your client or contractor doesn’t understand what you are trying to achieve. Face-to-face meetings can save hours of emailing.

What are the most rewarding aspects of the job?

It’s very satisfying to reach the end of a project and the client says, “I would not have imagined the results”. To get there on time, on budget with a happy client – that’s what is challenging and rewarding and definitely our aim at Hetreed Ross Architects.

What advice would you give to an architect at the beginning of their career?

An architect’s role requires many skills and offers opportunities across a wide-ranging field.

Try to visit inspiring buildings both old and new, then get as much early experience as you can on site and in a variety of offices, to discover what situation suits you best – large or small, highly engineered and technical, or following conservation principles.

What are the biggest challenges facing your profession over the next few years?

To deliver adaptable buildings. Our world is ever-changing; society looks very different today than it did 20 years ago. Delivering buildings that adapt to changing uses and lifestyles is critical, particularly in commercial sectors. This benefits occupiers, owners, landlords and, importantly, the planet.

What advice would you give to an architect at the beginning of their career?

Architecture is a wide and varied field; there are many specialisms and routes to follow.

Find the aspects that you enjoy most.

What sets you apart from other architects?

We don’t approach a project with preconceived ideas. We listen to what our client wants, challenge their brief and assumptions, refine the solution and deliver a building for them to enjoy.

Why passion?

Architecture is a way of life not merely a career, you need to fully commit to living and breathing your clients’ values and beliefs ,and allow your creativity the freedom to flourish at all levels from masterplan to door handle.

GEORGE BATTERHAM

BATTERHAM SMITH ARCHITECTS 01225 851122; www.batterhamsmitharchitects.co.uk

Why aspiration?

Every new project has the potential to be that elusive masterpiece of one’s career and this is what provides motivation each day. You need to listen carefully to clients’ planners and other fellow professionals around you, so you can respond with design flair and imagination based on astute observation and context.

Why vision?

At Batterham Smith Architects we design from

ROB DELIUS

DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR, HEAD OF SUSTAINABILITY, STRIDE TREGLOWN 01225 466173; stridetreglown.com What are the most rewarding aspects of the job?

It’s incredibly humbling to think that the buildings and spaces that start off as scribbles on a piece of paper end up being places where people live, work and spend time. It’s also a huge responsibility to create places where people and nature can thrive.

What has been your proudest professional moment?

I’m torn between winning the Imagine Bath competition a few years ago, with an idea to celebrate Bath’s water heritage with a series of water features around the city, and winning an international competition to explore what garden city housing should be like in the future.

Which individual project have you most enjoyed working on?

At the moment it’s the Therapeutic City festival, which is happening in Bath this September.

The city has such a fascinating and globally important history so it’s a real privilege to help tell its story to a wider audience and explore how we and other cities can learn from it today.

Mental wellbeing and physical health are really big issues right now and Bath could be leading the way.

first principles challenging normal conventions and assumptions. Working on schools, houses, sports and cultural buildings, we aim for zerocarbon and stunningly uplifting designs which will leave a lasting memory. Finished results should give immense satisfaction and remind clients of our early discussions and the creative time we had together.

Why real coffee?

Real coffee, real people, real architecture, captures the degree of rigour and level of commitment to the craft of genuinely authentic architecture that is honest whether on a tight or generous budget. I thrive on the variety and diversity of the design challenges and opportunities that each new project presents and look forward to the future projects.

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Following a substantial refurbishment and extension, Carter Jonas’ Residential sales and lettings teams have moved back into their flagship central Bath office in Wood Street, off Queen Square. The renovations have created an ultra-modern workspace including backlit displays within a triple window frontage, providing the perfect platform from which to showcase our clients’ properties.

The enhanced office space includes an additional ten desks allowing for the expansion of the successful team as well as hot-desking facilities for the wider business including commercial, planning & development and rural teams.

© Pete Helme Photography

In the last year, Carter Jonas’ Residential team has successfully sold a wide variety of properties from studio flats in the city to large country estates, ranging in price from £150,000 to £6million. With our partnership of UK offices spread across the country, including 12 branches in central London, added to cutting edge marketing tools and local knowledge, we offer the best possible advice to our clients. We achieve the very highest standards of service and exceptional results as we have demonstrated this year, despite difficult market conditions.

A recent survey revealed we achieved 99.6% of asking prices quoted, 9 out of ten clients would recommend us, and we have 4.9 out of 5 on google reviews. Additionally, Carter Jonas has won Property Agent of the Year at The Props Awards 2019 and best marketing team at the Property Marketing Awards 2018.

5 & 6 Wood Street, Bath BA1 2JQ | 01225 747250 | carterjonas.co.uk | @carterjonas

A PLACETO CALL HOME

PROPERTY A PL ACE TO C ALL HOME

BUCHANAN HOUSE Sleek and sexy meets functional family home in this Lansdown property

By Imogen Wilde www.mediaclash.co.uk MEDIACLASH.CO.UK I BATH LIFE I 181 141

PROPERTY

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W

hen describing properties in Bath, one wonders whether local estate agents grow tired of uttering the words ‘elegant’, ‘graceful’ and, the inevitable, ‘Georgian’.

Imagine the joy, then, when this hot property landed on their laps; they could say, with no a trace of irony, ‘this is one truly sexy house’. When photographed at night, as shown above, the pad becomes positively supermodel-esque.

So let’s picture the scene. You come home from work.

You’re a top detective, naturally, and it’s been a long but rewarding day at work. The combination of the DNA results and your good cop-bad cop interrogation skills means that this particular criminal is going nowhere fast. Your satin-covered shoulders drop three inches with intense relief and pleasure as the gravel crunches

under the wheels of your car as you approach the house; you take in the sight of the house with its clean lines, lit-up balconies and exotic plants protruding from the hedges – are you really in the UK? Yes, it’s up in Lansdown no less, and this is your home.

Once inside, you flick off your killer heels, glide down the stairs into the open-planned kitchen, complete with high-gloss white units, quartz worktop, breakfast bar and suitably swizelly-chairs. Pouring yourself a large glass of red, you swirl the warm liquid around appreciatively and walk through the dining room and generously-sized sitting room, out through the single sliding doors that lead to the balcony. Exhaling, you forget the remnants of the day, smiling as you look at these spectacular views across Solsbury Hill and the Avon Valley that never fail to thrill you.

Returning inside, you walk past the pantry and double bedroom with bathroom en suite, and poke your head around the family room and cinema room, to see the children happily watching a film. They blink and wave; you blow them a kiss.

Sauntering upstairs, the pervading sense of space and light hits you and your eyes glaze over the spacious master bedroom suite featuring a balcony, dressing area and a shower room. How does this place feel like a bachelor pad, and yet there are three more bedrooms, all spacious as each other with built-in storage and en-suites.

A sound from outside alerts you, but it’s only a squirrel. The electric gates for security – a must given

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PROPERTY

your job – come with a long and integral double garage with electric up and over doors and lighting.

You go for a quick soak in the deep bath, admiring the pebble-stoned and cream-coloured bathroom. You’re so glad you opted for this tub; you can stretch right out, no metal taps jabbing you in the back or feet.

Freshly scented, dressed in jeans and your go-to salt and pepper cashmere jumper, you walk out to the rear garden. Memories of hazy and glorious summer parties you’ve had this year come flooding back. The contemporary water feature, and wooden pergola were met with unanimous admiration, while the palatial seating area and sizeable lawn were perfect for your friends and their kids. And the hedging and fencing gave the privacy you craved. For now though, your wonderful other half is cooking steaks on the barbecue, smiling and offering you a bowl of olives.

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HOUSE NUMBERS Square footage

3,663

Bedrooms

5

Bathrooms

5

Price

£1,650,000

Gardens Includes seating area, a large wooden pergola and fantastic

views over countryside Where Richmond Road, Lansdown What else? Two balconies Knight Frank, 4 Wood Street, Queen Square, Bath, BA1 2QJ; 01225 325999; www.knightfrank.co.uk

“Let’s have a chat about your move”

Belcombe Place, Bradford-on-Avon. £750,000

St Margarets Villas, Bradford-on-Avon. £695,000.

Retirement apartment, Limpley Stoke. £560,000.

The Common, Broughton Gifford. Guide £500,000.

Superbly situated above the town centre Far reaching views - Four bedrooms, master with ensuite - Good reception rooms - Attractive south facing gardens - Double garage & parking - No chain

Spectacular penthouse - Two bedrooms & two bathrooms - Spacious reception - Study, balconies & private lift Communal grounds & amenities - Leasehold

Superb central location - Handsome period home - 4 bedrooms & 3 bathrooms - Excellent receptions & “atrium” - Attractive outlook - Garage, garden & parking

Detached village home - Requires renovation & remodelling - Three bedrooms, two bathrooms & cloaks - Two receptions & kitchen breakfast room - Pretty gardens on two sides - Popular village location

Tel: 01225 866747

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

j

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Last opportunity to buy at Heather Rise in Batheaston Time is running out to secure one of these desirable properties…

O

nly five homes now remain for sale at the exclusive new gated community in the popular village of Batheaston. The news comes as its developer, Juniper Homes, unveils a new show home this month.

Heather Rise is a collection of eight 2- and 3-bedroom houses and two 2-bedroom apartments, set within a classical Bath stone building and enclosed landscaped gardens.

Meticulously converted, the scheme blends historic architecture with a bespoke, highquality specification.

Each home has been thoughtfully and individually designed for modern living. Layouts are spacious and practicalities are well-covered, with every property on the development benefitting from dedicated parking.

Heather Rise is being marketed by Savills and Andrews. Anna Fairman, a director at Savills residential development sales team in Bath, comments,“Its idyllic location, just two miles from the centre of Bath, and exceptional design and quality meant that Heather Rise was always going to be popular with discerning buyers. Those who have bought here have been attracted not only to its countryside setting, but also the privacy and security a gated community offers.

“Another desirable quality is the blend of old and new. Residents can enjoy the history and character of a heritage building along with the ease and comfort of a new build home. It’s the best of both worlds.”

Batheaston sits between Bannerdown and Little Solsbury Hill, the latter famously providing the inspiration to Peter Gabriel’s first ever solo track. The landscape that stretches across the Avon Valley is inspiring, but more than this, Batheaston is a village that is thriving. From the excellent local primary and secondary schools, to the renowned George and Dragon pub and award-winning Mumford’s Vineyard, Batheaston

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“BATHEASTON IS A VILLAGE THAT IS THRIVING” is a vibrant community.

Jon Morgan, Director of Juniper Homes, said: “We have paid particular attention to the original architectural features of this historic building, retaining and enhancing the character that drew us to the building in the first place.

“Juniper Homes has a track record of building to a high standard and including top quality fixtures and fittings throughout; Heather Rise is no exception. These homes include engineered oak flooring and bespoke kitchens with integrated appliances.”

With Batheaston’s close proximity to Bath, a home at Heather Rise means you can enjoy all the city has to offer while having your very own sanctuary to return to.

Anna sums up, “Now, with only five properties remaining, the opportunity to secure a home here is limited. I encourage anyone who is interested to talk to us today and we can arrange an appointment for you to visit the development and view the show home. It is one of those developments that has to be seen to truly appreciate what it has to offer.” n

Prices start at £335,000.

For further information call Savills on 01225 474591 or Andrews on 0117 941799.

ADVERTISING FEATURE

FOR THE HOME Our local businesses are poised and ready to help with all your home needs for autumn

CLAIR STRONG INTERIOR DESIGN

Clair Strong Interior Design is a small, creative company based in Bath, providing a wide range of services for both residential and commercial clients. Her portfolio of projects includes the design, project coordination and sourcing for some of Bath’s most beautiful residences, as well as sports clubs, offices and other commercial venues.

Contact Clair on 01225 426906 or 07855 79731 www.clairstrong.co.uk

ALLSOP CARPETS

Based in Frome, Allsop Carpets display an extensive range of floorings to match your style and budget.

With carpets and flooring available in a variety of designs, Brian Allsop and his team pride themselves on delivering excellent service from the beginning to end with over 35 years of professional experience.

Corner Garage, Christchurch Street West, Frome BA11 1EB; Tel: 01373 463866; www.allsopcarpets.co.uk

WESTSIDE DESIGN

Westside Design is a family-run Bath based company offering a tailored design, manufacturing and installation service for all aspects of cabinet making and joinery. Specialising in contemporary bespoke kitchens and interiors.

Contact Michael on 01225 330843 or 07976 268458 or email info@westsidedesign.co.uk www.westsidedesign.co.uk

MENDIP FIREPLACES

ETONS OF BATH

BATH KITCHEN COMPANY

CHEVERELL

www.bathkitchencompany.co.uk

www.cheverell.co.uk

Bath’s leading fireplace, wood burner, gas fire, chimney and flue specialist. From classic to contemporary, concept to completion, their team of experts can work with you to achieve your perfect interior. Brands include Chesney’s, Barbas Belfires, Hwam, Stuv and Jetmaster. Get in touch or visit the showroom. Mendip Fireplaces, Monkton Combe, Bath BA2 7HD. info@mendipfireplacesbath.co.uk, Tel: 01225 722706; www.mendipfireplacesbath.co.uk

Based in the heart of Bath and specialising in bespoke, handmade kitchens, Bath Kitchen Company become personally invested in every kitchen they design and build. It’s about attention to detail at every stage – creating a beautiful space that enhances the way you live. 7-9 North Parade Buildings, Bath BA1 1NS; Tel: 01225 312003

BONITI

Boniti is based on the outskirts of Bath and offers a wide range of quality interior and exterior products: natural stone and timber flooring, Everhot range cookers, garden furniture and Kadai firebowls. As well as the vast selection of products on offer, a friendly and personal service is at the heart of all that they do.

Dunsdon Barn, West Littleton,Wiltshire SN14 8JA; Tel: 01225 892 200; www.boniti.com

Founded in 2006, Etons of Bath is the UK’s only specialist interior design practice focussed on refurbishing, renovating and reinvigorating Georgian and Regency homes and hotels. Their team of 12 interior designers, planners and project managers can help you design and deliver classically inspired interiors that add value, turn heads and improve the use of space.

Tel: 01225 639002; www.etonsofbath.com

Cheverell is set in the heart of Wiltshire with a stunning showroom and workshop, offering a full bespoke design, manufacturing and installation service in kitchens, bedrooms, and interiors. Established in 1989 it has over 30 years of experience to guide you through the whole process. Cheverell, Waller Road, Hopton Park, Devizes, Wiltshire SN10 2GH; Tel: 01380 722722;

LUCY COLLINS

Inspired design and styling can excite & enhance our lives and enable us to feel nurtured and uplifted.

Whether it be redesigning the interior and exterior of a property, altering the colour palette, introducing a new style, changing soft furnishings, refreshing, replacing or decluttering – leave it to Lucy… The Coach House, Linden Gardens, Weston Road, Bath BA1 8DB; Tel: 07710 223285; www.lucycollins.me www.mediaclash.co.uk I BATH LIFE I 193

BATH LIVES

“I don’t think I was born bold, I was raised that way and then I practised”

JESS PHILLIPS

Ahead of her visit to Bath, the Labour MP chats fighting back, becoming PM and why there is cause for optimism My childhood ambition was to become prime minister.

At the moment I will say it’s still the case although this changes daily. Today I say yes because I think of all the things I could do as prime minister that would help the very people I want to activate.

At the moment, and for a while, we have had prime ministers who achieved their ambitions for government the day they walked in to Downing Street and that trend has got to change.

I guess I can’t help writing about female solidarity but

this book (Truth to Power: 7 ways to call time on B.S.) is more about general solidarity than just female. This book is for everyone and I guess if I wanted people to get anything from it, it is that we all have more power than we think if only we knew how to use

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it. I wanted to tell people that they could fight back, they should fight back and how to do it.

Speaking out is definitely a learnt skill. I don’t think I was

born bold, I was raised that way and then I practised. Anyone can learn how to do what I do, although lots of people face barriers that are very hard to overcome.

I do think the British public need more help in taking a stand – I think more than ever

that they want to; people are really activated at the moment but don’t know how to direct it.

What I want to fight against is the mantra “There’s no point me trying to change this, nothing ever changes.” I think shrugging and accepting your lot is very common.

Individuals learning how to call out BS, can make a difference. Firstly, if people

thought that they could stand up and speak and actually change things, perhaps the make up of parliament and every council in the land might change a bit. They are obviously told at Eton that they have a role in governing our country and making decisions for people as so many of them end up in parliament. I think it would be better if the comprehensive school kids in Birmingham felt the same way. More than that though, people speaking up and working together has dramatically changed the politics of the world over the years from the union movement, the suffragettes and the civil rights movement. It is unarguable that an activated population changes the world.

I keep meaning to watch the Russell T Davies drama Years and Years but alas I never have

time to watch anything at the moment, I haven’t kept up with the Handmaids Tale or Stranger Things and so am totally failing on the zeitgeist test at the moment.

I have been twice to Bath before, both times with my

youngest son, so mainly I sat around in the brilliant squares watching street performers and soaking up the atmosphere. It is so very beautiful.

In terms of the political landscape in the UK at the moment, there are things to be cheerful about. People care

more about politics than ever before. While things are tough at the moment, out of difficulty always comes periods of hope and prosperity, and young people seem to be speaking up for the world while the grown-ups fight over procedure, That is something to be very hopeful about. n

Jess Phillips will be chatting about her book Truth to Power: 7 ways to call time on B.S. at Christ Church, Julian Road at 7.30pm on 5 October; www. toppingbooks.co.uk

BATHROOMS AT No. EXCEPTIONAL DESIGN | COMPLETE INSTALLATION

5

c e l e b r at i n g

Years in Business

Showroom in bradford on avon 5 The Shambles, Bradford on Avon, BA15 1JS 01225 309110 | www.bathbathrooms.com