Festive 2015

1 FESTIVE CGA _Layout 1 21/11/2015 17:37 Page 1

M A G A Z I N E FES TIV E/WIN TER 2015 122/4

CHOIRS • CHRISTMAS GIFTS • PERFECT PICTURES • FROST FAIRS WHAT THE DAMBUSTERS DID NEXT • SIR RICHARD ATTENBOROUGH

2 FESTIVE_Layout 1 22/11/2015 09:11 Page 2

3 FESTIVE CGA_Layout 1 21/11/2015 18:15 Page 3

Chairman’s comment CGA Chalke House, Station Road, Codford, Warminster, Wiltshire BA12 0JX Telephone: 01985 850706 Fax: 01985 850378 Email: enquiries@thecga.co.uk Website: www.thecga.co.uk For more than a century, those in the know have enjoyed the remarkable collection of benefits that come with CGA membership. Membership includes a magazine, exclusive events, numerous privileges, a wide range of retail discounts and much, much more.

The Country Gentlemen’s Association (CGA) accepts no liability for any insert, display or classified advertisement included in this publication. While all reasonable care is taken to ensure that all advertisers are reliable and reputable, the CGA cannot give an assurance that they will fulfil their obligation underall circumstances. The views expressed are the contributors’ own and do not necessarily reflect CGA policy. All rights reserved. No part of CGA Magazine may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of the Chairman of the CGA. © CGA, 2015

Other companies in the group: CGA Financial and Investment Services CGA Insurance Services CGA Legal Services Cavendish Equity Release Chairman William Harrison-Allan Legal Counsel James Baker Business Development Director Neil Simmons Consultant Financial Director David McCormick Consultant Marketing Director Mark Cadbury Cultural Events Sylvia Cotterill Web Developer/IT Coordinator JJ Foy Membership Secretary/Receptionist Natasha Marlow Receptionist and Administrator Nicky Cruse Chartered Financial Consultant Ian Finn Financial Consultants Neil Bedford, Mark Beverley, Keith Wyatt, Rob Cubitt, Anthony Egan Financial Office Manager Barbara Moulds Financial Services Appointment Coordinator Martin Otterwell Technical Finance Assistant Emma Perrett Consultant Support Anita Gomez Insurance Team Linda Chisholm-Urvoy, Sarah Gunter, Robert McKinlay, Abi Spratt, Lucy Ward Cavendish/askERIC MD Designate Neil Simmons Group Accountant Harvey Clark Accounts Assistant Phillipa Wells

CGA WINTER/FESTIVE 2015 Editor Rebecca Hawtrey Designer Paul Killinger Advertising Rebecca Collins Email: Rebecca@thecga.co.uk

T

HE CGA have, as always had an extremely busy year working on your behalf to make sure you are one hundred percent comfortable with your financial, insurance and legal affairs. So much so, that we have had a great influx of new staff at the office to ensure the smooth running of business continues. We always love to hear from you and thought it would be nice for you to know who you are talking to, when you call. You will find an introduction to the ‘Newbies’ in The CGA office, in the News section.

I must admit it hasn’t been all work. The CGA golf two day event at Trevose this year was immense fun – helped by wonderful weather and the spectacular setting on the North Cornish coastline, and after two days of sun, sea and sand wedges, Jimmy Tarbuck generously offered to present the prizes the overall individual winner was the delightful Jan King. I am very much looking forward to next year’s tournament.

As for next year, there are exciting plans afoot. We are currently working on two new policies, which will be exclusive to The CGA, and launched in the New Year. Both our Thatch and Home insurances are two of the most important policies in our portfolio, and we have the expertise in these areas to give you the best advice to suit your specific needs. I do hope you will take full advantage of our knowledge.

It is not only The CGA who has the prospect of an exciting year ahead. We are delighted to announce that John Collins and rowing partner Jonny Walton, part of The CGA’s Youth in Sport Sponsorship programme, have qualified for the 2016 Olympics in Rio, and we wish them success in their quest for gold.

We have also learned that Leticia Cook, with new ice-dance partner, Anton Spiridonov, have a bright future ahead of them, as they managed to secure an invitation to compete in the 2015 British Figure Skating Championships this December; the first rung of the ladder working towards the 2022 Winter Olympics.

The Festive season is one where many of you will be surrounded by family and loved ones. We know that there is nothing more important than family, which is why we have come up with an offer to protect the finances of younger generations. Finance is not generally something one gives much thought to when younger – but that is what we are here for – to take the work out of it. Planning for the future couldn’t be easier with The CGA. Dear members, when you introduce one of your family to The CGA, that member will have the opportunity to buy one year’s membership and receive a second year’s membership completely free.

The offer appears later in the magazine and I hope genuinely, that you will take this opportunity to protect your family’s financial future – it isn’t only the supermarkets who can have a ‘Buy One Get One Free’ offer!

I hope you all have a very Happy Christmas.

William Harrison-Allan

Front Cover Salisbury Cathedral School Choir by Will Ash

www.thecga.co.uk 3

4-5 FESTIVE_Layout 1 22/11/2015 09:36 Page 4

CONTENTS • Festive/Winter 2015

20 30

Trevose 2015 CGA two day golf event

CGA News Introducing the ‘Newbies’

34

RAF Dinner The Battle of Britain 75th Anniversary Dinner

Trevose 2016!

Don’t miss the chance to join in The CGA two day golf event

36

After the Flood What the Dam Busters did next

UPFRONT 6

8

10

CGA Cultural Events Out and about at the best Britain has to offer

12

Events Diary Where to go, what to do

14

Countryside News Birds, bats and trees

16

Fogg’s Focus Christmas 1914

18

Walsh’s World Sleep Well!

48

42

Christmas Presents It’s a wrap

Picture Perfect Commission a masterpiece

48

The king of cheeses Can you resist?

No X factor required Join a choir and feel the happiness hormones

52

FEATURES 20

26

42

A place called home Francis Friths’ photographic record of the cities, towns and villages of Britain

56

Frost fairs Kings, Queens and parading elephants on ice

60

All good things come from above Stunning images of galaxies, solar systems, meteor showers and a total eclipse

76

66

Nursery Days Angela Lynne shows off her collection of all aspects of nursery life

70

Where are you going this winter?

Whether you prefer to escape the cold, or embrace the European winter, Wexas has plenty of options

76

Stay in a castle Five of the best

78

AGA Tessa Cunningham talks about life with a versatile new Aqua AGA City60

82

CGA Services All you need to know about what we offer

70

4-5 FESTIVE_Layout 1 22/11/2015 09:46 Page 5

60

104 Market Town Find a Christmas market near you 106 CGA Competitions Especially for you 108 The JJ Crossword Pit your little grey cells against our quizmaster 109 Call My Bluff Adam Jacot de Boinod’s language test 110 Members Benefits Keep an eye on the register for exciting new benefits

REGULARS 88

National Treasure Sir Richard Attenborough

90

Food Christmas party treats

92

Wine Why we should all embrace the Winter Rosé Revolution

94

Addison’s Antiques Introducing Addison Gelepy

96

Hotel Goldsborough Hall - a ‘Stately Stay’

98

CGA Book Club Special books, special prices

100 Motoring Winter wheels 102 Nature Witness the annual pilgrimage of swans, geese, duck and wading birds to our shores

26

112 Offers and Wants Buy and sell with The CGA 114 From The CGA Archives Talking Turkey in 1959

STAY IN TOUCH Email enquiries@thecga.co.uk membership@thecga.co.uk Website www.thecga.co.uk Telephone 01985 850706 Letter The Country Gentleman’s Association, Chalke House, Station road, Codford, Warminster, Wiltshire BA12 0JX Offers and Wants offersandwants@thecga.co.uk Twitter @TheCGA Facebook Facebook.com/CGA1893

Sign up for the Market Bulletin

100

Use the scanner app on your smartphone or tablet computer to scan this QR code and be directed to the CGA website where you can sign up for our weekly Market Bulletin.

www.thecga.co.uk 5

6-7 Festive_Layout 1 22/11/2015 09:49 Page 6

NEWS WHO IS NEW AT THE CGA David McCormick Consultant Financial Director The CGA welcomes David McCormick to The CGA group, after having spent fourteen years as the FD at the Sangster Group. His previous role encompassed everything from running a 2,500 acre estate, a racehorse training facility with two hundred stables, the local pub and a renewable energy business. David is a keen gardener, but with a wife and two sons taking up most of his time he prefers his garden to be viewed from a distance!

Robert Cubitt Financial Consultant Robert has worked in the Financial Services industry since 2003 and has been involved in several integral areas from life assurance, pensions and investments to residential property and consumer credit. As a Financial Adviser at The CGA, he is responsible for meeting with clients and providing wealth management advice to individuals and businesses.

Robert says; “My aim is to help identify financial priorities and objectives, then develop a strategy to achieve these. I am

committed to giving a bespoke personal service, tailored to specific needs whilst focusing on building long-term relationships. I provide financial advice on a wide range of topics including, ISAs, Investments, Pensions (both personal and occupational) Inheritance Tax Planning and Life Assurance. As well as working with personal clients, I also work with businesses to tailor their corporate schemes for their employees, and their protection plans to help safeguard the future of the business.”

Sarah Gunter Trainee Insurance Advisor Sarah has recently joined The CGA’s insurance department as a trainee insurance advisor coming to us from an international dressage yard. At the weekends, when she is not riding her horse Santiago, Sarah enjoys going for bike rides and walking her three dogs, Toby, Oz and working Cocker Spaniel Alfie.

Bertie’s Bench Thanks to CGA employees and many of our partner insurers, we have raised enough funds to commission a bench in memory of Bertie Mayall who sadly died in a tragic car accident earlier this year. Lucy Ward from our insurance team, who worked closely with Bertie, organised the collection and said; “ because the bench is inscribed with one of Bertie’s favorite sayings, it will be with a smile when we use it.”

‘If I were my marbles where would I be?’ - BERTIE MAYALL 6 www.thecga.co.uk

Nicky Cruse Receptionist and Administrator Previously Nicky worked full time for national charity, Shaw Trust, as an Employment Adviser, helping disabled and disadvantaged people find suitable employment. Whilst working at Shaw Trust she also worked part time as a counsellor for Swindon Alcohol and Drugs Service.

Both jobs have given her the privilege of working with some incredible people. In her spare time Nicky is interested in dance, although only watching now, and she is an addict of Strictly Come Dancing.

Mark Cadbury Consultant Marketing Director Mark has worked for a number of companies including Microsoft and Vodafone and has lived in Wiltshire for over 20 years. He plays cricket with his three sons at Babington House, who are all better than him. He is the great-grandson of George Cadbury, the famous chocolate entrepreneur.

Phillippa Wells Accounts Assistant Having lived in Spain for ten years, Phillippa is now settled in Frome, and comes to The CGA from Centre Parcs, Longleat, where she worked as an executive supervisor. In her spare time she can be found heading back to Spain with her husband for short breaks.

Rebecca Collins Advertising Rebecca loves horses and trampolining and as an army wife, is no stranger to packing and unpacking. She previously worked as a Media Sales account manager in Darlington and has over eleven years in the business.

Rebecca Hawtrey Editor After more than twenty-five years of working on various magazines in London, I am delighted that the view from my office window is one of green fields and the beautiful Wylye Valley. I hope you enjoy the magazine.

6-7 Festive_Layout 1 23/11/2015 14:04 Page 7

SMALL CHANGE

YOUTH IN SPORT SPONSORSHIP

OLYMPICS HERE WE COME CGA-supported rower John Collins (left), of Leander Club, Henley, has had another successful season, partnering Jonny Walton (right), in the men’s double scull. John competed at the European Championships in Poland last May before the allimportant World Cup regatta in Lucerne, where he reached the A final.

The stronger competition at the World Championships in France, the climax of the season, saw John and his partner finish in 8th place overall, sufficient to qualify the boat for next year’s Olympic Games.

COLIN INGLEBY-MACKENZIE AS the ‘90s drew to a close, The CGA management asked the former Hampshire cricket captain Colin Ingleby-Mackenzie to take on the role of chairman in an attempt to reignite the organisation. Simon Parker Bowles ‘That’s not a bonus. It’s a tip!’ of Green’s Restaurant and Oyster Bar, London, remembers when Ingleby-Mackenzie had time YOUTH IN SPORT SPONSORSHIP to lunch.

“Excuse me Sir, I must ask you to move A LEVELS, ANTON AND THE USA into the bar as we have to lay up your table for ICE-dance couple Leticia Marsh and Elliot Crook ended the season dinner”. Time of day, 7pm - year, mid to late eighties - venue, this year ranked third in the UK at Advanced Novice, having Green’s Restaurant. In those far off days, lunch in a West End achieved the highest score of any competitors at this level in restaurant was quite a special event. At about mid-day, friends international competitions.

Unfortunately, in April, due to the pressure of his A level studies, and customers would assemble at the bar for a glass of Champagne, Sherry (remember that?) or even a Dry Martini.

Elliot decided to stop competing and Leticia went on to seek a new partner through tryouts in both the UK and USA. She was fortunate Those who were lunching would settle into their table, where they would run through the full gambit of white wine, red wine, enough to be invited to join an elite Olympic training squad in Michigan, partnering Russian/American, junior gold medallist, Anton port or brandy and even liqueurs. They would then settle back with their Montecristo No. 3 in their hand and try to put the Spiridonov. world to rights or to concoct some story to cover previous night’s Leticia and Anton started training full time in Michigan with indiscretions. At that time at Green's we enjoyed some notable squad coach Igor Shpilband, and the new couple have already and eccentric characters; Frank Burton who, every Friday, managed to secure an invitation to compete in the 2015 British Figure Skating Championships in December. Leticia and Anton now consumed forty-eight oysters and two bottles of Dom Ruinart 1966 while referring to all the members of staff as to Garcoff have a bright future ahead of them as they take their places on the first rung of the ladder working towards the 2022 Winter Olympics. (garcon!). Denis Compton, the great cricketer and living legend to my generation, who always arrived late and on being offered a drink always said, “just a glass of red old boy, I am lunching at CGA RACING THE CGA was delighted to The Cricketers Club”. Two bottles and several hours later he would leave to join his very patient host! His great friend and sponsor three races in fellow classy cricketer, Colin Ingleby-Mackenzie was another who September at Salisbury had trouble with his irregular timepiece, but his excuse was that it racecourse on one of its took him half an hour to cross the restaurant as he stopped, or top race days. The group more likely, was stopped, at every table - he knew everybody, three, CGA Dick Poole and a chance for a chat and a light refreshment was never passed Fillies’ Stakes, run over 3 by! furlongs was won by La I know things have changed and life is more serious and Rioja, ridden by Andrea challenging, but all work and only a little play can make Jack a Atzeni and trained by slightly dull boy. As I sit in Green’s, I can feel the ghosts of old Henry Candy. La Rioja (pictured), stormed clear of friends looking down, or up, and being amazed that the restaurant is empty at 2:30 pm. The very time they would be the field one furlong out sitting down for their lunch back in the eighties. for an easy win. www.thecga.co.uk 7

8-9 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 13:30 Page 8

THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN 75th ANNIVERSARY DINNER Battle of Britain pilots, ground crew and aircraft return to RAF Northolt for 75th Anniversary Commemoration

8 www.thecga.co.uk

8-9 FESTIVE_Layout 1 22/11/2015 09:53 Page 9

Left, The Sunset Ceremony Top left, Julian Stapleton MBE, Gillian and David Hodge, Stan Harthill with his daughter Janet Harthill behind, Carey Harrison-Allan and David Edwards Above, HRH The Duke of Kent meets Battle of Britain veterans Sergeant Stan Hartill (left) and Squadron Leader Tony Pickering (right) at RAF Northolt Left, Flying Officer Ken Wilkinson, Squadron Leader Tony Pickering, Sergeant Stan Hartill, Squadron Leader Geoffrey Wellum, and Wing Commander Paul Farnes reunited with a Spitfire

O

N Thursday, 17th September, the Royal Air Force, the RAF Benevolent Fund and the RAF Museum honoured its oldest veterans with a heartfelt royal ceremony and commemorative dinner. The evening was held at RAF Northolt, its last remaining Battle of Britain station, to mark the 75th anniversary of the battle.

Before the dinner, The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight took to the skies as two historic Spitfires and a Hurricane displayed for the veterans below. This was followed by the majestic Sunset Ceremony by the Queen’s Colour Squadron. The RAF Central Band performed the national anthem as the sun set and the Ensign was lowered. The Battle of Britain aircraft and a modern day Typhoon fighter jet, sporting Battle of Britain livery, formed the backdrop to the ceremony on the RAF Northolt airfield.

His Royal Highness the Duke of Kent, whose father served and died in the RAF during the Second World War, led the tribute to the veterans and met Geoffery Wellum and fellow pilots Wing Commander Paul Farnes, Squadron Leader Tony Pickering and Flying Officer Ken Wilkinson, along with Spitfire fitter Sergeant Stan Hartill.

Squadron Leader Wellum said: “You accepted losing friends. It was a personal thing how you went about missing absent friends. If you let your imagination run

away with it, you could get shot down. In the end, you accepted it. It was inevitable.

But at 19 years old you cannot go to war in a Spitfire and forget about it. It stays with you for all time.” He continued; “One was aware that the Germans were not doing all this for fun, they meant business so it was bloody serious. What matters is we stopped them for the first time. We defeated them and got them to retreat, that is all that mattered to me.”

Stan Hartill, who tended Spitfires as part of the ground crew, recalled: “If you had been on those active airfields and saw what went on you would have realised that every word Winston Churchill spoke was the truth. Seeing the Spitfires taking off tonight and watching the Queen’s Colour Squadron was incredibly powerful. I was truly touched to be at Northolt, along with my fellow veterans and so many from the RAF family, and to know just how much our service is still appreciated, even after all these years. I just can’t express how much it means to me.”

RAF Benevolent Fund Controller Air Marshal Chris Nickols said: “So many of the Battle of Britain veterans have passed on, either during the war or in the years following, that the Few are now very few indeed. It was our honour to welcome these veterans, all now well into their 90s, back to RAF Northolt and to share in this

incredibly moving tribute to them and all who served in the Battle. We are forever in their debt.”

Neil Simmons, Business Development Director CGA Group, commented; “The CGA is proud and honoured to have been a part of this historic occasion. Members, Veterans and guests enjoyed an excellent meal in the unique surroundings of an aircraft hanger which was more akin to a 5 star hotel restaurant fine dining experience with the wonderful addition of the last Spitfire ever made in the same room. The warm and balmy evening did nothing to prevent the goose bumped thrill of seeing two Spitfires and a Hurricane in the air in perfect harmony before landing and taxiing to within 50 feet of me and my gin and tonic.

The stories from those that were there in 1940 and the sharing of personal letters to children and grandchildren from the brave few will stay with me for some time.” www.thecga.co.uk 9

10-11 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 13:40 Page 10

Exclusive to CGA Members An all inclusive luxury spring break

LEEDS CASTLE

Sunday 24th April to Tuesday 26th April 2016

10 www.thecga.co.uk

GREAT HALL/ALLINGTON

Boleyn dined with Sir Thomas Wyatt. The gardens have been beautifully restored. At the end of the tour, we can relax with a glass of wine, cheese and biscuits before returning to the hotel for a leisurely evening with dinner.

Tuesday 26th April 2016: After breakfast we drive to Great Dixter in Northiam. This historic house was the family home of the late Christopher Lloyd, gardener and gardening writer. Edwin Lutyens was involved with the house restoration and the collections within and the design of the garden reflects the interests of the Lloyds. We enjoy a private tour of the house and gardens before public opening times. Later, we lunch at “The Swan at Chapel Down” followed by a tour of the vineyard with some tasting.

We return to the hotel at approximately 1700 to depart at leisure.

Cost: per person £459 sharing a standard twin or double room Single occupancy of a double room £516pp Extra night rates available on application.

Deposit: £120 per person Final Balance: Due 10 weeks prior to the tour date Includes: Two nights’ en-suite half board accommodation (welcome drink and three course set dinner with coffee, dietary requirements accommodated), executive coach for touring, professional guide, all visits as indicated including private tours, refreshments and lunches on both days. To book and for further information please contact Sylvia Cotterill CGA Events on 01763 288277.

GREAT DIXTER

W

E stay the four star Spa Hotel located just a short distance away from Royal Tunbridge Wells, with its cobbled streets and Georgian architecture, particularly in The Pantiles area.

Highlights of this break are a private tour of Leeds Castle before it opens to the public, including the state and battlement bedrooms which are not normally on show. Also, nearby Allington Castle, a private castle and one of Kent’s best kept secrets. Our tour with the owner will reveal beautiful and historic interiors as well as restored gardens. A private house tour of Great Dixter, home of the late Christopher Lloyd, and a tour of award winning Chapel Down Vineyard with lunch at The Swan at Chapel Down, complete this programme.

Sunday 24th April 2016: Check into the hotel during the afternoon; later we meet our CGA host for a pre-dinner drink followed by dinner.

Monday 25th April 2016: We start the day with full English breakfast and then depart by executive coach for Leeds Castle near Maidstone. This romantic castle is a remarkable survival of a moated medieval castle with unparalleled 1920s interiors the influence of the last private owner, Lady Baillie. There will be time to stroll in the beautiful gardens and enjoy a light lunch in The Fairfax Restaurant (included).

Our next stop is Allington Castle, a picturesque moated castle which dates back to medieval times. The castle interiors are in character with its medieval origins, with tapestries, antique furniture and a Great Hall in which Henry VIII and Anne

ALLINGTON CASTLE

“Castles, Historic Houses and Vineyards of “The Weald” including a private tour of Leeds Castle, Allington Castle and Great Dixter The Spa Hotel, Royal Tunbridge Wells ****

10-11 FESTIVE_Layout 1 24/11/2015 14:54 Page 11

CULTURAL CALENDAR 15 December 2015 Christmas Concert at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Supper will be served in the delightful dining room of the Castle Hotel, Windsor prior to the concert.

6pm start £70 (limited availability) 18 March 2016 The Worshipful Company of Pewterers London 10.30am start £65 Private opening and guided tour of this imposing Livery Hall in the City of London followed by luncheon with a glass of wine.

The Pewterers’ Company is an ancient and continually evolving foundation with medieval origins as a City Guild. The earliest documented reference to it is in the records of the Corporation dated 1348 and the Company’s own records are extant from 1451. In former times, the Pewterers’ Company was required to raise and equip detachments of men for the army in time of war. A store of armour was kept at the Hall and the services of an armourer employed to keep it in good condition.

8 June Ditchley Park Oxfordshire Private opening, guided tour 12 noon start £65 The mansion at Ditchley was built by the second Earl of Litchfield, a member of the Lee family, in 1722, to a design by James Gibbs. Set on the site of an earlier timberframed family house in classic north Oxfordshire wooded farmland, it was once the royal hunting ground of Wychwood Forest. Sir Winston Churchill invited himself and members of his war cabinet to Ditchley in November 1940 (to avoid German bombers) and subsequently for a further 12 weekends up to September 1942. The mansion and 290 acres of parkland are now the property of The Ditchley Foundation.

18 March 2016 The Worshipful Company of Pewterers, London A private opening and guided tour of this imposing Livery Hall in the City of London followed by luncheon with a glass of wine.

10.30am start £65 24 – 26 April 2016 Exclusive two day break including private tours of Leeds Castle, Allington Castle and Great Dixter.

See opposite page £459 5 May Stansted House, Hampshire A private opening, guided tour and luncheon. The House with its magnificent state rooms and fully furnished servants quarters is not to be missed.

12 noon start £65

ADAM MIDDLETON

8 June 2016 Ditchley Park, Oxfordshire Enjoy a private guided tour of one of Sir Winston Churchill’s weekend retreats.

12 noon start £65 5 May Stansted House Hampshire Private opening, guided tour and luncheon 12 noon start £65 A hidden gem set in 1700 acres of ancient forest, Stansted House is one of the most elegant country houses in the south, surrounded by extraordinary landscaped parkland. The House with its magnificent state rooms and fully furnished servants quarters is not to be missed. Take a walk through history and enjoy a real ‘upstairs-downstairs’ experience.

Cancellations will be refunded only up to two weeks before any day event (conditions apply)

To book, and for further information, please contact Sylvia Cotterill, CGA Events Organiser, on 01763 288277, or at Garden House, Rushden, near Buntingford Hertfordshire SG9 0SZ (Cheques made payable to CGA Events) www.thecga.co.uk 11

12-13 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 13:37 Page 12

Events Diary Exotic Creatures THE Royal Pavilion, Brighton was built during the reign of George IV, over a period of 40 years around the turn of the 18th Century.

Initially intended to be the summer residence of the Prince Regent, the building was bought by Brighton in 1850 and has been perfectly preserved to this day. This seaside pleasure palace, famous for its distinct Indian turrets, is the perfect setting for Exotic Creatures, an exhibition running until February 28th 2016. It is designed to explore how animals considered exotic by the Georgians and early Victorians were depicted, kept and presented. As well as caricatures and striking Staffordshire figures from Brighton Museum & Art Gallery’s own collection, curator Alexandra Loske has sourced significant loans from the Victoria & Albert Museum, the British Museum, Royal Collection Trust and private collections. She said: “We’re thrilled to have secured the loan of one of the most popular and beautiful animal paintings in British art, a portrait of George IV’s giraffe - commissioned by the king himself and still in the Royal Collection.

For more information go to http://brightonmuseums.org.uk

26 -27 December William Hill Winter Festival Middlesex www.kempton.thejockeyclub.co.uk Silviniaco Conti winning the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park on Boxing Day last year

Big Garden Birdwatch THE RSPB will be holding its annual Big Garden Birdwatch on January 30-31st. Now in its 37th year, it is the world’s largest garden wildlife survey with more than half a million people expected to watch and count their garden birds. In addition to counting birds, participants are being asked to log other wildlife too, such as hedgehogs, foxes, stoats and squirrels.

For more information on Big Garden Birdwatch 2016 visit rspb.org/birdwatch

12 www.thecga.co.uk

The Nubian Giraffe, Jacques-Laurent Agasse ROYAL COLLECTION TRUST © HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II 2015

12-13 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 13:37 Page 13

Lee’s Legacy A major exhibition of 150 photographs by Lee Miller is on show at the Imperial War Museum, London until 24th April 2016.

Lee Miller: A Woman’s War depicts women’s experience of the Second World War in Britain and Europe, and reflects Miller’s unique insight as a woman and as a photographer, merging the worlds of art,

fashion and photojournalism in a single image. Many of the images are on public display for the first time and alongside the photographs, artworks, costumes, objects, documents and ephemera are also on show.

Miller was one of only four female professional photographers to be accredited as a US official war correspondent during

the Second World War. Among many other major events, she witnessed the siege of St Malo, the Liberation of Paris and the Liberation of Buchenwald and Dachau.

One image in the exhibition shows Lee Miller in Hitler’s bathtub! It was taken by Dave Scherman a photographer for Life magazine, when they were billeted together in Hitler’s Munich apartment in 1945. She was later to photograph Hitler’s house at Berchtesgaden, in flames, on the eve of Germany’s surrender.

Lee Miller entered the world of photography as a model, but her most important legacy is considered to be that of her wartime photography – she is recognised as one of the most important female war photographers of the twentieth century.

Left: Lee Miller in a steel helmet specially designed for using a camera. It was taken in Normandy, France in 1944, by an unknown photographer.

Right: Two German women sitting on a park bench surrounded by destroyed buildings, Cologne, Germany 1945, by Lee Miller.

For more information go to www.iwm.org.uk

What’s On 4 - 5 December The Tingle Creek Christmas Festival Sandown Park Racecourse 4 - 5 December Three Wine Men Westminster Unlimited wine tasting samples to start the Festive Season www.threewinemen.co.uk 10 December Bonhams: The December sale Hendon RAF Museum Collector’s Motorcars, Motorcycles and Automobilia www.bonhams.com

Sport 15 - 21 December London International Horse Show London www.olympiahorseshow.com

17 January - 8 March Butterflies in the Glasshouse Wisley Walk amongst glorious exotic butterflies in the renowned Glasshouse www.rhs.org.uk/wisley

27 December Coral Welsh Grand National Chepstow www.chepstowracecourse.co.uk

29 January Britannia’s Burns Supper Edinburgh A traditional Burns Supper, to rejoice and celebrate Scotland’s National Bard aboard The Royal Britannia www.royalyachtbritannia.co.uk Laurie Lee, Self Portrait, on show at the Works on Paper art fair Copyright Jess Lee

15 - 16 December Floral Demonstration, Christmas at Chatsworth Chatsworth House Derbyshire Tips on how to adorn your home for the festive season www.chatsworth.org

11 – 14 February Works on Paper art fair London A rare chance to see drawings by writer Laurie Lee www.worksonpaperfair.com

8 - 17 January London Boat Show London Immerse yourself in the world of luxury yachts, boats and sailing equipment www.londonboatshow.com

25 - 28 February Keswick Film Festival Cumbria Showcasing 30 of the best of international film directors’ and actors’ work www.keswickfilmclub.org

Butterflies in the Glasshouse Wisley

16 - 17 January Autosport International - The Racing Car Show NEC Birmingham www.autosportinternational .com 6 February - 19 March RBS Six Nations, (pictured) Various locations www.rbs6nations.com

www.thecga.co.uk 13

I HAVE ADDED INTO THIS FOLDER A

14-15 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 13:50 Page 14

Countryside News News and views from countryside organisations

FLIGHT PATH Game & Wildlife Conservancy Trust

L

ARGELY nocturnal, well camouflaged and keen on dense cover, you would be forgiven for thinking the woodcock (Scolopax rusticola) kept itself to itself. Research by the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust has, however, revealed just how far our migratory population of this elusive bird will travel to its breeding grounds.

The Woodcock Watch project, run by the Trust since 2012, harnesses new technology by using tiny solar-powered satellite transmitters attached to the birds to record their extraordinary migration routes and to learn more about their habitats, threats and the conservation issues facing this secretive amber-listed species.

A number of birds, tagged across

14 www.thecga.co.uk

Above; migration routes of tagged woodcock as shown below

various locations in the UK, have made it as far as Siberia – a 4,360 mile journey – only to return to the same winter site on these shores as the weather turns colder.

Dr Andrew Hoodless from the GWCT, who is a world authority on woodcock, explains the significance of this research:

“Clearly, Siberia is an important breeding area for some of the woodcock that winter in Britain, a fact that we would never have discovered without satellite tracking. We have also learned that the woodcock are extremely faithful to both their wintering and breeding grounds, returning to the same sites year after year and, on occasions, even to the same field in winter. This is an incredible feat for such small birds.”

In addition to vast migratory journeys, the project has shown that woodcock migration consists of a series of long, fast flights of 375-690 miles, broken up by stops en route typically lasting 3-12 days. Flight speed averages about 40 mph, but can reach 88 mph.

To learn more, or to sponsor a woodcock from just £3 per month, please visit www.woodcockwatch.com

14-15 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 13:51 Page 15

GUIDELINES FOR BAT SURVEYS LAUNCHED Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management

A

new set of guidelines, has been published by the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM).

What to Expect From a Bat Survey: A Guide for UK Homeowners, aims to help homeowners and other developers understand the steps they need to take if they wish to develop premises where bats are in residence.

With bat species increasingly under threat in Britain, and with populations in decline through the loss of their natural habitat, bats are seeking shelter in houses and buildings. As a protected species, there are laws in place to protect these unique mammals.

There are 18 species of bat in the UK, all of which are protected by law owing to their threatened conservation status. As such, land and buildings which house bats,

Above, Common Noctule bat

and which owners wish to develop, may need to have surveys carried out in order to establish whether special adaptive measures need to be taken to safeguard the bats as the development takes place.

Within these new guidelines, CIEEM provides information on why bat surveys

are necessary and what work is involved, such as visual examinations of properties and land features, and using equipment that can detect the bats’ echolocation calls to identify bats entering and leaving roost sites. The survey is needed if the local planning authority considers there is a reasonable likelihood of bats being present and whether or not these mammals might be affected by the proposed development.

Responsibility for arranging the survey lies with the planning applicant; however, bat surveys need to be undertaken by an appropriately experienced ecological surveyor. CIEEM has a membership directory so that people can easily find a professional ecologist in their local area who will produce a report explaining how to interpret the survey results and what next steps might be required.

To obtain a copy of What to Expect From a Bat Survey: A Guide for UK Homeowners, visit www.cieem.net To find a licensed ecologist visit www.cieem.net/members-directory

Sibley’s Coppice

Mantle’s Wood

Trains, Tunnels and Trees The Woodland Trust

T

HREE ancient woodlands have been spared destruction after confirmation of the extension to the HS2 (High Speed 2) rail tunnel through parts of the Chilterns in Buckinghamshire.

The three woodlands, Mantle’s Wood, Sibley’s Coppice and Farthings Wood in Buckinghamshire have Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty status and provide habitat to rare stag beetles, red kites, orange tip and speckled wood butterflies, as well as bluebells.

In July 2015 plans to extend the route were rejected, which would have resulted in devastation for the woods; however, in

August 2015 plans were changed allowing an extension of 2.6 km. The managing director of the HS2 development Alison Munro said: “HS2 is determined to keep the environmental impact of the project as small as possible and we recognise the importance of listening to the stakeholders and local communities as we continue to develop the scheme.”

This also means that plans for a separate tunnel to combat noise and pollution will no longer be needed. The extension also reduces the construction activity in the area, benefitting both the woodlands and the residents.

Nikki Williams, head of campaigning for the Woodland Trust, said: “This is

undoubtedly a breakthrough for ancient woodland – a habitat that once gone, can never be replaced – but there are still at least 59 more ancient woods in the firing line in Phase 1 alone and we will continue to fight for avoidance of this irreplaceable habitat at every opportunity.”

To find out more visit www.thewoodlandtrust.org.uk Farthings Wood

www.thecga.co.uk 15

16 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 13:56 Page 16

Fogg’s Focus Nick Fogg asks, what could better represent the Season of Peace and Goodwill than the Christmas Truce of 1914?

F

ESTIVE season? Makes me think of when I was a kid in Stratford-uponAvon. One of my older brother’s best mates lived in a house that boasted the rather unusual name of ‘The Victoria Spa Lodge’. To quote the local Bard there was method in it. In 1837, the Princess Victoria visited Stratford with her mother.

At the same time, a local entrepreneur was creating a spa that he hoped would rival Bath and Cheltenham and decided to name it after the princess. Of course, the princess became the Queen-Empress and was a great success. The spa was not such a great success, closing down shortly after it opened. Of all the many buildings bearing Victoria’s name throughout the world, this relatively humble spa was probably the first.

So what has this got to do with the festive issue? Well, in a way, quite a lot. A plaque on the wall of the Lodge reveals that Bruce Bairnsfather, grew up there.

This is the First World War cartoonist, bestknown for his character, “Old Bill”, of “Well, if you knows of a better ‘ole, go to it” fame, probably the most famous cartoon ever drawn.

line on December 23rd, 1914, after a spell in reserve. On Christmas Eve, on a freezing night, he heard Stille Nacht being sung from the German trenches. The response from the British lines was the singing of “irreverent songs”. A boot flew through the air and landed in his trench. It was filled with sausages and chocolate. He looked round for something to throw back and sent the Germans a Christmas pudding.

“Suddenly a ‘complete Boche type’ appeared on the parapet and looked about. The complaint became infectious. It didn’t take “Our Bert” long to be upon the skyline.

This was a signal for more Boche anatomy to be disclosed, and this was replied to by

As Bairnsfather sought refuge in a gully, he heard a huge rushing swish. It was an old military maxim that if you heard the crash, you were safe. He didn’t hear it.

Bruce passed his army exams in 1906 and obtained a short-service commission in the Royal Warwicks. The tedium of military life soon got to him and he resigned at the first opportunity to go to Art School. After this he obtained a number of advertising commissions, including ones for Lipton’s Tea and Player’s Navy Mixture, but he found he could not earn enough to support himself, so he joined a firm of electricians back in Stratford. Amongst other things, this involved running the lighting box at the theatre. With the outbreak of war in 1914, he was recalled into the Warwicks, commanding a Maxim gun section in the Ploegsteert (‘Plugstreet’) Wood sector in Belgium. He was appalled by the horrors of war and declined to go on home leave because he felt he would be disinclined to return.

Bruce’s Battalion had returned to the 16 www.thecga.co.uk

all our Alfs and Bills, until, in less time than it takes to tell, half a dozen or so each of the belligerents were outside the trenches and were advancing towards each other in no-man’s land….

These were those sausage-eating wretches who had elected to start this European fracas, and in so doing had brought us all into the same muddy pickle as themselves…. There was not an atom of hate on either side that day…‘ Later, Bairnsfather was astonished to see one of his Battalion’s machine gunners, a hairdresser in civilian life, cutting the unnaturally long hair of a docile German, who was patiently kneeling on the ground while the automatic clippers crept up the back of his neck.

For his inaction as an officer to prevent this Anglo-German fraternisation, Bairnsfather was investigated with a view to a court martial, but it was clearly felt that he

was too valuable an officer to lose.

The battalion was in action at the Second Battle of Ypres in the following April. It was here that the Germans introduced a terrible new weapon – chlorine gas. As Bairnsfather sought refuge in a gully, he heard a huge rushing swish. It was an old military maxim that if you heard the crash, you were safe. He didn’t hear it.

All seemed dull and foggy, a sort of silence, worse than all the shelling, surrounded me. I lay in a filthy, stagnant ditch covered with mud and slime from head to foot. I suddenly started to tremble all over. I couldn’t grasp where I was…

I lay there some little time, I imagine, with a most peculiar sensation.

All fear of shells and explosions had left me. I still heard them dropping about and exploding, but I listened to them and watched them, as calmly as one would watch an apple fall off a tree. I couldn’t make myself out.

Was I all right or all wrong?

I tried to get up and then I knew. The spell was broken. I shook all over, and had to lie still, with tears pouring down my face. I could see my part in this battle was over.

Bruce’s time in combat was over. His wounds were treated in a field hospital before he was conveyed to King’s College Hospital, where he was diagnosed with shell shock. After convalescing at Bishopton, he was transferred to Albany Barracks on the Isle of Wight to train recruits. It was there that he began to publish Fragments from France, the brilliant series of cartoons published in The Bystander, which, of course, features ‘Old Bill’.

So what could better represent the Season of Peace and Goodwill than the Christmas Truce of 1914? The guns fell silent on the night that the angels sang.

Sadly this brief manifestation of human solidarity was a mere flicker of hope as the respective High Commands took steps to prevent its reoccurrence, I suppose its spirit is epitomised in the most famous contemporary Christmas anthem.

It’s Christmas time, and there’s no need to be afraid At Christmas time, we let in light and banish shade Certainly the Christmas Truce had an effect on Bruce Bairnsfather that he never forgot.

‘I wouldn’t have missed that unique and weird Christmas Day for anything’, he wrote later.

17 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 13:59 Page 17

WILLS • PROBATE • ESTATE PLANNING • LASTING POWERS OF ATTORNEY

LEGAL SERVICES LTD

NONE OF US CAN SEE INTO THE FUTURE

Let our dedicated legal team give you the peace of mind you deserve For further information call 01985 851300 www.cgalegal.co.uk CGA Legal Services is a limited company registered in England and Wales, registered number 081 29472. CGA Legal Services Limited is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (605259). Registered office: Chalke House, Station Road, Codford, Warminster Wiltshire BA12 0JX

18 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 14:01 Page 18

Walsh’s World A gentleman should have one great armchair that is both conducive for reading and dozing, says David Walsh

I

have recently had the odd thought about not being able to fall asleep.

What if nature’s natural evening wind down just did not happen? Illogic, I know but wondering upstairs the thought sometimes strikes me.

I seem to have 7 or 71/2 hours sleep but rarely 8 hours. Where did that notion come from? I have never really divided off sleep in my mind, I always put it in a trilogy of a 24 hour practice that involves a three way trade off between outdoor exercise, eating and sleep. The three work together; get the first two right and sleep is the reward.

I do think season has a bearing, it is extraordinary to think our longest day consists of 16 hours of light and 8 hours of darkness and our shortest day – 8 hours of light and 16 hours of dark. That is a massive shift and inevitably we require more sleep in the winter and less in the summer. It always slightly irks me when the clocks go back an hour and the newsreaders talk about an extra hour in bed, as a positive life-liver I take the extra hour in the day.

I have never gone in for ‘lie-ins’ and the reason for that is simple I am such an outdoor person that I am driven out of bed by my own desire to go out and greet the day, feel the weather and see the light. To that end I am a ‘curtain open’ person during the summer and I reckon I can even

gauge the time in the dead of the night by the degree of dark.

The question of whether to have a siesta or not and for how long is for the individual to work out what suits. For me the 15 minute ‘sit-down’ post lunch when at home is a good re-charger. I always think that a gentleman should have one great armchair that is both conducive for reading and dozing. Sometimes I have a nap, for which the italian word is a ‘pisolino’, other times it is just a read of the book.

I suppose travel is the other great unscheduled sleep provider, we are all prone to drifting off for a while on a train I am sure. Long car journeys too are a source of enforced narcolepsy, I am no stranger to having to pull into a service station for five minutes ‘shuteye’. In fact I used to pick up the children at 6.00 from their school but in a lay-by on the A30 and in the five minutes wait would frequently fall asleep in spite of lorries and cars sweeping by! Another place I find I can almost fall asleep is the dentist ,if there is work to be done I am able to blank it out and I have been known to be jogged by him and asked to open wider!

Perhaps the most magical day sleep is that outside when one enters the sound world. What can be better than coming round to the sound of the breeze through the trees, a little birdsong or the lapping water at the sea shore.

I know that for most the joys of one’s own are superlative. As I get older I do concur with this but I do like staying in friends’ houses. I suppose it is the nonfamiliar – the view from the window, the layout of the room, even the route to the bedroom - I stayed in somewhere recently where it took me several minutes to walk to my bedroom but was rewarded with a Guido Reni painting on my wall and a Giordano painting in the bathroom. I also like visiting hotels in Europe and they produce an entirely different behaviour pattern for me; I like to have the TV on for the language and entertainment whereas at home I do not like the thought of a TV in the room. Many is the night in Italy where I hear church bells and the early morning street sweepers, the first I like as I know what the time is.

I do not like the full moon shining on me in the night there must be something in the lunatic theory. The lunar cycle does seem to throw up some disturbance in people’s sleep pattern and they often don’t realise that that is the cause of their disturbed sleep.

On the occasion when I do wake up in the night and have difficulty in getting back to sleep I try to remain calm about it and then contemplate all that is good about my life or about what is good in life in general and that usually does the trick.

Almost a monastic prayer in that one is giving thanks for all that is good in an ego free way.

Twenty years ago when driving to Italy in March with a friend we stopped in a layby in the high Alps surrounded by deep snow late at night for sleep. He slept in the car and in the morning wondered where I was, I have to lie down at night so I slept on the lay-by surface between the car and the start of the snow line with high snow just two feet from my head!

ALAMY

Perhaps the most magical day sleep is that outside when one enters the sound world.

What can be better than coming round to the sound of the breeze through the trees, a little birdsong or the lapping water at the sea shore.

18 www.thecga.co.uk

19 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 14:04 Page 18

E S A IV A ER CG S FF LU M O ST RI CH

C IP H EX RS BE EM M

THE CGA GENERATION GAME PROTECTING YOUR FAMILY SINCE 1893 The CGA knows that there is nothing more important than family. That is why we would like to offer our members a ‘buy one year’s membership and receive your second year’s membership free’ when you introduce a member of your family to The CGA. Your loved one will receive a welcome pack telling them all about The CGA and the benefits of membership, they will be invited to events throughout the year, have access to an array of prestigious member benefits, as well as enjoying a subscription to the award-winning CGA lifestyle

magazine. Members also have access to a widely respected and extensive range of insurance, legal, financial and investments services, meaning that we can assist with all of your family’s financial needs from under one roof.

To take advantage of this offer and the opportunity to introduce a member of your family to The CGA, please call 01985 850706 or email membership@thecga.co.uk For further information on our services, please visit www.thecga.co.uk Offer ends: 29/02/16

CGA Membership Services Limited is registered in England and Wales, company number 03015708

20-25 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 14:08 Page 20

20 www.thecga.co.uk

20-25 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 14:08 Page 21

Picture Perfect The ever-stressful process of deciding what to buy our loved ones, made easy

W

HO are we to blame for the idea of giving gifts at Christmas time? You might well think of the first Christmas presents as Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh; however, the exchange of gifts in midwinter predates the birth of Jesus.

Pagans in Europe and the Middle East gave each other presents at winter festivals such as Saturnalia (17th December) where they would honour the

god of agriculture Saturn, lift their spirits by drinking to excess and give gifts such as pottery figurines, fruit, nuts and festive candles.

Whilst most of us don’t have the budget for a Taylor-Burton diamond (£6.75m in today’s money), we want something unique - a present that tells our loved ones that we’ve put real thought into our choice. A gift that they would never have thought of buying for

themselves, but at the same time, something they have always wanted The trend has been growing for much more personalised gifts and cards. The stellar rise of websites such as Moonpig.com and Notonthehighstreet.com demonstrate the public’s insatiable desire for bespoke gifts.

After several large sherries, (getting into the Christmas spirit already), the

Commissioned portraits, the perfect Christmas gift? It’s a hard life, by Hazel Morgan

www.thecga.co.uk 21

‚

20-25 FESTIVE_Layout 1 22/11/2015 09:57 Page 22

‚

“I am able to capture moments that allow people to relive magic memories for years to come” Hazel Morgan 22 www.thecga.co.uk

vote for the ultimate Christmas present resulted in a majority verdict of a beautiful portrait of our nearest and dearest something that the family could enjoy for generations to come. An investment that would capture a special moment in time and that could be preserved for posterity.

Portraits are the original unique gift and are usually commissioned to commemorate a significant moment in someone’s life: for example, an engagement, marriage, birth of a child, a favourite family pet, or to recognise somebody’s lifetime achievements.

Historically, patrons would commission an artist to paint a portrait to demonstrate their wealth and power, but more recently, commissioning a painting of oneself is seen as a vanity project. That is why having it given as a gift removes the perceived narcissistic element.

The ultimate way to make a loved one

feel special is to arrange a sitting with the artist, perhaps you have a favourite photograph that could be recreated as an oil painting, or, you have lovely individual pictures of the children, but no smiley, angelic group shot. Maybe their true love (after you, of course) is their horse or dog.

The great thing about commissioning an artist is that you can work together to compose a picture that could not be created in any other medium. One good thing about commissioning portraits from a photograph is that they enable you to keep your gift a secret if necessary.

‘Stop!’ we hear you shout. ‘There is no time to commission a portrait for this Christmas.’

We have found the answer to this quandary: www.portraitartist.co.uk, can provide you with a personalised voucher to give to your loved one and can be exchanged for a portrait from one of

20-25 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 14:08 Page 23

Left, Hazel Morgan, one of today’s leading portrait and equestrian artists at her easel. This page, showing off Hazels’ talent as an award-winning artist. The Duchess of Cambridge’s portrait is an example of Hazel’s work from a photograph

twelve artists. Three of the most popular artists are Hazel Morgan, Fiona Wilson and Aldo Balding. They have the ability to capture their subjects’ finest details and work with the client to create stunning pieces of art that will treasured for generations to come.

When choosing a portrait artist, there is a host of factors to consider: a portrait after all, conveys many different emotions to a photograph. A photo tends to capture the moment as seen through the eyes of the viewer, whereas a beautifully painted portrait shows you the sitter through the eyes of the artist, who has the aim of conveying all the amazing attributes and beauty of the sitter, depicting their “higher self”.

When you are looking for an artist, consider: • Style: Select an artist whose style you like - it seems obvious but this is

crucially important.

• Fine art versus Photorealism: Do you want a piece that shows character, personality and soul or a photographic likeness?

• Life drawing: An artist who can draw from life will portray a likeness that is more natural, lifelike and will show the essence of the subject.

• Hands: Often considered the hardest part of a portrait, this is a great indicator of an artist’s skill level.

• Knowledge: Do the artist’s other works show a good understanding of the anatomy involved?

• Price: If your aim is to commission a portrait that will become an heirloom, look beyond the price and get the best you can afford. Fine art increases in value over time, your purchase is for now and future generations.

• Character of the artist: Is the artist

professional? Do they communicate the business details in commissioning a portrait, such as fees, schedules and expectations? Are you comfortable working with them?

• Choosing the right artist for your dog or horse portrait can be daunting. You want the portrait to show off your animal in the best possible light, but also to capture unique personality. View the artist’s pet portfolio. Do you like their style? If you want a portrait painted from a photograph, look at the original photos that the portraits were based on.

Are they accurate representations or just a good picture of an animal?

Classically trained and multi-skilled artist, Hazel Morgan is an award winning, worldclass portrait painter. With a client list that includes several Royal Households across Europe and the Middle East, Hazel is firmly established as one of today’s leading ‚ www.thecga.co.uk 23

20-25 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 14:08 Page 24

‚

portrait and equestrian artists.

While Equine art and portrait paintings are her primary focus, Hazel is equally well known as an exceptionally talented hound and dog painter. Hazel is an artist who not only has the ability to capture what she sees, but is able to reach into the soul of her subject, painting each horse as if it were her own, and each person as if she had known them for years. Her work captures precious moments in time creating a legacy for future generations.

As Hazel says, “I am able to capture moments that allow people to relive magic memories for years to come. I love receiving phone calls from my clients telling me how they are still moved by a commission, often many years after it was completed.”

Hazel also excels in painting posthumous oil portraits from photographs, as well as paintings when it is impossible for the subject to sit, such as a surprise present. Her studio is at home in Salisbury, Wiltshire, where she lives with her partner Stephen and their two daughters.

Fiona Wilson currently works from a WASPS Artist’s studio in Glasgow. After thirteen years as an art teacher for the universities and colleges of Northern England and Scotland, she moved back to Scotland to focus on being a full time artist and printmaker.

Fiona says, “From the first moment I could hold a pencil, I drew people and 24 www.thecga.co.uk

their portraits. For some reason the human face, with all its individual characteristics, is something that I have always felt compelled to capture.”

Her intention is not to create deep and meaningful pieces of conceptual art, but more about the simple desire to portray the beauty of her subject, be it a human, animal or simply an interesting object.

Fiona excels in depicting the way light falls against surfaces, creating different colours or textures, and her ability to translate this onto canvas with paint gives her portraits a beautiful naturalness.

Fiona Wilson excels in depicting the way light falls against surfaces

“For some reason the human face, with all its individual characteristics, is something that I have always felt compelled to capture” – Aldo Balding Through the success of Fiona’s figurative and personal portrait paintings she is now regularly commissioned to paint portraits.

During these portrait sessions Fiona works closely with a client to create an artwork that is a good likeness of a person or place, while at the same time drawing on her personal observations to add a feeling of personality within the image.

Represented by a number of galleries around the world including the UK, USA, France and South Africa, Aldo Balding started his career as an illustrator before becoming a full-time artist.

Aldo’s paintings have a narrative quality, which draws the viewer in. He admits proudly that he is a ‘storyteller’ saying “I always try to put an element of mystery in

20-25 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 14:08 Page 25

my work. I like narrative in painting, because it casts the viewer into a voyeuristic role.”

Shape and form are as important to Aldo as the people he paints. The way a person holds their body can say far more about their feelings and intentions than their words. He says, “You can suggest so much in a gesture, in the way someone stands”, it is this skill that enables him to capture the mood of the moment.

As a result, Aldo spends almost as much time in on the set-up and idea of the portrait as on the painting itself. He and his clients discuss an idea in his studio or on location, he then takes photographs to be used as reference when the sitting is over.

Aldo’s knowledge of anatomy enables him to paint realistic figures, he also looks for tonal harmonies that already exist in the subject and interprets these on the canvas.

The quality of his draughtsmanship is equally important to him as the combination of colours and tones in the painting. He has studios in both London and France and recent portraits have included golfers Ernie Els and Paul Casey.

For more information on Hazel Morgan, Fiona Wilson and Aldo Balding, please contact Stephen Conway at Find a Portrait Artist UK www.portraitartist.co.uk or call 01722 01722 632 777

Alternatively……..

• Triton Submarine 3-person 36000/3 submersible which can reach depths of 36,000 ft. Price: £36m • iPhone 5 in pure solid gold. Price: £10m • 24K gold mountain bike from the House of Solid Gold. Price: £324,000 • Bespoke fragrance from the House of Creed.

Price: £311,000 • Life-size Lego statue. Price: £70,000 • Ultra-modern Nottage Design pool table made

of toughened glass. Price: £42,000 • Six foot tall Imperial Cocktail Shaker with a years supply of Tanqueray gin and personal cocktail tutorial. Price: £22,000 • Waterford Crystal London desktop bar. Price: £12,150 • Pair of 24k gold shoelaces (only 10 pairs in the world). Price: £12,000 • Diamond encrusted 32GB USB flash drive from La Maison Shawish. Price: From £10,800

Aldo’s knowledge of anatomy enables him to paint realistic figures

www.thecga.co.uk 25

No X factor required Charlotte Mackaness discovers that singing releases happiness hormones, and that you don’t have to be a star to join a choir, just have masses of enthusiasm

26 www.thecga.co.uk

H

AVE you ever been to a midnight mass and felt a warm, fuzzy feeling while belting out a favourite Christmas carol? Perhaps humming along to Last Night Of The Proms makes the heart beat that little bit faster? These sensations may not simply be down to the hearty red enjoyed at supper: singing has all sorts of feel-good effects on the body and mind, which are compelling reasons to exercise the vocal chords on a more regular basis.

Studies have shown singing can boost well-being in a wide variety of ways from improving the symptoms of Parkinson’s and depression to lung disease. Swedish research suggests that it increases oxygen levels in the blood and also stimulates the release of happiness hormones including endorphins and oxytocin. Another study

ALAMY

26-29 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 14:20 Page 26

discovered that a group of singers synchronise heartbeats.

Steve Perritt’s last experiences of singing were as a schoolboy treble many decades ago until recently he had a lightbulb moment while in a church nave as the choir processed out. “I was hit by a wonderful wall of sound and thought ‘I want to be part of that’,” he reveals. Having joined his local church choir, Steve hasn’t looked back.

“It’s been a hugely enriching experience and great fun. It’s a friendly bunch of people and I couldn’t imagine life without singing now.”

Francis Rumsey runs the choir at St Mary’s Witney in which Steve sings. “The average age is between 50 and 60. It’s very convivial and is, in many respects, a social club,” he reveals. When he took over the choir it has six members. Today its numbers

26-29 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 14:20 Page 27

are much healthier. “On a typical Sunday we have 16 singers. I think the key is having a core number because nobody can be expected to make every service.’

“Commitment is a perennial problem for choirs but I’ve found being flexible helps.

Getting heavy handed only frightens people off,” believes Francis. “We don’t live in the world of 50 years ago when everyone attended church every week. Accepting that and being more relaxed about attendance helps swell numbers.”

St Mary’s choir is a little unusual in that it has more regular male members than female. “Most church choirs tend to be made up of old ladies with a smattering of men. The fact we had a good group of chaps to start with helped us attract more.

Feeling they are entering a female preserve can deter some would-be male singers,”

explains Francis, who acknowledges that not all church choirs are as full of life as his own.

“A lot depends on where you are.

Village churches have smaller populations to recruit from. However, whatever the size of the choir there are some key components, such as having a good acoustic, decent organ and someone with masses of enthusiasm to lead it.”

Stephen Jones has a wide array of experience conducting choirs of all sizes and expertise. “I work with one group in Hemel Hempstead with members in their eighties.

This can pose some challenges. Singing is often something people come to later in life and, like any muscle, the voice needs training,” he says. “You can’t expect it to perform quite like it did when you were in your physical ‘prime’.

Singing has all sorts of feel-good effects on the body and mind

“The vocal folds don’t deteriorate much but it’s the support in the body that declines but this shouldn’t deter anyone older from singing,” he insists. “You just have to make allowances and be open minded. I transpose pieces so they are not so high for my more mature choir and sometimes suggest members try another voice part.”

At the other end of the age scale are the choristers attending the country’s cathedral choir schools. The pupils at Salisbury Cathedral School rehearse for an hour in the mornings and after school. “Forty of our 180 children sing in the cathedral choir.

There’s a boys’ choir and girls’ choir.

Between them they have nine services a week,” explains director of music Ian Wicks. www.thecga.co.uk 27

‚

26-29 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 14:21 Page 28

‚

Above and right, pupils at Salisbury Cathedral School have the opportunity to join one of five choirs

resilient. It’s like being an elite athlete: these youngsters are at the very top of their game,” he believes. “And public speaking? That’s a breeze after you’ve sung a solo in a packed cathedral.”

Ian is keen to stress that although singing isn’t a prerequisite of attending the school, everyone gets an opportunity to take part in the school’s five additional choirs. “I believe passionately that singing

“The children are team players; they learn to get on with people and have to be extremely organised because of their hectic schedule. They also have to become resilient. It’s like being an elite athlete: these youngsters are at the very top of their game,” “It’s a big commitment and so every November we run a hugely popular ‘Be A Chorister For The Day’ where families get a taste of what being in the cathedral choir is all about,” he says. “It’s a big sacrifice but very much worth it.”

According to Ian, the experience of singing in the choir has many benefits.

“The children are team players; they learn to get on with people and have to be extremely organised because of their hectic schedule. They also have to become 28 www.thecga.co.uk

is for everyone,” he says. “I run a fun children’s choir on a Saturday morning and also conduct adult groups. I’m forever seeing the transforming powers of singing.

The wonderful thing about it is you don’t need an instrument and it doesn’t cost a penny.

“We all want church choirs to succeed but not everyone attends so community choirs have an important role to play here,” believes Ian. “Gareth Malone and the Military Wives are a great example of

this and have done much to inspire people and to have a go.”

Such was the success of the 2011 television series ‘The Choir’, a charitable foundation was set up to establish a network of military choirs. “There are now 80 Military Wives Choirs worldwide.

Anyone with a close connection to the military can join,” explains Eugenie Tomlin, who sings with the South London Military Wives Choir.

“Singing in the choir is something I feel massively passionate about. They are places of support and there is a real sense of camaraderie. I find the experience of rehearsals, socials and performances really uplifting. When my husband is away they help break up the time into manageable chunks,” she reveals. “ And when he is here, it is just a great excuse to have a night out with the girls once a week.”

Singing has also been a lifeline for Helen Strathearn, who lives in London with her family. “I’d sung in a very casual choir at university but had done nothing for 15 years. I was a new mum with a very colicky baby. I just needed a reason to get out of the house but they gym wasn’t an option because I’m not sporty,” she admits.

Helen first joined one of the increasingly

26-29 FESTIVE_Layout 1 22/11/2015 10:03 Page 29

popular “rock” choirs. “You only audition for solos and we didn’t even sing with scores. I had a brilliant time and met the most wonderful group of friends: women ranging from their thirties to sixties from all walks of life; people who I would never have met without singing,” she says.

“Now, I sing with a more challenging choir that you have to audition for. There’s nothing like the buzz I get from singing. It’s out of this world. The other amazing thing was how it improved my self-assurance. I realised that I could do it and I actually have a good voice.”

Stephen Jones says this is not unusual: “My experience is that most people have better voices than they think and a lack of confidence rather than ability is usually the issue. It is true that not everyone can sing but it is the tiniest of minorities and it makes me ever so sad when I hear of people put off for life because they were told as a child they were tone deaf.”

Lesley Morris runs the Voicebox choir in Oxfordshire. The group sings everything from gospel and show tunes to classical music, and welcomes all regardless of their experience or whether they can read music.

She absolutely concurs: “I believe people learn on the job. Teachers intolerant of wrong notes have a lot to answer for.

“I can think of several of our singers who were told they couldn’t sing but we’ve discovered have wonderful voices. Seeing their transformation is fabulous. It makes

FEEL INSPIRED TO SING? British Choirs On The Net www.choirs.org.uk is a rich source of information including listings of choirs for a wide range of musical tastes and ability.

The Royal School of Church Music (www.rscm.com) has an online music shop.

Not terribly good at sight reading or need help practising at home?

Choraline (www.choraline.com) not only supplies sheet music but CDs of just your line with an accompaniment.

my whole tummy chuckle as they blossom and their self esteem soars,” she says. “I see people coming to our rehearsals. They look a bit fed up and bedraggled but leave bright eyed and bushy tailed.

“Sonorous communities form all religions’ visions of heaven. Whatever you believe, I think singing gives a sense of sharing a spiritual place. Over 75 per cent of our pieces are performed without scores.

For me, that not only improves the sounds but narrows the distance between audience and choir.”

The greater accessibility to music that such groups provide is behind a renaissance in singing. Nevertheless, taking the plunge

can still require courage. Heather Bentley is a chorister and singing teacher from Northampton. She admits choirs can be daunting places. “A really good policy for choirs who audition is to let the new member sing for four weeks after which they sing with three others from their part so the director can see how well they cope.

“A few singing lessons can be an excellent starting point before even joining a choir,” suggests Heather. “Not only will it improve confidence and teach skills to handle any nerves but teachers usually have a good idea of the musical scene in your local area and may be able to advise on the most suitable group for you to start with.”

www.thecga.co.uk 29

30-33 FESTIVE_Layout 1 22/11/2015 10:19 Page 30

Anthony Ince with a great shot out of the bunker at the 10th

TREVOSE 2015 CGA members enjoyed a glorious two day golf event at the picturesque Trevose Golf and Country Club on the north Cornish coast. Words and pictures by William Harrison-Allan

30 www.thecga.co.uk

30-33 FESTIVE_Layout 1 22/11/2015 10:19 Page 31

O

NCE again we were treated to two fantastic days by the Gammon family who own the wonderful Trevose Golf and Country Club. I would like to personally thank David Cowan, who organises our bookings and rooms, and his excellent staff for looking after us during our stay. As you will see from the pictures, the weather was very kind to us, with short sleeves and even shorts being the order of the day. Although I would say that perhaps one or two of those who wore shorts might have been better off hiding their legs! My thanks also go to Jimmy Tarbuck who kindly presented all of the prizes on my behalf. As usual he was his normal very funny self, sharing with us with various anecdotes, one liners and observations on life; all well received by the members, not only at the presentation, but at the Half Way House, evening dinner, and even on the course.

Many congratulations to Jan King who won the individual prize and I am pleased to say that this is not the first time that a lady has won The CGA Golf Trevose tournament.

Let’s hope it won’t be the last! I’m pretty sure Jan was very pleased about being the individual winner, she was joint top scorer with her partner Ken Rumens; eventually beating him on count back, so I expect they had an interesting journey home.

The course was in magnificent condition and with only a minor shower towards the end of the second day, the golf played was somewhere between the sublime and the truly ridiculous. It was great for me to see some of the usual suspects playing together with quite a few new faces, both young and old, as well as the return of a couple from a few years ago; Steve Hardy and David Searle.

The Halfway House on the 10th hole was well received as usual, both in the food and drink department. Overall I have to say that the accommodation and food provided by the club were first class.

The CGA players lived up to their reputation with their consumption of food and drink on the supper evening. However, despite this, and for the first time ever in our many years of visiting Trevose, we managed to tee off in the right order the next day.

Voted for unanimously by the 2015 players, the event will again be held at Trevose in 2016 with thirty-six places available, and the carefully chosen dates of Thursday 8th to Friday 9th September will be after the ankle biters have gone back to school! I recommend anybody who is thinking of playing with us next year to go on to the Trevose website (www.trevosegc.co.uk) to see the backdrop of the course which is absolutely stunning. Being right on the Atlantic coast can provide some interesting conditions, with the course not normally playing the same way over two days.

Above, Jimmy Tarbuck teeing off at the eighth, watched by Jeff King. Below left, Simon Stone getting out of the bunker at the 18th - just! Right, Mike Foy putting on the 10th

The golf was very competitive and some good scores were posted by many of the teams and individuals: Winning Team 2nd Team 3rd Team 4th Team

Tim Mellor, Kevin Robertson and Chris Martin who scored 160 over the 2 days.

Jan King, Ken Rumens and Neil Simmons who scored 156 points Tony Ince, David Searle and Steve Hardy on 149 points Mark Nixon, David Hogan and Bill Loughrey on 148 points

Individual scores for the two days: Winner Jan King on 72 2nd individual Ken Rumens on 72 (beaten on count back) 3rd individual Ken McGeorge on 69 4th individual Kevin Robertson on 68

‚ www.thecga.co.uk 31

30-33 FESTIVE_Layout 1 22/11/2015 10:20 Page 32

‚

‚

Left, Jimmy and Paula Tarbuck with Jeff King.

Above, the winning team Chris Martin, Tim Mellor and Kevin Robertson

Above, Tony Hand, Paul Walton and Mark Hayley. Below, James Wring, Steve Boudrey, Brian Anderson and Jeremy Wring

Above, David Edwards, Wayne Moore and Ian Andrews. Below, Neil Simmons, Jan King and Ken Rumens

Above, Jimmy Tarbuck presenting David Searle with Nearest The Pin

32 www.thecga.co.uk

30-33 FESTIVE_Layout 1 22/11/2015 10:20 Page 33

Simon and Liz Stone with Russell Field

Above left, Will Freeborough, Nigel Bunter with Ken McGeorge. Above right, Mark Nixon, Dave Hogan and Bill Loughrey

Above, Jimmy Tarbuck presenting Ken Rumens with Nearest The Pin. Below, Jimmy Tarbuck with host, William Harrison-Allan Above, The winning team, Kevin Robertson, Tim Mellor and Chris Martin with Jimmy Tarbuck. Below, Jimmy Tarbuck presenting Jan King with Overall Individual Winner

www.thecga.co.uk 33

34-35 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 14:28 Page 34

TREVOSE 2016!

CGA Late Summer Golf Break W E are delighted to announce the 2016 dates for our allinclusive golf break to Trevose Golf and Country Club, which is being held from Thursday 8th to Friday 9th September 2016. The award-winning Trevose golf course is based near Padstow on the scenic Cornish coastline and is now a firm favourite in CGA golf enthusiast calendars.

34 www.thecga.co.uk

Guests will enjoy two rounds of golf, lunch, dinner, guest accommodation for the night and breakfast- as well as all of the essentials, such as wine, refreshments and full use of the club’s facilities. All of this for £300 per person (plus VAT).

To secure your place at this fabulous event, simply fill in this application form below and return this to us here at CGA headquarters. Trevose is played in a 3-ball

format but The CGA will be more than happy to find you a playing partner, should you wish to enter individually.

Please note that no deposits are required at this stage but places are limited and tend to fill up quickly. To reserve your place please fill out the form and return it to Lauren Angove, The CGA, Chalke House, Station Road, Codford, Wiltshire BA12 0JX.

34-35 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 14:29 Page 35

Membership number .................................................................. Player one name: ........................................Handicap:............

Name ..........................................................................................

Address ......................................................................................

Player two name: ........................................Handicap:............

.................................................................................................. Player three name: ......................................Handicap:............ ..................................................................................................

Postcode......................................................................................

Email ..........................................................................................

Telephone number:......................................................................

Number of places _____________ @ ÂŁ300 per person (plus VAT) Book your place now by emailing Lauren Angove at laurena@thecga.co.uk or by completing and returning this application form. www.thecga.co.uk 35

36-40 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 14:34 Page 36

After the flood….

T

HE crews who returned from Yagodnik were soon receiving sad news. Wing Commander Guy Gibson, VC, DSO and Bar, DFC and Bar, the leader of the squadron on the legendary Dams raid that had made it immortal, was killed on 19 September 1944 during a raid on Mönchengladbach.

A man born to fly, with over 170 missions under his belt, Gibson had been unable to resist the urge to fly on operations once more.

He had been posted to 54 Base as operations officer (a non-operational role), but took advantage of his position to place himself on the battle order that night as ‘Master Bomber’, controlling the whole attack from over the target area – a role for which he had no formal training. There was considerable difficulty marking the target, leading many aircraft to spend longer above it than was desirable. Gibson himself may have circled the target once more after the other aircraft had turned for home. Whether he was hit by flak or fire from a night-fighter, suffered a mechanical failure, made an error because of his unfamiliarity with the Mosquito he was flying, or simply ran out of fuel is unknown, but his aircraft crashed at Steenbergen in the Netherlands at 10.30 that evening, and Gibson was killed instantly.

The Dutch mayor of the town arranged a proper funeral for Gibson and his navigator, Squadron Leader Jim Warwick, DFC, who, as Station Navigation Officer, should not have been flying combat ops either. Winston Churchill paid full tribute to Gibson, ‘the glorious Dam-buster’, in a letter written to his sister: ‘We have lost in this officer one of the most splendid of all our fighting men. His name will not be 36 www.thecga.co.uk

forgotten; it will be for ever enshrined in the most wonderful records of our country.’

Because of the propaganda value the Nazis might have made from it, Gibson’s death was not officially announced until 5 January 1945, but the RAF grapevine had spread the news to 617 Squadron almost at once, and those who had flown with him, whether or not they liked him, were united in respect for the skill, courage and leadership he had shown when commanding the squadron to its most famous achievement.

Before they could return to the task of finishing off the Tirpitz in that autumn of 1944, the men of 617 Squadron were first tasked with making two other major raids, one a return to the scene of the squadron’s worst disaster: the Dortmund–Ems Canal.

That op was set for 23 September 1944, less than a week after they had returned from the first attack on the Tirpitz.

Squadron Leader Wyness had lost two of his regular crew in the crash in the Norwegian mountains that killed all of Flying Officer Frank Levy’s crew, and one of the replacements was a twenty-one year old flight engineer, Frank Tilley, who had never flown on a night operation before and was told only that afternoon that he would be flying with Wyness. ‘It was my first night trip and everything seemed more forbidding,’ he says. ‘I felt very apprehensive about it. I preferred day to night; I felt much happier if I could see out!’

Tilley, a Londoner with a roguish smile and a chirpy manner, had only joined 617 the previous month. He had worked at an engineering firm on London’s Whitechapel Road after leaving school, and his first direct experience of the war had come in

ALAMY

What the Dambusters did next. In this edited extract, John Nichol explores some of the unknown stories of 617 Squadron after the famous Dams raid

The Visit of HM King George VI to No 617 Squadron

36-40 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 14:34 Page 37

‚ www.thecga.co.uk 37

36-40 FESTIVE_Layout 1 22/11/2015 10:27 Page 38

Before they could return to the task of finishing off the Tirpitz in that autumn of 1944, the men of 617 Squadron were first tasked with making two other major raids, one a return to the scene of the squadron’s worst disaster: the Dortmund–Ems Canal. ‚

Above: Maps showing from l-r, 617 squadrons’ major targets on France, Germany and the final attack on Tirpitz Below: Frank Tilley

38 www.thecga.co.uk

mid- 1940 when he was seventeen. The Germans bombed the docks, and sheltering in the basement, he saw the bombers flying over, heard the explosions, saw the flames coming up and the raging fires. ‘It was quite scary,’ he says. ‘We just hoped they wouldn’t bomb us! Eventually they did bomb the factory and that was my job there finished!’

Tilley didn’t think that much about the war at first, even though several of his friends enlisted. ‘Some really wanted to get stuck in,’ he says, ‘but I didn’t feel that way in the early days, I don’t think I was very mature and felt quite young even at seventeen. But eventually I succumbed to the tremendous propaganda – the RAF, especially the bombers, were really glamorised – and I thought I needed to be part of it all.’ He was working for a company manufacturing artificial limbs at the time – always a growth business in wartime, but ‘a very boring job’, he says. It was a reserved occupation and he could not enlist in the normal way, but he discovered that if he volunteered for RAF aircrew then he could be released to fight.

‘I had no idea about the huge aircrew losses,’ Tilley says, ‘though logic should have made me ask, “Why is it so easy to volunteer as bomber aircrew?” and wonder what had happened to all the others from the previous years, but of course you didn’t think about that back then!’

Tilley trained as a flight engineer, and at the end of his training he assembled in a hangar with the other new flight engineers, facing a line of officers, who began calling out, ‘We need ten people for Sunderlands’ – the flying boats mainly used on anti-Uboat patrols by Coastal Command. ‘There

was a mad rush,’ Tilley says. ‘Clearly, the others had realised the dangers of flying bombers!’

The officers then asked for volunteers for other aircraft, and Tilley found it ‘rather thought-provoking’ that the largest numbers of volunteers were required for the Lancasters, Halifaxes and Stirlings used

by Bomber Command. He volunteered for Lancasters mainly because he liked the look of the aircraft, and was accepted at once. ‘I suppose I must have realised by then that it was a more dangerous option,’ he says, ‘but I think wanted to be at the forefront of it all.’

He joined New Zealander Arthur ‘Joppy’ Joplin’s crew simply because Joplin walked straight up to him and asked him to. ‘I’ve no idea why,’ Tilley says, ‘but that was it.

The relationship with the crew was one hundred per cent important. If you didn’t get on, then you were in serious trouble, but in fact Joppy was a wonderful pilot and a wonderful captain, and got on with everybody. So I was now part of a crew which would live or die together.’

He became very good friends with the crew’s navigator, Basil Fish. ‘He had his dad’s car,’ Tilley says, ‘a dark blue, twodoor Ford Eight, and we used to sneak out to the squadron in the middle of the night and pinch petrol for it so we could get around! We all used to cram into it for a night out in Boston. Before then I didn’t drink or anything, I was quite innocent really, but Basil introduced me to Black and Tan and I never looked back!’

‘Every boy in the world wanted to fly,’ remembers Basil Fish, not least because being aircrew ‘didn’t hurt when you went to a dance on a Saturday night. You were hoping some girl would ask, “What have

36-40 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 14:34 Page 39

you been doing today?” so you could say, “Oh, I’ve been dicing with death up in the heavens”!’

‘We were popular with the girls,’ Frank Tilley says: most of us aircrew were. One particular girl took a real shine to Joppy – he was the good-looking one – and being a New Zealander made him an extra special catch! We used to go to The Gliderdrome in Boston, a skating rink turned into a dance hall. They would have a band and it ended up as our regular place to go after the pub. Looking back now, it’s curious to think of us dancing and socialising then heading off next day to drop bombs, destroy buildings, probably kill people. But we didn’t think like that then – it just didn’t cross our minds.

As they trained on the Lancaster, the stories from front-line crews about going on ops, flak and being shot up by fighters made them realise that ‘we were heading towards hell when we started ops,’ Tilley says, ‘but we didn’t want to let anyone down, and we certainly didn’t talk about fears or worries.’

Their skipper, Arthur Joplin, who had joined the war effort ‘to be part of it all, to experience the excitement’, agrees that any fears simply didn’t seem to surface. ‘I don’t think we ever really talked as a crew about the dangers of flying in Bomber Command,’ he says from his home in Auckland. ‘And I certainly didn’t think too much about it all – we just lived life as it came along. And to the full! I was more

concerned with ensuring I managed each op correctly – there was so much to do and to learn, everything was very new and you really had to concentrate to ensure you kept on top of everything.’

With Joplin and the rest of his crew, Tilley was posted to 617 Squadron on 15 August 1944, but says that at the time ‘617 was just another number to me. They weren’t regarded as a heroic squadron or anything, just a “special duties” squadron.

I’d heard about the Dams raid, but it wasn’t big folklore in the RAF, I didn’t even associate 617 with it, and in fact we didn’t even call it “the Dams raid”, it was just another op, and the term “Dambusters” didn’t exist until well after the war when the film came out.’ Tilley’s memory may be at fault on that point, for the Daily Mirror’s headline on 27 May 1943 was ‘Dambuster Gibson to get VC’. But Joplin remembers events differently: ‘I didn’t have a clue about 617 Squadron back then! Back in NZ training I don’t even remember hearing about the Dams raid.’

Tilley’s crewmate, Loftus ‘Lofty’ Hebbard, had a rather more jaundiced view of their new unit. After having a scout around, he commented to his crew, ‘It looks like we have been posted to that suicide squadron.’4 Frank Tilley was about to have a worrying introduction to 617 ops, and his apprehension about the Dortmund–Ems op would have increased had he known what had happened on the previous raid on the

Arthur Joplins’ crew

‘Every boy in the world wanted to fly,’ remembers Basil Fish, not least because being aircrew ‘didn’t hurt when you went to a dance on a ‚ Saturday night.’ www.thecga.co.uk 39

36-40 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 14:34 Page 40

Basil Fish and Lofty Hebbard at a reunion

After the Flood. What the Dambusters did next,

by John Nichol. Published by William Collins.

Price £20

40 www.thecga.co.uk

‚ canal in 1943. Perhaps fortunately, he had

‘no idea at all that just a year before, five out of eight aircraft had been shot down there, but I shall remember the trip as long as I live; it was dreadful.’ Because the canal was such a ‘hot’, well-defended target, 617’s raid was timed so that they flew out alongside a large contingent of Main Force bombers that were targeting the city of Dortmund. The sheer numbers of other aircraft gave 617 Squadron some cover from prowling night-fighters, but even so, Wyness’s Lancaster was attacked by fighters several times, both on the approach to the target and after turning for home.

Unlike Tilley, the other members of the crew were very experienced and responded to the attacks with well-drilled coolness. Tilley had no idea that they were even under threat until he suddenly heard the rear gunner’s urgent call, ‘Corkscrew port skipper!’ An instant later, as the Lancaster began its vicious, twisting dive, Tilley saw tracer flashing across the top of the aircraft. ‘I could see it clear as day. It was a constant stream of green tracer and those bullets spelt death. I can still see it today,’ he says, holding out his hands to show the tremor that has started in them as he recalls the incident seventy years later from the comfort of his study ain his home in leafy Hertfordshire.

Wyness had to corkscrew several times to shake off fighters. ‘I had no part to play in it,’ Tilley says. ‘I mean, he’d got the control column, I hadn’t. It was up to the gunners and the pilot. I just clung on because when you dive you almost float off the floor, but then, when he rolls and starts climbing, you’re crushed back down.’

The attack lasted about two or three minutes but ‘it felt like a lifetime’. Tilley had experienced the realities of battle previously and says ‘there was nothing to do but monitor the instruments and stare at the tracer searing through the surrounding darkness’. ‘I was transfixed by it,’ he says, ‘and by seeing other Lancasters going down in flames.’

It was a shocking realisation. In that moment I realised what the war, Bomber Command, the flying, all meant. It was the first time I’d seen anything like that. In the total blackness, you’d suddenly see a ball of flame which got bigger and bigger, and then just descended gently downwards to the earth. Knowing that it was a Lancaster with at least seven people dying in front of your eyes was truly awful – it’s an image that I carry with me to this day – and it went on and on, perhaps eleven times altogether. At the time I suppose I just thought, ‘Thank God it’s not me,’ but I find myself thinking about it more now, and understanding much more what it meant. Some years after the war, a friend described me and the other bomber aircrews as ‘just cannon fodder’. I took exception to that at the time, but I suppose he was right. Just like the trenches in the First World War, you knew that a lot of you wouldn’t be coming back.

Only one of the Lancasters shot down that night was from 617 Squadron, with the loss of three lives, the remainder being Main Force aircraft, and this time, unlike their previous raid on the Dortmund–Ems Canal, their bombing was accurate, destroying part of the embankment. Ten miles of the canal were completely drained of water, leaving twenty-three barges high and dry and flooding the surrounding countryside. A workforce of 4,000 men laboured for weeks to repair the breaches that had appeared along 2 miles of its length, but the canal remained unusable for the remainder of the war.5 The one major blot on 617 Squadron’s record had now been erased.

Frank Tilley was never more glad to see the runway lights at Woodhall Spa than he was that night, but if he was expecting some acknowledgement of the baptism of fire by flak and nightfighter he had been through, Squadron Leader Wyness was to disappoint him. After they’d landed, Wyness merely said, ‘Oh, well done, Engineer. What was our fuel consumption?’ ‘Well, heck, I told him,’ Tilley says with a rueful smile, ‘and he just said, “Thank you very much,” and that was that – my first experience of a night operation.

• John Nichol is a former RAF flight lieutenant who was shot down on a mission over Iraq in 1991. He is the co author of Tornado Down.

41 CGA_Layout 1 23/11/2015 12:53 Page 41

MAKE ACHES & PAINS THINGS OF THE PAST Enhance your quality of life with our amazing Magnetic Therapy product range Benefit from drug free pain relief that boosts your energy levels, gives you a good night’s sleep, puts a spring in your step and a twinkle in your eye.

Arthritis, Muscle and Joint Pain, Fibromyalgia, Poor Circulation, Insomnia and Stress can all be improved by the daily use of MagneHealth products.

From Mattress Toppers to Pillow Pads and Covers, through to Seat Cushions and Supports, at Magnehealth there will be the perfect product to suit your individual needs. To find out more why not call or visit our website.

With our 60 day return policy on all Mattress Toppers you have nothing to lose but a lot to gain.

(Magnetic therapy is not recommended if you are pregnant, have a pacemaker or are undergoing cancer treatment).

Qu en ote c joy od a1 eM 5% HC dis GA co an un d t

To order your MagneHealth products visit: www.magnehealth.co.uk info@magnehealth.co.uk or call: 01989 721010

White Cloud, PO Box 8, Newent, Gloucestershire GL18 1WU

THE FINEST SMOKED AT L A N T I C S A L M O N FROM THE ISLE OF LEWIS

10%

DISCOUNT

for CGA readers who order from us on our website or by phone – discount code of: ‘CGA10’ W W W. U I G L O D G E . C O. U K T. 0 1 8 5 1 6 7 2 3 9 6

www.thecga.co.uk 41

42-47 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 15:58 Page 42

CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE It’s a wrap

Sutherland Bag, £545 Westley Richards and Co. Ltd www.westleyrichards.com 0121 333 1900

*denotes a membership offer

Umqamelo Nguni Cowhide Cushion, £99 Zulucow www.zulucow.co.uk 07983 627710

Parker Duofold ‘Big Red’, £425 Parker www.thepenshop.com 0191 4870099

Mayfair Down Coat, £349.95 Schoffel www.schoffel.co.uk 01572 772480

Samarakand Ashtray, £76 Villeroy & Boch kingsandqueens.org.uk 01267 231678

"and tell your father that the government has changed its mind about the mansion tax”

Limited Print, £55 Oliver Preston www.oliverpreston.com 01666 502638 42 www.thecga.co.uk

Suede Gloves With Rabbit Fur Cuffs, £32 Dents www.dents.co.uk 01985 212291

42-47 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 15:58 Page 43

Lamb’s Wool Throw, £79.95 Highgrove Shop www.highgroveshop.com 0333 222 4555

‘Rough Diamonds’ Necklace, £62,500 George Pragnall Jewellers www.pragnell.com 01789 267072

Barrington Pottery Glazed Jug, £35 National Trust www.nationaltrust.org.uk 0300 1232025

Braided Latigo Leather Belt, £89 Orvis www.orvis.co.uk 0333 400 4177

Gentleman’s Silk Scarf, £59.50 Woods of Shropshire www.woodsofshropshire.co.uk 01694 781313

Sloe Gin, £24.25 Sipsmith www.sipsmith.com 0208 747 0753

Calibre De Cartier Watch, £45,900 Cartier www.cartier.co.uk 020 3147 4850

Tweed Bag, £65 Toggi www.toggi.com

Corduroy Trousers, £110 *Cordings www.cordings.co.uk 020 7734 0830

‚

42-47 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 15:58 Page 44

‚

Leather Hip Flask, £79 Aspinal of London www.aspinaloflondon.com 0845 052 6900

Wooden Bee House, £19.95 Wild & Wolf www.wildandwolf.com 01225 789909

Party Invitations, £18.80 for 8 *Honey Tree www.honeytreepublishing.com 01749 899333

Pheasant Tie, £65 *Regent Tailoring www.regenttailoring.co.uk 01722 335151

Women’s Norris Field Wellington Boot, £95 Hunter www.hunterboots.com 0330 333 4290 Hen Jam Pot, £27.95 Highgrove Shop www.highgroveshop.com 0333 222 4555

Small Bay Tree Gift, £35.99 tree2mydoor.com 0161 413 2771

Fold Away Alarm Clock, £45 Lascelles 020 8208 0040 www.rogerlascelles.com

Gentleman’s Panama Hat, £49.95 Highgrove Shop www.highgroveshop.com 0333 222 4555 44 www.thecga.co.uk

42-47 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 15:58 Page 45

Stocking Fillers

Hedgehog House, £95 Highgrove Shop www.highgroveshop.com 0333 222 4555

• Luggage Tag, £65 Smythson 0845 873 2435 www.smythson.co.uk • Near the Motorways – Cheviot Books £15.95 www.cheviotbooks.co.uk • Elderflower Fizz Bath Marbles Cracker, £6 020 8974 0110 www.oliverbonas.com • Chocolate Golf Balls, £7.99 Choco-on-Choc www.choconchoc.co.uk • Pheasant & Oak Napkin, £44.95 for a set of four Thornback & Peel 020 78312878 www.thornbackandpeel.co.uk • Noisy Cards, £5.25 each plus p&p Countryside Greetings 01789 778603 www.countrysidegreetings.com

Herend Porcelain Duck, £66 www.european-porcelain.com 020 7589 0128

Country Feather Brooch, £45 William & Son www.williamandson.co.uk 020 7493 8385

Chateauneuf Wine Decanter, £100 Dartington Crystal www.dartington.co.uk 01805 626221 CGA PRODUCTS: www.thecga.co.uk 01985 850706 Baseball cap £7.90 Silk Tie £10 Leather Card Wallet £5

www.thecga.co.uk 45

‚

42-47 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 15:58 Page 46

‚

CHRISTMAS HAMPERS Christmas Indulgence Hamper, £250 Betty’s 0800 456 1919 www.bettys.co.uk

The Shooting Party Hamper, £500 020 7734 8040 Fortnum & Mason www.fortnumandmason.com

The Colonsay Hamper, £120 0344 8475 490 Inverawe www.smokedsalmon.co.uk

Tuck Box Hamper, £28.94 0800 707 6355 Christmas Hampers UK www.christmashampersuk.com The Building Hamper, £350 0333 300 1000 Harrods www.harrods.com

46 www.thecga.co.uk

42-47 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 15:58 Page 47

The Holly Hamper, £44.99 *Virginia Hayward 01747 856 801 www.virginiahayward.com

The Ultimate Hamper, £120 01749 813733 *Godminster www.godminster.com

The Coffee Bean Hamper, £29.99 020 8275 5220 Buy a Gift www.buyagift.co.uk Daylesford Gentleman’s Hamper, £150 0333 300 1000 Harrods www.harrods.com

Day on the Green Hamper, £45 0116 274 7827 Distinct Hampers www.distincthampers.co.uk

The Artisan Christmas Hamper, £200 Purely Devon Hampers 01626 864915 www.purelydevonhampers.co.uk www.thecga.co.uk 47

48-51 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 16:02 Page 48

Colston Bassett Dairy in 1923 and above, milking

The king of cheeses Award winning Colston Bassett Dairy was established in 1913 and is one of only six dairies licensed to make Stilton, while their Shropshire Blue cheese with its distinctive orange body and blue veins certainly stands out from the crowd

48 www.thecga.co.uk

E

STABLISHED in 1913, Colston Bassett Dairy is steeped in history. The formation of the Dairy was the idea of the village doctor, Dr William Windley.

He suggested that local farmers set up a co-operative to make cheese, with the objective of adding value to any excess milk being produced by farmers in the village. The dairy was custom-built to make Stilton – but in those early days the cheese would have been very different to the blue creamy cheese we now know and love.

The co-operative Colston Bassett Dairy still operates under the same rules today.

The milk is now supplied from four local farms, all located within a 1.5 mile radius of the Dairy in the Vale of Belvoir, and many of the original families are still involved in the business.

The history of Stilton dates back to the early 18th century and, although the recipe used has changed quite dramatically over the years, it remains one of the world’s favourite cheeses. Stilton has a PDO status (Protected Designation of Origin). The PDO scheme promotes and protects names of quality agricultural products and foodstuffs. Stilton can only be produced in the three counties of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire, using pasteurised local milk, and according to a very strict code.

Stilton’s PDO status is a guarantee to

consumers that their cheese has been made to a certain recipe – they know that what they are buying can authentically be classified ‘king of cheeses’. Colston Bassett is one of only six dairies licensed to make Stilton; in addition, they make Shropshire Blue.

To make Stilton, the milk is pasteurised then cooled to cheese making temperature where a live starter culture, blue mould (Penicillium roqueforti) and an enzyme is added. All the steps in Colston Bassett’s cheese making processes are undertaken by hand – from mixing the milk in the cheese vats, cutting of the curds, hand ladling, milling, salting and mixing, through to filling the hoops (cheese moulds).

The cheese is allowed to drain in the hoops for a few days before being removed; the surface of the cheese is then smoothed to stop oxygen activating the blue spores too early. Every cheese is turned regularly by hand throughout the entire process.

As the cheese matures, oxygen is introduced, which allows the blue veining associated with Stilton to develop. Each cheese is regularly graded until it is deemed to be in peak condition for sale.

To produce one 7.5 kg Stilton cheese, requires around 72 litres of milk. From start to finish, making cheese at Colston Bassett Dairy is a very labour-intensive and

MONKHOUSE FOOD & DRINK

48-51 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 16:02 Page 49

intuitive process, overseen by experienced Dairy Manager, Billy Kevan. Billy has been casting his careful eye over the creation of Colston Bassett’s blue cheeses since 1999.

There are many variables that can affect how long the cheese-making process takes, before the Stilton or Shropshire Blue are ready to eat – temperature and humidity are two key factors. In broad terms, Stilton is usually ready to be eaten 10-12 weeks from when the milk is pasteurised and Shropshire Blue is usually 8-10 weeks.

Colston Bassett Stilton is a rich cream colour with blue veining throughout. The texture of the cheese is smooth and creamy not crumbly with a balanced, complete and a mellow flavour and no sharp acidic taste.

If not eaten up right away and if thoroughly wrapped, Stilton will keep well in the fridge for a couple of weeks. During this time the cheese will continue to

mature, becoming creamier in texture and developing a more mellow flavour. If you need to store your Stilton for longer, it freezes beautifully for up to three months.

When it comes time to defrost, it is best to do so in the fridge or a cool larder for around 24 hours, so that the cheese does not become too crumbly.

The Shropshire Blue is recognisable by its distinctive orange body, with blue veins spread throughout, the natural rind is a deep orange-brown shade. The cheese is slightly milder in flavour than Stilton and is delicately sweet. Like Stilton, the cheese has a creamy taste and smooth texture with no bitterness or sharpness.

Colston Bassett Dairy has a proud heritage and remains true to traditional cheese-making methods. The hard work of Billy Kevan and his team is continually recognised in the industry and the Dairy has celebrated endless award successes; last year, Colston Bassett Stilton was ‚

Award wining Stilton and below, Billy Kevan testing the cheese

www.thecga.co.uk 49

48-51 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 16:02 Page 50

CELEBRATE THE KING OF CHEESE OVER THE WINTER SEASON… BLUE CHEESE SCONES Enjoy this savoury scone mixture and serve with a bowl of homemade soup for a satisfying winter lunch.

Ingredients 225g (8oz) self-raising flour Small pinch celery salt 50g (2 oz) butter 150ml (1/4 pint) milk – reserve two tablespoons separately, for brushing the tops of the scones 50g (2oz) grated Colston Bassett Stilton or Shropshire Blue – reserve half for the tops of the scones

Shropshire Blue with its distinctive orange body, right Shropshire Blue scones and Shropshire Blue soufflé

The exceptional flavour of Colston Bassett Shropshire Blue stood out amongst 10,000 entries at the Great Taste Awards 2015 ‚

crowned Supreme Champion at both the International Cheese Awards and the Great Yorkshire Show.

This year, the triumphs continue… The exceptional flavour of Colston Bassett Shropshire Blue stood out amongst 10,000 entries at the Great Taste Awards 2015 – for the third consecutive year, the cheese reached the top tier of three gold stars, and is on the final list of Top 50 winners.

Colston Bassett Stilton additionally received two gold stars at the Great Taste Awards, and continued its stardom at the International Cheese Awards 2015, being awarded Best Stilton and Reserve Champion UK. Billy comments: “We are very proud to have achieved such highly-acclaimed recognition for our cheese. We carefully make our cheeses by hand, to an exceptional standard. At this year’s Great Taste Awards, just 130 products were awarded the top rating of three gold stars – to have received three gold stars and top 50 for our Shropshire Blue highlights the outstanding quality and taste for which our cheeses are renowned. Proof that our hard work continues to pay off!”

50 www.thecga.co.uk

With results such as these, it is no surprise that demand from cheese-lovers around the world is still growing; however such popularity for a handmade product also brings with it challenges. To manage demand, whilst maintaining the supreme quality of Colston Bassett’s delicious cheeses, the Dairy is in the process of implementing a ten-year investment programme. Phase one began in October 2013, with a scheme of building works that have just been completed. There is now increased maturation capacity; this additional space will streamline the production flow, particularly in the busy festive period when a sumptuous creamy Stilton accompanied by a fine Port beside a roaring fire is de rigeur.

Billy explained the expansion; “We face an issue every Christmas of not being able to meet demand . Managing any growth of a handmade product effectively is a business challenge. We feel that this long-term phased approach means that we can meet our objectives and keep producing the multi-award-winning great tasting cheese just as we have been since 1913.”

• Preheat the oven to 210° C or Gas mark 7.

• Rub the flour, celery salt and butter together to resemble fine breadcrumbs.

• Mix in the grated cheese.

• Make a well in the centre and add the milk (less reserved milk) all in one go.

• Mix to a soft dough and roll out on a lightly-floured board to approx. 2cm thick.

• Cut in to eight rounds with a 6cm biscuit cutter.

• Place on a flat metal tray lined with baking parchment.

• Brush with the reserved milk and sprinkle grated blue cheese on the top of each.

• Cook in a hot oven, turning the tray around half-way during cooking time for approx. 12 minutes.

48-51 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 16:02 Page 51

Cooks Tip: All of the ingredients can be weighed out beforehand. Rub the flour and butter together and grate the cheese.

Store in the fridge for up to two days and then you are prepared ahead of time to make your scones when the family all descend upon you.

TWICE-BAKED SHROPSHIRE BLUE SOUFFLÉS Perfect as a winter first course that can be prepared in advance, or serve with some crusty bread for a tasty lunch.

Serves 6 persons as a first course or light lunch.

Ingredients 350ml milk, infused with a slice of onion, a bay leaf and a grating of nutmeg 40g unsalted butter plus a little melted butter to line the ramekins 2 tablespoons dried breadcrumbs 30g Self-raising flour Teaspoon of Dijon mustard 2 large free range eggs – separated plus 1 extra egg white 100g Shropshire Blue To garnish A bunch of watercress Bunch of black grapes Balsamic vinegar and olive oil Seasoning • Warm the milk in a pan and add the onion, bay and nutmeg. Allow to infuse.

• Use the melted butter and brush this on the inside of six ramekins. Coat the butter with dried breadcrumbs.

• Melt the 40g of butter in a clean pan, stir in the flour and cook gently for 1 minute; continue to stir constantly.

• Strain the hot milk, one third at a time and stirring after each addition. Make sure that no lumps remain.

• Allow the sauce to simmer and thicken, continue stirring and gently cook for two minutes.

• Allow to cool then beat in the egg yolks.

• Add three-quarters of the blue cheese, mix well and check seasoning.

• Put the egg whites in a bowl and whisk to form soft peaks. Add a third of this to the sauce and mix together; this will loosen the sauce before you carefully fold in the remaining egg white.

• Divide the mixture between the ramekins and then bake in a bain-marie at 180°C or Gas Mark 6 for 10-12 minutes. To cook in the AGA place the grid shelf onto the floor of the roasting oven.

• Whilst the soufflés are cooking prepare the roasted grapes. Remove the grapes from their stalks and place on a baking tray. Brush with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, season with salt and pepper and roast in the oven for ten minutes until the skins are soft. Set aside to

Colston Bassett Dairy Ltd Harby Lane, Colston Bassett Nottingham, NG12 3FN T: 01949 81322 E: stilton@colstonbassettdairy.com W: www.colstonbassettdairy.com

serve with the watercress.

• Make sure that the soufflés are completely set and not undercooked.

• Remove the ramekins from the bainmarie and allow to cool. Then remove each soufflé from the individual dishes and chill until needed.

To serve Pre heat conventional ovens to 200°C or Gas Mark 7 or reheat in the roasting oven of your AGA by placing the soufflés on a baking tray lined with parchment and sprinkle the remaining Shropshire Blue on the top of each soufflé.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until they are puffy and golden.

Serve straight away with the roasted grapes and watercress salad.

Cooks Tip: Make the soufflés up to three weeks ahead and freeze in a sealed container.

Bake from frozen and allow an extra five minutes cooking time.

Alternatively, try this recipe as a canapé and make the soufflés in a baby muffin tin.

To serve, reheat in pastry shells (available in your local deli or cheesemonger) and garnish with a little port jelly and watercress.

Recipes supplied by: Lisa Osman - All Hallows School for Cooks & Makers www.allhallowsfarmhouse.co.uk 01725 551185 lisa@allhallowsfarmhouse.co.uk @cooksandmakers

www.thecga.co.uk 51

52-55 FESTIVE_Layout 1 22/11/2015 10:39 Page 52

A place called home In the 1860s, a pioneering Victorian photographer and entrepreneur called Francis Frith embarked upon an incredible project: to attempt to make the very first photographic record of the cities, towns and villages of Britain, and his collection is now available to everyone 52 www.thecga.co.uk

A

FTER Francis Frith’s death in 1898 his two sons, and later his grandson, continued his massive project, and The Francis Frith Collection now contains over 360,000 images of 7,000 cities, towns and villages taken between 1860 and 1970, and is recognised as being the only nationally important archive of its kind in private hands.

Francis Frith was born into a Quaker family in 1822 in Chesterfield, Derbyshire; he was a remarkable person, who by the time he founded what was to become The Francis Frith Collection in 1860, had already achieved a great deal in his first 38 years.

Together with a partner he established a wholesale grocery business in Liverpool, which was so successful that by 1856 he was able to sell his share for the equivalent of £15 million at today’s value. He was also a founder member of the Liverpool Photographic Society in 1853, only 14 years after the invention of photography.

In 1857, as a gentleman of leisure, he embarked on the first of three pioneering and sometimes dangerous expeditions up the Nile to take some of the first photographs of the antiquities of Egypt, taking bulky photographic equipment and glass plates with him. On his last expedition he travelled further up the Nile

52-55 FESTIVE_Layout 1 22/11/2015 10:39 Page 53

The images that Francis Frith and subsequently the Frith company photographers took between 1860 and 1970 remain a unique and outstanding topographical record of the changing face of Britain over more than a century

Left, Petworth, North Street 1908, top, Francis Frith (1822-1898) and above, Aylesbury, Market Square 1921

than any photographer had been before.

The impact of his photographs of the pyramids and antiquities have been likened to the first photographs taken on the surface of the moon, in terms of their effect on all who saw them. Frith’s skill as a photographer meant that the photographs he took on these expeditions established his reputation as an outstanding pioneer photographer. His photographs were published in London and New York in limited edition part-works, and sales totalled over £3 million in today’s value.

After returning from his third expedition to Egypt and the Holy Land in 1860, Frith married and settled in Reigate, Surrey. Fired by the commercial and artistic success of the photographs taken on his expeditions, Frith started the business which created The Francis Frith Collection as we know it today.

Frith’s avowed intention was to photograph every city, town and village in Britain, and although he didn’t quite succeed in this

goal, his business did create an unrivalled record of Britain over 110 years of amazing physical and social change. The images that Francis Frith and subsequently the Frith company photographers took between 1860 and 1970 remain a unique and outstanding topographical record of the changing face of Britain over more than a century, and formed the very first photographic record of the country.

Francis Frith’s company originally produced photographic prints, or small paper prints that people could paste into a scrapbook as souvenir pictures from their holidays. Then postcards as we know them today (with a photo on one side and address and message on the reverse) were legalised in 1902, and the Frith company subsequently became the leading publisher of postcards of the twentieth century.

By 1939 there was no one in the Frith family in a position to run what had become a very competitive business, so Frith & Co

was sold. The business continued to prosper under new owners up to the 1960s, but at that point it failed to keep pace with the change to colour postcards. In 1970 one of Britain’s first historians of photography, Bill Jay, heard that the company was being closed down and their premises demolished. Bill recognized the importance of the company’s archive in the history of photography and as a record of social change. He persuaded Rothmans, the cigarette company, to save the archive.

They were just in time: a week later the bulldozers arrived. Rothmans moved the archive – hundreds of thousands of precious glass negatives and prints, ledgers and company records – and saved it for the nation.

Five years later, a Rothmans executive, John Buck, persuaded the company to allow him to create a new business based on the Frith archive. The original business had offered photographic prints or postcards as www.thecga.co.uk 53

‚

52-55 FESTIVE_Layout 1 22/11/2015 10:39 Page 54

Market Drayton, Market Day 1911

54 www.thecga.co.uk

‚

holiday souvenirs, but John Buck realised that every photograph in the archive was potentially fascinating to people who had not just been on holiday in that location, but who also had a personal connection to the scene depicted in the photograph – it might show where they had been born, or grew up, or been to school, or been married. In other words, the Frith archive documented thousands of places that have helped create and shape our lives, and each photograph potentially represented an invaluable record of someone’s life.

In 1977 John Buck bought the Frith archive and embryonic business from the Rothmans company, and he has run it as an independent business ever since. In the pre-digital days of the 1970s it was very difficult and expensive to communicate to potential customers the vast range of images in the archive, but the company has nevertheless survived and prospered.

Now in the 21st century, The Francis Frith Collection has been able to take advantage of digital technology, which has

made the Frith archive of historical photographs available to everyone.

Immensely successful in Francis Frith’s own era, the archive is now entering a new phase of popularity, a century and more on. Over 130,000 Frith images are already available to view on the Frith website www.francisfrith.com - and the company has just finished a major project to digitise the entire photographic archive, allowing this extraordinary national treasure to become accessible to all, in its entirety. This digitisation project has been a huge challenge, undertaken at enormous cost, without public funding. The original materials worked with have covered the gamut: hand-written ledgers and collodion glass plates; platinum, albumen and gelatin-silver prints, small format film and most things in between. Even with the best technology and processes, handling so many delicate and varied materials has made this a slow, laborious and complex task, but this vast project will eventually make around 200,000 further images

52-55 FESTIVE_Layout 1 22/11/2015 10:39 Page 55

Top, Ayr, The Wallace Tower and the High Street 1900, above, Colchester, Hythe Quay c1955

available to purchase from the Frith website in the company’s ever expanding range of products, from prints to calendars, all based on photographs in the Frith archive. The Francis Frith Collection has also published a huge range of local history books, all based on photographs in the Frith archive, which can also be purchased from the Frith website.

The Frith company’s website has been ranked in the top ten UK gift websites for over five years and continues to make the Frith photographs more accessible today that at any time since Frith founded the business in 1860. Francis Frith, with his steadfast belief in making photographs available to the greatest number of people, would undoubtedly approve of the computer technology that allows his work to be rapidly transmitted to people all over the world by way of the Internet. The Frith photographs are still bringing pleasure to millions of people, offering each of us a powerful and nostalgic link with our own past as well as that of our forebears.

MEMBER OFFER The Francis Frith Collecton is offering a 20% discount off all Frith products (prints, maps, books and calendars) ordered via the Frith website (www.francisfrith.com) using a special discount code: VFVEKXCNFA. The offer will expire on 31st March 2016 and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offers www.thecga.co.uk 55

56-59 FESTIVE_Layout 1 22/11/2015 10:34 Page 56

56 www.thecga.co.uk

56-59 FESTIVE_Layout 1 22/11/2015 10:34 Page 57

Left, Thames Frost Fair by Thomas Wyke.

Right, An account of the first Frost Fair of 1608

The Thames Frost Fairs Kings, Queens and parading elephants were all to be found at the Thames Frost Fairs. By Ben Johnson of Historic-UK

B

ETWEEN 1600 and 1814, it was not uncommon for the River Thames to freeze over for up to two months at time. There were two main reasons for this; the first was that Britain (and the entire Northern Hemisphere) was locked in what is now known as the ‘Little Ice Age’.

The other catalyst was the medieval London Bridge and its piers, and specifically how closely spaced together they were. During winter, pieces of ice would get lodged between the piers and effectively dam up the river, meaning that it was easier for it to freeze.

Although these harsh winters often brought with them famine and death, it was the local Londoners, as enterprising and resilient as ever, who decided to make the most of it, and set up the Thames Frost Fairs. In fact, between 1607 and 1814 there were a total of seven major fairs, as well as countless smaller ones.

These Frost Fairs would have been

quite a spectacle, full of hastily constructed shops, pubs, ice skating rinks... everything that you would expect in the crowded streets of London but on ice!

The first recorded Frost Fair was during the winter of 1607/08. During December, the ice had been firm enough to allow people to walk between Southwark and the City, but it was not until January when the ice became so thick that people started setting up camp on it. There were football pitches, bowling matches, fruit-sellers, shoemakers, barbers... even a pub or two.

To keep the shopkeepers warm, there were even fires within their tents!

During the Great Winter of 1683/84, when even the seas of southern Britain were frozen solid for up to two miles from shore, the most famous frost fair was held: The Blanket Fair. The famous English writer and diarist John Evelyn described it in extensive detail, writing: Coaches plied from Westminster to the www.thecga.co.uk 57

‚

ALAMY

56-59 FESTIVE_Layout 1 22/11/2015 10:35 Page 58

‚ Temple, and from several other staires to and fro, as in the streetes, sliding with skeetes, a bull-baiting, horse and coach races, puppet plays and interludes, cookes, tipling and other lewd places, so that it seemed a bacchanalian triumph or carnival on the water, whilst it was a severe judgement on the land, the trees not onely splitting as if lightning-struck, but men and cattle perishing in divers[e] places, and the very seas so lock’d up with ice, that no vessels could stir out or come in.

Even kings and queens would join in 58 www.thecga.co.uk

the festivities; King Charles was reported to have enjoyed a spit-roasted Ox at this very fair.

Nevertheless, as you may imagine from holding a festival on a rather precarious piece of ice, there was the occasional tragedy. During the fair of 1739 a whole swathe of ice gave away and swallowed up tents, businesses and people.

Another tragedy occurred at the fair in 1789 when melting ice dragged away a ship which was anchored to a riverside pub in Rotherhithe. As the ‘Gentleman’s

Magazine’ wrote at the time: “The captain of a vessel lying off Rotherhithe, the better to secure the ship’s cables, made an agreement with a publican for fastening a cable to his premises. In consequence, a small anchor was carried on shore, and deposited in the cellar, while another cable was fastened round a beam in another part of the house. In the night the ship veered about, and the cables holding fast, carried away the beam, and levelled the house with the ground, by which accident five persons

56-59 FESTIVE_Layout 1 22/11/2015 10:35 Page 59

Left ‘The Frozen Thames’, 1677 by Abraham Hondius.

Above, the Frost Fair of 1683

Thousands of people turned up every day, and there was said to be every possible form of entertainment including a parading elephant! asleep in their beds were killed.”

By the 1800’s the climate had started to warm, the severity of the winters had waned and the last ever London Frost Fair took place in the January of 1814.

Although only lasting for five days, this was to be one of the largest fairs on record. Thousands of people turned up every day, and there was said to be every possible form of entertainment including a parading elephant!

“At every glance, there was a novelty of some kind or other. Gaming was carried

on in all its branches. Many of the itinerant admirers of the profits gained by E O Tables, Rouge et Noir, Te-totum, wheel of fortune, the garter, were industrious in their avocations, and some of their customers left the lures without a penny to pay the passage over a plank to the shore.

Skittles was played by several parties, and the drinking tents were filled by females and their companions, dancing reels to the sound of fiddles, while others sat round large fires, drinking rum, grog, and other spirits. Tea, coffee, and eatables, were

provided in abundance, and passengers were invited to eat by way of recording their visit. Several tradesmen, who at other times were deemed respectable, attended with their wares, and sold books, toys, and trinkets of almost every description.”

Perhaps the river would have frozen over a few more times before the end of the Little Ice Age, but the demolishing of the medieval London Bridge in 1831 meant that this was not to be. Instead, the fair of 1814 would be the last. www.thecga.co.uk 59

60-64 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 16:11 Page 60

All good things come from above Stunning images of galaxies, solar systems, meteor showers and a total eclipse, from over sixty different countries meant a lively debate for the judges at this year’s Insight Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2015

T 3.14pm on the 10th August 1675 the first Astronomer Royal John Flamsteed laid the foundation stone of the new Royal Observatory. Founded by Charles II, and designed by Sir Christopher Wren the Observatory was built to improve navigation at sea, by measuring Longitude.

After a disaster at sea in 1707 that killed over 2000 men, the Board of Longitude offered a reward of £20,000 (roughly £2 million today) to anyone who could solve

A

60 www.thecga.co.uk

the problem of measuring longitude at sea.

It took nearly 60 years for the prize to be claimed. After over thirty years of experimentation it was won by John Harrison, a Yorkshire carpenter turned clockmaker. His ‘H4’ watch changed navigation forever, and all four of his groundbreaking timekeepers are kept in full working order on display in the Royal Observatory, Greenwich.

Home of Greenwich Mean Time and the

Prime Meridian, and one of the most important historic scientific sites in the world, The Royal Observatory was host this year, for the seventh time, to the Insight Astronomy photographer of the year competition.

With over 2,700 entries spanning 60 different countries, both professional and amateur photographers captured stunning images, not just from our planet but from across our Solar System and galaxy.

60-64 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 16:11 Page 61

Skyscapes Luc Jamet (France) Eclipse Totality over Sassendalen Winner and Overall Winner Sponsored by Insight Investment

BBC Sky at Night Magazine’s Editor Chris Bramley and judge for the competition said, “Part of what I love about the competition is that just by looking at the pictures, you become aware of some of the most ancient and awesome processes in the Universe”.

French photographer Luc Jamet’s image of the total solar eclipse of 20th March 2015 took top prize and his image takes pride of place in the exhibition of winning photographs in the Royal Observatory.

Competition judge and Royal Observatory Public Astronomer Dr Marek Kukula said: “The total solar eclipse was one of the astronomical highlights of the year and Luc Jamet has captured it perfectly. I love the way that the icy landscape of Svalbard reflects and intensifies the evocative colours of the sky – colours that only occur during the few minutes of totality, and which make any eclipse an unforgettable experience.”

If the following images capture your

imagination, why not try your hand at capturing the dazzling northern lights in Tromsø on a Wexas winter break, offered in our travel feature later in the magazine.

Entry to the exhibition at the Astronomy Centre, Royal Observatory Greenwich, is free and runs until 26th June 2016.

‚ www.thecga.co.uk 61

60-64 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 16:12 Page 62

‚

Aurorae Jamen Percy (Australia) Silk Skies Winner

Our Moon András Papp (Hungary) Full Face of our Moon Winner

Our Sun Paolo Porcellana (Italy) Huge Prominence Lift-Off Winner

Galaxies Michael van Doorn (Netherlands) M33 Core Winner

62 www.thecga.co.uk

60-64 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 16:12 Page 63

People and Space Chap Him Wong (Hong Kong) Sunset Peak Star Trail Winner

Stars and Nebulae Ignacio Diaz Bobillo (Argentina) The Magnificent Omega Centauri Winner

Planets, Comets and Asteroids Lefteris Velissaratos (Greece) The Arrow Missed the Heart Winner

‚ www.thecga.co.uk 63

60-64 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 16:12 Page 64

‚

Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year George Martin (UK – aged 15) A Celestial Visitor Winner

The Sir Patrick Moore prize for Best Newcomer David Tolliday (UK) Orion DT Winner

Robotic Scope Sebastian Voltmer (Germany) Comet C/2013 A1 alongside Mars Winner

64 www.thecga.co.uk

65 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 16:14 Page 65

NATIONWIDE ADVICE FROM CGA FINANCIAL CGA Financial and Investment Services Ltd are delighted to announce the appointment of another financial advisor based in the Leeds office to cover the North of England and Scotland, meaning that we can now offer local advice across far more of the country.

As a founding Principal Partner Practice of St. James’s Place Wealth Management, CGA Financial and Investment Services Ltd offers clients award-winning advice on all forms of wealth management including: ISA’s Onshore/Offshore Investments IHT Planning Pensions (including self-invested) Tax and Trust Planning Residential Mortgages *Commercial Loans Protection

For further information about our services, please visit www.cgafinancial.co.uk Our expert team can also be contacted via email at financial@thecga.co.uk or via telephone on 01985 850706 The value of an investment with St. James’s Place will be directly linked to the performance of the funds you select and the value can therefore go down as well as up. You may get back less that you invested. The levels and bases of taxation and reliefs from taxation can change at any time and are generally dependent on individual circumstances.

Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.

CGA Financial & Investment Services Ltd represents only a St. James’s Place Wealth Management plc (which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority) for the purpose of advising solely on the Group’s wealth management products and services, more details of which are set out on the Group’s website at www.sjp.co.uk/products. The title ‘Practice Partner’ is the marketing term used to describe St. James’s Place representatives. *Commercial loans are not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority

66-69 FESTIVE_Layout 1 23/11/2015 12:58 Page 66

Nursery Days In this edited extract from her beautifully illustrated book Nursery Days, Angela Lynne shows off her collection of not only children’s garments, but rattles toys, books, prams and cribs dating from between 1890s and the 1980s

HAVE a collection of children’s costume that dates from the 1890s to the 1980s but primarily mid-20th century and of a very classic nanny-knows-best nature. It consists of the finest and most beautiful examples of children’s clothing that were worn during this time.

Over the years I have looked, hunted, advertised and sought out hundreds upon hundreds of these dear little garments some from the 19th century and some brand new - but the vast majority spanning what I refer to as the Christopher Robin (1920s) to Prince Charles (1950s) period.

The collection has steadily grown and spilt out into rattles, toys, books, cribs, prams (including some lovely pram covers and bedding) so that I now have a permanently laid out day and night nursery as well as a large clothes room containing a myriad of old christening robes, smocked dresses, buttoned buster suits, kid shoes and every garment relating to the traditional nursery.

I feel I am about the only person now able to recognize the makes, styles and

I

materials of these exclusive clothes.

Nursery life has been a hobby of mine for over 40 years and has grown into a serious interest. The only other people who could help in the identification of this specific subject would be old nannies and nursemaids who are, literally, a dying breed.

This is why I have endeavoured to preserve this precious period.

DRESSES AND SMOCKING The lovely, lovely dresses that children used to wear are the main reason for writing this book.

Why lovely? Because the basic unaltered style of this period was so appealing; because the materials were so fine, swaying and full; because the colours were pastel; because they were so childish.

Day dresses, quite often with matching knickers, were of thin cotton, plain or printed, for summer and wool or flannel for winter. The famous material of Viyella was introduced by William Hollins, who registered the brand name taken from his Via Gellia mills. The cloth became widely

Angela Lynne surrounded by every garment relating to the traditional nursery

66 www.thecga.co.uk

66-69 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 16:16 Page 67

used for children in the 1930s. In the ’50s the Clydella range (made with slightly less wool and more cotton) expanded into nursery prints of squirrels, toys, elves - as well as spots, checks, & rosebuds for dresses, rompers and nightwear.

COATS Outdoor wear was so smart and formal compared with today’s casual or even slovenly look. Proper tailored coats, fitted collars, stitched hats, buttoned leggings, leather walking shoes. Cream for babies, moving on to buff blue and then to Harris tweed in colours of blue, green, red, brown and grey - with velvet or stitched collars to match. Some of the collars and wrist cuffs were scalloped and might have embroidered cotton edges which could be removed for washing. Summer colours tended to be lighter – old rose, powder blue, sage, corn, sand or pale slate.

The coats were made of lined silk, wool felt, linen, moygashell, piqué, fine

corduroy, bouclé wool, flannel and tweed with varying trims, buttons and darts, and sometimes with matching hats or bonnets.

Children’s coats were miniature masterpieces of men’s tailoring – girls’ with semi-fitted waists and boys’ with a halfbelt back. Such workmanship lasted for years and years and garments were handed down through siblings and cousins.

Coats were walked to church, to school, to the shops, to the dentist, to the pantomime, to the farm, to the park, to everywhere. If it was wet it was mackintoshes. These came in navy, dark green, brown or grey made by Robert Hirst, Heatonex and others. By the ’60s sou’westers (boys) were still being made and button-on hoods (girls) introduced.

Concealed purses for bus money were attached to girls’ pockets at school age.

BUTTONS Children’s, and especially babies’, buttons were the beautiful little mother of pearl discs that fastened together the equally beautiful garments. On the smallest of baby gowns these buttons could be absolutely tiny, with only room for two minute eyes or sometimes, if made of covered linen, just sewn on with thread from the back. Pearl buttons sometimes had shell designs worked onto the surface and can be recognized as true mother of pearl by the flat backs coloured in flashes of green, black or red.

On girls’ dresses the buttons were

The famous material of Viyella was introduced by William Hollins, who registered the brand name taken from his Via Gellia mills.

The cloth became widely used for children in the 1930s www.thecga.co.uk 67

‚

66-69 FESTIVE_Layout 1 22/11/2015 10:44 Page 68

sometimes dyed to match the frock and fine garments often had double rows of these running down the length of the back, and each one secured to the other by a hand-crocheted loop. Some were covered in the material of the dress.

On small boys’ romper suits, girls’ and boys’ blouses, petticoats and top coats most buttons were plain mother of pearl in varying sizes, with four eyes, sewn on with cotton - white or possibly a shade matching collar or cuff edgings.

Fancy dress clothes and party shoes had a huge range of buttons, clasps, buckles, bows, hooks & eyes, press-studs and fastenings. Sailor suit buttons often had the manufacturer’s name stamped around the circle. Lavishly adorned page boy outfits might also have had the maker’s name around the buttons. A pearly king’s cap was covered in them.

Velvet buttons might be crossed with gold braid. Bone cardigan buttons perhaps hand-painted with rabbits or flowers.

Small dressing-gowns had pom-poms or even moulded ladybirds to do them up.

Buttons everywhere. Hundreds and thousands of them nestling into the garments they had lovingly been sewn onto. All part of the nursery treasure house.

Left, 1930s Millson - the aristocrat of baby carriages and the pride of Kensington Gardens. Right, Classical 1950s London Baby Coach with tasselled silk canopy and felted wool pram cover

to have become synonymous with this type of pram.

The period 1920s to 1960s also falls into the fresh air fanatical time when the pram was put outside for all rest periods in all weathers (except fog) and a daily walk for infants of all ages was a highlighted must every day. When the child went to bed at night, warm in enough clothing and covering, windows were flung wide for maximum fresh air to circulate into the room. Children definitely slept better than in today’s dry and airless chambers and seemed devoid of allergies.

The pram was always black or a curious dark navy that shone slightly green in the sun. It had carriage lines, and possibly even a crest as well, perfectly painted on the boat-shaped sides.

68 www.thecga.co.uk

Babies were christened as soon as possible after birth, mainly to save them in case of an infant death. Families usually had (and still have) a christening gown passed down the generations from early Victorian times and, therefore, the robe is before the period of this book but must be included here to mark a baby’s first important occasion in its life. The dress would be long, white/cream, of the finest lawn or net and with intricate inserts of lace, tucks and ruffles. It would be worn for this occasion only but brought out for each subsequent baptism in the family.

Sometimes the Christian names of each baby were written in marking ink on the inside of the gown’s hem. Christening presents from godparents would typically be silver mugs, hairbrushes, egg cups & napkin rings – or a piece of jewellery, particularly a coral necklace.

SCENES OF CHILDHOOD MOTHERS LITTLE HELPER Little girls enjoyed observing and copying the many household chores going on around them in their home. They would mimic the washing & ironing with their own dolls’ clothes and thus the valuable lessons of apprenticeship were started.

PRAMS Not clothing, although lovely pram suits lay and sat inside them, the perambulator must get a brief recognition as being a major feature in a child’s life.

If Hayfords was the Eton of children’s clothes shops then Millson was the doyen of pram makers. One gets so sick of people today eulogizing over those ‘Silver Crosses’. Silver Cross was way down the social scale with only Fred McKenzie, Leveson or London Baby Coach jostling for any position of hierarchy at all. Marmet’s ‘Sol Whitby’ was de rigeur when a child could sit up and was useful for the country or seaside. The somewhat invalid-like Victoria was for an even older child to be wheeled out in. The image of Prince Charles being pushed in Green Park seems

CHRISTENING

YOUNG GARDENERS

NURSERY DAYS Angela Lynne is offering members a discount on her book Nursery Days: £30 including p&p when your order direct from her. Email lynne1ea@btinternet.com or telephone 01953 497020.

When Queen Victoria designated small plots, complete with miniature tools, for her children to grow things in the garden at Osborne it soon became popular for all children to be given small patches of ground in the back gardens of their homes.

Here we see two children trundling off with their wheelbarrows to plant seeds – probably mustard & cress or radish. Outdoor clothes were sturdy & warm in varying colours of earth & mud.

Felt hats, fawn leggings and laced leather shoes complete the picture. This is typical of the 1930s –’50s.

66-69 FESTIVE_Layout 1 22/11/2015 10:45 Page 69

Christening gowns and typical presents. Below, Mothers little helper and right, young gardeners

www.thecga.co.uk 69

70-75 FESTIVE_Layout 1 22/11/2015 15:42 Page 70

Where will you go this winter?

As the nights draw in and summer fades into a memory, it’s time to think about booking a well-deserved winter break.

Whether you prefer to escape the cold, or embrace the European winter, Wexas has plenty of options. Here are four favourites: all of them can be taken at any time throughout the colder months and provide the perfect antidote to those wintertime blues

70 www.thecga.co.uk

Tromsø is at the centre of the northern aurora zone, and dazzling celestial displays circle the sky above the city with great and regular abandon. Anyone who’s been to Tromsø will assure you that there’s more to the city than what goes on above, with its animated street scene and creative culture reflecting the vibrant colours of the pulsating Aurora Borealis.

to an exceptional collection of Norwegian contemporary art, is another close to the hotel. Later on, fall in with the city’s fashionable set and sample the town’s best local beverages at one the city’s many bars. You’ll be spoilt for choice – there are more pubs per capita in Tromsø than anywhere else in Norway. The city also has an excellent restaurant scene, offering the chance to sample your first reindeer fillet, cured lamb or tasty stockfish, it is not to be missed.

Day 1 UK/Tromsø Fly from London Gatwick to Tromsø and check in to the Clarion Collection Hotel which is situated on the quayside in the heart of the city’s scenic harbour, just minutes from the Arctic Cathedral, the aerial tramway and historic Skansen. Spend the rest of the day exploring the centre on foot, visiting the city’s museums and galleries - the Tromsø Kunstforening, home

Day 2-3 Tromsø Tromsø’s northern location allows for a multitude of exciting excursion opportunities, from husky and snowmobile safaris to reindeer sledding and whale watching trips. In the evening, wrap up warm and head into the surrounding hills to find a good spot from which to watch the Northern Lights as they dance across the night sky.

Northern Lights in Tromsø 4-day tailor-made break

70-75 FESTIVE_Layout 1 22/11/2015 15:42 Page 71

Day 4 Tromsø/UK Enjoy breakfast at your hotel and bid a final farewell to this majestic fjordside city before flying back to London Gatwick.

From £375 per person incl. flights and 3 nights room-only accommodation.

Treehotel and ICEHOTEL 5-day tailor-made journey Stay at two of Scandinavia’s most iconic and celebrated hotels on a memorable tour of Swedish Lapland, including a scenic train ride from Luleå to Kiruna and a fabulous choice of winter escapades from the Gulf of Bothnia to deep within the Arctic Circle.

Day 1 Luleå Fly to Luleå via Stockholm and transfer to the Clarion Sense for a one-night stay.

Explore Luleå or enjoy an evening snowshoe excursion to see the Northern Lights.

Day 2 Treehotel After breakfast at the hotel, transfer to the Treehotel. On arrival, embark on a tour of the hotel to learn about its amazing design and construction.

Optional excursions include dogsledding, a horse and sleigh ride, a cultural visit to a Sami village or an afternoon skiing at nearby Storklinten. Your accommodation for the night will be in The Cabin, The Bird’s Nest, The Blue Cone, The UFO or The Mirror Cube. The Dragonfly room is available for a supplement.

Dazzling Northern Lights in Tromsø.

Below, the UFO Treehotel, in Swedish Lapland

Day 3 ICEHOTEL Travel by train from Luleå to Kiruna and transfer to the world-famous ICEHOTEL, your home for the next two nights. Take a tour of the hotel before checking into a Snow Room where you’ll spend your first night (upgrades to Ice Rooms and Art Suites are available).

‚ www.thecga.co.uk 71

70-75 FESTIVE_Layout 1 22/11/2015 15:42 Page 72

Enjoy the sculpted ice beds at the ICEHOTEL; thermals are provided. Below, the Blue Mountains, one of Australia’s most scenic locations

‚

Day 4 ICEHOTEL Wake to a warm glass of lingonberry juice before enjoying a delicious buffet breakfast.

A morning sauna completes a great start to the day before you set off on an optional husky or snowmobile safari, ice driving tour or reindeer encounter. Round off your day with a traditional Lappish dinner (not included) and optional tour in search of the Northern Lights. Your second night at ICEHOTEL will be spent in a bright, warm and airy Kaamos room.

Day 5 Luleå/UK Check out and transfer to the airport for your onward flight via Stockholm.

From £1,075 per person incl. flights, transfers and 4 nights B&B accommodation.

Sydney to Byron in Style 15-day tailor-made self-drive New South Wales is home to some of Australia’s most spectacular holiday experiences and is at its best during our winter, especially at New Year, when thousands of revellers head to Sydney Harbour to see one of the world’s most spectacular fireworks displays. Elsewhere in the state, you’ll find gorgeous golden beaches, stunning national parks and famous landmarks that make it a must-see destination. Within easy reach of the city there’s an exceptional diversity of landscapes and experiences that perfectly showcase Australia’s food, wine, nature, wildlife and laid-back coastal lifestyle.

Days 1-3 Sydney Arrive in Sydney and transfer to The Langham, Sydney, located in the exclusive Rocks precinct, just minutes from Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Opera House and Darling Harbour. The Langham is one of Sydney’s finest luxury properties, where you’ll enjoy magnificent harbour views, an all-inclusive day spa, classic and contemporary fine dining and one of Sydney’s best afternoon teas. If your trip coincides with New Year’s Eve, why not book a front row seat for the famous fireworks display on a New Year harbour cruise?

72 www.thecga.co.uk

70-75 FESTIVE_Layout 1 22/11/2015 15:43 Page 73

Byron Bay

Sydney Harbour

Days 4-5 Blue Mountains Collect your hire car and drive inland to the Blue Mountains National Park. Check into the award-winning Lilianfels Blue Mountains Resort & Spa, a luxury boutique hotel that combines traditional elegance with every modern amenity, creating a relaxing hideaway in the heart of one of Australia’s most scenic locations.

Days 6-7 Hunter Valley Swap wildlife for wine as you head north to the vineyards of the Hunter Valley, where you’ll check in to Spicers Vineyards Estate for a two-night stay. This luxurious guesthouse is the perfect base from which to explore one of Australia’s premier wineproducing regions. Away from the wines you can enjoy miles of scenic hiking and biking trails, hot air ballooning and golf.

Days 8-9 Port Stephens Next stop is the charming coastal town of Port Stephens, known for its unspoiled natural surroundings, breathtaking beaches and abundance of marine wildlife, including a resident pod of around 150 Bottlenose dolphins.

Days 10-11 North Farm Spend two nights exploring the Bindarri and Bongil Bongil National Parks from your base at North Farm. This is rural New South Wales at its best, where a simple way of life and traditional methods of farming are still very much the norm. Enjoy comfortable, rustic accommodation, lovingly prepared home-cooked food and a saltwater swimming pool with views across the surrounding countryside.

Days 12-15 Byron Bay Drive to Byron Bay, known for its beautiful beaches and laid-back atmosphere, and check into the Byron at Byron Resort & Spa for a three-night stay. This stylish resort, surrounded by subtropical rainforest and just yards from nearby Tallow Beach, features a spa, a swimming pool and one of Byron Bay’s best restaurants.

From £2,680 per person incl flights, transfers, 12 days car hire, 2 nights B&B accommodation and 12 nights roomonly accommodation. ‚ www.thecga.co.uk 73

70-75 FESTIVE_Layout 1 22/11/2015 15:43 Page 74

‚

Authentic Thailand 15-day tailor-made journey There can be few better places to escape the winter than Thailand. Get a taste of this remarkable country’s cities, culture and coast as you combine a stay in the exhilarating capital, Bangkok, with the chance to explore remote hill tribe villages and age-old temples in the northern town of Chiang Mai. Finally, head south to Krabi on the tropical Andaman Coast, where you’ll spend a memorable week relaxing on white sand beaches surrounded by spectacular limestone cliffs. Throughout this twoweek trip you’ll stay at some of Thailand’s most exclusive and authentic luxury hotels and resorts, handpicked for their exceptional facilities, location and service.

Days 1-3 Bangkok Arrive in Bangkok and transfer to the Riva Surya Bangkok, an ultra-stylish boutique hotel on the banks of the Chao

Phraya River and a great base from which to explore the city’s must-see attractions. Over the next two days you’ll have the chance to get to know Thailand’s buzzing capital as you visit the historic temples and colourful markets of this vibrant and cosmopolitan city. During your stay we can arrange a trip to the Floating Markets of Thonburi, a visit to silk entrepreneur Jim Thompson’s House or a rice barge dinner cruise on the Chao Phraya River.

Days 4-6 Chiang Mai Board a flight to Chiang Mai in Thailand’s mountainous north. On arrival you’ll transfer to Tamarind Village, a charming boutique property nestled in the heart of the historic city.

Surrounded by ancient temples and quaint shopping streets, it takes its name from a magnificent 200-year-old tamarind tree that shelters the hotel in a shady embrace. Set around a series of garden courtyards, the 42 guest rooms and three suites reflect the rich ethnic

diversity of northern Thailand by using fabrics and patterns drawn from various tribes of the region. Intimate, serene and relaxing, Tamarind Village is an oasis of calm and tranquility, the perfect base for exploring Chiang Mai and beyond.

Days 7-14 Krabi Fly south to Krabi for a week of rest and relaxation at the stunning Rayavadee Resort. Situated at the heart of the Phranang Peninsula on the edge of Krabi Marine National Park, Rayavadee sits discreetly amidst a landscape of tropical gardens and coconut groves against a backdrop of sheer limestone cliffs, lush jungle foliage and the crystalline waters of the Andaman Sea. In addition to its stylish, five-star accommodation, Rayavadee boasts some outstanding restaurants and one of the best spas in Thailand.

From £2,510 per person incl. flights, transfers and 14 nights B&B accommodation.

Authentic Thailand; culture and coast

WEXAS TRAVEL For more information, or to make a booking to any of these destinations, call 020 7838 5941 or visit wexas.com TRAVEL SERVICES FOR CGA MEMBERS Wexas Travel provides members of the CGA with access to a range of specially negotiated travel offers, as well as free registration to their award-winning service.

Your Wexas membership will give

74 www.thecga.co.uk

you access to a variety of benefits, including: • Specially negotiated travel offers and members-only exclusives • Free UK airport VIP lounge access on qualifying Wexas holidays • Access to the best cover-for-cost travel insurance • Members-only events • Personal one-to-one advice and booking service from well-travelled destination specialists

• For over forty years, Wexas has been delivering the highest level of service and value-for-money, whether you’re booking a luxury trip around the world, or a short break in Europe.

• To get instant access to the latest member only travel offers, register today for your free Wexas membership by visiting wexas.com/CGA or calling 020 7838 5941 quoting 8WWCG.

75 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 15:53 Page 41

SPECIAL OFFER for CGA Members SAVE 10%

LLuxurious, uxurious, h healthy ealthy

Offer valid until 31st March 2016

100% 1 00% SSilk ilk D Duvets uvets

Extra llight, Extra ight, warm warm aand nd ssoft, oft, ssilk’s ilk’s n natural atural temperature temperature control most night’s control ggives ives the the m ost lluxurious uxurious aand nd healthy healthy n ight’s sleep sleep 100% 1 00% silk silk ffloss loss ffilling, illing, 1 100% 00% ssilk ilk o outer uter

Made from the finest 100% long mulberry silk floss, encased in 100% (habotai) silk, these duvets are setting a new standard in sleeping comfort, giving you the most luxurious and healthy night’s sleep. We are delighted to bring you the very finest quality silk from a specialist producer in China’s Jiangsu Province where the many extraordinary qualities of silk have been appreciated for centuries.

hrough tthe Maximum M aximum ccomfort omfort tthrough he night night

Silk is the original breathable fabric. Large fibres limit its abilty to conduct heat, keeping warmth close to the body in winter and shedding excess heat in summer.

So it acts to effectively control the body's temperature, a bit like a thermostat. The result is an ultra soft, lightweight duvet with an even warmth which feels ‘like being wrapped in a soft and delicate cloud’. This ability to balance between body temperature and ambient room temperature has led to silk's famed ability to be 'warm in winter, cool in summer'.

Warmth W armth without without weight weeight

100% 1 00% LLong ong M Mulberry ulberry Silk Silk 9 ttog og D Duvets u ve t s

Many customers, including arthritis sufferers, have enjoyed the relief provided by the lightness of the silk compared with other duvet materials where the weight of bedding may cause discomfort.

Hypoallergenic H ypoallergenic

These duvets can be excellent news for allergy sufferers. Silk duvets will not accommodate the house mites which thrive in other bedding materials and which are the cause of so many allergies.

Cleaning: Air on a washing line 2 or 3 times a year. If necessary duvets can be dry cleaned.

““It It was was warm warm w without ithout being being ttoo oo h hot, ot, llight ight and and comfortable comfortable and and jjust ust pperfect. erfect. I am am absolutely absolutely delighted delighted and and will will never use n ever u se anything anything eelse. lse. II’m ’m ttelling elling all all my my friends”. friends”. Mrs W.M. ““II have have rheumatoid rheumatoid aarthritis rthritis aand nd have have ffound ound tthat hat tthe he llightness ightness ooff tthe he ssilk ilk m makes akes a hhuge uge ddifference ifference ttoo my my comfort comfort at at night”. night”. Mrs B.

Bed B ed

Duvet Duvet SSize ize

Single Double King S/King

135 x 200cm 200 x 200cm 225 x 220cm 260 x 220cm

N Normal ormal CGA CGA Members’ Members’ P Price rice Price 31st P rice ((to to 3 1st March March 2016) 2016) SAVE SAVE 10% 10% £ 120.00 £ 108.00 £ 160.00 £ 144.00 £ 190.00 £ 171.00 £ 215.00 £ 193.50

Delivery: Normally within 48 hours - FREE to UK addresses

TO T OO ORDER RDER ((Freephone) Freephone) 0 800 6 22 6405 6405 0800 622 The South Downs Trading Co. PO Box 386,Teddington TW11 8ZN

**Warm Warm iin n Winter, Winter, C Cool ool iin n Summer Summer *Breathable *Breathable Hypoallergenic **Soft Soft aand nd LLightweight ightweight *Naturally *Naturally H ypoallergenic

www.silkbedding.co.uk w ww.silkbedding.co.uk Guarantee: If you are not completely satisfied just return within 30 days for full refund or replacement

Operates with Zero Ambient Light 400+ metre Range 20x Optical Zoom Ideal for :Security Pest Control Animal Search

MLS

MANS LOCATION SERVICES LIMITED

+44 (0) 1249 816 181 sales@mansls.co.uk www.mansls.com

www.thecga.co.uk 75

76-77 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 16:24 Page 76

5

OF THE BEST CASTLES TO STAY AT IN THE UK

76 www.thecga.co.uk

GLENBORRODALE CASTLE ARDNAMURCHAN www.glenborrodalecastle.com

SWINTON PARK YORKSHIRE DALES www.swintonpark.com

RESTING on the Ardnamurchan peninsula, and set within a 25,000 acre estate surrounded by woodland, Glenborrodale Castle remains one of the best keep secrets of the area - it is fully working, and part of a small but thriving peninsula community.

The baronial castle, built in 1900 by Mr C D Rudd, who made his fortune in the diamond mines of South Africa, appears more apt for entertaining rather than repelling its neighbours. Boasting sixteen impressive and extremely comfortable rooms with views of Loch Sunart, this secluded and unique venue is ideal for weddings and events. The castle proves its resilience with a brand new, highly ecological woodchip boiler and its very own filtered water system.

Guests can watch crab, lobster and scallops being landed at the castle’s jetty, but if this is not to your taste, how about slow grown beef, lamb and pork, sourced from the local farmers and (supplemented in season) with venison from the estate.

The area of Ardnamurchan has a wide variety of activities on offer, from clay pigeon shooting to sea kayaking, cycling, walking and hiking. Excursions and day trips from the castle are also popular with guests, and a visit to the Isle of Mull on the ferry at Kilchoan is a must.

ON the outskirts of the small market town of Masham in the Yorkshire Dales stands Swinton Park Castle, owned by the Cunliffe-Lister family since the 1800’s and the ancestral seat of the Earl of Swinton.

There is a sense throughout the castle of it being more of a lavish home than a hotel, with thirty-one individually designed bedrooms, each with generously sized bathrooms.

Dining at Swinton Park is a treat, with a reputation for quality food proven by its AA Rosette restaurant, the menu emphasises seasonal dishes with locallysourced produce inspired by the fruit, vegetables and herbs grown in the hotels’ walled garden.

The Cunliffe-Lister family also run the 20,000 acre Swinton Estate, where you can enjoy fishing, golf, riding, shooting and falconry. The Swinton Park Birds of Prey centre opened an aviary in the restored orangery, within the grounds in 2008, and is home to owls, eagles, falcons and hawks - why not learn to handle and fly them under the guidance of an experienced falconer? Shooting on the estate is some of the most extensive in the UK, embracing woodlands and valleys, stretching from the River Ure in Wensleydale up onto the Moorland Dales.

76-77 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 16:24 Page 77

THORNBURY CASTLE GLOUCESTERSHIRE www.thornburycastle.co.uk

BOVEY CASTLE DEVON www.boveycastle.com

AMBERLEY CASTLE SUSSEX www.amberleycastle.co.uk

STEP back in time in this extraordinary Tudor castle on the edge of the Cotswolds.

Thornbury Castle exhibits 500-year-old architecture and was intended as a home for Edward Stafford, the Duke of Buckingham.

Work began in 1511 and was almost complete in 1521 when Henry VIII accused his distant cousin Edward, of treason, beheaded him, and confiscated his castle.

The castle demonstrates exquisite Tudor décor, matched with fabulous grounds which were enjoyed by Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn as a honeymoon retreat.

Each of the twenty-six bedrooms ooze elegance, style and magnificent velvetbedecked four-poster beds. The ornate carved ceilings complement the eye and tapestries of Tudor hunting scenes lace the walls.

The castle has four dining rooms: dine in the hexagonal Tower dining room with a magnificent open fireplace and arrow-slit windows, or down in the dungeons where a party of eight can feast.

The history is infused in the kitchens, as it is in the entire castle; Thornbury has a dazzling food heritage, particularly since the 1970’s when international stars such as Sophia Loren and Laurence Olivier would wine and dine in style.

LOCATED in Dartmoor National Park, it was 1880 when William Henry Smith purchased the extensive land where Bovey Castle stands. His son, Frederick, built and completed the Manor House in 1907 which was later used as a convalescent home during the First World War, and later as a military hospital when war broke out again in 1939.

All sixty-three rooms in the castle have been individually designed by Annabel Elliot, an internationally renowned interior designer and younger sister of Duchess of Cornwall, and all rooms boast uninterrupted views of the valley.

Eating at Bovey Castle is a delight; the famous afternoon tea, weather permitting, is served on the South Terrace with its panoramic views of the entire estate, and private dining is available in the Summerhouse, hidden within the castle grounds, flanked by tall hedges and herbaceous borders.

Bovey provides guests with the opportunity to surround themselves in nature and immerse themselves in a variety of activities, ranging from making sloe gin or archery, to clay pigeon shooting and falconry, added to which there is always the championship golf course, or indeed the spa and swimming pool.

IN the picturesque village of Amberley at the foot of the South Downs rests this 900 year old castle, enclosed by a sixty foot high curtain wall and flanked by a magnificent twin-tower gatehouse. The land where Amberley castle stands was gifted to Bishop Wilfrid in 683 AD by Caedwalla, King of Wessex, and every night the huge portcullis is raised, closing out the rest of the world and creating a wonderful haven behind the castle walls.

Made up of nineteen rooms, each with a unique design, some feature whirlpool bathrooms, but all are designed with historically influenced furnishings complemented by modern facilities.

Both The Queen’s Room with it’s barrel-vaulted ceiling dating back to the 12th century, and The Great Room with its Norman architecture, provide guests with a setting for a real gastronomic treat. The castle has long held a reputation for delivering outstanding cuisine, and boasts a Three Rosette award.

Amberley has over 12 acres of gardens in which to roam, or you can take advantage of the 18-hole putting green.

You could simply enjoy an afternoon in the Amberley Castle treehouse with views of the lake, watching wildlife or enjoying a good book.

www.thecga.co.uk 77

78-81 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 16:27 Page 78

Changing places Laura James talks to writer Tessa Cunningham about life with a versatile new Aqua AGA City60 following a major kitchen rethink

78 www.thecga.co.uk

78-81 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 16:27 Page 79

W

HEN freelance writer Tessa Cunningham decided to relocate the kitchen from the basement in her Winchester town house to the first floor, she felt a real sense of loss at saying goodbye to her AGA cooker. It was there when she moved into the house more than 15 years ago and she had become understandably attached to it.

Tessa’s girls, Elise and Ellen, who have left home but are both back for a while, grew up with the old 4-oven model in British Racing Green. Tessa has no idea how long it had been in the house, but letting it go was not easy. “I couldn’t imagine a home or a kitchen without an AGA,” she says.

Tessa agonised over which model to have installed in the new kitchen; she was looking for greater programmability and didn’t want one as large as her old cooker.

In fact, she was considering a conventional range cooker when she learned about the new AGA City60.

“The AGA City60 is great,” she says.

“There has been a bit of adjusting going from a traditional AGA cooker, as I have to plan ahead or use the timer for the ovens, but I can’t believe how quickly the hotplate comes up to temperature.

“In the morning I come down, switch it on, go and buy the papers at the garage across the road, come back and put the coffee on and it’s just lovely. I cook a lot more on the hotplate now – it’s great for steaks and salmon. I use the whole area as I can fast-boil, say pasta, in the middle and have the sauce gently warming on the side.

“I absolutely love cooking lamb tagine in the simmering oven. I made one for my daughter’s 21st birthday when she was at university in Warwick. I had to drive it all the way up there, as it was what she really wanted!”

The basement itself has now been turned into a one-bedroom holiday let, with the old kitchen now a bedroom. Tessa’s new kitchen is a light and airy room at the back of the ground floor of the house. It used to be her office, but works really well as a kitchen, with a spacious feel and views over the garden.

The kitchen, which is by Wren, is a pale cream and there was much debate as to the use of contrasting colours. In the end Tessa’s daughter Ellen suggested using the same colour as the cabinetry, which gives the room a fresh, contemporary look. The debate didn’t stop there; like so many new AGA owners, Tessa agonised over which colour to choose.

“I knew I really liked Aqua,” she says, “but had to go through that process of deciding if it was the right colour for me. I considered Heather and Pistachio, but I think when you fall in love with something at first sight you have to go all round the houses to be sure that it’s the one. It has to

be the right choice as it’s going to be around for a long time.”

Tessa spends a lot of time at home because, as a freelance journalist, the house doubles as her office. It also holds a lot of family memories for her. After breaking his hip, her father came to live with her for the last few years of his life.

A short time afterwards her brother moved in too, to help look after him. In 2012 Tessa’s first book, Take Me Home, was published. It told the story of her father’s life and chronicled their time together during his final years. She hopes it has encouraged others to consider living with their parents.

Left, Tessa Cunningham in her newly designed kitchen by Wren, with its Aqua AGA City60 above

I cook a lot more on the hotplate now – it’s great for steaks and salmon.

I use the whole area as I can fast-boil, say pasta, in the middle and have the sauce gently warming on the side.

“It was so special as it was about my family, my dad and me,” Tessa says. “Dad was very bemused by the book, as he thought he’d lived a very ordinary life, even though he was involved in the D-Day landings and was someone of 98 who had a very rich life with lots of ups and downs.

“What someone like him can teach us about how to cope with life’s vicissitudes is really interesting. I’m the youngest in the family and my brother, Andy, who is eight years older than me, went to boarding school when I was four so we hadn’t really lived together. So it was lovely when he moved in. We were like two parents and Dad was the kid. We’d talk about the funny things he’d done that day. It was really sweet. www.thecga.co.uk 79

78-81 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 16:27 Page 80

Winter warmers The AGA stoves collection has something for everyone – from classic designs to one that looks like a flatscreen TV

S

TOVES are hugely popular and for good reasons. Many of us are keen to reconnect to nature, to be fuel independent and to heat our homes in a way that is cost effective and good for the environment.

For years, cast iron dominated the market with the majority of stoves very traditional in their design. In

recent years, there’s been a move towards steel and the sleeker, cleaner lines it offers.

The latest additions to the AGA stoves collection set out to cater for both markets, with a mix of classic and contemporary, large and more modest.

All, however, benefit from the craftsmanship and quality for which the AGA brand is renowned.

The Hanwood Echoing a flatscreen TV, the stunning Hanwood features a huge rectangular glass window. It is a large stove boasting a powerful 6kW heat output and efficiency of 80.2 per cent. It also features primary and secondary air control and a top or rear flue.

The Dorrington The Dorrington has left, and right-hand side windows and a large front glass window to ensure the flames can be enjoyed from virtually anywhere in the room. It has a 6kW heat output and 80.4 per cent energy efficiency.

The Ellesmere Available in three sizes ranging from 415mm wide to 565mm wide, the Ellesmere is a fusion of up-to-date technology and proven design. All three models are smoke exempt, fully approved to burn solid fuel or wood in smoke-exempt zones and 85 per cent energy efficient. Each model also features a single air control lever.

80 www.thecga.co.uk

78-81 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 16:28 Page 81

Celebrating an icon

The Wren The small but perfectly formed Wren can run on wood or coal, with an energy efficiency of up to 77.5 per cent. Its clean design lines and large viewing glass offer a more modern take on a traditional stove design. It provides a nominal heat output of 4.8kW and can be flued into a standard fireplace.

H

The Lawley The Scandinavian-style Lawley majors on versatility. There is the option of a pedestal providing 360º rotation, so the whole body moves around, or on a wood store so it remains static. It has a heat output of 4.4kW, provides a stunning flame picture and has simple-to-use controls.

UNDREDS of AGA fans, including many visitors from overseas, attended the inaugural AGA Festival held at London’s prestigious Royal Geographical Society.

The event featured guest speakers, carefully picked stallholders and members of the AGA team offering expert tips and advice.

The festival was opened by AGA Rangemaster chief executive William McGrath, who described the AGA as the “best cooker in the world…an icon with a proud history”.

Headline speaker was the hugely popular Lucy Young, (pictured above) who has been Mary Berry’s assistant for 25 years. Together with the audience, she watched a video message from Mary in which she apologised for not being able to be at the festival and wished everyone an enjoyable day.

Interviewed by AGA Living contributing editor Laura James and event compére Simon Brown, Lucy said working with Mary was her ‘dream job’ and she described how the popularity of

the Great British Bake Off had changed life for them both.

Together, the two have written a brand new book, The Complete AGA Cookbook. Lucy took the audience through the new book and signed copies when she came off stage.

Next on was international interior designer Kathryn M. Ireland, followed by Olivia Wollenberg, founder of the Livia’s Kitchen brand.

Cookery writer Amy Willcock then took to the stage for a lively discussion of food and AGA cooking before Simon Brown introduced Heather McGregor, the face behind the Financial Times’s Mrs Moneypenny column.

The final speaker was model Daisy Lowe, who talked about London Fashion Week and her love of food and cooking.

To sample the atmosphere of the occasion, visit the agacooking channel on YouTube.

Simply fill out the form at the back of the magazine, for a chance to win one of two copies of The Complete AGA Cookbook.

For more information on AGA stoves – including other models such as the 5.9kW Westbury, the 7kW Shawbury and the 8kW Hadley – visit agastoves.co.uk or call 08453 381365. Prices start at £695. www.thecga.co.uk 81

ASSETS_Layout 1 21/11/2015 18:35 Page 82

Funding Care Fees vs Deprivation of Assets Head of CGA Legal Services James Baker discusses what you can do to avoid falling foul of Local Authority rules on deprivation of assets if you have a relative likely to go into care

W

HEN your elderly relative is considering making a gift to a member of the family, it is unlikely that they would give any thought to the Local Authority. Why should they?

There is one simple reason - if the Local Authority subsequently starts funding care for your relative, then such a gift could be caught under the “deprivation of capital” rules.

What are the rules?

Your Local Authority is guided by the Charging for Residential Accommodation Guide (CRAG) when assessing a person’s ability to pay towards their care. The rules contained in this guide vary between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, but essentially the Local Authority will take into account the value of a person’s property, savings and investments when assessing their capital. If that person has capital of less than £23,250 they will be eligible for Local Authority funding towards care fees. If their capital is £14,250 or less then they will be entitled to full funding at the Local Authority rate.

If the Local Authority believes that any assets have been disposed of with the intention of qualifying for greater care fees funding, then deprivation of capital is deemed to have taken place and a notional value of the assets disposed of will be added back into the equation when the Local Authority calculates the care fees contribution.

What gifts fall foul of these rules?

A gift can be seen as a deliberate deprivation of capital if a clear motive can be established for reducing liability for care fees, however absence of such a motive does not necessarily mean the gift is deemed legitimate according to the CRAG rules.

The timing of the gift is crucial. The rules state that if the gift was made when the donor could not have foreseen the need to move into care, then it would be 82 www.thecga.co.uk

unreasonable for a Local Authority to decide that there was a motive to qualify for greater care fees funding.

This means that if the gift is made when your relative is independent, fit and healthy, then the Local Authority is less likely to have a successful claim of deliberate deprivation of capital. A gift made when your relative’s health is more questionable is more likely to be deemed a deliberate deprivation of capital by the Local Authority, regardless of whether the motive was to assist the family rather than reduce liability for care fees.

Cathy has £20,000 in a bank account and uses £15,000 to purchase a car. Two weeks later she enters a care home and gives the car to her son Simon. If Cathy knew when she purchased the car that she would be moving to a care home, then deprivation should be considered.

However, all the circumstances must be

taken into account so if Cathy had no reason to think she may need care and support when she purchased the car, this should not be considered as deprivation.

What if money is spent rather than gifted?

The CRAG rules do not just cover gifts made by a donor before moving into care.

They also cover other methods of asset deprivation such settling debts, converting assets into ‘disregarded property’ or even excessive spending on oneself, for example purchasing jewellery. ‘Disregarded property’ is property that the Local Authority will not include in their calculation of care fees contributions. It includes any personal possessions, various life assurance products and the person’s home for the first 12 weeks of care.

If your relative converted any capital into ‘disregarded property’ in order to

ASSETS_Layout 1 21/11/2015 18:35 Page 83

qualify for greater care fees funding, then they can be regarded as having deliberately deprived themselves of capital and would therefore fall foul of a Local Authority investigation.

How is payment of fees enforced by the Local Authority?

If your relative is unable to pay their care fees as a result of a gift they have made, then the Local Authority still has a duty to provide care, however they may recover any asset from the person who received a gift that was given away within six months of your relative entering care.

Alternatively, the Local Authority can seek to recover the debt in court or apply to have the transfer set aside on the basis that it was made with the intention of defrauding creditors.

Can a Local Authority decision be appealed?

Once the Local Authority has made their decision based on all the available evidence, a review can be requested if you disagree with this. If this review fails to resolve the decision, then you can make a complaint in accordance with the Local Authority Complaints Procedure. If this still fails to resolve the dispute then a complaint should be made to the Local Authority Ombudsman.

A gift can be seen as a deliberate deprivation of capital if a clear motive can be established for reducing liability for care fees

For further information or legal advice in relation to elderly care, please contact James Baker on 01985 851300 or by email at James.Baker@cgalegal.co.uk.

www.thecga.co.uk 83

84 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 16:44 Page 84

Is your income suffering from record-low interest rates?

I

NCOME is important. It’s an obvious statement. The difficulty is that, in an uncertain world, investment income is hard to find right now. Investors looking for income have faced an increasing challenge ever since the financial crisis broke in 2008. Prudence and vigilance became the order of the day as financial institutions across the globe took extreme measures to protect themselves from global meltdown.

Central Governments across the world also reacted strongly, forcing interest rates to record lows. Seven years on and interest rates in the UK remain almost non-existent. The result is real losses for the savers in bank and building society deposits which fail to match inflation.

History shows that investing in equities, or shares, has provided investors with a better chance of outpacing inflation over the long term versus other asset classes, particularly if the shares are able to increase the dividend payments year after year. Positively, there are indications that the recent trend of increasing dividend payments could be sustainable.

With dividend payouts on the turn, the outlook for equity income funds could also be on the up. Equity income funds have a strong track record for delivering attractive, sustainable income and steady returns over the long term. But it is worth remembering that not all equity income funds are the same. Some are better for income, while others provide better prospects for total return investors through the reinvestment of income. As Principal Partners of St. James’s Place we 84 www.thecga.co.uk

At The CGA we believe that our ability to tailor solutions to an individual’s needs and attitude to risk means your income investments are in good hands can offer a range of equity income funds managed by investment managers with complementary styles.

Corporate bonds funds which are, by their nature income producers, remain popular particularly with cautious investors. We firmly subscribe to the view that a diversified fixed interest strategy with exposure to investment grade, subinvestment grade and senior secured debt will help position your portfolio to benefit from growth across the credit spectrum.

Commercial property felt the full effects of the credit crunch and the fall in property values left many investors nursing significant losses. But again, history suggests that commercial property has a place in a portfolio for income investors. Its long-term track record is strong, and, importantly it offers returns that are lowly correlated to other asset classes. Investors should however note that investing in real asset classes (equities, corporate bonds and commercial

property) does not provide the security of capital which is characteristic of a deposit account with a bank or building society.

The value of capital, and income from it, can fall as well as rise and you may not get back the original amount invested. Those investing for income need to remember that no one asset class is the panacea.

With uncertainty around interest rates, a well-diversified, well-managed portfolio which blends a range of asset classes remains the most suitable strategy for investors to satisfy their longer-term income needs.

For more information or to book a meeting please contact William Harrison-Allan Chairman of CGA Financial & Investment Services Ltd Principal Partner of St. James’s Place Wealth Management, on 01985 850706 or email wha@thecga.co.uk

The value of an investment with St. James’s Place will be directly linked to the performance of the funds you select and the value can therefore go down as well as up. You may get back less than you invested.

CGA Financial & Investment Services Ltd is registered in England and Wales (number 2666180) and represents only St. James’s Place Wealth Management plc (which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority) for the purpose of advising solely on the Group’s wealth management products and services, more details of which are set out on the group’s website at www.sjp.co.uk/products. The ‘St. James’s Place Partnership’ and the title ‘Principle Partner Practice’ are marketing terms used to describe St. James’s Place representatives.

Insuring your wine collection The festive season is upon us, and many of you may be reviewing your wine collection. Sterling Insurance advises us on how to ensure our most prized tipples arrive to the table shipshape

W

Some of the most common causes of damage or loss to a client’s wine collection include: • Loss of labels in a cellar flood cause depreciation in the value of the wine collection • Fire loss. Extreme temperature changes damage the quality of the wine • Theft of valuable bottles, such as Chateau Petrus • Breakages, which may be caused by a collapse of wine displays or racking

INE and champagne collections can be a significant investment for buyers, and it can take several years to build up to a mature collection. There are several things that should be considered to help preserve the value of your collection: Storage: • Keep the wine stored in a dark and cool place and at a steady temperature – ideally between 10-12C • Alarms can be bought to monitor the temperature • If you are able to build a wine cellar then this is the most ideal situation, otherwise it is possible to recreate the conditions within the home - this will not affect the insurance of your collection • Check the conditions of the storage location frequently, and take steps to prevent the build-up of damp and mould which will affect the labels and boxes that the wine is be stored in; this could result in the value of the wine decreasing • Store bottles on their side with the wine in contact with the cork - this helps to prevent oxygen coming into the bottle which can cause damage including spillage and evaporation • Keep the wine away from vibrations as this can impact on the quality of the taste • Avoid too much handling of the bottles and be careful with the packaging and labels, as these all help valuations Valuations • It can be difficult to value wine, so it is important to seek the advice of a specialist company such as Berry Bros and Rudd or Pall Mall Art Advisors

“Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been brought to the greatest perfection, and it offers a greater range for enjoyment and appreciation than, possibly, any other purely sensory thing.”

Ernest Hemingway

• Due to the nature of the wine market, it is important to get your wine collection regularly appraised; this will prevent underinsurance in the event of a loss • Keep a copy of all documentation including purchase history and valuations, in a secure place, in case of a loss

ALARM COMMUNICATION UPGRADE Dear Members, We have recently been alerted to notices offering upgrades to security and monitoring systems free of charge. Please be aware that rather bizarrely any upgrade, could in fact be downgrade. Before accepting any new alarm system package you need to inform your own insurance company of this, or any other changes to your ‘Alarm Systems’ as you may well not be covered.

Sterling Insurance is a specialist high net worth insurer and understand the risks that clients can face. They therefore, cover wine on an, ‘all risks’ Worldwide basis providing protection for a range of losses as part of their Executive Home and Executive Plus policies.

Expensive wine above the single article limits can be individually specified allowing for ease of a claim settlement and will be settled without a deductible.

Especially relevant for the festive season, is that newly purchased wine is automatically covered up to 25% of the sum insured under the Executive Plus policy. In addition, the client has 60 days to inform Sterling of the new purchase and pay any additional premium required providing complete peace of mind • Loss of labels on important wine collections can significantly affect the value if damaged and any depreciation in the event of partial loss will be covered by the Executive Home and Executive Plus policy • It is also important that the collection is valued to ensure that there is no underinsurance in the event of claim • Our competitive rates make insuring wine under our policies affordable, and provides clients with the kind of protection required for serious wine collectors’ who have built up a collection of fine wines For more information, contact The CGA Insurance team on 01985 850706 www.thecga.co.uk 85

86 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 16:40 Page 86

Divorce rates rising for the over 55s How can a Lifetime Mortgage help?

W

HY are the divorce rates among older couples growing? The Office for National Statistics said part of the explanation was simply the ageing population: there are more over60s than there were. But other factors cited included a loss of stigma over being divorced and more financial independence for women. Owing to increasing life expectancies, the ONS said: “Even with a small chance of divorce during each year of marriage, marriages are now more likely to end in divorce and less likely to end in the death of one spouse than they were in 1991”.

It is also unfortunate, but simply not uncommon in modern times to see couples drift apart as a result of the “empty nest syndrome” when their children head off to university or move out of the family home.

This can have a major impact on the dynamic between couples and bring issues to the fore, which may have been hidden by their continued responsibilities to their offspring.

Another factor is that people are also living healthier, longer lives and simply wish to pursue other relationships. In the past, people may have felt compelled to stay together in old age; these days, if people are in an unhappy relationship at 60, they may consider carefully whether they want to spend another 25 years or more living with that same person.

Nearly 1 in 10 people over the age of 60 taking out Equity Release Plans are divorced or separated. These couples are releasing higher amounts, reflecting the need for more money during a separation.

Crucially, it is an option that allows one party to remain in the home whilst still being able to fund a possible financial settlement.

Lifetime Mortgage fixed interest rates are at record lows and plans offer greater choice and flexibility than ever before.

Some modern plans include voluntary repayment options, meaning borrowers may choose to make capital repayments to reduce the overall size of the loan without 86 www.thecga.co.uk

worrying about the lender demanding proof of their income. Unlike normal mortgages, it is important to note that you cannot lose your home, or be forced to move out, provided the property remains your main residence.

The Equity Release Information Centre is the longest established Equity Release specialist in the UK – marking its 30th year in 2015 – and taking pride in that position when giving expert, impartial information and a first class level of service. They provide a friendly, professional service offering a free, no-obligation initial consultation, either face-to-face or over the telephone. The service is genuinely independent and specialises in retirement finance products only.

To understand the full features and risks of a lifetime mortgage and to request your free guide, telephone 0800 077 6885 or visit www.askeric.tv

Nearly 1 in 10 people over the age of 60 taking out Equity Release Plans are divorced or separated.

These couples are releasing higher amounts, reflecting the need for more money during a separation.

Crucially, it is an option that allows one party to remain in the home whilst still being able to fund a possible financial settlement.

87 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 16:47 Page 87

THE CGA MAGAZINE HAS A READERSHIP OF OVER 50,000

Success is simple DO WHAT’S RIGHT, THE RIGHT WAY, WITH THE RIGHT PEOPLE

To advertise in The CGA magazine, please telephone Rebecca Collins on 01985 850706 or email Rebeccac@thecga.co.uk Over the years, The CGA has evolved and developed to become one of the country’s most respected membership associations. It has gained an enviable reputation for its membership privileges, provision of financial advice, for its array of members events and for its much loved members magazine.

88-89 FESTIVE_Layout 1 22/11/2015 17:00 Page 88

N AT I O N A L T R E A S U R E Below, Lord and Lady Attenborough Right, One of a group of publicity stills from Brighton Rock

Sir Richard Attenborough A ‘titan of British cinema’, Sir Richard Attenborough, actor and award-winning director entertained us for more than six decades. His films will be loved for generations to come

Left, A prop cane made for Richard Attenborough in the film Jurassic Park

88 www.thecga.co.uk

A

LIFE Both Sides of the Camera’ was a fitting title for the auction of Sir Richard Attenborough’s treasure trove of mementoes, held in October by Bonhams auction house.

Lord Attenborough, who died in 2014 aged 90, was one of Britain’s leading actors and a highly successful Oscarwinning director. Hailed as ‘a titan of British cinema’ by BAFTA, he dominated the British film business for more than half a century, and the Bonhams sale included items from some of his best known work including Brighton Rock, The Great Escape, Jurassic Park and Gandhi.

Attenborough’s breakthrough role at age 24 was the acclaimed 1947 film Brighton Rock, in which he played the adolescent, psychopathic gangster Pinkie Brown. The photographs in the sale show his chilling portrayal of the role, and in contrast, him relaxing between scenes with fans.

In 1963 Lord Attenborough starred in the classic The Great Escape alongside Steve McQueen and James Garner, where he played the role of RAF Squadron Leader “Big X” Bartlett, the master escape planner. The film is based on the true story of Paul Brickhill, an Australian fighter pilot

who was eventually debarred from the actual escape owing to claustrophobia.

He played these roles as a means to help finance his long cherished project, the film Gandhi, but it wasn’t until 1982 before his dream was realised. Possibly worth the wait: with Ben Kingsley starring in the title role, the epic film won eight Oscars. Amongst many others, the 400,000 odd, extras who Attenborough directed at the recreation of Gandhi’s funeral must have been delighted to have been a part of it.

In an interview with Amber Haque during filming, when asked about his motivation to make the film, Attenborough replied: “His simple way of life and adherence to the truth along with his sense of justice and equity”.

Throughout his life Lord Attenborough was passionate about the art of filmmaking; he was once quoted as saying, “I adore my family; they are my joy.

However, I am committed to my work. If on a Saturday morning when I was ostensibly going to be with my children and something arose at RADA or at UNICEF or at the orphanage or whatever, I would allow the other pressures to take precedence. Now I have a guilt.”

88-89 FESTIVE_Layout 1 22/11/2015 17:01 Page 89

He married Sheila Sim in 1945, and they had three children. Knighted in 1976 and made a life peer in 1993, Attenborough had instilled into him at an early age that not a minute of the day should be wasted. He was an active public figure, trustee, chairman, president and director of well over 30 organisations including the RADA, UNICEF and the BFI. After losing his eldest daughter Jane Holland and her daughter Lucy to the tsunami in Thailand on Boxing Day 2004, Lord Attenborough set up the Jane Holland creative centre for learning in Swaziland, in her memory.

Aged nearly 70, Lord Attenborough starred in Jurassic Park, one of the highest-grossing films of all time. He played the role of the dinosaur park director John Hammond, and one of the most prized items in the Bonhams sale was the cane he used. The prop looks to contain a large mosquito, preserved in faux amber. On hearing the news of Attenborough’s death, Steven Spielberg, who directed the film, said “Dickie Attenborough was passionate about everything in his life – family, friends, country and career”.

Above, Ben Kingsley and Richard Attenborough on the set of the film Gandhi Below, A publicity poster for The Great Escape

www.thecga.co.uk 89

90-91 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 16:51 Page 90

FOOD

Festive Fast Food Elisabeth Luard lets us into the secrets of some of her favourite shortcuts - she never misses the party

90 www.thecga.co.uk

No need to store in a tin, just hang the bag somewhere near the central heating. They taste good with practically any topping, including honey and butter for breakfast.

Christmassy Cheese Shorties Crisp little cheese biscuits with a festive scarlet dusting make the perfect nibble with a glass of bubbly. So good you’ll have to padlock the tin, and a much nicer present than a box of a chocs when invited elsewhere.

Makes about 4 dozen 250g unsalted butter, diced 250g grated hard cheese (maybe parmesan plus cheddar) 250g plain flour 1 teaspoon finely crusted sea salt 1 heaped tablespoon paprika or mild pimenton 1 teaspoon chilli powder 1 egg yolk More paprika or pimenton for dusting Beat the butter with the cheese to soften it a little – easiest with the dough hook in the mixer. Work in the flour, salt and paprika or pimenton and chilli powder till the mixture forms lumps – don’t overbeat. Work in the egg yolk so everything comes together as a

ALAMY

D

ECISIONS, decisions. Goose or turkey or capon or - if there’s only two of you - a fine fat pheasant?

That’s the easy part. For the rest, assuming you haven’t simply given up on the festive season, pulled a blanket over your head and done a Rip Van Winkle in the back of the broom cupboard, there will be guests.

Guests will need nibbles. You don’t have go the full fourteen course tasting menu, but it’s useful to have a few handy little tricks up your sleeve, so to speak, if only to show you care. The answer, as I’m sure you already know, is keep cool and cook ahead. Right. I’m glad we’ve got that over.

Some of my favourite shortcuts are, to put it politely, good housekeeping – or cheapskate granny behaviour, depending on your view. And no, I pay very little attention to sell by dates or I wouldn’t be keeping my Christmas puds from one year to the next to develop the flavour, and nor would you. Good housekeeping says that if it looks good, smells good and tastes good, it’ll be fine.

My favourite cheapskate trick is storein-a-bag crostini: slices of leftover bread dried golden in the oven – keep the heat low and don’t forget to check after the first 10 minutes – and store ‘em in a cotton bag ready for toppings or to serve with dips.

firm dough ball. Cut the dough into four pieces, roll each piece into a sausage about 3 cm in diameter. Wrap in clingfilm and leave for half an hour in a cool place to rest, or pop in the freezer and bake it when you’re ready.

Preheat the oven to 350F/180C/gas4 With a broad bladed knife, slice the dough sausages into rounds about as thick as your little finger.

Arrange the rounds on non-stick baking trays. You can bake them in batches, allowing a finger-width margin for spreading. Bake for 12-15 minutes, till

90-91 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 16:52 Page 91

FOOD straight from the freezer at midnight on Christmas Eve, just before Father Christmas pops down the chimney.

Makes 24 medium-sized cookies 250g unsalted butter, softened 125g soft brown sugar 125g white sugar 2 eggs, forked to blend 250g plain flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 level teaspoon baking powder 1 level tablespoon powdered cinnamon 125g chocolate chips or roughly chopped dark chocolate Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas5.

Beat the butter with the two sugars until soft and fluffy. Beat in the the eggs, if the mixture looks like splitting, beat in a spoonful of the flour.

Using a metal spoon, gently fold in the flour sifted with the baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Scoop out by the tablespoonful onto a buttered baking sheet. Bake for 6-10 minutes (ovens vary). Best try a couple of testers first to make sure the dough is just right. You’re aiming for a rounded edge and a cookie in which you can still see the chocolate chips. If the cookies spread out and flatten at the edges, the dough is too soft and you’ll need to fold in another couple of spoonfuls of flour. Transfer to a baking-rack to cool. Store in the freezer and eat straight from frozen.

Pocket-hanky pittas

golden brown (not too pale or the cookies will be doughy; if too dark, the flavour will be bitter). Dust with more paprika or pimenton while hot, and transfer delicately to a baking rack to cool and crisp. Serve warm. If necessary, store in airtight tin and reheat for a minute or so to restore texture and flavour.

Chocolate Cinnamon Cookies This is my favourite Christmas munchie: perfect with mulled wine or a cup of coffee when guests come calling. But best of all

“You don’t have go the full fourteen course tasting menu, but it’s useful to have a few handy little tricks up your sleeve”

This is my get-out-of-jail-free card, entertaining wise. However, many people pitch up for a party, it works. The secret is a generous stock of small size pitta breads in the freezer, a pair of kitchen scissors and the wherewithal for the hanky, the filling.

This should be nothing fancy – simple classic combinations such as cheese, spring onion and pickle; honey-roast ham with a slice of peach; roast beef with horseradish-cream and cucumber; smoked-salmon with mustard sauce and a sprig of dill. Set everything ready and do nothing further till you hear the footsteps approaching the door or rattle of gravel or swish of tarmac or (my own early warning system) the squelch of mud. Immediately drop the pittas in the toaster just long enough to soften and warm, snip each in half horizontally through the waist and give it a squeeze to open up the pocket.

Choose a volunteer (or two) and demonstrate the procedure, indicating that the stuffing should spill prettily out of the pocket. I’m sure they’ll get the picture.

Now skip lightly out of the kitchen and enjoy the party. www.thecga.co.uk 91

92-93 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 16:54 Page 92

WINE

The Winter Rosé Revolution A cool glass of rosé may not be the first thing that comes to mind when planning your meal for Christmas day, but actually there’s something rather wonderful about drinking pink at this time of year.

‘Winebird’ Helena Nicklin explores this blending of the seasons and gives us several reasons why we should all embrace the Winter Rosé Revolution!

A

S soon as the sun comes out in April and especially if there’s a barbeque around, I tend reach for a glass of Provençal rosé. Once the leaves start to fall and the nights draw in, however, rosé is out of my mind, replaced by a perky little Pinot or an autumnal Cabernet Franc. It was therefore a bit of a surprise to receive an invitation recently to taste some rosé specifically in the winter, so off I popped to a London venue see what all the fuss was about.

Walking in from the freezing cold into a warm room and being handed a glass of cold, pink wine was actually rather refreshing. From the off, the message was clear: Rosé, and particularly the fine, pale rosés from Provence in Southern France are some of the most versatile wines around, so why tuck them away in the winter?

Pale, dry rosés, especially those from

Provence, make very food-friendly wines.

The subtle red fruit and licorice flavours won’t overwhelm food, but their weight and structure (in part from their unique terroir) mean they can compliment many different dishes and not get in the way.

They handle subtle food flavours, interesting textures and gentle spices with ease and yet are not diminished by heavier textures and richer flavours. It’s worth noting that wines from the appellation of Bandol within Provence’s production area will generally have more power, so they would provide a particularly good match for more flavourful dishes such Christmas turkey with all the trimmings. At a time when you often need a wine choice that will suit everyone and go with lots of different dishes, Provençal pink could very well be your crowd-pleasing one-stop choice to cover every element of Christmas imbibing.

As Winebird, I like to give key styles of wine memorable images or analogies to make them easy to remember. I call these ‘Vinalogies’. My Vinalogy for Provençal rosé is not a disco dancing, sickly pink; it’s Darcy Bussell, the prima ballerina!

92 www.thecga.co.uk

92-93 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 16:54 Page 93

WINE

Perfectly Poised Pinks Here’s a trilogy of perfectly-poised pinks to try at home: Classic: Definition Provence Rosé 2014, Majestic, £12.99, or £9.74 each when you buy two.

A very good example of good quality Provençal pink with soft strawberry notes tempered by a more savoury cranberry kick.

A step up: Château La Tour de l’Eveque Rosé ‘Petale de Rose’ AOC Côtes de Provence 2013, corneyandbarrow.com, £15.95 This rosé really looks the part in its elegant bottle, and oozes class once in the glass with silky, savoury, saline flavours.

Make it meatier: Lafran-veyrolles Bandol Rosé, Waitrose cellar, £14.99 If you’re feeling the need for a slightly heavier rosé, then Bandol is where you need to head. Still elegant and strawberryscented, it packs a little more punch on the palate.

Provençal Rosé facts: •The classic grape varieties that are bended to make Provençal rosé are red grapes: Grenache, Cinsault, Mourvèdre and Syrah amongst others.

•The wines get their pink colour from a short maceration time on the skins, not by blending red and white wines together.

•The classic bottle shape for Provençal pinks is a curvy bottle that looks a little like a bowling skittle. The French call this the ‘flute à corset’, but more and more producers are now using standard ie standard with an abrupt neck, ‘Bordeauxshaped’ bottles.

•Sparkling Provençal pink is now being produced to help promote the region!

As Winebird, I like to give key styles of wine memorable images or analogies to make them easy to remember. I call these ‘Vinalogies’. My Vinalogy for Provençal rosé is not a disco dancing, sickly pink; it’s Darcy Bussell, the prima ballerina! Here’s why: Powder-pink, pale and delicate to look at, there is hidden power in those legs as they perform complex twists and turns.

Don’t let the colour make you think that these are not serious wines; they are.

Surprisingly savoury with a moreish saline tang, this style of rosé is silky soft, elegant and incredibly versatile.

Since this tasting dinner, I have shown Provençal wines at many of my private tastings as a suggestion for something crowd-pleasing to drink at Christmas or on

Boxing Day if you don’t want something too heavy. They went down incredibly well with many people being surprised because they ‘didn’t think they liked rosé’.

It works as an aperitif, with the food itself and afterwards again as a palate cleanser.

It’s the ultimate versatile tipple. Really, this should be the inspector gadget of wines!

Provençal winemakers have been perfecting the art of fine rosé for 2,600 years and Provence is the only wine region that concentrates mostly on pink wines (88% of production to be exact). It stands to reason therefore that they have become rather good at it. It takes time and considerable effort to make it well and that’s because in Provence, rosé is not a by-product of red wine like in many other places; here, it can truly be a fine wine.

Helena Nicklin is ’Winebird’: a wine writer, presenter and author of Winebird’s VINALOGY - wine basics with a twist!

She also runs tasting events around London.

For more information, see winebird.co.uk or follow Helena on twitter @TheWinebird. www.thecga.co.uk 93

94-95 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 16:57 Page 94

HOTEL REVIEW

Addison’s antiques Introducing Addison Gelpey, auctioneer, TV celebrity, valuer and vets rugby winger

94 www.thecga.co.uk

A

S a child Addison Gelpey travelled extensively with his parents Joe and Judith, leading experts in the Himalayan antique field of Tibetan bronzes and Thankas. Unfortunately, in 1989, while on a trip looking for antiquities in China, his father passed away – it was one of the driving forces that convinced him to become involved in the world of antiques.

You may have seen Addison recently on the small screen, with his regular appearances on Bargain Hunt and on his own Channel 5 series called, Storage: Flog the Lot! - but Addison’s career began when he set up and ran the salesroom at Criterion Auctioneers in Wandsworth,

London. From there he also freelanced for three years as an auctioneer for Holt’s antique gun auctioneers.

“One of my first sales for Holt’s was for lower end items, and I had priced a few Arabic knives at £300-£400, a fair price for shaped blades, ivory and bone handles with intricate engraving and semi precious stones. After some feverish telephone bidding, I put the hammer down at £14,500 for just one of them – it had been bought by a Royal Sheikh and apparently had belonged to an ancestor from the 18th century. But the most impressive things I sold for Holt’s, were two items of taxidermy: a nine foot alligator and an

94-95 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 16:57 Page 95

ADDISON’S ANTIQUES

A highlight of one of our sales a few years ago was this innocuous twin-handled incense censor, consigned to us from a lady whose father had lived in China for many years; it was particularly heavy, but very simple with a small mark on the underside. I did some research looking up makers marks from C17th-C19th and couldn’t find anything, so photographed it as a C18th/C19th bronze twin-handled Censor and entered it into the sale for £100-200. When the lot came up we were astonished to find two internet bidders going crazy. The bids went up and up until it finally sold for £48,000 including premium…! When they collected the item I enquired as to what was so special about it and they told me that the mark (which I had been asked not to show) was an imperial mark from the C17th Summer Palace in Beijing.

It goes to show that you can’t know everything and if you specialise in a certain field you can pick up amazing things… Always learning is one of the driving forces that keep me fascinated in the antique world.

As I say: “I know a lot about very little and very little about a lot…!” AG

Addison at Longleat house auctioning Chinese lanterns in aid of Tusk

eight-foot black bear for £12,000!”

Having recently moved down to Bath with his wife Lisa and their two children, Addison has opened Bath Auctioneers, a boutique salesroom focusing on singleowner collections of art, silver, furniture and interesting world antique sales. He also offers a valuation service, but if you fancy your chances at having a go yourself, you can learn all you need to know by logging onto his online subscription website www.antiquesmasterclass.com where you will find videos showing some of the industry’s leading experts lecturing on antiques: John Bly from the Antiques

Roadshow on the history of furniture, Lennox Cato on investments in antiques and many more – Addison plays the part of the punter asking the questions!

With his combination of vocal authority and sharp wit, Addison has grown to be a regular face on the charity auction circuit, regularly holding auctions for The Haven for breast cancer, Tusk, Action for Children, Orphan trust, UNICEF, to name but a few of the 15 or so events he auctioneers for every year. He has raised millions for charity and is always keen to support worthy causes including Bath-based charity Oust Ebola, raising funds for orphans suffering from the disease in Sierra Leone.

“I love doing charity work. Going into a room full of people, making them laugh, feel relaxed and then taking lots of money from them; all for good causes, it’s good Karma.”

In between all of this, Addison, who still plays rugby for the Richmond Heavies and has played for Richmond since the late 1980’s, is now playing Vets rugby, living every props dream as a 19-

stone winger. He also fancies himself as a professional backgammon player, although he has yet to win any trophies!

If you have any items you would like appraised, or if you would like more information, please email photographs or enquiries to: valuations@bathauctioneers.com.

For future auction dates, visit www.bathauctioneers.com or to share the antiques experts’ knowledge, visit www.antiquesmasterclass.com.

CAN YOU IDENTIFY THIS ITEM? Addison will give either a 10-month free subscription to his antiquesmasterclass.com or £150 to spend at Bath auctioneers. Please send your answers to: rebeccah@thecga.co.uk

www.thecga.co.uk 95

96-97 FESTIVE_Layout 1 22/11/2015 16:11 Page 96

HOTEL REVIEW

Goldsborough Hall George Allen enjoys a ‘Stately Stay’, with a combination of history, elegance and sumptuousness mixed with a friendly family atmosphere

I

T’S not often you find a property that offers a different experience from the norm but arriving at Goldsborough Hall is like stepping back in time to a bygone era. A princess’s former home, this 400-year-old Jacobean mansion is tucked away at the far end of the picturesque North Yorkshire village of Goldsborough, near Harrogate, but yet only a stone’s throw off the beaten track.

This stately home remains very much a private home; the family still live on the first floor and the hall itself is not open to the public, giving it a greater sense of exclusivity for the discerning guest. On my arrival, its immediately friendly atmosphere makes you feel like you are staying the weekend at a (albeit posh) friend’s home. There’s no hint of stuffiness nor elevated airs of grandeur; instead it oozes old-world charm, a real hidden Yorkshire gem.

The Hall’s owners, Mark and Clare Oglesby fell in love with the run-down property back in 2003 but by the time the sale was agreed, two years had passed and the house had seriously fallen into disrepair, with 18th-century ceilings on the floor, leaks and floods throughout, and rats and squirrels in the attic. But this intrepid couple still took on the project knowing that it was a straight choice: buy the hall or have its history destroyed by developers

turning it into flats.

‘We bought the property with our hearts,’ Clare reveals, ‘but our heads realised we needed to give the hall a reason to exist in order to secure its future. Initially we started doing private weddings, then once we had restored some of the rooms to such a high standard we realised we’d created one of the top places to stay in the country.’

Since 2005 the Oglesby’s have restored bedrooms on the top floor of the main hall and in an adjoining building, but they don’t ever use the word ‘hotel’ as it just doesn’t describe what they do and they are a long way from being a standard B&B. It’s a stately home you can stay and eat in, so they came up with their own category: ‘A Stately Stay’.

‘In restoring the bedrooms we figured we might as well go over the top, so all of the top suites have 8ft four-poster beds,’ Clare continues. The Lascelles Suite, for example, has a surround-sound 150in cinema screen and – very impressively – a whirlpool sunken bath overlooking far reaching views of the gardens and countryside.

Many of the bedrooms in the main house, named after former owners of the Below clockwise, Lascelles Suite, Goldsborough Hall from the gardens, Curried monkfish,

hall, have leather Chesterfields, whirlpool baths and 60in TVs, so that the creature comforts match the decor. More renovations have been completed this year in the adjoining Dower House to add six further bedrooms, bringing a total of 12 rooms, and a rating of 5 gold stars by the AA, the highest awarded to accommodation in Yorkshire.

But there’s even more to this historic house. It was built around 1625 by celebrated lawyer Sir Richard Hutton, and during the 1640s was occupied by Cromwell’s army – their hooks from their hammocks are still in the attic – and somewhere in the grounds lies the Byerley Turk, the eldest of three horses that make up the bloodline of all modern thoroughbreds.

The hall came to national fame in the 1920s when HRH Princess Mary (the Queen’s aunt) lived here as her first family home following her marriage to Viscount Lascelles, heir to the Earldom of Harewood.

96 www.thecga.co.uk

96-97 FESTIVE_Layout 1 22/11/2015 16:11 Page 97

HOTEL REVIEW

Her touches are everywhere from the formal landscaping of the gardens to the Arabic stained glass windows celebrating her marriage lighting up the imposing 17thcentury oak staircase.

Centre stage downstairs is the delightful oak-panelled Jacobean Library which is exactly how it was in Princess Mary’s day, right down to the dog grate in the huge open fireplace. Pre-dinner drinks are served here, or in Princess Mary’s drawing room, designed by Robert Adam in the 1750s complete with an Adam fireplace.

The hall is a haven for real foodies and dining here is a real experience, taken in the 18th-century dining room with a huge 16thcentury fireplace with an overmantel adorned with characters from the Old Testament. The AA rosette food is prepared fresh by head chef Paul Richardson-Mackie who works closely with the gardener at Goldsborough to pick the freshest vegetables using the hall’s own kitchen

Somewhere in the grounds lies the Byerley Turk, the eldest of three horses that make up the bloodline of all modern thoroughbreds

Above, 120ft-long herbaceous borders replanted in a Gertrude-Jekyll style. Below, the oak-panelled Jacobean Library

garden (seriously low food miles!). Food options are plentiful from three a three or five-course a la carte menu, a seven coursegourmet dinner or a lighter garden menu.

Certainly when I tasted the five course à la carte – it was absolutely delicious.

There’s something very special about taking afternoon tea – which they do at Goldsborough rather well, I must say – either served in the Library or on the terrace, if the Yorkshire weather is behaving itself followed by a tour of the gardens.

The delightful 12 acres that surround the stately home are the icing on what is already a very special cake. Princess Mary made her mark, initiating a raft of improvements in both the house and gardens. While the hall was remodelled by Leeds architect Sidney Kitson, a vista was created in the gardens with a walled terrace, a beech avenue and herbaceous borders around Princess Mary’s sundial.

In 1922, Her Royal Highness and Viscount Lascelles also planted the first tree in the Lime Tree Walk which reads like a Who’s Who of The King’s Speech with the remaining 33 trees, planted by honoured guests, including King George V and Queen Mary. In the spring the walk is home to over 50,000 daffodils – quite a display I’m told!

Among the many highlights in the garden are the 120ft-long herbaceous borders replanted in a Gertrude Jekyll style; a copse of five Japanese cherry trees, given to Princess Mary as a wedding gift by the Emperor of Japan; and an ancient false acacia, a pair of purple-leaved plums and a rare Whitebeam, all recorded as British Champions by the Tree Register. A stroll round the gardens is a must!

The Oglesbys’ ‘Stately Stay’ is a rare find – a combination of history, elegance and sumptuousness mixed with a friendly family atmosphere where the staff, and the owners have time to chat. For a night of unashamed luxury where you get treated like a princess, you couldn’t go far wrong. It has a rich history, beautiful gardens – and for the weekend, your own slice of Downton!

Stay from £145 for a standard room Dinner, bed and breakfast from £235 What to do: tea at Bettys in Harrogate, racing in York, gardens at RHS Harlow Carr; historic houses of Harewood House and Castle Howard Conveniently located just off the A1(M) close to the elegant boutiques of Harrogate, busy Leeds and historic York.

Goldsborough Hall, Goldsborough, North Yorkshire HG5 8NR, tel; 01423 867321, info@goldsboroughhall; www.goldsboroughhall.com

www.thecga.co.uk 97

98-99 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 17:02 Page 98

BOOKS

The CGA Book Club The CGA Book Club provides a handpicked selection of books at discounted prices.

To order, call 01206 255800 and quote ‘CGA15’

The Outsider - My Life in Intrigue

By Frederick Forsyth 9780593075401 Published by Penguin Random House/Bantam Press CGA book club price £16.00 - inc postage (rrp £20.00)

In the 1930s, as the world hurtled towards terrible global conflict, speed was all the rage. It was described by Aldous Huxley as ‘the one genuinely modern pleasure’, and one of the fastest and most thrilling ways to attain it was through the new sport of bobsledding. Exotic, exciting and above all dangerous, it was by far the most popular event at the Lake Placid Winter Olympics. It required an abundance of skill and bravery.

And the four men who triumphed at those Games lived the most extraordinary lives.

Billy Fiske was an infamous daredevil, blessed with a natural talent for driving. He would later become the first American airman to die in the war - flying for the RAF. Clifford Gray was a notorious playboy and a player on both Broadway and Hollywood.

Or was he? His identity was a mystery for decades. Jay O’Brien was a gambler and a rogue who, according to one ex-wife, forced women to marry him at gunpoint. And Eddie Eagan, a heavyweight boxer and brilliant lawyer, remains the only man to win gold at both the Summer and Winter Olympics.

This is their story, of loose living, risktaking and hell raising in an age of decadence, and of their race against the odds to become the fastest men on ice. We will never see their like again. Especially after the world did descend into that second, terrible global conflict.

Frederick Forsyth has seen it all. And lived to tell the tale.

‘We all make mistakes, but starting the Third World War would have been a rather large one. To this day, I still maintain it was not entirely my fault. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

During the course of my life, I’ve barely escaped the wrath of an arms dealer in Hamburg, been strafed by a MiG during the Nigerian civil war, and landed during a bloody coup in Guinea-Bissau. The Stasi arrested me, the Israelis regaled me, the IRA prompted a quick move from Ireland to England, and a certain attractive Czech secret police agent – well, her actions were a bit more intimate. And that’s just for starters.

All of that I saw from the inside. But all that time I was, nonetheless, an outsider.’

Trained first as a pilot, then as a journalist, Frederick Forsyth finally turned to fiction and became one of the most lauded thriller writers of our time. As exciting as his novels, Forsyth’s autobiography is a candid look at an extraordinary life lived to the full, a life whose unique experiences have The Spirits provided rich inspiration for thirteen

By Richard Godwin internationally bestselling thrillers.

9780224101189 Published by Penguin Random Speed Kings House/Square Peg

by Andy Bull CGA book club price £13.99 9780593073766 - inc postage (rrp £16.99) Published by Penguin Random House/Bantam Of all the skills you might acquire in life, the CGA book club price £14.99 - inc postage ability to make a good cocktail is never (rrp £17.99) 98 www.thecga.co.uk

98-99 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 17:02 Page 99

BOOKS

going to be a waste of your time. No lover will complain when you present them with a well-iced Negroni as they walk through your door; no house guest will complain at the suggestion of a round of Gin Sours.

‘To cocktail’ was coined as a verb by F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1928. This amateur guide to cocktailing embodies Fitzgerald’s Golden Age spirit while giving it a thoroughly modern makeover.

But forget shelling out £8.50 at fauxspeakeasies and hyper-modern molecular establishments – the place to cocktail is at home. Expressly structured for the amateur, the first chapter of this book shows how just six bottles are needed for twenty-five classic cocktails. From this simple start the book brings a wealth of cocktail recipes and knowledge, all the while reminding you of

the pleasures of cocktailing chezvous.

From a Pean to the Spritz and a rehabilitation of the Bronx, through cocktail history and cocktailonomics, to go-to lists like ‘The Top 5 Girly Drinks’, The Spirits is a perfect mix. Informative recipes blended with whimsy and anecdote are given a dash of fun, and finished with a twist of brilliantly wry humour.

Mr and Mrs Disraeli A Strange Romance

By Daisy Hay 9780099597445 Published by Penguin Random House/Vintage CGA book club price £7.99 - inc postage (rrp £10.99)

Deep in the archives of the Bodleian Library lies a tattered scrap of paper with newlyweds’ scribbles on it. It is a table, listing the qualities of a couple. One column reads ‘Often says what he does not think’, ‘He does not show his feelings’, ‘He is a genius’; the other ‘Never says what she does not think’, ‘She shows her feelings’, ‘She is a dunce’. The writing is Mary Anne Disraeli’s: the qualities listed contrast her with her husband, Benjamin Disraeli, one of the foremost politicians of the Victorian age.

The daughter of a sailor, on her second marriage and 12 years older than her husband, Mary Anne was highly eccentric, liable to misbehave and (worse still) overdressed for grand society dinners. Her beloved Diz was of Jewish descent, a midranking novelist and frequently mired in debt. He was fiercely protective and completely devoted to his wife. She was devoted to him, too, and they were both devoted to the very idea of being devoted.

They wrote passionate letters to one another through their courtship and their marriage, spinning their unusual tale into a romance worthy of the novels they so loved.

Reading between the lines of a great cache of their letters and the anecdotes of others in chilly Oxford reading rooms, Daisy Hay shows how the Disraelis rose to the top of the social and political pile. Along the way, we meet women of a similar station and situation whose endings were far unhappier than Mary Anne’s, acting as a counterpoint to her fairy tale ending as the landed Angel of the Prime Minister’s House.

In an age where first ladies are under ever-increasing pressure to perform and conform, Mr and Mrs Disraeli offers a portrait of one who refused to do either, in a society which demanded she do both.

The Book of Pears The Definitive History and Guide to over 500 varieties

By Joan Morgan 9781785031472 Published by Penguin Random House/Ebury Press CGA book club price £40.00 - inc postage (rrp £45.00) This wonderfully unique book is an indispensable and one-of-a-kind guide. It tells the story of the pear from its delightful taste and wonderful appearance to breeding and cultivation, following the fruit’s journey through history and around the world.

Beautifully illustrated with 40 botanical watercolour paintings by Elisabeth Dowle, The Book of Pears is the most up-to-date and comprehensive guide to the pear.

Moving through continents and cultures, Joan Morgan celebrates the pear’s long

history as both a fresh and cooking fruit.

Revealing the secrets of the pear as a status symbol, some of the most celebrated fruit growers in history, and how the pear came to be so important as an international commodity.

The pear directory, which makes up the second half of the book, covers the world’s ancient and modern varieties, each with full tasting notes and historical, geographical and horticultural detail. www.thecga.co.uk 99

100-101 FESTIVE_Layout 1 22/11/2015 16:13 Page 100

MOTORING

Winter wheels Motoring journalist Tim Barnes-Clay looks at the ‘ABC’ of winter driving for those of us who are not James Bond, and checks out the best 4x4s for the season ahead

A

Above, How not to do it, unless you are James Bond in Die another Day. Below, left to right, Range Rover, Volvo and the Isuzu, some of the best all-wheel drive vehicles

100 www.thecga.co.uk

S temperatures start to get lower and the nights draw in, it means one thing is certain: winter is only around the corner.

Unfortunately, there are car accidents on Britain’s roads every time there’s a cold snap – so anything you can do to help avoid any heartbreak has to be a good

thing. The most important message is to err on the side of caution and not get behind the wheel if it’s snowing or a flurry is forecast.

In rural counties you can find yourself in remote areas, and for that reason it’s always best to be prepared. Listen to forecasts, and make sure your vehicle is

100-101 FESTIVE_Layout 1 22/11/2015 16:13 Page 101

ALAMY

MOTORING

properly maintained and kitted out. If you get caught in bad weather the most critical thing is to slow right down and keep your distance, taking into account it will take you much longer to stop in an emergency.

With that in mind, it’s time for us to start thinking about the ‘ABC’ of winter driving.

Avoid driving in snow and other perilous conditions. Never set off when it’s snowing or forecast to, and avoid driving if you possibly can in other bad conditions like fog, heavy rain and ice.

Consider alternatives such as walking or using public transport if available. Speak to your employer about working from home when weather is very bad, especially if you live in a rural area prone to snow or floods.

Be prepared. Make sure your car is well maintained, and tyres have a tread depth of at least 3mm. Check forecasts and plan your route to avoid roads likely to be more risky and allow plenty of time.

Pack a winter driving kit in case you’re caught out. This should include: an ice scraper or de-icer; torch; cloths; a blanket and warm clothes; food and drink; firstaid kit; spade; warning triangle; and a high-visibility vest. Always take a fully charged phone in case of emergencies, but don’t be tempted to use it when driving.

Careful and cautious driving. If you do get caught out driving in hazardous conditions, you need to slow right down to increase the distance from the vehicle in front. In snow or icy conditions stopping distances increase by as much as ten times so you need to drop right back. Keep a careful look-out for people on foot and on bikes who may be harder to spot.

Not surprisingly, the Arctic weather that goes with the UK’s winter can set the cash registers ringing in car dealerships.

Indeed, many of us will now be eying up 4x4s for their ice and snow beating skills.

So, here are some of the best all-wheel drive vehicles for you to peruse.

The new Range Rover Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) has a more self-assured exterior and lavish interior than the old model Range Rover Sport. It’s also more

flexible as it now comes with the option of carrying seven people.

The comfy cabin mixes style and luxury with elegant lines, top quality materials and spoonfuls of sporting character. The athletic air of the car’s cocoon is also reflected in the smaller steering wheel, higher centre console and generous seat bolsters.

The Range Rover Sport’s high driving position instils a sense of confidence and the steering feels light and direct.

Maximum ground clearance has been increased and the air suspension system automatically varies between ride heights, while Land Rover’s Terrain Response 2 gadgetry chooses the most appropriate programme for whatever the wheels are driving over – or through.

The Range Rover Sport will certainly defy the white stuff - and much more, but you’ll pay through the nose for it.

The more reasonably priced Volvo XC70 looks at home in any environment, whether it’s in the middle of the open country or at your place of business.

As with its V70 estate car cousin, the XC70’s rear bench can be folded down in three 40/20/40 sections. Collapse all of the seats flat and the load space swells from 575 litres to 1,600 litres.

The Volvo’s seats are certainly amongst the most comfortable and the XC70 feels one of the best rides for keeping you protected. Everything about the vehicle feels solid – from the reassuring ‘thud’ the closing doors make to the quality cabin materials. Off-road, it’s not as gallant as a pure mud-plugger, but the XC70 will shepherd the family safely along snowcovered roads with aplomb.

If you’re after a cheaper, tough-as-oldboots workhorse then look no further than the Isuzu D-Max. The 4x4 pick-up is available with a car-like four-up cab, meaning you can actually use the vehicle as a tool as well as family transport.

The Isuzu still offers respectable equipment. This includes air conditioning, daytime running lights and electric windows. The diesel-powered D-Max is propelled by a farm-machinery sounding 2.5-litre twin-turbo lump, and is available with a six-speed manual or five-speed automatic transmission. The motor has a ‘shift-on-the-fly’ system, allowing you to adjust between two and four-wheel drive modes while travelling at up to 60 mph.

That’s impressive, not to mention convenient, but its ace card is its loadlugging talent. The towing capacity of the D-Max has been increased by 500 kg, adding to its already colossal three tonne pulling power. www.thecga.co.uk 101

102-103 FESTIVE_Layout 1 22/11/2015 16:14 Page 102

N AT U R E

Winter pilgrimage David Furnell recommends a visit to the Norfolk, Suffolk or Essex coast to witness the annual pilgrimage of swans, geese, duck and wading birds to our shores

A

S the year comes to rest and the last of the summer leaves have turned to red and gold and fallen to the woodland floor, nature begins a period of matchless recycling. During autumn, fungi, bacteria and minute invertebrates set in motion the actions that will turn the leaves back into their constituent chemical elements to provide food for trees and plants ready for the growing season next spring, as the earth cools this activity slows right down, but many of the small invertebrates depend on the slight increase in temperature from decaying vegetation to allow them to survive our relatively mild winters.

Winter is an exciting time of year. It’s a mistake to think that because the summer migrants have left for their annual trip south, and flowering plants have gone to seed, or the small mammals like hedgehogs, bats and dormice have settled into four months of torpidity, there is nothing to see in the countryside. We’d be so wrong to think this. As the swallows, swifts and cuckoos fly away in search of warmer weather, so a flood of winter bird migrants begin to arrive from the far north.

Britain is fortunate in that the Gulf Stream wraps us in a blanket of relatively warm water from the tropics; other islands and countries on the same latitude as us do not enjoy this luxury and shiver in an arctic chill. The milder, maritime climate is one of the main attractions for this annual pilgrimage and brings swans, geese, duck, wading birds and the small but hardy birds like redwings and fieldfares flocking in their thousands to take advantage of berry crops in hedgerows and field corners. Many of these birds breed in the Tundra forests of the Arctic Circle and have flown a considerable distance over land and water

to reach our shores.

There are myriad places, especially around our long coastline, to see winter wildlife but, living slap-bang in the middle of the country, I find the Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex coastline is easily reached and blessed with a host of productive nature reserves where a low lying landscape of salt marsh and coastal grasslands running from the Wash to the Thames estuary has created a mecca for wildfowl. Inlets around the Sussex coast are also productive and not too far for me to travel.

November brings the vanguard of flocks of cackling Brent geese as they make landfall after a journey from as far afield as arctic Russia and by December they will have been joined by thousands of their kind. With them will come family parties of whooper and Bewick’s swans and a million other wild fowl whirling and swirling like clouds of living smoke as the flocks change direction with astonishing precision. This multitude attracts birds of prey like peregrine falcons and sparrow hawks, their presence creating panic among the flocks.

It’s a good time of year to see birds of prey, both winter visitors and our own increasing stock of large raptors. In the middle of the 20th century, up to the 1950’s and 1960’s, red kites and buzzards were found only in isolated parts of the country, confined to the extremities of our islands – parts of Devon and Cornwall and the wild landscape of mid Wales where the population of red kites in particular fell as low as a few pairs, carefully guarded by a growing band of conservation-minded individuals and organisations. It was a certainty that, if left to their own devices, these wonderful birds were heading for extinction as a breeding species in the UK. In the time of Elizabeth I red kites were

Red kites are large and look quite fierce, but it’s all an act; primarily scavengers, their relatively weak feet and strong hooked beaks are designed to deal with carrion 102 www.thecga.co.uk

common over the square mile of London; indeed in Shakespeare’s “A Winter’s Tale”, Autolycus warns: “When the kite builds, look to lesser linen.”

A project was begun that ran between 1989 and 1994 to introduce red kite chicks from Scandinavia and give them the opportunity to grow and mature under controlled conditions. They were allowed to see the environment around them, but not the people who fed and cared for them: a strategy to ensure they did not become imprinted on human beings. The first releases were not entirely successful as the birds were from migratory stock. However, a later trial release of birds from Spain led to a much improved result; finding the

102-103 FESTIVE_Layout 1 22/11/2015 16:15 Page 103

N AT U R E

Garden Wildlife While winter may be fascinating for lovers of natural history, it is not so good for town-living wildlife.

Fortunately there is a growing number of wildlife gardening enthusiasts. In the UK there are an estimated two million acres of gardens and wild bird food is big business in garden centres and online. If you are interested in attracting wildlife to your garden in winter, ensure there is a good feeding station (no mouldy bread or threemonth-old peanuts.) It can be a plethora of bird tables and feeders, but even a single clean seed, nut or fat feeder for warmth in the cold weather will attract many different species, including greater spotter woodpeckers and, what is more, keep them coming back... and, of course fresh, clean water is essential. One other point is to site the feeder(s) bearing in mind that the domestic cat is an expert at ambush.

Useful websites: RSPB The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds www.rspb.org.uk BTO British Trust for Ornithology www.bto.org The Chilterns - reintroduction of the red kite and many other topics www.chilternsaonb.org/aboutchilterns/red-kites.html Norfolk Wildlife Trust www.norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk Suffolk Wildlife Trust www.suffolkwildlifetrust.org/naturereserves

Red Kites have bred successfully in the Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire beech woods.

Below, the Greater Spotted Woodpecker on a feeder

Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire beech woods and rolling landscape to their liking they thrived - so much so that they have bred successfully and some of them are being translocated from this population to as far afield as Scotland.

Red kites are large and look quite fierce, but it’s all an act; primarily scavengers their relatively weak feet and strong hooked beaks are designed to deal with carrion. One of the best places to see large numbers is near Stokenchurch in Buckinghamshire where I have photographed a group of forty or so. Unlike other British native birds of prey that guard large territories, red kites will breed and nest in loose colonies as many as three pairs in one quite small area of

Essex Wildlife Trust www.essexwt.org.uk

woodland. Buzzards, on the other hand, although their numbers went down to only a few hundred pairs, benefited from conservation legislation. In the 1990’s it was rare to see them north of Bristol, but today they have become reasonably commonplace over the southern half of the country.

As a working naturalist I look forward to the changes that autumn and winter bring with as much anticipation as I do towards spring and summer, and as the first frosts turn the carpets of dead leaves into works of natural art I know it’s time to wrap up warm and go out to explore lakes, woodland and estuaries to see what the wind has blown in. www.thecga.co.uk 103

104 FESTIVES_Layout 1 21/11/2015 17:10 Page 104

MARKET TOWN

Bath Christmas market overlooked by its beautiful abbey

Christmas markets At a town near you….. Christmas markets with wonderful gifts, festive foods and entertainment can be found in abundance

C

HRISTMAS markets in this country have grown dramatically over the past 33 years. Held in stately homes and town squares overlooked by grand cathedrals, some last four days and others up to six weeks.

Lincoln’s Christmas market began in 1982 making it the oldest in the UK, and has gone from strength to strength. It now hosts more than 200 traders with attractions including, a traditional carol service, live bands and theatre groups.

At the Bath Christmas market one stall

104 www.thecga.co.uk

is dedicated to a different charity each day; Manchester Christmas market is an awardwinning event, well known for its international flavour; Birmingham’s Frankfurt market lays claim to being the biggest German-style Christmas market outside Germany and as with many others, Winchester has an ice-rink at its heart; this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Log on to www.chrismasmarkets.com where you will find information on over 150 markets, local hotels and restaurants in this country and Europe.

105 FESTIVE_Layout 1 23/11/2015 12:54 Page 105

BL CL AS E S ER ANIN T WI V N G

I TE R S CES £1 0 O PECIA FF L

BEAUTIFUL BRITISH DOG BEDS Stylish, Practical and Built to Last www.berkeleydogbeds.co.uk Tel. 01264 861143

15% DISCOUNT TO ALL MEMBERS

AÝ Óne ¨AÝ £ Ó ¹4 º Ýe ¯ü~ :nÓݨ£ Ϩónb nÓÝnÏ ä ¯.2n a ü¯ä ß×s ss £|¨O[ AÝ Óne[¨AÝ £ Óæ ½[¨½æ ôôô½[ AÝ Óne[¨AÝ £ Ó½[¨½æ www.thecga.co.uk 105

106 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 17:13 Page 106

CGA COMPETITIONS

NO AGA SAGA

W

C 15 LO TH SIN JA G N DA U T AR E Y

106 www.thecga.co.uk

E AT Y D R G A N U SI N O JA CL 5TH 1

HETHER you are an AGA devoted fan or have never cooked on an AGA before, Mary Berry and Lucy Young’s new AGA cookbook is just what you need by your side. It is 30 years since AGA first got in touch with Mary Berry about producing the AGA book and 15 since she followed it up with Mary Berry’s New Aga Cookbook - now she has combined, improved, updated and revamped those books with Lucy to produce The Complete Aga Cookbook, which deserves its place on all 21st-century kitchen shelves. There have been many new trends in cooking in the intervening years, and a plethora of new ingredients, and Mary explores them adding new recipes, adapting many ideas to the Aga way of cooking.

As Mary herself says, an Aga rapidly becomes the centre attraction of the kitchen, acting as a warm focus for family, friends and animals. And cooking on an Aga is a joy: its spacious ovens produce perfectly cooked dishes, time after time. But we haven’t forgotten those who cook on conventional cookers and instructions are supplied on each recipe.

Complete with all the AGA user information, Mary and Lucy help you get the most out of your AGA as they guide the reader through time- and energy-saving tips - from melting chocolate on the back of the AGA, to cooking drop scones on the Boiling Plate and slow roasting overnight in your Simmering Oven. A few recipes will be familiar (adapted old favourites, which she just couldn’t bear to leave out) but, whether new or old, all have been cooked to perfection in the Aga, showing how versatile it really is.

We have two copies of the book for you to win!

TREAT YOUR FEET

W

IN a pair, and treat your feet this Christmas with Toggi’s new Caledon boots. These waterproof and breathable, shorter length classic country boots feature an Acquastop® membrane, for day-long dryness. The all-terrain thermo rubber sole unit will keep you safe with its fantastic grip in all weather conditions, whilst the removable foot bed allows for easy cleaning or replacement.

To see the full Toggi collection visit www.toggi.com

106 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 17:13 Page 107

CGA COMPETITIONS

CHASING KING GEORGE E AT R D BE G M N E SI EC O D CL TH 16

T

HE biggest racing event of the festive season is held at Kempton Park Racecourse on Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th December featuring the William Hill King George VI Chase on the Saturday, won by greats such as Desert Orchid, Best Mate, Kauto Star and most recently Silviniaco Conti (pictured above).

Sunday promises another great day of racing including the Desert Orchid Chase and a whole host of family fun.

Paul Nicholls will send Silviniaco Conti to defend his King George crown on Boxing Day and if successful will make it a third win in the Grade 1 contest for the horse and 10 wins in the race for the

Champion Trainer.

We have two tickets for each day available for you to win. If, however, you are not the lucky winner, admission to this year’s William Hill Winter Festival Starts from £17 on Saturday and £12 on Sunday.

For more information and to book tickets visit www.kempton.co.uk

W

HERE adventure starts, pioneers meet and innovation shines, the London Boat Show at the ExCeL, London runs from 8 -17 January 2016. Kicking off the boating calendar, it will be the first place to see the latest trends and technologies. The 10 day show will play host to over 300 of the most prestigious marine brands from Britain’s iconic names to international favourites. Spread across a space the size of six football pitches, visitors will be able to browse the 1000’s of boats, products and services, and we have two tickets to win, for any day of your choice.

As the world’s oldest sailing trophy, the America’s Cup embodies the spirit of adventure, pioneers and innovation all in one object.

Though acquiring the Cup has eluded the UK for over 100 years, it seems victory may soon be in sight as the nation celebrates the rising success of Sir Ben Ainslie and his Land Rover BAR team. This voyage to victory journey will be explored in daily shows called Sailing Uncovered and hosted by professional sailors and sailing commentators. Visitors can expect a mix between A Question of Sport, Mock the Week and Mastermind.

For further information please visit www.londonboatshow.com.

E AT R D BE G M N E SI EC O D CL TH 16

JANUARY SAILS

To enter the competitions above, simply fill in the reply card at the back of the magazine and post it to the CGA by the closing dates as advertised.

Terms and conditions apply. www.thecga.co.uk 107

108-109 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 17:23 Page 108

CROSSWORD

The JJ Crossword Can you solve the CGA’s very own cryptic crossword, compiled by our quizmaster JJ Foy? See the entry details below for your chance to beat JJ at his own game

Complete the crossword, fill in your details and send to: The CGA Crossword Competition (Festive 2015), CGA Magazine, Chalke House, Station Road, Codford.

Warminster, Wiltshire BA12 0JX by February 8th 2016. The winner will receive two bottles of delicious red wine that JJ brought back from his trip to Vinhos Cortém. A small organic winery set in the hills and valleys a few kilometers east of Caldas da Rainha in Portugal – www.vinhoscortem.com.

1

2

3

4

5

6

9

7

8

10 11

12

13

14

17

15

18

16

19

20 21 23

24

26

27

22

25

28

29

30

31 32

33

34

35

Name....................................................................................................................................................................

Red rule full of crazy verbiage? Nuts! ( 8,9 ) Address ................................................................................................................................................................ ............................................................................................................................................................................

9 ) Without question, quantum fluctuation will fall ( 6 ) ............................................................................................................Postcode ..................................................

1 ) Disconnect a region from within Gods' draught ( 6 ) 108 www.thecga.co.uk

1

) Nothing to lose bet about but old hat ( 8 )

1

) Senility of silver needs to change by the second ( 8 )

108-109 FESTIVE_Layout 1 22/11/2015 16:08 Page 109

CROSSWORD

Adam Jacot de Boinod was a researcher for the BBC television series QI and is the author of The Meaning of Tingo and the creator of the iPhone App Tingo, a game involving interesting words. Here he sets us a “Call-My-Bluff Quiz” from different rural dialects. Can you guess the right answers for the definitions of the following words: 1) gravity-bags (Westmoreland dialect) A) terror at the prospect of release from prison B) a horse’s attempt to dump his rider C) the seat of the trousers 2) frim (Hertfordshire dialect) A) strong, luxuriant; succulent B) short and thick-set C) to rejoice extravagantly and boisterously 3) dag (Cheshire dialect) A) to wet the petticoat or the bottom of the trousers B) the lower part of a rainbow C) to place peas in small heaps 4) piggle (Derbyshire dialect) A) the leather strap to bind a hawk’s wing B) to work away at something with the fingers C) a dirty, wretched slob

Last issue’s winner is Mr Michael Comyn Check your own answers against the correct grid shown here

A N I L N B A T A I M T R A O T T R I E O M O N I C O N O N O W O H U N E N R S L E

S E S U R X U A H T U B R E C I R O O S T I N N I A B S T E A L C S I O G L O T R U V E R S A T E L A D A Y S W K D I F Y I N U R W L O T U

R E A L X I O T U N D R G A P O S H U M I O U S T H P O S I S D Y A I O N A L V T A U S H E R L E M G S N I E I N S E S G

D O P N E R T A T N E T

L

L U S S T S Y S S C V E N R T E I D

I N V E B C R I A A F T E R E M I D D Y

Call My Bluff Answers

CALL MY BLUFF

Down 1 Oddly lacking tangence after winner’s drink (9) 2 Thrash belt to balls (6) 3 Relative to meteor, transported a tiny distance (9) 4 Cooks double chin and cheers (6) 5 Tails articulate in seconds (6) 6 Sour mix has one negative (8) Clear the French stinger (6) 7 8 Account giver jogged back to academy on the hill (8) 13 Fragile lace tied around (8) 15 Shortage in full a gerrymandering (6) 16 Clear new continent without end (8) 18 Shapes right hand with honour twice (6) 21 Houses of sin stayed after restoration (9) 22 Nearly understood but differently cut (9) 23 Lender has own change hidden in pages (4,4) 24 Hope gnat's destroyed, it causes disease (8) 27 Turning pink, a new thing to wipe (6) 28 Learner didn’t start off course but closer (6) 29 Sidle off after your first returns (6) 30 Like a hero in charge, spin coin (6)

1C) the seat of the trousers 2A) strong, luxuriant; succulent 3A) to wet the petticoat or the bottom of the trousers 4B) to work away at something with the fingers

Across 1&5 Red rule full of crazy verbiage? Nuts! (8,9) 9 Without question, quantum fluctuation will fall (6) 10 Disconnect a region from within Gods’ draught (6) 11 Nothing to lose bet about but old hat (8) 12 Senility of silver needs to change by the second (8) 14 Argues its blend is the most sweet (9) 17 Scolding fearfully after chasing away insect (6) 19 Over there beyond Eritrean prisoners (6) 20 More simple German they found in organ (6) 21 Carefully transfer liquid to hollow outside state (6) 23 Sound equipment’s quiet, engineer adds current unit (6) 25 Tight having left out depression (6) 26 A mark of vintage? (4,5) 29 Have more fungus, yet arise fresh (8) 31 Decoration of refined manner inside book (8) 32 Greetings leader is raising (6) 33 De Niro forced and flattened (6) 34 Grape for original portioning detailed (5,4) 35 Believes doubts (8)

www.thecga.co.uk 109

110-111 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 17:25 Page 110

CGA REGISTER OF MEMBER BENEFITS

TRAVEL AND ACCOMMODATION PRIVATE MEMBERS’ C LUB S Leander Club, Henley- o n-Thames CGA members may reserve bedrooms at the Leander Club at favourable rates, subject to availability. (Excludes the Regatta and Christmas week.) Simply mention your CGA membership when booking.

Telephone: 01491 575782 Email: info@leander.co.uk Website: www.leander.co.uk Address: White Hill, Henley-on-Thames RG9 2LP The Nav al and Military Club, Londo n CGA members can enjoy affiliate accommodation rates at the weekends, upon production of a letter of introduction from The CGA. To obtain a letter, please call The CGA office on 01985 850706 or email Natasha Marlow at: natasham@thecga.co.uk Telephone: 020 7827 5757 Email: reception@theinandout.co.uk Website: www.navalandmilitaryclub.co.uk Address: No 4, St James’s Square, London SW1Y 4JU The Royal Scots Club, Ed inb urgh CGA members are entitled to book accommodation at the club and use the bar area, upon production of a letter of introduction from The CGA. To obtain a letter, please call The CGA office on 01985 850706 or email Natasha Marlow at: natasham@thecga.co.uk Telephone: 0131 556 4270 Email: info@royalscotsclub.com Website: www.royalscotsclub.com Address: 29-31 Abercromby Place, Edinburgh EH3 6QE St James’s Club, Lond on CGA members benefit from a 10% discount on accommodation. To claim, simply mention your CGA membership number to reception when making your booking.

Telephone: 020 7316 1600 Email: info@stjameshotelandclub.com Website: www.stjameshotelandclub.com Address: 7-8 Park Place, St James’s London SW1A 1LS

Important: Each club will have its own rules and regulations. Generally they operate a dress code requiring gentlemen to wear presentable or smart attire (including jacket and tie) and ladies are required to dress appropriately. For full details on the various clubs’ dress codes, please visit The CGA website (www.thecga.co.uk).

HOTELS The Gor ing , Londo n CGA members can enjoy exclusive room rates with savings of up to 55%. To claim your exclusive discount, simply mention ‘The CGA Rate’ when booking and have your CGA membership card to hand.

Telephone: 020 7396 9000 Email: reception@thegoring.com Website: www.thegoring.com Address: Beeston Place, Grosvenor Gardens, London SW1W 0JW

Wex as Travel Services Wexas Travel provides members of the CGA with access to a range of specially negotiated travel offers, as well as complimentary Wexas membership, which will give access to a variety of travel benefits.

Telephone: 020 7590 0610 Email: travel@wexas.com Website: www.wexas.com

Rosewoo d Lond on CGA members can enjoy exclusive room rates with savings of up to 45%. To claim your exclusive room rates, please mention your CGA membership number and quote code: THECGA at the time of booking (excludes Wimbledon, Rugby World Cup semi-finals and final).

Telephone: 020 7781 8888 Email: london.reservations@rosewoodhotels.com Website: www.rosewoodhotels.com/en/london Address: 252 High Holborn, London WC1V 7EN

Bonhams (A uct ion Serv ice) CGA members receive an exclusive 20% discount off standard commission charges should they sell something through Bonhams auctioneers.

Telephone: 020 7447 7447 Email: info@bonhams.com Website: www.bonhams.com

Ho lbeck Ghyll CGA members are entitled to a 20% discount on the published bed and breakfast, valid from Monday to Thursday. To claim your exclusive discount, simply mention your CGA membership and have your membership card to hand when booking.

Telephone: 01539 432375 Email: stay@holbeckghyll.com Website: www.holbeckghyll.com Address: Holbeck Lane, Windermere, Cumbria LA23 1LU

TRAV EL MISC EL L AN IES

St James’s Club The Royal Over- Seas League CGA members can enjoy specially discounted joining fees, which will allow them to benefit from the exciting social and cultural events on offer. The organisation has clubhouses in both Edinburgh and London. To obtain your discount, simply mention your CGA membership and have your membership card to hand.

Telephone: 020 7408 0214 Email: info@rosl.org.uk Website: www.rosl.org.uk Address: Over-Seas House, Park Place, St James’s Street, London SW1A 1LR Over-Seas House, 100 Princes Street, Edinburgh EH2 3AB

110 www.thecga.co.uk

Puglia

Car Rental – Her tz Complimentary membership of the Hertz Member Benefit Programme. This provides members with specially discounted terms with the world’s number-one car rental company. To obtain your discount simply quote code: 583637 Hertz Worldwide Reservation telephone line: 0843 309 3099 Website: www.hertz.co.uk Travel Finance – Wor ld Fir st Award-winning currency service for CGA members, available for personal or business transfers. You will receive a personal consultant, no transfer fees and significantly better exchange rates for all international payments.

Telephone: 020 7801 2378 Email: cga@worldfirst.com Website: www.worldfirst.com

FIN E ART AN D AN TIQUES

Pall Mall Art Ad viso rs Pall Mall Art Advisors is a London-based international company specialising in the valuation of art, antiques, jewellery and other collectibles. CGA members can enjoy a 25% discount off their daily rate, a 10% discount off of their hourly rate and a 15% discount off of their art advisory commission. To claim your discount, simply have your CGA membership number to hand.

Telephone: 0845 882 2794 Email: enquiries@pallmallartadvisors.com Website: www.pallmallartadvisors.com Lyo n and Turnbull (Auction S er vice) CGA members will receive a 20% discount on Lyon & Turnbull’s standard vedors commission rate, upon mention of their CGA membership.

Telephone: 020 7930 9115 Email: info@lyonandtunrbull.com Website: www.lyonandturnbull.com

on David Kindo 747 73 04 r be Mem

110-111 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 17:25 Page 111

CGA REGISTER OF MEMBER BENEFITS

RETAIL PRIVILEGES WARDROBE Cor dings of Piccadilly CGA members are entitled to a 15% discount on any purchases from Cordings. To claim your discount, simply quote promotional code: CGA1014 online or in-store.

Telephone: 020 7758 4122 Email: shop@cordings.co.uk Website: www.cordings.co.uk Address: 19 Piccadilly, London W1J 0LA

Signets and Cyp hers A discount of £50 is available to members on purchases of gold signet rings, upon mention of their CGA membership.

Telephone: 01548 869003 Email: bella@signetsandcyphers.com Website: www.signetsandcyphers.com Address: Chene Court, Poundwell Street, Modbury, Ivybridge, Devon PL21 0QJ

FOOD AN D WIN E

Dege & Skinner CGA members can enjoy a 10% discount when purchasing four or more bespoke shirts, upon quoting promotional code: CGA1 Telephone: 020 7287 2941 Email: info@dege-skinner.co.uk Website: www.dege-skinner.co.uk Address: 10 Saville Row, London W1S 3PF

CGA Wine Cellar The CGA’s own preferred wine merchants, Lea & Sandeman, can offer members advice and have regular offers.

Telephone: 020 7244 0522 Email: orders@leaandsandeman.co.uk Website: www.leaandsandeman.co.uk Address: 170 Fulham Road, London SW10 9PR

Regent Tailoring CGA members are entitled to a 15% discount on all online and phone orders, upon quoting discount code: CGA15.

This discount does not apply to sale products and made-tomeasure tailoring.

Telephone: 01722 335151 Email: help@regenttailoring.co.uk Website: www.regenttailoring.co.uk Address: 73 New Street, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP1 2PH

God minster CGA members can enjoy a £5 discount on all purchases from award-winning cheese producer Godminster. Simply quote CGA15 at the checkout until 31st December 2015 and thereafter CGA16. Members can also enjoy a 10% discount on corporate gifts by calling Godminster’s Head of Sales and Marketing, Deborah Chambers.

Telephone: 01749 813733 Email: info@godminster.com Website: www.godminster.com Address: Station Road, Bruton, Somerset BA10 0EH

George Cleverley & Co CGA members receive a 10% discount on any bespoke or ready-to-wear shoes, upon production of their CGA membership card.

Telephone: 020 7493 0443 Email: enquiries@gjcleverley.co.uk Website: www.gjcleverley.co.uk Address: 13 The Royal Arcade, 28 Old Bond Street, London W1S 4SL James Purdey & Sons A 10% discount on any purchases of clothing and accessories is available to CGA members. (Please note that this does exclude guns and ammunition.)

Telephone: 020 7499 1801 Email: enquries@purdey.com Website: www.purdey.com Address: Audley House, 57-58 South Audley Street, London W1K 2ED Sunspel CGA members receive a 15% discount on all Sunspel clothing and underwear. Simply use discount code: CGA1 online or over the telephone. Please note that this discount excludes sale items.

Telephone: 0115 973 7860 Email: customerservice@sunspel.com Website: www.sunspel.com

JEWELLERY I an No rringt on CGA members can enjoy a 15% discount on jewellery, including high-quality signet rings, from Farnham-based jeweller Ian Norrington.

Telephone: 01252 820585 Email: sales@ian-norrington.com Website: www.ian-norrington.com Address: The Studio, Old Searchlights, Runwick Lane, Farnham, Surrey GU10 5EF

Virginia Hayward CGA members receive a 10% discount on all Virginia Hayward luxury hampers and gifts. Choose from a wide range of sumptuous food and wine hampers and gorgeous gifts for every celebration. Simply use code: CGAM10 when ordering online or by telephone. Please note that this offer excludes delivery and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer.

Telephone: 01747 851515 Email: enquiries@virginiahayward.com Website: www.virginiahawyard.com

F URN ITURE Titchmar sh and Goo dwin Titchmarsh and Goodwin, purveyors of beautifully handcrafted fine English furniture for over 90 years.

Members can enjoy a 25% discount, upon mention of their CGA membership.

Telephone: 01473 252158 Email: info@titchmarsh-goodwin.co.uk Website: www.titchmarsh-goodwin.co.uk Address: Trinity Works, Back Hamlet, Ipswich, Suffolk IP3 8AL

Tudor Oak Tudor Oak offers fine handmade and hand-finished reproduction antique English furniture. Members will receive a 25% discount on furniture purchases or orders, including bespoke, from the Tudor Oak website or directly from the showroom upon mention of their CGA membership. Members will receive a 5% discount on all doors, flooring and other bespoke joinery.

Telephone: 01622 743747 Email: info@tudor-oak.com Website: www.tudor-oak.com Address: Parsonage Farm, Heath Road, Boughton Monchelsea, Maidstone, Kent ME17 4JB

H EALTH White Cloud Producers of luxury Merino wool or quilted cotton under blanket, which incorporates a magnetic layer, which can provide natural pain relief for a variety of conditions, including arthritis, fibromyalgia, headaches and general aches and pains, whilst you sleep. Soft and comfortable, each MagnaHealth under blanket is supplied with a 60day money back guarantee. Save 15% by quoting-CGAMH Telephone: 01989 721010 Email: info@whitecloud.co.uk Website: www.whitecloud.co.uk

STATION ERY Honey Tree Bespo ke Honey Tree provides the discerning buyer with the rewarding experience of creating unique personalised premium quality stationery that leaves a lasting impression. No-risk guarantee on all orders. If you are not absolutely thrilled with your purchase from Honey Tree, for any reason at all, we’ll replace your purchase or refund your money, whichever you prefer: 10% off all orders by quoting code: CGA10 Telephone: 01749 899 333 Email: team@honeytreepublishing.com Website: www.honeytreepublishing.com

L EATH ER GOODS Sage Brown CGA members can enjoy a 10% discount on any purchases of Sage Brown’s luxury leather products, either in-store or online by using discount code: SBCGA08 Telephone: 020 7287 5757 Email: info@sagebrown.co.uk Website: www.sagebrown.co.uk Address: 17 Princes Arcade, Piccadilly, London SW1Y 6DS

MOTORIN G CGA Car Buying In association with the Sytner Group, CGA members receive exclusive terms on car purchases, including new, used and ex-demonstration vehicles. For further information, please contact Gareth Whitehead, Sytner’s Affinity Programme Manager.

Telephone: 0845 051 7827 Email: cga@sytner.com Website: www.sytner.co.uk

PH OTOGRAPH Y Charles Sainsb ury-Plaice Renowned country photographer Charles SainsburyPlaice is offering CGA members a free 20x16 inch framed, signed print, worth £200, when you book a family or pet portrait session at your home.

A day rate is £900 plus VAT for a day, or £500 plus VAT for half a day. Charles is based in Stratford-upon-Avon; mileage is free for first fifty miles and then 45p per mile afterwards. In the first instance, to commission Charles, please telephone Rebecca Hawtrey at The CGA on 01985 850706 quoting your membership number.

www.thecga.co.uk 111

112-113 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 17:27 Page 112

OFFERS & WANTS

Offers & Wants Free confidential advertising for members OFFERS Dark Grey Gents Loden Coat by Bugatti, with EchterAlpen-Loden label.

Made in Germany.

Inside top quilted with tartan lining in the body. 2 inner zipped pockets, three outside pockets, two with flaps. Zipped and button front. Length 33”, chest 4244”. Size 40R. £75 Member 084381 (Kent)

Beautiful Leitz Wetzlar brass microscope Nr.191014. In customer wooden box with eye pieces 1,3 & 4, Bausch & Lomb brass X10 object lens with diaphragm light focusing unit.

Also Carl Zeiss Jena X30, X60, & X90 object lens (screw fit ok, not perfect) £600 Will deliver anywhere on Bristol/London Axis.

Member 176964 (Bath & North East Somerset) A rare set of six identical port glasses, 6”/15cm in height, cotton twist stems and bowls decorated with engraved vine leaf foliage. C1900, perfect condition. £180 (Buyer collects) Member 124176 (Berkshire)

112 www.thecga.co.uk

Splendid Dallmeyer Soho 5X4 Studio Reflex Camera, with magnificent Cooke f3.5 series 11 anastigmatic lens.

Includes custom leather case. £400 Will deliver anywhere on Bristol/London Axis Member 176964 (Bath & North East Somerset)

Model Topsail Schooner, although a kit model, she is complete in every detail of construction and took over 250 hours to build. 750mm in length X 280 wide at spar. Originally built in 1938 in a Danish yard, now used as a training vessel, she is the sleek, fast and beautiful version of the workhorses of the 18th and 19th century. This type was often used to carry fruit from the West Indies which was a very profitable cargo if it arrived fresh. £500 or near offer (buyer collects from South Devon) Member 177072 (Devon)

Mens Rohan Pale Grey “Bags Airlight” trousers, size 36”, inside leg 291/2”, virtually as new. £35 (plus P&P) Member 081291 (Staffordshire)

112-113 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 17:29 Page 113

OFFERS & WANTS

Antique Rocking Horse, believed Ayers – old favourite, needs new home.

Best offer over £750 (Buyer collects) Member 117448 (North Wales) Edwardian Sterling Silver Handle Trophy Cup, London 1909. Fifteen and a half ounces. Engraved “Ireby Agricultural Show William Pattinson Challenge Cup for best animal in Cart Horse Show”. Good hallmarks. £128 (plus £5 P&P) Member 105275 (Northumberland) 6 yards of pale cream 60” wide lining material, ideal for bridesmaids dresses. £20 (Plus P&P) Member 081291 (Staffordshire) Gents D/B Moorlands’ Sheepskin Coat, ¾ length, size 44”. Mid brown, very good condition. £125 (ono plus postage and packaging or buyer collects) Member 105895 (Cheshire)

Air compressor with Brook Motors Gryphon Motor, made by The DeVilbiss Company, Bournemouth, England. With certificate of construction and test number 3216 which has following information: air receiver serial Number 40766, constructed to 10991960, hydraulically tested to 66lbs per square inch on 3/3/76 with design pressure of 44lbs per square inch. In good working condition, used with airbrush from 1977-2002 and stored with care thereafter. £250 ono Member 176460 (Wiltshire)

Victorian Oak Sideboard Beautiful small polished Victorian oak sideboard inlaid with cherry. Original brass handles. Width 116cm, depth 52cm. height 87cm. £250 ono (Buyer collects) Member 158052 (Cambridgeshire)

Rules & regulations: No commercial advertisements for businesses will be accepted. The CGA retains the right to refuse an advertisement at its discretion if deemed inappropriate. CGA members may request one repeat of an advertisement in the following issue of the magazine if the initial insertion proves unsuccessful.

Advertisements should not exceed 40 words and must contain true and accurate descriptions of goods.

Advertisements for shotguns require the appropriate certificates. The CGA publishing staff cannot accept any responsibility for errors or omissions.

Placing an advertisement: Advertisements must be printed clearly, including name, address and membership number. E-mail address and/or telephone number is optional.

Send by post to CGA Offers & Wants, Chalke House, Station Road, Codford, Wiltshire BA12 0JX, or by e-mail to offersandwants@thecga.co.uk. Images are accepted but must be of high resolution.

Replies: Letters should be addressed to the membership number given at the end of the advertisement, quoting the month of publication and sent to the above address. On receipt all replies will be forwarded to the relevant advertiser.

Please enclose a stamped addressed envelope if you require a reply from the advertiser. Alternatively, interested parties can (if shown) use the telephone number or e-mail address provided within the advertisement.

Two bottles of vintage Armagnac 1936, Paluel-Marmont in original boxes and original wax seals. £600 per bottle (Plus P&P) Member 123629 (East Sussex)

WANTS Small Duck House for 2 Indian Runner ducks.

Member 103076 (Bucks) Telephone: 01296 630446 Kawasaki Mule 3000 series Petrol, coil and transistor urgently required.

Member 105763 (Cornwall) Telephone: 01208 831243 www.thecga.co.uk 113

114 FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 17:31 Page 114

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Talking Turkey

By D. England, December 1965

C

HRISTMAS is coming, and the geese are getting fat….” The ancient bit of the children’s doggerel is true, no doubt, but nowadays the goose is left far behind the turkey. The six weeks before Christmas see large sales of these birds, notably at East Anglian markets.

Millions of turkeys that have been bred in these islands will grace the festive board the Yule, besides large numbers from the Continent.

Two hundred years back the turkey was supplanting the boar’s head as the pièce de résistance at the Christmas feast, and another century later the first act of Scrooge’s reformations, as described by Dickens in “A Christmas Carol,” was to send a boy to buy the prize turkey, one “as big as me,” as that admirable youngster described it.

So heavy was it, indeed, that is was impossible to carry it far, and the monster bird had to be sent off to Bob Cratchit’s home in Camden Town in a cab.

Incidentally, here arises a point which has never been satisfactorily cleared up.

Just as unquestionably as Scrooge sent that turkey by cab, equally surely the Ghost of Christmas Present showed Scrooge the Cratchits’ dining off goose, whose “ tenderness and flavour, size and cheapness, were themes of universal admiration.” On which bird did the Cratchits really make merry? Perhaps both.

Bob, his wife, and half a dozen hungry youngsters had to be content with a goose (or was it turkey?) between them.

The amazing story is told of one diner who accounted for a whole turkey. And he, of all sober me, was a judge. He sat down to that turkey, which was “stuffed with truffles to the throat, tender, delicate and filled with perfume.” Nothing was left, his Lordship related, but the bones. “How many attended the feast?” asked a colleague, when told of the repast. “Two”, replied the Judge. “Two?” exclaimed the other incredibly. “Yes, two,” repeated the Judge. “The turkey and myself.”

His Lordship ought to have been warned of the dangers attending his gastronomic achievement. Students of the work of the famous caricaturist of the last

114 www.thecga.co.uk

The amazing story is told of one diner who accounted for a whole turkey. And he, of all sober men, was a judge

century, John Leech, can recall a Christmas picture of his entitled, “Distressing result of eating nothing but turkey day after day.

The poor old party has come out all over feathers.” Sure enough, there was an old City gent, complete with tall hat and umbrella, but also a magnificent tail of feathers and a comb.

Perhaps there is some excuse for the Judge and the gen, for Fra Agapida, Cortez’ confessor (that Conquistador is reputed to have been mixed up with early history of the turkey, whose original home was the New World), declared when he first tasted it: “It surpasses as food any wild bird we have found up to this time.”

Disraeli was another who proclaimed the praises of the bird, writing: “I have never in my life tasted anything so complete, so tender and so succulent. It really seemed to bring back my appetite.

And it is a food one can live on in all forms – delicious cold, fascinating minced and, when boiled, fit for a god-like supper.”

As a matter of fact not all lovers of the turkey as fare agree with the bird boiled, whatever Disraeli’s opinion. There is an old-time rhyme which runs: Turkey boiled Is turkey spoiled.

And turkey roast Is turkey lost But for turkey braised The Lord be praised!

Even when the turkey is satisfactorily dished up, not every problem is solved.

Carving the fowl is another matter not to be entered upon lightly. Launcelot Sturgeon, the author who wrote Essays, Moral, Philosophical and Stomachial, on the Important Science of good Living, Has this to say upon the matter: “If you should unhappily be forced to carve, neither labour at the joint until you put

yourself in a heat nor make such a desperate effort to dissect it as may put your neighbours in fear of their lives. If any accident should happen make no excuses, for they are only an acknowledgement of awkwardness.

“We remember to have seen a man of high fashion deposit a turkey in this way in the lap of a lady, but with admirable composure, and without offering the slightest apology, he finished a story he was telling at the same time, and then quietly turning to her, merely said, “Madam, I’ll thank you for that turkey.”

The turkey is a foreigner, although not, except in his habits, a Turk. Turkeys were, in fact, the first Americans to settle in this country that was well over four centuries ago. Turkeys do come to us from Turkey, however, and a minor tragedy occurred there a Christmas or two back.

Eighteen hundred prime birds intended for this country fell down a precipice during the night while being taken by lorry from Ankara for loading on to a specially chartered freight aircraft at Istanbul. The consignment, weighing five and a half tons, was to have been the first delivery under an agreement signed with the Turks.

Most of our turkeys travel by rail and road to markets these days, but at one time they trekked. Tens of thousands walked to market from Eastern Counties, neatly shod with wisps of straw or even neat footgear. Geese were less accommodating and they had their webbed feet hardened by driving them through a mixture of tar and grit.

In the days of heavy gambling (on almost anything under the sun) in the eighteenth century, Lord Queensberry and Lord Oxford laid a bet as to which would travel from Norfolk to London quicker. The odds seemed all in favour of the turkeys with their brisk walk, yet the geese won by over a day.

The reason was that geese are able to walk, feed and rest in short shifts, whereas the turkey insists on roosting at nightfall – in the wilds it prefers trees – and the herders had a hard task chivvying their birds from the perches. At the outcome Lord Queensberry found himself considerably worse off.

IBC (115) FESTIVE_Layout 1 21/11/2015 17:34 Page 115

TAILOR-MADE INSURANCE FROM THE CGA WHY CHOOSE THE CGA? Specialists in insurance products since the 1940s A variety of insurance covers including commercial, property, thatch, smallholder and travel Exclusive and bespoke policies to suit your needs Effective claims handling service NO call centres All enquiries are handled by our friendly and experienced team, so give us a call or contact us via the website to see how we can make your life a little easier Telephone: 0800 028 1001 Email: insurance@thecga.co.uk Website: www.thecga.co.uk