Wealden Times | WT176 | October 2016 | Kitchen & Bathroom supplement inside
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PRICELESS
OCTOBER 2016
Wealden Times
The lifestyle magazine for the Weald
KITCHEN AND BATHROOM SUPPLEMENT inside
Inspirational Interiors • Fabulous Fashion • Delicious Dishes
76/78 High Street, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN1 1YB
Tel. 01892 534018 | Fax. 01892 510536
Email. info@gcollinsandsons.com | www.gcollinsandsons.com
Designers and and makers of of handmade kitchens
The The difference is is in in the the detail
Please call call for for a a brochure or or visit visit our our showrooms
Unit Unit 9, 9, Chart Chart Farm, Farm, Seal Seal Chart Chart
Sevenoaks, Kent Kent TN15 0ES 0ES
Tel: Tel: 01732 762682
81 81 Calverley Road Road
Tunbridge Wells, Kent Kent TN1 TN1 2UY 2UY
Tel: Tel: 01892 520730
www.rencraft.co.uk
Recently appointed as as a a UK distributor of of Thermo Treated
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*Price *Price shown shown includes delivery, cabinet cabinet furniture, appliances, worktops and and VAT VAT
5 High Street, Cranbrook, Kent TN17 3EB
01580 715144
Email: cranbrook@kingsfords.net www.kingsfords-solicitors.com
We offer an excellent, swift and friendly service.
Conveyancing - Wills & Estates - Commercial Law -
Matrimonial Law - Prenuptial Agreements - Litigation -
Employment Law - Family Law - French Property
Conveyancing Services from £550.00+VAT
Wills from £215.00+VAT / Mirror Wills from £295.00+VAT
Lasting Power Of Attorney (LPA's) from £195.00+VAT
(Initial fixed-fee appointments also available at our Cranbrook offices)
Litigation Solicitor from £200.00+VAT
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We will always try and match any quotation
Kingsfords Solicitors Limited registered office address 2 Elwick Road, Ashford, Kent TN23 1PD
Regulated by the Solicitors regulation Authority 621466
KingsfordSolicitorsWT172.indd 1 10/05/2016 11:20
wealdentimes.co.uk
8
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Contents
October 2016
54
151
Supplement 8
22
35
54
85
87
100
SHED AHEAD
John Graham-Hart
salutes the hidey-hut
OCTOBER NOTEBOOK
Interesting things to
do this month
PRIDE, NO PREJUDICE
A Georgian stately home
gets a chic contemporary
makeover - and a new purpose
GET THE LOOK
Give your house the
Goodnestone treatment
SWEET DREAMS
A plumpelicious bedstead makes
your bedroom into a luxury zone
WINTER WARMER
Treats to look forward to at
this year’s Wealden Times
Midwinter Fair
126
128
143
147
149
151
KITCHEN & BATHROOM
SUPPLEMENT
32 pages of inspiration
for your home
WHERE ENDS MEET
Cosy autumn menswear
for outdoor pursuits
BALMY HIGH
Josephine Fairley
moisturises madly
WEALDEN BEAUTY
Susannah Hewett of Eggs to
Apples shares her regime
HEALTH
Expert information for Breast
Cancer Awareness month
THE STAFF OF LIFE
A sourdough masterclass
with baker Emmanuel
Hadjiandreou
162
166
169
175
177
183
184
FROM A TINY ACORN...
Sue Whigham celebrates
the mighty oak
THE GREEN GODDESS
Penny Kemp on upcycling
LATERAL THINKING
Alternative education options
assessed by Sue Elkin
GRAMMAR LESSONS
Sue Elkin revises the key points
for choosing a school
WHAT’S ON IN OCTOBER
Apples, art and Halloween fun
COMPETITION
Win a knife set worth £225
from Flint & Flame
FABLES FROM THE FARM
For Jane Howard autumn
is a new beginning
102
LOVE SHACK
John Graham-Hart is smitten by
a beach house with the X factor
159
SQUASH UP!
Jo Arnell gets misty in
her pumpkin patch
Published by JPS Media Ltd, Kettle Chambers, 21 Stone Street, Cranbrook, Kent. TN17 3HF. Tel: 01580 714705 Fax: 01580 715983.
Email info@wealdentimes.co.uk wealdentimes.co.uk copyright JPS Media Ltd 2016©.
The views of the advertisers and contributors are not necessarily those of JPS Media Ltd.
9 wealdentimes.co.uk
Sandhurst
A family farmhouse on the edge of the village with impressive equestrian facilities
7 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, 5 reception rooms. Swimming pool, tennis court. Substantial
outbuildings, stable yard, all-weather sand school, paddock. Triple garage with annexe above.
EPC rating C. In all about 25.72 acres.
Guide price £1,850,000
KnightFrank.co.uk/TNW150281
simon.biddulph@knightfrank.com
KnightFrank.co.uk/tunbridge-wells
01892 310700
@KF_TWells
KnightFrank.co.uk
Guide price £975,000
Cranbrook
An attractive twin roundel oast house within walking distance of the town centre
4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 3 reception rooms. Detached double garage, off-road parking,
immaculate gardens and grounds. EPC rating D. In all about 0.4 acres.
Our understanding of the ever-changing
market enables us to price your
property accurately.
Every day our properties are viewed
521 times through our award-winning
website, so you can rely on Knight
Frank to get you moving.
Call us today on 01892 310700 to
arrange your free market valuation.
*Figure correct as at 5th September 2016
Guide price £995,000
Rolvenden
An attractive Grade II Listed oast house with wonderful views
5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 3 reception rooms. Triple open bay garage with office / study
above. Gardens and grounds. In all about 0.56 acres.
@KF_TWells
KnightFrank.co.uk
Development Opportunity
Guide price £700,000
Smarden
Attractive Grade II Listed former school house
4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 3 reception rooms. Situated in the
heart of the village. Walled garden with lawned area. Garage.
Offers in excess of £995,000
Wadhurst
Plot with full planning permission to create an impressive country
house
Created for modern family living, designs provide for a unique
home of up to 9,000 sq ft with a luxurious leisure complex, cinema
and games room. Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. In all about
11 acres. Brochure with full details available. *CGI
Hastings Old Town, East Sussex - £1,395,000
Grade II listed Regency Italianate villa with attached 3
bedroom cottage. Kitchen, dining room, drawing room,
tower room, lower ground floor with utility room and wine
store. 3 double bedrooms and 4th bedroom/sitting room.
Garage and secure off road parking. Large walled garden.
Brookland, Kent - £925,000
Lovely Grade II listed farmhouse on little used country lane.
Sitting room, dining room, kitchen/breakfast room, utility/
cloakroom, 4 bedrooms, attic room. Single garage with
office above. Parking. Garden and orchard of 1.25 acres.
Beckley, East Sussex - £750,000
Spacious house in rural position. Kitchen, utility, sitting
room, dining room, living room, conservatory, 3 first floor
bedrooms, study/bedroom 4, office/bedroom 5. Triple
garage with workshop. Swimming pool. Gardens & grounds
of 1.5 acres. Further land available. EPC E.
Rye, East Sussex - £499,950
Attached house in mews development in central location
in Conservation Area. Living room, dining room, kitchen/
breakfast room, main bedroom with en-suite and 2 further
bedrooms. Lovely courtyard garden. Allocated parking
space. EPC D
Wittersham, Kent - £475,000
Lovely 3 bedroom village house. Grade II listed with sitting
room, dining room, home office/gym, kitchen/breakfast
room, utility. Master bedroom with en-suite and 2 further
bedrooms. Garden. Off road parking.
Brookland, Kent - £395,000
Deceptive attached period cottage with generous living
accommodation on edge of village with rural views. 23 ft
sitting room, open plan kitchen/dining room, utility, study,
3 bedrooms. Rear garden. Single garage. Additional parking.
EPC F
RYE OFFICE 01797 227338
MAYFAIR OFFICE 0870 112 7099
phillipsandstubbs.co.uk
The Property Ombudsman
Sissinghurst Excess £1,100,000
An enchanting Grade II listed farmhouse with an excellent range of
outbuildings and land in a secluded setting• CSCA • No Onward Chain
• 3 Reception Rooms • Kitchen/Breakfast Room • 4 Bedrooms • Bathroom
• Substantial Outbuildings • About 7 acres in all
Biddenden Excess £925,000
A recently completed country house in a delightful secluded setting
overlooking its own land • CSCA • 2 Reception Rooms • Kitchen/Diner
• 4 Bedrooms • 3 Bathrooms • Double Garage • Open Bay Garage • Stables
• Outbuilding • In all over 6 acres • EPC B
Biddenden Excess £895,000
A spacious and well presented oast conversion with leisure complex amid
beautiful landscaped grounds with far reaching views • CSCA • 3 Reception
Rooms • Kitchen/Breakfast Room • 4 Bedrooms • 3 Bath/Shower Rooms
• Cart Lodge • Circa 2.3 acres in all • EPC E
Bethersden Excess £600,000
An individual village house providing 2,864 sq ft of stylish and flexible
accommodation • No Onward Chain • 2 Reception Rooms • Kitchen/
Breakfast Room • Master Bedroom with En Suite & Dressing Room
• Bedroom 2 • Shower Room • Double Garage • 0.6 acres of Gardens • EPC C
Hawkhurst Excess £550,000 Cranbrook Guide Price £525,000
An expansive duplex apartment set in a prestigious development on the A delightful attached barn and oast conversion with lovely south facing
popular Moor area of the village • CSCA • 2 Reception Rooms • Kitchen gardens in a convenient semi rural setting • CSCA • 2 Reception Rooms
• 3 Bedrooms • 2 Bathrooms • Double Garage • Private Terrace • Shared • Kitchen/Breakfast Room • 3 Bedrooms • Family Bathroom • Garage
Grounds of about 6 acres • EPC C
• Pretty Gardens • EPC E
coming 26 January 2015
SALES / LETTINGS / MANAGEMENT
VISIT US AT HUNTERS.COM
HERE TO GET you THERE
SALES / LETTINGS / MANAGEMENT
VISIT US AT HUNTERS.COM
HERE TO GET you THERE
High Halden £750,000 - £800,000
Stunning 16th Century Grade II listed country house set in its own
private grounds • Seven Bedrooms • Extensive Gardens • Paddock and
Natural Pond • No Onward Chain • EPC Exempt
Ashford £950,000
Imposing detached home set in a desirable location • Four Double
Bedrooms • Fantastic Kitchen/Breakfast Room • Heated Swimming Pool
• Triple Bay Garage • Detached Games Room • Two Ensuites • EPC C
Alkham £950,000
Imposing detached country home set in approximately 3 acres of
grounds with stunning views over rolling countryside • Six Bedrooms •
Heated Swimming Pool • Tennis Court • Wooded Grounds • EPC D
Brookland £625,000
Detached family home with countryside views set in a quiet country lane
• Five Bedrooms • Three Bathrooms/Ensuites • Double Garage • EPC TBC
Over 150 independently owned branches across the UK.
Smarden £1,150,000
Delightful Grade II Listed Oast House set in approximately 1.45 acres
• Six Bedrooms • Study • Flexible Accommodation • Three Bathrooms/Shower Rooms • EPC Exempt
ASHFORD 01233 613613
HYTHE 01303 261557
Over 150 independently owned branches across the UK.
TENTERDEN 01580 763278
FOLKESTONE 01303 210335
‘Our Focus ‘Our Determines Focus Determines Your Reality’ Your Reality’
harpers and hurlingham
COLLIeRS GReen £1,295,000
Grade II Farmhouse with Converted Barn · Two
reception rooms · Kitchen dining room · Four bedrooms
(one ensuite) · Detached two bedroom barn · Gardens
and paddock · CSCA · EPC: n/a
Sought after Rural Location
RURAL BRIGHTLInG £1,200,000
Grade II Listed Thatched Barn · Three reception rooms
· Kitchen/breakfast room · Utility room · Five bedrooms
(two ensuite) · Grounds approx. 1.3 acres · Detached one
bedroom annexe · Garaging · EPC: n/a
Stunning Far Reaching Views
RURAL Benenden £1,195,000
Detached Property with Acreage · Three receptions
· Kitchen/breakfast room · Five bedrooms (two ensuite)
· Detached building with planning permission · Approx
5 acres (including woodland) · CSCA · EPC: E
Tranquil Rural Location
BOUGHTOn MOnCHeLSeA £1,175,000
Unique Converted Barn/Oast · Three reception rooms
· Conservatory · Kitchen/breakfast room · Five
bedrooms (two ensuite) · Parklike gardens with
outbuilding · Double garage · EPC: E
Peaceful Country Lane Location
Harpers&Hurlingham
The Cornerhouse, Stone Street, Cranbrook
01580 715400
www.harpersandhurlingham.com
London offiCe: KenSingTon 020 7938 2311
Lettings Team
Sales Team
Chez Charlie Janey Jane Cathy Jane Sarah Debbie Catherine Caroline Dianne Helen
CHH_ADVERT_181x133mm.pdf 1 19/01/2016 15:39
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LH
CountryHouseDevelopmentsWT168.indd 2 20/01/2016 11:27
L i lle s de n Hou s e
h aw k h u r s t, k e n t
VIEWINGS BY APPOINTMENT
SANDHILL
HOMES
sandhillhomes.co.uk
LILLESDEN HOUSE, HASTINGS ROAD, HAWKHURST, KENT TN18 4QG
A future full of promise, in a setting from the past
Discover a range of charming & beautifully restored luxury apartments, surrounded by 28 acres of mature parkland
• Individually designed 2 and 3 bedroom apartments • Designer fitted kitchens with a range of high performance appliances
• Contemporary bathroom suites • Electrically operated security gates with entry phone system
• Private allocated parking • 10 year Premier guarantee
NEW APARTMENTS RELEASED | GUIDE PRICES FROM £375,000
To book an appointment please contact 01892 507005 or email tunbridgewellsrds@savills.com
savills.co.uk
wealdentimes.co.uk
16
SavillsWT176.indd 1 09/09/2016 11:26
www.hobbsparker.co.uk
01580 766766
Nr Rye • Kent Guide £1,500,000
A well appointed Edwardian country house with delightful garden room
extension and far reaching southerly views over Rye Bay and the Fairlight
Hills. In all just under 3 acres. EPC Rating F
Sellindge • Kent Guide £1,450,000
Exceptional and beautifully appointed Victorian country house with earlier
Georgian influence, fabulous 35’ orangery extension, fine undulating rural
views over its own land. In all about 4 acres (1.62 ha). EPC Rating E
High Halden • Kent Guide £845,000
A beautifully presented Kentish oast house between Woodchurch and High
Halden combining original character and contemporary décor.
EPC Rating E
Mersham • Kent Guide £799,500
A substantial part of a period former Rectory. 4 bedrooms (2 en-suite),
3 receptions plus large kitchen. Lovely walled garden.
EPC Rating NA
Rolvenden Layne • Kent Guide £875,000
A wonderfully presented 4 bedroom house on a quiet lane with well
maintained gardens backing onto fields, open plan reception area, superb
master suite. EPC Rating D
Challock • Kent Guide £845,000
A charming period farm house and separate cottage annexe surrounded
by about 1.1 acres of well kept gardens and grounds including outbuildings
(approx. 2,500 sq. ft.) EPC Rating NA
Hobbs Parker Estate Agents
Ashford: 01233 225371 | Tenterden: 01580 766766
The Coachworks
Appreciate
the Difference
“The size of the apartment and the
option of care facilities if required in
the longer term were important. The
purchase was outstanding value for
money and it has fulfilled all my
expectations.” Bob Jones, Apartment 14
Come along and view one of the
most spacious retirement schemes
in the area and enjoy a FREE meal
at The Bell Inn, an award-winning
pub located within a short walk *
Elegant independent living, exclusively for the over 65’s
THE COACHWORKS, HIGH STREET, TICEHURST, EAST SUSSEX TN5 7EX
• Spacious 2 bedroom apartments • Concierge & night porter
• Existing pets allowed • Welcoming community *subject to scheme rules
T: 01892 507005 | E: tunbridgewellsrds@savills.com | www.savills.co.uk
60%
already sold
Prices from
£305,000
Managing Agents
Selling Agents
SavillsWT176B.indd 1 09/09/2016 13:00
wealdentimes.co.uk
18
SJDprojectsWT176.indd 1 07/09/2016 09:41
Advertisement
Solving the property puzzle
Wealden Times learn from leading property expert Mandy Bissell of Garrington about how buyers and
sellers are successfully overcoming the challenge of moving home in the local property market
Historically, moving home seemed quite
straightforward; place your current home
on the market for sale and find a buyer
whilst spending time sifting through the
abundant choice of alternative homes for
sale and find the right one to purchase.
Fast forward to today’s market and
following multiple revisions to stamp duty,
shock effects of election and referendum
results, and available properties for sale at
record low levels, the market is no longer
free flowing and the process of moving
home is now far from straightforward.
Mandy, how do you help clients move
home and what do you do that they could
not do themselves?
“Garrington has for the last 20 years
become well known, both locally and
nationally, acting as professional property
finders; in short we save clients time,
hassle and money in finding the right
property to purchase using our extensive
contacts and knowledge of the property
market. However, over recent years as
the market has changed so has our role
evolved far more towards being a client’s
strategic property advisor, coordinating
all aspects of their property requirements
in an efficient manner based on
expert knowledge. This level of clarity,
knowledge and experience are normally
the missing elements preventing someone
from moving home and spending months
agonising on what to do for the best.”
Sounds impressive, but what does this
mean for someone wanting to move?
“It means that a client can benefit from
having someone truly independent on
their side, that spends time properly
understanding their full needs and then is
able to create a plan that is going to ensure
they achieve their goals. The advice is
objective, takes market conditions into
account, client priorities and is realistic
in terms of what can be achieved - both in
terms of property prices and timescales.”
Mandy Bissell GARRINGTON
“Clarity, knowledge and
experience are normally
the missing elements…”
Can you give us an example of how this
has helped one of your clients move
home and the difference you made?
“We have recently helped a client move
locally who had owned their existing
home for many years. They were wishing
to downsize now their children had all
‘flown the nest’, cash in their equity and
buy an easier property to manage with a
smaller garden so they could enjoy more
foreign travel. Having looked tentatively
at homes for several months they had
become disconcerted by the lack of choice
and the advice from local selling agents
that their own home would sell very
quickly and they might have to rent.”
“This feedback left them equally uncertain
as to whether to sell first, or try to find a
property to purchase. After being referred
to us by one of their friends who had
previously used Garrington, we were able
to assist with advice on the best strategy
and timing for selling, the selection of
the right estate agent to work with whilst
conducting a proactive property search
and presenting suitable options to buy.
During the search a buyer was identified
for their existing home who offered
flexibility on timescales as they were
already in rental accommodation. This
in turn gave us the time needed to find
the right property for them to purchase,
leading to a successful move. We made
a critical difference by formulating the
right plan based on their circumstances
and gave their moving plans shape and
direction, then made it all happen for
them.”
What sort of clients do you work with and
what do your services cost?
“We work with a wide range of clients
covering a variety of budgets. This
includes people both upsizing and
downsizing their homes, investors,
families relocating, holiday home buyers
and people retiring. We obviously tailor
our services around the needs of each
client and focus very much on a positive
client working relationship, not just the
transaction. By way of example, we have
assisted three generations from one family
and have another client about to embark
on their ninth investment property
acquisition with our assistance. Our fees
are equally tailored to a client’s needs and
the services they require from us, but on
many occasions can become self-funding
based on the price reductions we may
achieve when agreeing a purchase.”
To learn more about Garrington’s services contact Mandy Bissell on:
Tel: 01892 882892 | info@garrington.co.uk | www.garringtonsoutheast.co.uk
Residential Sales
01580 242700
wealdproperty.net
FAIRLIGHT, near Rye
POA
A HANDSOME AND BEAUTIFULLY SITUATED SEVEN BEDROOM, GRADE II LISTED PERIOD
FARMHOUSE. The property sits amid delightful gardens and land of approximately 17 acres
commanding unparalleled views from all rooms and includes a separate three bedroom Oast
conversion and high specification equestrian facilities.
HAWKHURST £1,295,000
A UNIQUE AND ARCHITECTURALLY SIGNIFICANT FIVE BEDROOM BESPOKE BUILT,
CONTEMPORARY DETACHED HOME SET IN A DESIRABLE VILLAGE LOCATION, sitting in
approximately 0.7 acres of mature gardens with delightful far reaching rural views being within
the sought-after Cranbrook School Catchment Area.
GOUDHURST £820,000
AN EXTREMELY RARE OPPORTUNITY TO ACQUIRE A BUILDING PLOT OF APPROXIMATELY
2.1 ACRES WITH THE FINEST VIEWS IN THE COUNTY, which importantly includes hard won
approved planning consent to build an architecturally significant 5 bedroom detached Eco
House designed by Sir Terry Farrell. CSCA.
GOUDHURST £835,000
AN IMPRESSIVE AND BEAUTIFULLY APPOINTED 5/6 BEDROOM OAST CONVERSION.
Situated in the sought after village of Goudhurst, being within the Cranbrook School
Catchment Area. Comprising in total approx. 2957 square feet and includes a magnificent
library in a roundel and feature Inglenook fireplace in the sitting room.
RURAL WITTERSHAM £740,000
AN EXCEPTIONALLY PRETTY FOUR BEDROOM GRADE II LISTED OAST HOUSE,
BEAUTIFULLY CONVERTED AND SET AMID ENCHANTING MATURE GARDENS in an idyllic
rural location at the end of a private lane.
BROOKLAND, near Rye OIEO £695,000
2 LOTS: LOT 1 - OIEO £695,000 – AN ATTRACTIVE, DETACHED FIVE BEDROOM GRADE II
PERIOD COUNTRY HOUSE in set in approximately 1 acre of attractive garden and orchard,
adjacent garage and stabling offering conversion potential. LOT 2 - PRICE ON APPLICATION -
1 further acre (approximately) with large barn ripe for conversion (conditionally sold with Lot 1).
2 Windmill Oast, Windmill Farm,
Rolvenden, Kent TN17 4PF
HOUSE OF THE MONTH by John Graham-Hart
1.
Get ahead, Get a shed
John Graham-Hart celebrates the small wooden hut
which holds such a special place in the British heart
As 11,000 athletes from more than 200 nations battled for glory beneath
the appreciative gaze of Rio’s Christ the Redeemer this summer,
another equally intense contest was reaching its climax under the
beady and critical eyes of an army of gnomes at the bottom of suburban gardens
all over the UK.
Cuprinol’s annual Shed of the Year competition had attracted a record-breaking
2,800 entries and the most magnificent 32 had made it onto the shortlist.
Themes ranged from nuclear bunkers to Viking boltholes, duck hotels to
Hobbit hideouts, crocodile homes to Hans Solo’s Millennium Falcon. The
excitement of sheddies throughout the country was making the Brazilian home
football crowds look positively apathetic.
The shed is a peculiarly and pleasingly British obsession. It began as a little
workshop where a man might tie flies or tinker with small unidentifiable pieces of
metal which he would one day unveil in triumph as a single, larger, unidentifiable
piece of metal. It was in short, somewhere to which he could escape for an hour
or two and slip his mind comfortably and comfortingly into neutral.
Sheds varied in size and shape but tended to share this essential
purposelessness. Today, however, they have evolved into valuable additional
family spaces - offices, summerhouses, gyms, studios, playhouses or, of course,
just somewhere downright weird.
There are regulations governing sheds and their placement but, generally,
planning permission isn’t required so you can build pretty well what you want.
However, whatever its guise, a shed rarely adds significant value to the
sale price of a house but it can be an attractive extra – which means all these
properties come with a useful little freebee…
1. Hurst Mill Cottage
Where? Hurst Mill Cottage is
beautifully situated well back off a rural
country road near Hothfield Common
a couple of miles from Pluckley (Google
Maps TN25 4LT).
What? A lovely Grade II listed cottage
dating from the 17th century, the property
is awash with period features from Dering
casement windows with stone mullions
to exposed timbers and beams and brick
flooring. Reception rooms include a triple
aspect drawing room with direct access
to the garden, a sitting room with woodburning
stove and a large third room that
could be used as an annexe.
On the first floor are two bedrooms and a
family bathroom and a separate staircase
leads to a further bedroom – with access
to a decked terrace - and bathroom. The
landscaped gardens which lie to three sides
of the house are a major feature of the
property and encompass paved pathways,
lawns underplanted with spring bulbs, a
variety of mature trees including impressive
willows, an old mill pond, a summerhouse
and a studio with power and light.
How much? Hurst Mill Cottage is on
the market at £850,000 and is with Savills
in Cranbrook. Call 01580 720161 or visit
savills.co.uk
wealdentimes.co.uk
22
2.
3.
4.
2.
3.
4.
2. Fairfield
Where? Fairfield is located on the edge
of the attractive and historic Wealden
village of Sissinghurst (Google Maps
TN17 2AR).
What? An attractive contemporary
property surrounded by well over an
acre of beautiful grounds, Fairfield is a
light, spacious and versatile family home.
Downstairs accommodation includes
living room with dual aspect picture
windows overlooking the garden, dual
aspect dining room, study, kitchen/
breakfast room with French windows to
the garden patio, two bedrooms and a
shower room.
Upstairs is a master bedroom, two further
bedrooms, playroom and bathroom.
Outside the gardens are mainly laid to
lawn but with a lovely range of mature
shrubs along with various trees and
mature plants, flowerbeds and landscaped
kitchen garden. There are three patio
areas, two greenhouses and a Scandinavian
garden lodge fitted with a central barbecue
and chimney, table top and seating.
How much? Fairfield has an asking
price of £799,995 and is on the market
with Peter Buswell in Hawkhurst. Call
01580 755565 or visit
peterbuswell.co.uk
3. West Lodge
Where? West Lodge is in a semi-rural
setting on the edge of the village of East
Farleigh a couple of miles from Maidstone
(Google Maps ME15 0HA).
What? An attractive single-storey
ragstone property that was originally
one of two gatehouses that served the
nearby manor house, the property has
been renovated and extended by its
current owners who have converted a
former tandem garage into a detached
single storey studio. In the main house,
accommodation includes a large drawing
room that is open–plan to the kitchen/
breakfast room, three bedrooms – one
with an en suite shower room – and
family room/fourth bedroom.
Outside, a large paved patio with ornate
cast balustrade overlooks the courtyard
and studio building. The gardens -
primarily laid to lawn and edged by
mature trees – encompass a modern
wooden chalet with power and light and
a large wooden deck provides superb
views over the adjacent orchards and
countryside.
How much? West Lodge is on the
market at £850,000 and is with Fine &
Country in West Malling. Call 01732
222272 or visit fineandcountry.com
4. West Cross
Where? No 3 West Cross is set on the
west side of High Street in the historic
Cinque Ports town of Tenterden (Google
Maps TN30 6JR).
What? The property is an impressive
Grade II listed Georgian town house
believed to date back to 1730 with
later additions. The property has been
sympathetically restored over the years and
is now an attractive family home with all
the conveniences of modern living. The
ground floor comprises drawing room,
dining room and a bright south-facing
kitchen/breakfast room.
On the first floor are two double bedrooms
and a family bathroom and, on the second,
there is a master bedroom and further
guest bedroom with en suite bathroom.
There is also a large basement utility room
which leads through to a games room. To
the rear of the property is a lovely southfacing
courtyard garden which has been
thoughtfully landscaped with a pretty
summerhouse and potting shed.
How much? No 3 West Cross has a
guide price range of £525,000 - £550,000
and is with Fine & Country in Tenterden.
Call 01580 766388 or visit
fineandcountry.com
23 wealdentimes.co.uk
Letting your property
it’s as easy as abc
Set up and underwritten by Ashford Borough Council, we have been
creating and supporting tenancies in the private sector for many
years.
We can offer you:
• Guaranteed income
• Variable length of contracts to suit you
• Out of hours service for tenants
• Full management of your property by experienced
professionals
www.ashford.gov.uk/abclettings • abclettings@ashford.gov.uk • 01233 330869 / 330378
Wealden HP.indd 2 02/06/2016 15:13:03
AhsfordBoroughCouncilWT173.indd 1 07/06/2016 17:17
Whole Of Market Mortgage Advice
In The Weald Of Kent
We understand that everyone is different and that’s why our qualified and
We understand that everyone is different and that’s why our qualified and
competent mortgage advisers will advise and recommend mortgages
competent mortgage advisers will advise and recommend mortgages
that will suit your individual needs.
that will suit your individual needs.
Rob
Stewart Rob
Tenterden Stewart
Office Tenterden
Office
Duncan
Thornton Duncan
Tenterden Thornton
Office Tenterden
Office
Sam
Hart Sam
Folkestone Hart
Office Folkestone
Office
Lee
Lancaster Lee
Hythe Lancaster &
Folkestone Hythe &
Office Folkestone
Office
Richard
Watts Richard
Ashford Watts
Office Ashford
Office
102 High Street, Tenterden, Kent TN30 6HT
102 High Street, Tenterden, Kent TN30 6HT
07483
07483
158073
158073
www.stewartfinancial.co.uk
www.stewartfinancial.co.uk
wealdentimes.co.uk
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.
We do not charge for our advice, however there will be an administration fee ranging
We do not charge for our advice, however there will be an administration fee ranging
from £250-£499 payable on the completion of your mortgage.
from £250-£499 payable on the completion of your mortgage.
24
StewartFinancialWT174.indd 1 05/07/2016 16:09
BUSS MURTON advertorial
Long established law firm Buss Murton
is to offer a fixed fee service
“
Effective dispute resolution requires
a clearly defined strategy, proactive
management and tactical skill in order
to deliver what clients want quickly and cost
effectively. It is not enough to simply advise
on the law.”
Justine Soutter, the new Head of Buss Murton’s
Litigation department explains.
Justine Soutter
is Head of
the Litigation
Department in
Tunbridge Wells. She
handles everything
from straightforward
contract disputes to
complex High Court
litigation.
She has particular
expertise in
Property Litigation
including advising
clients on anything
from high value disputes with commercial landlords
and tenants to agricultural property disputes and
obtaining possession from squatters.
Justine Soutter
Justine worked in the City for several years before
joining Buss Murton and delivers the service that
clients would expect from a City firm of solicitors
but at competitive Tunbridge Wells prices.
Justine says: “Litigation can be expensive. For clients
that have more straightforward problems, the firm
is now offering a fixed fee service for debt recovery
and possession of properties on Assured Shorthold
Tenancies. This will provide a solution for those
who need these services but for whom it is not cost
effective to instruct solicitors on hourly rates.”
Newly recruited
Litigation Assistant
Kamile Maskoliuniene
has considerable
experience in these
areas and will be
able to assist clients
who are owed debts
or who need to get
their properties
back from difficult
tenants.
Kamile Maskoliuniene
If you have a dispute that you would like to
discuss, please contact Justine Soutter at
jsoutter@bussmurton.co.uk or call her on
01892 510 222 www.bussmurton.co.uk
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The The Great Great £928,000 £948,000 £928,000 Stock Stock Disposal Sell-Out! Disposal Sale Sale
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THE THE FURNISHING STORE STORE
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THE THE NAME NAME TO TRUST TO TRUST SINCE SINCE 1911 1911
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CRAFTSMANSHIP
It’s simply ingrained into everything we do. We aim to create the highest quality handmade
English Oak Furniture through time-honoured woodworking techniques.
Using traditional tools such as tenon saws, mallets and chisels, each piece of handmade furniture by Country Ways Oak
is constructed with sturdy pegged mortice and tenon joints to deliver strength and durability. Our traditional methods result in
furniture with timeless appeal, conveying enduring elegance and uniting form and function.
OUR WORKSHOPS CHRISTMAS SCHEDULE IS NOW OPEN
Workshop & Showrooms
Little Swailes Green Farm, Battle Road
CRIPPS CORNER, East Sussex TN32 5QU
www.countrywaysoak.co.uk
01580 830077
Shutters from Blind Design
For the ultimate in timeless elegance look no further
than Blind Design’s shutters range
Blind Design’s shutters are handcrafted to order from the fi nest materials and made-to-measure for a precise fi t.
Equally suited to contemporary or traditional decor, shutters provide a light and airy environment alongside privacy
and security – features which will add value and elegance to your room.
Call Freephone
0800 988 1071
For Your Free Home Visit
www.blind-design.co.uk
Unit 6, Harvington Business Park, Brampton Road, Eastbourne, East Sussex BN22 9AF
Mon - Fri 9am - 5pm, Sat 9am - 2pm • Telephone 01323 509 661 • Freephone 0800 988 1071
Living Will /
advanced decision
special offer
Living wills often known as advanced directives/decisions give
you the ability while fit and healthy to decide how you wish to
be treated and what treatment you want to refuse should you
become seriously ill in the future.
Everything from ensuring you always have your nails painted
to not wishing to be resuscitated under certain conditions can
be decided upon - well in advance - taking away the anguish of
such decisions from your closest family and loved ones.
Single living
Will just
£29.99 + vat
(£35.99)
Living Wills are best implemented alongside Lasting Power of
Attorney grants (LPAs) giving your nearest and dearest the Power
to speak on your behalf together with the words to say.
With our unregistered LPAs currently reduced from £399 + vat
(488.80) to just £99 + vat (£118.80) now is the ideal time to get
prepared for the next unknown chapter in your life.
BRIGHTON: 01273 911142
CRANBROOK: 01580 388584
EASTBOURNE: 01323 301383
EAST GRINSTEAD: 01342 459034
HASTINGS: 01424 316167
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HEATHFIELD: 01435 408515
Call us on:
HORSHAM: 01403 541244
MAIDSTONE: 01622 296525
RYE: 01797 214212
SEVENOAKS: 01732 605411
TONBRIDGE: 01732 605411
TUNBRIDGE WELLS: 01892 278171
UCKFIELD: 01825 508113
Pair of living
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Thy will be done - giving you the Will
to live with complete peace of mind
www.thywill.co.uk
Women’s health – New technology
helping to beat Breast Cancer
We do
breast health
checks…
Our One Stop Breast Clinic now offers
3D mammograms helping to detect
Breast Cancer with greater accuracy
If you are over 40 with no
symptoms, you can
self-refer for a
3D mammogram*
We are currently the only private hospital
in Kent to offer the latest advances in
digital mammography; 3D Digital Breast
Tomosynthesis.
Patients seen in our One Stop Breast Clinic
will have the option of 3D mammography.
The benefits speak for themselves:
• Improves breast cancer detection by
approximately 25%
• Smaller cancers can be identified more easily
• Particularly benefits those with dense breasts,
especially younger women
• Fewer patient recalls
Early detection is key. Make Spire
Tunbridge Wells your hospital of choice.
What our patients say…
I found the whole experience whilst
having the scan to be very quick indeed
and more importantly I was made to
feel very comfortable by the staff’
TWells patient
I just wanted to say how lovely the staff in
x-ray department were yesterday when I
went for a mammogram.Everyone was so
friendly and professional
Local GP Practice Manager
To book an appointment in the One Stop Breast
clinic call our Customer Services Executive on
01892 741150
www.spiretunbridgewells.com
* Patients can self-refer for 3D mammograms if they are
experiencing no symptoms and do not have any family history.
Fordcombe Road, Fordcombe, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN3 0RD
WEEKLY BOARDING
FROM SEPTEMBER 2017
HAPPINESS FIRST
ACHIEVEMENT FIRST
INDIVIDUALITY FIRST
FRIENDS FIRST
ENRICHMENT FIRST
PROGRESS FIRST
ALWAYS FIRST
HEATHFIELD SCHOOL, ASCOT
Boarding and Day for Girls 11-18
VISIT US FIRST
OPEN DAYS
SATURDAY 15 OCTOBER 2016
SATURDAY 4 MARCH 2017
SATURDAY 20 MAY 2017
10am - 12 noon
PLEASE EMAIL:
registrar@heathfieldschool.net
TO BOOK A PLACE OR TO
ARRANGE A PRIVATE TOUR
heathfieldschool.net
City centre celebration...
Canterbury Festival has announced this year’s super sized line-up, with
events spanning three weeks from Saturday 15 October, and each day
providing something different and exciting. The English Chamber
Orchestra Ensemble will perform music spanning centuries, Australian
circus troop Circa are guaranteed to wow audiences and various talks
will take place to please wine lovers, keen gardeners and historians, with
speakers including Oz Clarke and Monty Don. With over 200 events
taking place within every available spot of city space, there truly is
something for everyone. To find out more and to discover where it’s all
happening visit canterburyfestival.co.uk
October
notebook
Exhibitions & events
near you this month...
Dance & dazzle...
Join the party at Assembly Hall on Sunday 30
October, as Magic Of Motown celebrates its
10th birthday. Having embarked on a sensational
nationwide tour, this theatrical treat will be wowing
audiences in Tunbridge Wells, with musical brilliance,
glittering costumes and dazzling dance moves.
Legends such as the Supremes, Jackson 5, Stevie
Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross and many more
will be featuring in this stunning production. Book
now by phoning 01892 530613.
Creative coaching...
This October, West Dean College are offering a
series of short creative courses to give participants
the opportunity to learn traditional and
contemporary handcrafts. Explore outside oil
painting and investigate autumnal landscapes.
Choose from a diverse range of woodworking
and furniture making courses, develop your
gardening skills, pick up a camera and learn about
composition, build on a sewing project or try your
hand at blacksmithing and metal work. Prices and
dates vary, so find out more at westdean.org.uk
More than words...
Friday 30 September and Saturday 1 October will
be a celebration of reading and writing at Cranbrook
Literature Festival. Join Julian Clary, Sarah Raven,
Vanessa Nicolson, Luke Wright and Gyles Brandreth
and Benet Brandreth for performance poetry, creative
writing workshops, art, illustration and plenty of
stories. For tickets and further information visit
cranbrookliteraturefestival.com
Stroke of genius...
Kent Painters Group will be hosting their 26th
annual art exhibition and sale at Sevenoaks School,
over the weekend of Friday 28 - Sunday 30 October,
to raise money for local mental health and learning
disability charities. Entry is free all weekend, and
there’s an exclusive ‘meet the artists’ opportunity on
Friday evening. There are 60 acclaimed artists and
sculptors exhibiting this year and selling their works.
For more information visit kentpaintersgroup.co.uk
Freeimages.com/JarekZbozien
An apple a day...
After an amazing Apple Festival in 2015, the team
at Brogdale Farm in Faversham are planning another
great weekend on Saturday 15 and Sunday 16
October. The Red Sails restaurant will be providing
cooking demonstrations and you can enjoy craft
and produce stalls, talks, orchard walks and plenty
of family festival fun. To find out more visit
applefestivalkent.co.uk
Pretty ordinary...
Jerwood Gallery are offering a rare opportunity for
visitors to enjoy starting on Saturday 15 October.
Stanley Spencer - A Panorama of Life, gives art
lovers the chance to see works rarely viewed outside
Stanley’s home town in Berkshire. The paintings
celebrate the everyday and document life as it was in
the first half of the last century. They capture and are
a beautiful demonstration of ordinary life and work.
Find out more jerwoodgallery.org
35 wealdentimes.co.uk
SANTA SPECIALS
OUR POPULAR SANTA SPECIALS ARE BACK!
Christmas at the Spa Valley Railway
starts at Eridge station where visitors
are met with the smell of hot chestnuts
and a roaring coal fire in the festively
decorated waiting room. Whilst you are
waiting to board your Santa special
train why not visit our award winning
Bar Car "Kate" and sample our hot
or cold drinks together with either a
snack or light lunch.
• Saturday 3rd December
• Sunday 4th December
• Saturday 10th December
• Sunday 11th December
• Saturday 17th December
• Sunday 18th December
• Thursday 22nd December
• Friday 23rd December
• Saturday 24th December
ALL ABOARD FOR A DAY OUT
WITH THOMAS!
Meet Thomas the Tank Engine
and his friends, who are waiting
to meet you at Spa Valley Railway.
• Experience a ride behind a real steam engine
• Shake hands with The Fat Controller
• Take part in Thomas themed activities in the
Imagination Station
DAY OUT WITH THOMAS
at - Tunbridge Wells
October 1st, 2nd, 8th & 9th 2016
HALLOWEEN 2016
SPOOKY SURPRISES AT THE SPA!
Fright night express -
Saturday 29th October!
Join us as we take a ride into the unknown,
with our Ghost Trains running into the
darkness on Saturday 29th October!
Enter into our fancy dress competition as part of the fun!
We want to see lots of little witches, ghosts & ghouls,
so don your best costume and join us for a frightfully
thrilling ride, the best dressed will win a prize.
Come along and find out how you can prevent your home
having to be sold if you go into care.
FREE seminar with FREE lunch for 25 people being conducted
at:
ROFFEY MILLENNIUM HALL,
CRAWLEY ROAD, HORSHAM RH12 4DT
on:
THURSDAY 3 RD NOVEMBER 2016
Arrive 12.45pm for coffee and registration
Seminar 1pm - 1.45pm
Lunch served from 1.45pm
Draw at 2.30pm
Book your place in advance and receive your Golden Ticket.
During lunch we will draw one lucky winner who will get their
unregistered Lasting power of Attorney grants for Health and Welfare
and Property and Financial Affairs (as a single person or a couple)
arranged for them completely free of charge*.
*Only those individuals that have not previously had an appointment or consultation with us at their home or at one of
our shops are eligible to enter our raffle and attendees may only enter our raffle once at one of our seminars.
Call us now on 01403 541244
to reserve your place
www.thywill.co.uk
Numbers strictly limited to 25
Fosse Generic Postcard Rev 7/9/16 5:01 pm Page 1
Fosse Bank is a small independent school in a stunning building set in 26 acres
of beautiful grounds. Fosse Bank is for children aged 2-11 years who enjoy an
extensive curriculum and the individual care that being in a small class allows.
Forthcoming Open Days
Saturday 15th October
Monday 10th October - Friday 14th October - Open Week
Fosse Bank School, Mountains, Noble Tree Road, Hildenborough TN11 8ND
www.fossebankschool.co.uk • Tel: 01732 834212 • E-mail: admissions@fossebankschool.co.uk
Due to retirement CLOSING DOWN SALE
ALL ITEMS SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED
FosseBankSchoolWT176.indd 1 22/09/2016 14:53
96 High Street, Tenterden, Kent, TN30 6JB. Tel. 01580 763 155
www.whitesjewellers.co.uk info@whitesjewellers.co.uk
wealdentimes.co.uk
38
WhitesJewellersWT176.indd 1 15/09/2016 14:35
BAGHAM BARN ANTIQUES
Canterbury Road, Chilham, Near Canterbury, Kent CT4 8DU 01227 732522
With a fresh look for Autumn, Bagham Barn has welcomed in
a variety of new dealers and valued services to inspire your
home decorating, gift ideas and personal well-being
For homes, we off er unusual items from antique fi ne
furniture to specially selected twentieth century pieces.
Need help with weddings? The barn features
award-winning designer dresses from The
Bridal Boutique and a large range of personal
gift ideas for special family occasions.
For a designer fi nish to your traditional or modern
beautiful home, Bagham off ers the expertise to
provide individual collections that are aff ordable,
high quality and unique to the individual.
Wide choice of study, home and office furniture
15+ years established
Professional advice guaranteed
Large free car park
Excellent tea shop
The largest and most well respected Antique Centre in
Kent transforms your gift shopping and buying of fi ne
furniture into a stress free and relaxing experience
Opening hours: 10am - 5pm
Tuesday through to Sunday
www.baghambarnantiques.com
My back pain was so bad
I thought I was going to
spend my retirement as
a disabled person…
Non-invasive disc treatment ends
Julie’s battle with sciatica
Three years ago, Julie Phillips from Woking cycled 500 miles
across the Rift Valley in Kenya for charity. At that point,
her lower back pain was just about manageable but as the
months rolled on, the pain worsened and she became more
and more immobile.
64 year old Julie explains: “I’ve always been an active person;
I was a keen horse-rider for over 30 years and love cycling.
About five years ago I started getting lower back pain and
discovered I had lordosis, an inward curve of the lower back.”
Julie’s pain gradually got worse as she approached her
retirement. “The pain was like a burning belt around my lower
back, worse on the left side. It was so severe I could only
stand or walk for a couple of minutes without needing to rest.
At 64, I really believed I was going to spend my retirement
as a disabled person…it was devastating to me after being
so healthy and active all of my life. My GP prescribed me
painkillers which I took daily but still the pain was crippling.”
Julie tried various manual treatments over the years without
success. “I had physiotherapy sessions and was given exercises
to do but they didn’t have any lasting effect. I also went for
injections in my facet joints but the relief only lasted for about
three weeks and the injections were incredibly painful. I was
then given stronger painkillers but these made me giddy; I had
palpitations and loss of memory.
At this point I needed to have an operation on my ankle which
resulted in ten weeks in a wheelchair which did help my leg
pain but as soon as I was out of the chair, the pain came back
with a vengeance.
IDD Therapy has changed Julie’s life
I felt very despondent
during this period and I
really didn’t know which
way to turn. Things
looked so gloomy that
my daughter bought me
a puppy because she
thought I was going to be
housebound for the rest
of my life.”
Things finally took a turnabout when Julie decided to take
matters into her own hands; she researched non-invasive
treatments for sciatica and found a targeted spinal disc
treatment called IDD Therapy.
“I made enquiries about the treatment and discovered that
IDD Therapy is particularly successful for patients with sciatica.
I knew I would be moving to Devon in a matter of weeks
so I wanted to start treatment as soon as possible. I rang
James Pickering at Wealden Osteopaths and Spine Centre in
Goudhurst and after an initial assessment at the clinic, he felt
sure that IDD Therapy could help me.”
ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE
Intervertebral Differential Dynamics (IDD) Therapy is a
non-invasive targeted disc treatment which gently draws
apart specific spinal segments where discs are damaged or
herniated (bulging). This relieves pain by taking pressure off
targeted discs and any trapped nerves and helps to relieve
muscle spasm.
“James explained that my condition was severe and would
need a series of IDD treatments: in fact, I felt huge relief after
just two. With every session the pain eased and I was able to
walk a few steps more. By session number six I was feeling
almost no pain.”
“I went for a four mile dog-walk with my
grandchildren… when we got home, the
kids and the dog were pooped!”
“I finished my treatment programme a few weeks ago and I’m
feeling like a new person; I’ve got no pain whatsoever now and
I’m completely active again. The other day I went for a four mile
dog-walk with my grandchildren; when we got home, the kids
and the dog were pooped! I’m so relieved to have found James
and IDD Therapy… I’ve truly been given a new lease of life.”
Wealden Osteopaths & Spine Centre is part of an international
network of over 1000 IDD Therapy Disc Specialists. The
treatment was developed in the US in the late 1990s and has
been adopted by clinicians in the UK following the exceptional
outcomes: practitioners report a significant improvement in
70-90% of patients.
Clinic Director James Pickering says: “Julie’s condition
was really quite complex and her sciatica was extremely
debilitating. I’m so pleased we could help her with IDD Therapy.
She’s made a very swift improvement with the programme and
got her life completely back to normal. IDD Therapy is hugely
important to us; it allows us to treat ‘difficult’ back pain patients
non-invasively.”
To find out about IDD Therapy and other treatments offered
at Wealden Osteopaths & Spine Centre call: 01580 212833 or
visit www.wealdenosteopaths.co.uk
The ultimate green spa for your garments has arrived in the Weald!
The new dry-cleaning is wet cleaning.
EcoFresh is faster, cheaper, friendlier and thanks to
Lagoon , is kinder to the environment with
cleaner, fresher, softer and brighter results too!
Experience our swift, ecological dry-cleaning
services this summer at refreshingly low prices
• Ladies long or short evening dress – just £10.00
• Ladies summer jacket or school blazer – only £5.00
• Men and women’s two-piece suit – from £10.00
• Curtains – amazing value at £2.50 per lb
• Collection and delivery available subject to viable arrangement.
• Ironing, repairs and alterations quoted separately. Summer offers expire 31st Oct 2016
EcoFresh is revolutionising the way household and commercial services are provided.
Enjoy the time, money and environment you will save when you off-load all your
laundry, dry-cleaning, ironing and repairs to Ecofresh.
01892 833529
95 Commercial Road, Paddock Wood
Tonbridge, Kent TN12 6DS
ecofreshlaundry.co.uk
/LoveEcoFresh
@LoveEcoFresh
©
FRESH
LAUNDRY
b y L a u n d e r C a r e • K E N T
LaunderCareWT175.indd 1 04/08/2016 11:38
VISIT OUR NEW STORE IN SEVENOAKS -
5000 SQ FT OF BEAUTIFUL FURNITURE AND GIFTS OVER 3 FLOORS!
W W W. L O N D O N R O A D F U R N I T U R E . C O . U K
W W W. FA R N I N G H A M O A K . C O . U K
FARNINGHAM SHOWROOM
TEL 01959 533433 - LONDON ROAD, HALSTEAD, SEVENOAKS, KENT TN14 7AA
FARNINGHAM OAK BRANCH - TEL 01322 863230 - HIGH STREET, FARNINGHAM, KENT DA4 0DG
41 wealdentimes.co.uk
FarninghamPineOakWT176.indd 1 21/09/2016 09:41
Design & Planning
Restoration
New Build
Barn Conversions
Extensions
Joinery
www.coxrestorations.co.uk
For a free consultation please contact: 01233 714950
www.coxrestorations.co.uk
Established 1986
ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE
Jacksons Fencing
news, topical treats
and more...
Make an entrance
Above: one of the beautiful small garden gates we made especially for the Feel Good Front Gardens at the RHS Hampton Court show this summer
Gates are there for a very good reason - simply put, a gate helps
to keep the baddies out, and keep the goodies safely in. With the
darker evenings on the way, you might be considering tightening up
your security, whether that’s in a rural or urban setting. Wherever
your property is, one of the first things will be to look at your
perimeter, normally that’s the fencing.
Fencing style and height need consideration and will mainly be
dictated by your location and situation. This is a meaty subject and
there are masses of choices on our website, so if you are starting
from scratch or replacing fencing, you can gain valuable advice and
info right there. We even have a handy fence calculator app to help
you work out everything you need for your project.
That’s all good, but I’m sure it won’t have escaped you that
somewhere in your scheme you are going to need a gate, after all a
fence is marvellous and useful thing, but pretty inconvenient without
a gate. Whether it’s to allow you to put out the wheelie bins, let you
in and out, keep your dog, children safely in the enclosure, a gate is
an absolute necessity.
You may not even be in the market for a new fence, if this is so,
please ignore the last few paragraphs. However as a fence anorak,
can I at least make a suggestion?
Please make sure your gate, or gates are in a good state of repair. It
is vital. I have mentioned in these pages before how illogical it is to
have the perimeter of your property fenced to keep unwanted visitors
out, but then to leave the gate unlocked. We are often told that
Win a Jacksons Log Store...
To enter the free prize draw and be in with a chance to win a Jacksons
Log Store, just log on to your dedicated page, address below and follow
the easy instructions on how to enter. The draw closes 30.11.16.
To enter go to: www.jacksons-fencing.co.uk/ashfordlocal
For info on any of Jacksons products or brochures, please call
0800 408 4754 to talk to your local Jacksons Fencing Centre.
thieves are opportunists, always on the lookout, they may try a few
gates – if your gate stays shut, then they will move on to the next
one, it’s as simple as that. Of course, if your gate is a bit rickety, then
no amount of locking is really going to stop someone coming
through, which is another good reason to make sure that it is a good
sturdy gate and not a pushover!
So let’s hear it for gates, they can save you a lot of grief, and if by
chance you need a new one, we have a special offer running through
September and October - half price delivery on all gates in our Good
Fencing Guide range. And like all our timber products they have the
25 year Jakcure guarantee too. Full details and T&Cs can be found on
your dedicated web page:
www.jacksons-fencing.co.uk/ashfordlocal
louise@jacksons-fencing.co.uk
Above top: Jacksons entrance gates. Most of Jacksons garden panels
have a matching gate like the stylish Venetian shown above.
BRAMBLETYE
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15 October 2016
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100 Years of Education, 1000 Years of History
Battle Abbey School
Sixth Form Open Evening
Thursday 13th October 2016,
6.30pm - 8.00pm
Please contact the school for further information.
Tel: 01424 772385 email: registrar@battleabbeyschool.com,
Battle Abbey School, Battle, East Sussex, TN33 0AD.
www.battleabbeyschool.com
Recent University Destinations for Year 13 Leavers include:
Cambridge, Oxford, Exeter, Imperial, Warwick,
Southampton, Bath, Leeds, Manchester, Edinburgh, Royal
Holloway, Kings College London and Nottingham.
2016 A Levels
67% of all grades were at A* – B
85% of all grades were at A* – C
10% of all grades were A*
98% pass rate
Battle Abbey School 1912 - 2012
Battle Abbey School Times top 200!
As announced in The Times on 27th August Battle Abbey School comes in at 153 in the UK for
coeducational A Level results. This is based on the percent of A and A* grades achieved.
Outside Brighton only one other Eastbourne school ranked higher in East Sussex.
MADNESS
The Los Palmas 6
pay tribute to the Nutty Boys
BattleAbbeySchoolWT176.indd 1 20/09/2016 14:13
Saturday 12th November @ 7.45pm
Tickets: £15 Adults £14 Concessions £10 Students
Box Office: 01580 711856
www.queenshalltheatre.co.uk
Waterloo Road, Cranbrook TN17 3JD
wealdentimes.co.uk
50
QueensHallTheatreWT176.indd 1 22/09/2016 14:32
FREWEN
COLLEGE
The Dyslexia Specialists
Since 1910
Picture by Adrian Peacock
Editor’s
Letter
I’m firmly of the mindset which sees autumn as a fresh
start. All those exciting associations with shiny new pencil
cases stir my blood every year. This one more than ever
as I’m moving house, first into a temporary rental, as my new
home is currently a bomb site with no kitchen or bathroom.
So what perfect timing to be putting together a Kitchen
and Bathroom supplement for the magazine (page 126)
giving me licence to spend several weeks immersing myself
in the latest trends in these two key areas of the home.
Also inspiring my new decorative scheme are this month’s
two houses. Stately Georgian pile Goodnestone Park (page
54) has been updated with a perfect balance of period style
and contemporary chic which I can only aspire to, by design
duo Marcus Crane and Francesca Rowan-Plowden.
I’ve also found loads of brilliant ideas to borrow
and great sources of lovely things to buy from our
other house this month (page 102). This is a very
different prospect – a classic beach house – but in a
lovely link up it was also designed by Francesca.
I hope you find as much inspiration reading this
month’s Wealden Times as we have putting it together.
Prep
School
Senior
• •
School
Sixth
Form
A unique Day & Boarding school for girls and boys
aged 7-19 with Dyslexia, Dyspraxia & Dyscalculia
Come and see how Frewen College
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OPEN MORNING
on Saturday 12 November 9.30 - 12 noon
Wealden Times Team
Editor ....................................................................................... Maggie Alderson
Fashion & Beauty Editor ...............................................................Helen Barton
Design .........................................................................................Powerful Pierre
Design Team ..............................................................................Anthony Boxall
Rob Cursons
Phoebe Gilbert
Tanya Goldsmith
Managing Director ........................................................................ Julie Simpson
Commercial Director ............................................................... Colin Wilkinson
Sales Team ................................................................................ Hayley Biddulph
Sarah Norwood
Becky Smith
Lisa Smith
Distribution .................................................................................Emma Murphy
Wealden Times Events Team
Sales Director ..................................................................................... Joy Adams
Events Marketing & Operations Manager ..................................Fiona Saunders
“Pupils’ rates of personal, social and
academic progress are strong and,
at times, exceptional.”
Ofsted 2016
To register, please call Annabel on:
01797 252494 or email:office@frewencollege.co.uk
Frewen College, Northiam, East Sussex, TN31 6NL
www.frewencollege.co.uk
51 wealdentimes.co.uk
FrewenCollegeWT176.indd 1 22/09/2016 11:31
FREE
check-ups for children*
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Bupa Dental Centre – Cranbrook is open to you
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Bupa Dental Centre – Cranbrook
31 Stone Street, Cranbrook, Kent TN17 3HF
To find out more or book your appointment:
01580 715 786 †
Ask about our extended opening hours.
Everyone welcome
*Children of registered patients under the age of seven can receive free check-ups.
†We may record or monitor our calls.
Bupa dental services are provided by Bupa Dental Services Limited. Registered office: Bupa House, 15-19 Bloomsbury Way, London WC1A 2BA. Registered No. 00479557.
BPR 01425
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53 wealdentimes.co.uk
ErasOfStyleWT175.indd 1 09/08/2016 16:13
wealdentimes.co.uk
54
Pride without
prejudice
Words: John Graham-Hart Photographs: David Merewether Styling: Helen Barton
The beautiful Georgian house,
Goodnestone Park, which may have inspired
Jane Austen’s most famous novel and is
still owned by the original family, has been
remodelled with superb contemporary
chic and reborn with a new purpose
55 wealdentimes.co.uk
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BackfromBlackWT176.indd 1 13/09/2016 12:31
GOODNESTONE
PARK
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wealdentimes.co.uk
56
MulberryCottagesWT176.indd 1 26/09/2016 09:56
Previous page: The coffee table in the library was made from
an old leather gym vaulting horse. The painting above the
fireplace is by Paula MacArthur from a collection at McCully
& Crane Art in Rye Above: The drawing room walls are clad in
de Gournay silk. The painting over the mantlepiece is of Jane
Austen’s favourite niece Fanny Bridges. The sofas are from sofa.
com Below: The outer hall at the house entrance. The marble
fireplace was added in the Victorian era. The ginger jar was
found at Ardingly
Unlike our closest European neighbours, we’ve
never really been much good at chopping heads
off our aristocrats. We had a brief shot at it in
the mid-1600s and even bagged a king, but our heart
simply wasn’t in it. We only lasted a decade or so without a
monarch before inviting his son back from exile. Monarchy
and its supporting aristocracy were here to stay.
The real threat to our titled class would not come until three
hundred years later and not from the axeman but the taxman.
Before the 19th century, the British aristocracy enjoyed a life
relatively free from taxation. Staff were plentiful and cheap
and estates provided a good income. But during the 19th
century this began to change, the sums no longer added up
and throughout the country once great houses began to be
demolished by their increasingly impoverished owners.
The pace of destruction increased rapidly after the
war and by 1955 Britain was losing a major country
house every five days. It wasn’t until 1968 that legislation
requiring local authority permission to tear down
a historic building put a break on the carnage.
57 wealdentimes.co.uk
No stately home would be without a library and Goodnestone is, of course, no exception.
Leather armchairs, shelves groaning with worthy leather-bound tomes – including rare
Jane Austen early editions – and on the walls, more ancestors.
wealdentimes.co.uk
58
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NewlandsJoineryWT161.indd 1 22/06/2015 KarlTerryWT172.indd 12:41
1 16/05/2016 16:59
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59 wealdentimes.co.uk
KibblewhiteWT167.indd 2 27/11/2015 12:46
Wealden Times Ads 1-4 (August 2016)_D&S 1/4 page 12/08/2016 10:58 Page 3
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wealdentimes.co.uk
60
AutenticoWT166.indd 1 10/11/2015 11:05
But perhaps the most important factor in saving the
British country house was a change in public opinion– the
nation finally woke up to the fact that these structures
were not merely the playthings of the rich and privileged
but an irreplaceable part of a shared national heritage.
This awareness increased as more and more owners
opened their homes to the public – and make no mistake,
these were their homes and this was a key element of their
attraction for visitors. These buildings were not museums.
The walls on which the portraits hung were not those of
galleries. The grounds were not municipal parks. These were
not museums, galleries or parks. They were stately homes.
Strangely enough the idea of opening their homes to total
strangers has also proved attractive to many owners. Those
I have spoken to over the years have all enjoyed inviting the
public in. They are understandably proud of these beautiful
buildings and also, of their ancestry and ancestors.
And so it is with Julian, the 22nd Lord FitzWalter,
who succeeded in 2004 to one of the most ancient
of England’s baronies. The 1st Baron FitzWalter was
Left: The shaker-style units and island in the kitchen were
custom-built and painted in Pigeon by Farrow & Ball by the
builders- BW May. The copper pans were from Ardingly. Below:
The breakfast room is a couple of steps up and through bronze
and glass doors designed by Marcus and Francesca. The panes
match exactly the panes in the Georgian sash windows
61 wealdentimes.co.uk
Above: Light pours into the breakfast room through two floorto-ceiling
windows. The oval table was designed by Marcus and
Francesca and made to order by the project’s main contractors,
BW May. The stone surround was custom made based on a
fireplace in the cellar, with the FitzWalter coat of arms added.
The painting over it is by Luke Hannam from McCully & Crane
Art, Rye. Marcus found the wonderful collection of leaf pressings
in the attic. Right: Between the dining room and the drawing
room is the Oval Hall, the original entrance of the house with
exquisite painted panels in the Georgian neo-classical style
the leader of the baronial opposition to King John, one
of the twenty-five sureties of Magna Carta in 1215, and
finally slipped into legend as the father of Maid Marian.
The stunning gardens of Julian’s much-loved family
seat, Goodnestone Park, have long been open to the
public but now the main house, too, will welcome
visitors – and not merely the kind who will wander
about, appreciate and leave. Julian’s visitors will be able
to rent the entire house and stay as long as they wish.
“My mother was the last of the family to live here and
she really only used three or four rooms. In winter it was
a pretty chilly business running down unheated passages
between them,” he says. “When she died, the house was in
need of extensive renovation and it was also clear that, in
today’s world, it was going to have to pay its own way.”
Built in 1704 by Julian’s ancestor, Sir Brook
Bridges, Goodnestone is a truly lovely Palladian
country house enjoying that uniquely Georgian
wealdentimes.co.uk
62
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63 wealdentimes.co.uk
ThomasHaywoodSolicitorsWT175.indd 1 11/08/2016 14:56
West End House
Art Gallery
HOMEPOWER
DON’T WAIT FOR A POWER CUT
All About Print
Exhibition & demonstrations of original printmaking
1st October to 14th November 2016
Open Thursday to Monday 10am-5pm
Please visit our website for demonstration timetable
West End House, Water Lane, Smarden, TN27 8QB
01233 770261 • www.west-end-house-gallery.co.uk
We are main dealers for a great range of
Generators with 11 years’ experience.
Homepower installs the system
and continues to look after you with
2 service visits and telephone support.
Please call 01689 857034 or e-mail
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see how simple it is to give you peace of mind.
WestEndHouseGalleryWT176.indd 1 16/09/2016 HomepowerLtdWT164.indd 11:46
1 14/09/2015 11:14
THE LEADING AUCTIONEERS IN THE SOUTH EAST
• Regular selected sales including Fine Art,
Asian Art, Jewellery, Silver, Clocks,
Medals, Watches, Wines and Furniture
• Weekly sales of antiques, collectables and
general items from £40 to £1,000
(Payment made in two working days)
• Free internet listing for all sales
• Free auction estimates
• Valuations for Insurance
and Probate
• House Clearance
Marcel Dyf (1899-1985),
‘Godetias’, signed, with Frost &
Reed label verso and studio stamp
dated 1966,oil on canvas,
53.5cm x 44.5cm
Sold for £7,500
For a FREE valuation on items you would like
to auction, simply email your images to:
tunbridge.wells@gorringes.co.uk
To arrange an appointment call:
01892 556 860
www.gorringesfineartauctions.com
Grosvenor House, Grosvenor Park, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN1 2BF
wealdentimes.co.uk
64
4130 Gorringes (WT) (Oct 2016) 130x185.indd 1 06/09/2016 13:52
GorringesWT176.indd 1 07/09/2016 09:44
“Right from the start Lord FitzWalter was very specific about what he
wanted. He wanted it to be a home that would represent and reflect the
family, five-star standard, but never to feel commercial” says Francesca
65 wealdentimes.co.uk
combination of welcome, warmth and elegance.
Jane Austen was a regular visitor and wrote of the ‘great
pleasure’ the house and grounds gave her. Her brother,
Edward, married Elizabeth, the daughter of Sir Brook’s
grandson, in the local parish church in1791 and there seems
little doubt that Jane gathered considerable material during her
many visits for Pride and Prejudice, which she began in 1796.
Julian’s plans were to renovate and update the house
to a standard where he would be able to offer it as a
venue both for corporate events and five-star private
country house lets. However, this was not going to be
an overnight transformation. This was a project that was
going to take a great deal of time, considerable thought,
an equal amount of creativity and not a little love.
“We didn’t want merely to recreate a Georgian interior,”
says Justin. “We wanted a contemporary interior which would
showcase sympathetically the family’s art and heirlooms.
We were looking for a welcoming, informal elegance.”
Previous page: Julian’s mother’s piano sits at the bottom of the
glorious main staircase, which is lined with ancestral portraits.
Lord and Lady FitzWalter found the magnificent chandelier
with multi-coloured drops in a ‘shed’ in Essex Left: The portrait
and clock are family pieces. The armchair is covered in Ashwell
Sea Storm, by GP & J Baker Below: The largest of the twelve
bedrooms, the FitzWalter Suite is decorated with Colefax and
Fowler white rose paper. The built-in wardrobes are hidden
behind wallpapered doors. Light pours in from three fullheight
windows with glorious views over the grounds. Francesca
designed the corona over the bed in Colefax and Fowler silk
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MrTraxWT176.indd 1 07/09/2016 LenleysWT176.indd 10:57
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wealdentimes.co.uk
68
EnsorInteriorDesignWT176.indd 1 06/09/2016 14:21
Above: The cushions on the bed in Effie’s Room are covered in a GP & J Baker fabric. The painting was found at an antiques fair
Above all, the designers would have one guiding principle: at
the end of what was going to be a very long day, Goodnestone
must still be a stately home – the FitzWalter family home.
The designers Julian chose were Francesca Rowan-
Plowden and Marcus Crane. Asked to pitch separately, they
decided to join forces and submit a single presentation.
“Had I been given the project, I would have involved
Marcus and vice versa so we decided to pitch together,”
says Francesca. “We knew we would bring complementary
talents to the project. Marcus’s strengths are in sourcing
interesting pieces, mine are in fabrics/textiles.
“Right from the start Julian was very specific about
what he wanted,” she says. “He wanted it to be a home
that would represent and reflect the family. He wanted
it to be five-star standard but never to feel commercial.
He had a very clear vision and it was great to be able
to work toward such a clearly defined goal.”
Also invaluable would be the continuing support and input
from Julian and his wife, Sally. “We would meet regularly to
talk through ideas, go through fabrics and wallpapers and
look at colours. We’d also go together to Ardingly, often
not looking for a specific piece but finding something and
thinking ‘that’s perfect for the library’ or ‘that would go well
under that picture in the Lady FitzWalter suite.’ It wasn’t a
project where you could just decide what you needed, order
it and move on. It was a project that grew organically.”
The project, start to finish, would take two-and-a-half years.
Taking an early 18th century house and positioning it
firmly in the 21st century was never going to be simple
but, surprisingly, it involved very little in the way of
the knocking down of walls and where it has had to be
done it has had the full blessing of English Heritage.
The only major remodelling downstairs was the knocking
through of the kitchen into an adjoining extension that
had served as an office. This has provided a spacious,
elegant and state-of-the-art kitchen capable of serving the
24 guests the house is now designed to accommodate.
The shaker-style units and island were custom-built.
The breakfast room is a couple of steps up and through
bronze and glass doors designed by Marcus. The panes match
exactly the panes in the Georgian sash windows. This is a
glorious, bright room, the light pouring in through floorto-ceiling
windows – the perfect place to start any day.
The oval table was made to order by the project’s main
contractors, BW May, and the chimney piece was found
in the cellar and given a new FitzWalter coat of arms.
On the walls is a wonderful collection of leaf pressings that
Marcus found long-forgotten in the attic, framed and gave
the pride of place they deserved. They are complemented by
the contemporary abstract by Luke Hannam which hangs
69 wealdentimes.co.uk
over the fireplace – a juxtaposition of old and new which
continues throughout the house, never inappropriate and
always gently contributing to the air of elegant informality.
Even the rooms such as the ‘formal’ dining room are
anything but. Here the superb dining table was commissioned
by Julian and Sally and made by Alastair Murray. The
star of this show must, however, be the stunning, bespoke
hand-painted de Gournay wallpaper. Hanging there in
all its delicate serenity, one wouldn’t know that it was the
one item in the whole project that was a major drama.
When the old wallpaper was stripped from the walls,
the man from de Gournay, he say no. “He said there
was no way that they could hang £30,000-worth of
de Gournay paper on walls in that condition,” says
Francesca. “This gave us a serious problem because
the new plaster would take months to dry. Luckily, we
discovered Stevensons of Norwich and they provided a
special fast-drying treatment that solved our problems.”
Between the dining room and the drawing room is the
Oval Hall, the lovely main entrance hall until the Victorians
decided to switch the building around by building a classical
portico at the back and making that the main entrance. The
Oval Hall still has its original painted panels - one showing
honourable WWII battle scars, from the time the building was
requisitioned and Canadian officers used the room for darts.
In the drawing room is more de Gournay, this time grey
silk to complement the ornate grey marble chimney-piece.
This room is an excellent example of how Julian, Sally
and their designers have so successfully brought together
family heirlooms, Ardingly finds and new pieces.
On the walls is a pleasing selection of friendly
ancestors including, over the fireplace, Jane Austen’s
favourite niece Fanny Bridges, said to be the
inspiration for Mansfield Park’s Fanny Price.
Clockwise from top right: The Pink Room is papered with
Lewis & Wood, Indienne. The wall sconces, portrait, green glass
lamp and console table are all Ardingly finds. The portrait is of
Jane Austen’s favourite niece, Fanny bridges. The Staffordshire
figures are family owned
wealdentimes.co.uk
70
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MadeWithLoveWT176.indd 3 16/09/2016 JonRayWT149.indd 14:40
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GrahamClarkeWT175.indd 1 19/08/2016 RobinsonWatersWT159.indd 16:51
1 13/04/2015 11:31
Above the original Georgian chimneypiece in the Jane Austen Drawing Room, on
the first floor, is a portrait of Margaretta, wife of the builder of Goodnestone
wealdentimes.co.uk
72
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AuburnFurnishingsWT176.indd 1 19/09/2016 PinnaclePineWT176.indd 10:35
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wealdentimes.co.uk
74
GreenleafLightingWT175.indd 1 18/08/2016 15:45
Above: The walls of Henry’s Room are painted in Hague Blue by
Farrow & Ball. The sunburst mirror is from Barnstar, Rye
Left: The teal tiles are from Topps Tiles
Family treasures include two lovely bow-fronted walnut
chests of drawers, a delicate travelling chest and a beautiful tall
yew cabinet. Two of Julian’s mother’s chairs sit comfortably
telling tales of yesteryear to two new recruits from sofa.com.
No stately home would be without a library and
Goodnestone is, of course, no exception. Leather
armchairs, shelves groaning with worthy leatherbound
tomes – including rare Jane Austen early
editions – and on the walls, more ancestors.
But what’s this the sofa’s have gathered around with
such interest? Certainly not something you’d find in an
18th century library. At first it looks like a giant poof –
and so indeed it is but it’s made from an old leather gym
vaulting horse. And above the fireplace, mixing it with the
forebears, a big contemporary abstract by Paula MacArthur
from a collection at McCully & Crane Art in Rye.
And so on via Julian’s mother’s piano up the glorious
main staircase and past perhaps the most impressive
ancestral portraits to the first floor and the remaining
75 wealdentimes.co.uk
Above left: Francesca and Marcus found the pictures in
the stairway in the attic. The 1920s chair, with its original
upholstery, was found at Ardingly Above right: The chaise
longue in George’s Room is covered in turquoise velvet by
Clarke & Clarke and the sheepskin on the floor next to it is
from Hunter Jones, Rye Right: The headboard in Robert’s
Room is William Morris by Sanderson. The end table is a
family piece and the Victorian mirror is from Ardingly
reception room – the Jane Austen Drawing Room.
Above the original Georgian chimneypiece is Margaretta,
wife of the builder of Goodnestone and here too is a
picture of Julian’s father. On another wall there is a 1715
painting of the house’s original vast formal gardens.
Before the refurbishment, the house had 15 bedrooms
but only three bathrooms which must have made for
something of a traffic jam in the mornings. After a little
clever wall finessing, it now has 12 double bedrooms, all
but one of them with their own elegant bathrooms.
The largest and most beautiful is the FitzWalter
Suite, which was Julian’s mother’s bedroom, now with
a canopied bed and delicate new Colefax & Fowler
white rose paper. Light pours in from three full-height
windows with glorious views over the grounds.
There are simply too many superb bedrooms to do
justice to here but suffice to say that the principal ones
are named and subtly themed after the five brothers
wealdentimes.co.uk
76
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CheekyMonkeyWT173.indd 1 13/06/2016 SASocietyWT176.indd 17:13
1 20/09/2016 17:09
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wealdentimes.co.uk
78
HeatDesignWT176.indd 1 19/09/2016 15:59
The principal bedrooms are named and themed after the five
brothers of the family and favourite retainers
79 wealdentimes.co.uk
Previous page, above: The chairs in the Games Room were upholstered by Richard Harris in Jane Churchill velvet. The cabinet
to the left is a family piece. The brass stags on the chimneypiece are from Cinque Ports Antiques in Rye. The white table lamps are
from Woodcocks of Tenterden. The portrait was found in the attic. The mirror was found at Ardingly Previous page, below: The
bedside lamp in Francis’s Room is from Oka. The painting over the bed is from Ardingly Above: The leather club chair and the
dahlia painting in Francis’s bedroom were both found at Ardingly. The chest of drawers is a family piece. The plaid curtain fabric is by
Colefax and Fowler
of the family and favourite retainers. Julian’s Room
displays his favourite plum and mushroom tones.
George’s Room reflects his passion for horticulture and
his standing as CEO of the National Gardens Scheme.
Henry’s has an equestrian theme reflecting his
role as a luminary in the world of horse racing and
breeding. William is a potter and his room sports
blue and white Japanese porcelain. Francis’ love of
the country translates into plaids and tweeds.
All of which is a further reflection of Julian’s determination,
from the very beginning, that the reborn Goodnestone
should be a celebration of his family both past and
present. So has he achieved his goal? Is he happy with the
result of two-and-a-half years of careful thought, detailed
planning and sheer hard work that Sally, Francesca,
Marcus and he have put into this challenging project?
Well, were he the kind of man who would jump onto a
table, punch the air and whoop at the top of his voice, he
might well do just this. But over the centuries his family have
found that aristocrats who indulge in this sort of behaviour
tend to have their heads separate from their shoulders. So
instead he just smiles quietly and professes himself ‘delighted’.
In my book ‘delighted’ is just fine. ‘Delighted’ will do
very nicely.
wealdentimes.co.uk
80
THE FIREPLACE COMPANY
CrownOakBuildingsWT165.indd 1 19/10/2015 HamletBuildingsWT169.indd 10:43
1 29/01/2016 14:20
Suppliers and installers of Chesneys fireplaces, wood burning stoves
and gas fires, Big Green Egg BBQs and Alfa Pizza ovens
Showroom: 01892 664813
Website: www.the-fireplace-company.co.uk
Email: info@the-fireplace-company.co.uk
Unit 8 Crowborough Business Park,
Park Road, Crowborough,
East Sussex, TN6 2GZ
81 wealdentimes.co.uk
FireplaceCompanyWT176.indd 1 19/09/2016 10:59
AS PART OF THE 950 TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BATTLE OF HASTINGS
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Above: The splendid facade and topiary garden. This was originally the front of the house, leading into the Oval Hall, until the
Victorians decided to switch the building around by building a classical portico at the back and making that the main entrance
Address Book:
Goodnestone Park goodnestone.com
Marcus Crane marcuscrane.rpc@gmail.com
Francesca Rowan-Plowden francescaRowan-
Plowden@hotmail.co.uk
Alastair Murray Bespoke Furniture alastairmurray.com
BW May Ltd bwmay.co.uk
Luke Hannam hannamandhannam.blogspot.co.uk
McCully & Crane Art mccullyandcrane.co.uk
Paula MacArthur paula-macarthur.com
Rectory Interiors (suppliers of all fabric) rectoryinteriors.co.uk
Richard Harris Upholstery(all upholstery)
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Stevensons of Norwich stevensons-of-norwich.co.uk
de Gournay degournay.com
83 wealdentimes.co.uk
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RaggedRose_GiftwareReview1305.indd 1 09/05/2013 12:20
An independent school
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wealdentimes.co.uk
84
SackvilleSchoolWT176.indd 1 26/09/2016 14:11
Trimaran stripe cushion
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Peacock flower cushion, £55
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Sark armchair in Sunshine, £620
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Astley mirror, £145, The
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Artesà Copper tri-ply 12cm mini
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Artesà Copper tri-ply 10cm mini
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Mandalyn floral grey wallpaper,
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Set of 2 large Cornbury storage
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Haresfield sofa in pink
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85 wealdentimes.co.uk
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63/65 Queensway, Petts Wood, Kent BR5 1DQ
OVER 1100 BEDSTEADS AT www.the-bedpost.co.uk
ALSO AT CRAYFORD and SIDCUP
METAL BEDS
METAL BEDS
modern modern and &
traditional traditional
designs. designs.
Chrome, Chrome,
ivory, ivory, black black
& silver
& silver
Apollo
bedstead, double
from £965, Lenleys
Canterbury
lenleys.co.uk
Single lit
Corbeille, double
from £695 plus fabric
Tasha Interiors
tashainteriors.co.uk
Sweet dreams
Make bedtime truly snugglicious by choosing a bed
with a built in squashy headboard upholstered in rich
fabric. Add a bedside table of charm and character and
transform your bedroom into a luxury lounging zone
Blue decorated Chinese cabinet c.1890, £1295
Orchid Furniture, orchidfurniture.co.uk
Genevieve one drawer bedside table £56.23
Melody Maison, melodymaison.co.uk
Smartie
upholstered bed
frame, £499
Time4sleep
time4sleep.co.uk
Antique
French king size
bed, £695
French depot
thefrenchdepot.com
French
re-upholstered
vintage bed, £1550
Respire Living
respireliving.com
Hypnos
Adagio divan with
mattress, from £1549.
Headboards from £299
William Hill Interiors
williamhill-interiors.
co.uk
87 wealdentimes.co.uk
Louvre
bedstead from
£739
Collingwood
Batchellor
collingwoodstores.
co.uk
Hypnos Orthos
Cashmere
from £1095
Cobham Furniture
cobhamfurniture.
co.uk
Arlo winged
bed, £899
Living It Up
livingitup.co.uk
Dolce Vita,
from £3650
Natuzzi Bed
natuzzi.co.uk
Honeycomb
glass side
table, £169 Atkin
and Thyme
atkinandthyme.
co.uk
Carvella
curve edge
gilt bed, £1636
Sweetpea & Willow
sweetpeaandwillow.
com
Harrison
Trebah with
mattress, from £1199,
headboards from £179
William Hill Interiors,
williamhill-interiors.
co.uk
St James
supreme king
size divan and
mattress, £2730
Cobham Furniture
cobhamfurniture.
co.uk
wealdentimes.co.uk
88
Sleep well, live better with a Vi Spring bed
Exclusive area stockist. Available to view in our Eastbourne store.
116 South Street, Eastbourne 01323 722921 Wealden House, Cross In Hand 01435 863921 www.davidsalmon.co.uk
Baby linen flat bed sheet
from £20, Little Treehuggers
littletreehuggerslinen.co.uk
The Vintage
Rose Berkley
collection, £1495
Sweetpea & Willow
sweetpeaandwillow.com
Rose gold alarm
clock, £93.95
Rigby & Mac
rigbyandmac.com
Honeycomb cushion
cover, £34.50
Decorator’s Notebook
decoratorsnotebook.co.uk
Blossom rose
tealights, £5.95
Prezzybox
prezzybox.co.uk
Quatrefoil side table, £195
The French Bedroom Co.
frenchbedroomcompany.co.uk
Dusky pink beehive
throw, £58, The British
Blanket Company
thebritishblanketcompany.com
Snuggle luxe
Soft pink linen
robe, £125, Natural
Bed Company
naturalbedcompany.co.uk
Create a beautiful bedroom haven
with a few finishing touches
Copper desk lamp
£40, Marquis & Dawe
marquisanddawe.co.uk
Patterned Moroccan
leather slippers £27.95
Decorator’s Notebook
decoratorsnotebook.co.uk
Ivory sheepskin rug, £55
The French Bedroom Co.
frenchbedroomcompany.co.uk
wealdentimes.co.uk
90
FrenchDepot
Thinking of a new bedroom? Then think of us
Never heard of us before? Then let us put your mind at rest.
Never We heard are of a friendly us before? family Then run let bedroom us put your company mind at rest.
We have a large portfolio of extremely delighted customers
and have a wide range of designs which includes
The largest thanking French furniture us for our excellent work. We are a family run business We have a large portfolio of extremely delighted customers
thanking everything us for from our excellent bespoke work. bedrooms We are to a hardworking
warehouse and in we the don’t South. do hard pressure selling, just friendly expert
family run business
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advice
we don’t offices. do hard So whatever pressure your selling, dream just friendly bedroom expert may advice
5000sq.ft. of French furniture and design and a value for money price. be our bedroom and design designer and a value can for help money you achieve price. it.
and effects including
over 200 French beds.
Telephone Hastings
01424 www.bedroomflair.co.uk 423703
01622 729855
www.bedroomflair.co.uk 01622 729855
www.thefrenchdepot.com
169 Tonbridge Road, Maidstone, Kent ME16 8NA
169 Tonbridge Road, Maidstone, Kent ME16 8NA
169 Tonbridge Road, Maidstone, Kent ME16 8NA
Come and try our Natural Cool Latex,
Memory Foam, Geltex, Aqualite and
Natural Wool & Silk Mattresses
FrenchDepotWT160.indd 1 11/05/2015 BedroomFlairWT173.indd 17:07
1 09/06/2016 12:12
Find
your new
mattress
here
Compare
our prices
Mr B’s Mattress & Bed Store
98-100 Hythe Road, Ashford, Kent TN24 8PR Telephone: 01233 641246
Find us on Facebook
91 wealdentimes.co.uk
MrBsMattress&BedStoreWT176.indd 1 21/09/2016 17:24
Golden botanical
spiral wall mirror
£69.95, The Farthing
thefarthing.co.uk
Double sided picture
frames, £12.95
Decorator’s Notebook
decoratorsnotebook.co.uk
Linen pillowcase
from £60
The Linen Works
thelinenworks.co.uk
Pure Morris cushion collection,
fabric prices from £66 per metre
Skinners of Tunbridge Wells
skinnersoftunbridgewells.co.uk
Set of two nesting
trinket boxes
£20, Oliver Bonas
oliverbonas.com
Sleepy loose leaf tea
£4.25, The Hop Shop
hopshop.co.uk
Espresso cup and
saucer, £25, Made
By Hand Online
madebyhandonline.com
Faux fur throw
£50, B&Q
diy.com
Finney bedside table
£345, The Chandelier
& Mirror Company Ltd
chandeliersandmirrors.co.uk
92
Sleepy scent, £7.25
The Hop Shop
hopshop.co.uk
Come and discover beautiful bed linen this autumn at Fenwick.
Your bedroom is your sanctuary at the end of a stressful day and there
is nothing better than relaxing in a beautifully made bed. Let us help
you to create the perfect ambience that reflects your personality.
Whether you prefer a muted colour palette or stunning vivacious print
designs in seasonal shades, we have it covered. Plus, our collections have
beautiful co-ordinating knitted throws and soft cushions to make the look
complete.
Preparing for a good night’s sleep requires some attention to detail.
As autumn sets in and the nights become colder, you may be thinking
of investing in a warmer duvet. At Fenwick we have a wide selection of
duvets, hypo-allergenic, synthetic or with luxury goose and feather down
fillings, to suit your needs and budget. You also need to think carefully
about the pillow that you are using to ensure you have the optimum neck
and spine alignment. New for autumn you will find TEMPUR. The TEMPUR
Ergonomic pillow collection features ergonomic design and TEMPUR
Technology that contours to the shape of your body.
Let us give you a taster; introducing Elizabeth Scarlett, NEW for autumn
and NEW designs from Clarissa Hulse and Designers Guild; plus
sumptuous duvets from Brinkhaus, renowned worldwide for their superior
quality and innovative designs and the Tempur pillow collection.
Then come in store and see what else is NEW in the Linens department
for autumn 2016.
AUTUMN
ST YLE EDIT
LINENS
ELIZABETH SCARLETT
Elizabeth Scarlett is a luxury homeware brand, created by London based
designer Elizabeth Scarlett Elsey. Combining an enduring love of soft
textiles with an eye for detail, Elizabeth Scarlett was launched in 2013,
bringing soft, colourful cushions to the forefront. With a textile heritage
and a background in fine art, Elizabeth uses her signature hand painted
designs to uniquely embroider lifestyle products.
ANANAS : Inspired by the tropical fruits sold in Saint-Tropez market,
translated from a hand illustrated design of soft grey pineapples.
Duvet : King £100 : Super King £115 Cushion 45 x 45cm £35
Quilt 220 x 230cm 220 thread count £145
Only available in the Tunbridge Wells store
FENWICK CANTERBURY AND TUNBRIDGE WELLS
CLARISSA HULSE : MEADOW GRASS
Layers of swaying Wiltshire meadow grasses in hot pink and
turmeric are contrasted on a dramatic ombré background fading
from charcoal to ice grey, while spindly reeds are cleverly revealed
on the reverse. Digitally printed on smoothest 200 thread count
cotton sateen the range includes four sizes of duvet cover, an
oxford panel pillowcase featuring meadow grasses and a housewife
pillowcase in the reverse print. Accessorise with a striking cushion
decorated with an embroidered crescent leaf design and a grey
chunky knit throw with a bold turmeric coloured border.
Duvet covers : Double £95 : King £110
Oxford pillowcase £22 Housewife pillowcase £19
Cushion 30 x 50cm £45 Grey knitted throw 150 x 200cm £150
FENWICK CANTERBURY AND TUNBRIDGE WELLS
DESIGNERS GUILD : TULIPANI GRAPHITE
This dynamic yet graceful floral bed linen design has
been taken from the successful Designers Guild print fabric
of the same name. Colourful botanical style flowers and
green ferns on a statement graphite grey background.
The luxurious modern floral bed linen design will bring a
dramatic edge to your bedroom scheme. Digitally printed
onto 200 thread count cotton with a soft grey plain reverse.
Duvet covers : Double £95 : King £110 : Super King £125
Housewife pillowcase £20
Hiranya graphite throw 140 x 200cm £120
Hiranya cushion 50 x 30cm £35
FENWICK CANTERBURY AND TUNBRIDGE WELLS
BRINKHAUS : THE GEM COMPONENT
DUVET 10.5 Tog Premier New White
Hungarian Goose Down
Brinkhaus duvets combine the finest fillings
with the finest Medicott treated cotton covers
and are renowned worldwide for their superior
quality and innovative designs. These duvets
can be combined in up to 10 different ways.
Each duvet features lightweight stainless steel
nickel free press studs. You purchase any of the
duvets that you need now, then add to it at a
later stage, if required, by joining together any
combination of two. A complete solution to suit
your individual needs.
Super King 260 x 220cm £659
Other sizes to order
TEMPUR ® : Pillow collections
TEMPUR offers a wide range of pillows to
accommodate a variety of preferences and
sleep positions. Made from unique TEMPUR
material, they respond to your body’s weight
and warmth, conforming to your shape. Unlike
an ordinary memory foam or feather and down
pillow, a TEMPUR pillow returns to its original
shape night after night. TEMPUR Traditional
Pillow Collection help improve the quality
of your sleep by relieving pressure points that
cause discomfort. The sure and fast way
to sweet dreams...
The TEMPUR ® Comfort Pillow Original
combines the pressure-relieving comfort and
support of TEMPUR in a familiar rectangular
pillow design. 3 year guarantee £85
The TEMPUR ® Comfort Pillow Cloud
is filled with specially developed TEMPUR
Extra-Soft (ES) micro-cushions providing an
innovative balance of softness and support.
3 year guarantee £85
Visit our Linens departments and see what else is NEW for autumn. Be inspired by the beautiful selection of bed linen with
co-ordinating soft cushions and throws that will make your bedroom complete.
St George’s Street Canterbury Kent CT1 2TB 01227 766866 • Royal Victoria Place Tunbridge Wells Kent TN1 2SR 01892 516716
BEAUTIFUL BEDLINEN ON THE FIRST FLOOR
www.fenwick.co.uk
INTRODUCING BEOSOUND 1 & BEOSOUND 2
FREEDOM OF CHOICE
Place wherever. Play whatever.
Powerful flexibility and portability with no strings attached.
A set of speakers designed for convenience, crafted for mobility and featuring an impressive
360 degrees of spherical sound magic. Integrated access to your favourite streaming services,
and fast and easy connectivity through Google Cast, Bluetooth, AirPlay and DLNA.
Bang & Olufsen
of Bexleyheath
155 Broadway
Bexleyheath
Kent DA6 7EZ
Tel: 020 8303 2760
Bang & Olufsen
of Bromley
62 High Street
Bromley
Kent BR1 1EG
Tel: 020 8466 8080
Bang & Olufsen
of Cambridge
29 Magdalene Street
Cambridge
CB3 0AF
Tel: 01223 464400
Bang & Olufsen
of Maidstone
37 Royal Star Arcade
High Street
Maidstone ME14 1JL
Tel: 01622 756756
Bang & Olufsen
of Tunbridge Wells
66 Mount Pleasant Road
Tunbridge Wells
Kent TN1 1RB
Tel: 01892 527525
ARE YOUR CHILDREN
seizing life’s adventures?
Let them be confident, creative
and capable with an adventurous
education at Ashford School
Scholarships are available for entry into Years 5, 7, 9 and 12
Pick up the phone and speak to us at Ashford School
01233 739030
registrar@ashfordschool.co.uk
Adventurous Learning
www.ashfordschool.co.uk
NEW
VENUE
17 th , 18 th & 19 th November 2016
Pre-book
discounted
tickets online
now!
Using this code
WT2MWF16
NEW VENUE - THE HOP FARM
Paddock Wood, Tonbridge, Kent TN12 6PY
Buy Tickets: wealdentimes.co.uk/events or call 01580 714705*
Tickets: With discount: £8.50 Online booking: £9.00 On the gate: £9.50
Opening times: 9.00am - 4.30pm every day
*Telephone bookings will incur a 50p admin charge. Online advance tickets & discounts available until 03/11/2016
Sponsored by
HARPERS AND HURLINGHAM
www.harpersandhurlingham.com
#WTfairs
Gift Ideas From Wealden Times
Spotlight on exhibitors...
TeePea design and craft beautiful hand-made
teepees. They caused such a stir at the Midsummer Fair,
we had to know more about Tunbridge Wells
mums, Emma and Ella.
Describe the essence of the business
Bright, colourful and lots of fun! We make beautiful cotton
teepees that provide the perfect pop-up space for imaginative
play and give children their own little hideaway, inside or out.
Why did you go into business together?
TeePea grew organically from our friendship as neighbours. We
wealdentimes.co.uk
100
both wanted to continue doing something creative, without
the London commute, that would fit around the kids. Ella
made a beautiful TeePea for her children - everyone instantly
fell in love with it and that was enough to get us thinking.
Tell us about the process of creating your product
Once we have a design concept and the perfect fabric and
trimmings, our seamstress works her way up and down the
vast metres of cut-out fabric. Once assembled, each unique
TeePea goes into its own coordinating bag. We often take
special orders for clients with a specific theme in mind.
What makes all the hard work worth it?
Honestly, it is seeing how much children (and their parents)
love their TeePea. We receive lots of photos and reviews
from new members to the TeePea family. There is something
really special about a toy that grows with a child, inspires
different uses and creates memories along the way.
What can we look forward to from
TeePea at the Midwinter Fair?
Alongside our signature range of spots and
stripes, our fun, new Winter Collection are the
perfect gifts for children this Christmas.
Midwinter Fair
Choose from hundreds of carefully
handpicked original gifts in five joined-up
marquees of Christmas gift shopping for all
your family and friends
Stegmann House Clogs, £65
Fire & Felt Ltd, fi reandfelt.com
Carnival Light (large), £50
Electric Pineapple,
electricpineapple.co.uk
Lip Therapy 7ml, £10
Ruby Red,
rubyredcosmetics.co.uk
Fountain pen, £59
Plooms, plooms.co.uk
Unisex Sweat, £30
Lounge Shorts, £27
Blue Blancmange, blueblancmange.co.uk
Handmade TeePea, £125
TeaPea, facebook.com/myteepea
Bolivia Cross Body Bag, £229.95
Grandala, grandala.com
Produce Candles, £21.99 each
I Love Produce Candles, iloveproducecandles.co.uk
101 wealdentimes.co.uk
Love shack
Words: John Graham-Hart Photographs: David Merewether Styling: Helen Barton
wealdentimes.co.uk
102
A classic beach house, which is also a cosy winter retreat – Francesca Rowan-Plowden
is just as at home rethinking the most relaxed of small-scale abodes as she is taking on
a total refurbishment of a stately home. Is there nothing this woman can’t do?
103 wealdentimes.co.uk
HOLIDAY HOME
OWNERS
MAXIMISE THE INCOME POTENTIAL FROM
YOUR HOLIDAY HOME WITH THE LEADING
SUSSEX BASED INDEPENDENT HOLIDAY
LETTINGS AGENCY
HANDMADE OAK FRAMED BUILDINGS
Bespoke Services and Standard Ranges Available
Over 300 Holiday home owners have already discovered what
Amberley House Cottage Holidays can do to help them
maximise the potential in their holiday homes. To join
them or just to find out more, contact us today.
WE’RE HERE TO HELP
www.amberleyhousecottages.co.uk
tel: 01798 877336
GARAGES • PORCHES • GARDEN
ROOMS • BARNS • HOME OFFICE/
STUDIO • COURTYARDS • GAZEBOS/
SHELTERS • STABLES AND MORE...
We specialise in the design and construction of traditional handmade
oak-framed buildings that are built to last, at highly competitive prices.
52
Please contact us to discuss or quote for your project.
Filston Farm, Filston Lane, Sevenoaks, Kent TN14 5JU
Tel 01959 447477 | www.chartwelloakbuildings.co.uk
PURE AUTUMN ART FAIR
AmberleyHouseCottagesWT176.indd 1 02/09/2016 ChartwellOakBuildingsS23.indd 15:33
1 31/08/2016 15:30
Battle Arts & Music Festival
The PowderMills Hotel
Battle TN33 0SP
Sat 22 - Sun 30 October 2016
Open daily 11am - 6pm
Late Night Friday - Open until 8pm
powdermillshotel.com | pureartsgroup.co.uk | battlefestival.co.uk
Simone Riley Figs
wealdentimes.co.uk
104
PureArtsGroupWT176.indd 1 07/09/2016 16:37
Previous page: The kitchen island and the ‘wooden’ wall that runs from the front to the back of the house were designed by
Francesca and made by Hastings & Bexhill Wood Recycling from sanded, unpainted, scaffolding board. The industrial-style ceiling
lights were being thrown out of a café in St Leonards. Francesca found the real ship’s porthole on a stall in Hastings Old Town. The
table is from eBay and the chairs are from Dunelm. The tractor seat stools are from Strand Quay Antiques Above: The blue sitting
room sofa is from made.com and the white painted chest from – as many other objects of desire around the house – McCully &
Crane in Rye. Marcus Crane was Francesca’s design partner in the refurbishment of Goodnestone Park (see page 54)
This issue sees something of a Wealden Times first -
featuring two houses by the same interior designer.
Why? Well, the simple answer is that the work of Ms
Francesca Rowan-Plowden is in need of serious celebration.
Every month, when I walk into yet another breathtaking
home, I am stunned by what extraordinary flair and
talent so many owners have. Exposed to creativity on
such a scale, I find myself struggling not to blurt out
the opinion that they should do this for a living.
When I visited Francesca’s Georgian farmhouse near Rye
some years ago I remember totally losing this struggle. I
doubt very much if my career advice was taken seriously
but others considerably more qualified than I must have
expressed exactly the same opinion because Francesca has
since launched Rowan Plowden Design and become one
of the best professional designers south of the Smoke.
Actress, TV presenter, mother of four young boys and
founder of Rye’s popular Lamb Players, established
when she was curator of Lamb House, Francesca is
currently being fêted for her work with Marcus Crane at
Goodnestone, but one of her great strengths is versatility
- and little demonstrates this versatility as dramatically
as placing stately home alongside holiday home.
Field View, her own property on The Ridge at Winchelsea
Beach, was always intended as a rental so, although she
was the owner and would stay there as often as possible,
it was not somewhere she could indulge herself. Rather
than please one client – as she might on most projects –
she was going to have to please a wide range of potential
guests, none of whom she had ever even met.
Francesca and her husband, wine importer Piers Plowden, had
always liked the idea of a beach property. “As a child I used
to spend holidays with my aunt and uncle in Nantucket,” she
says. “Piers grew up in Bermuda and our favourite holiday
spot is Île de Ré” (an island off the west coast of France.
“We saw the Winchelsea house advertised just before
we went on holiday and thought it would be gone by
the time we got back but it wasn’t so we met the
105 wealdentimes.co.uk
Above: The original sunroom is now used as a dining/breakfast
area. The table and bench were made by the Hastings & Bexhill
Wood Recycling with wood reclaimed from Hastings Pier. The
steel walls lights are by Cox & Cox and the walls are painted in
Farrow & Ball Ammonite Left: the chair is from Strand Quay
Antiques and the sheepskin from Hunter Jones, both in Rye. The
wooden stag’s head is from Eras of Style in Bexhill
The woodburner is set into a
central chimney that is all that is left
of the original wall that separated
the front and rear rooms
wealdentimes.co.uk
106
Styled by Skinners of Tunbridge Wells
Distinctive Interiors
www.skinnersoftunbridgewells.co.uk
Email: sarah@skinnersoftunbridgewells.co.uk
6 Castle Street, Royal Tunbridge Wells,
Kent TN1 1XJ Tel: 01892 532003
SkinnersWT176.indd 1 14/09/2016 JosephMcCarthyWT176.indd 14:13
1 15/09/2016 16:08
107 wealdentimes.co.uk
JerwoodGalleryWT176.indd 1 09/09/2016 12:22
owner – a very sweet lady – and put in an offer,” she
says. “We then got gazumped but the lady very kindly
turned down the better offer and went with us.
“We knew it was going to make an amazing beach house but
we wanted to take it a step further and make it somewhere
people would want to come and stay year round,” she says. “It
was not only going to have to have a cool bright summer feel
but a warmth that would make it a cosy retreat in winter.”
It was also going to need a considerable number of walls
knocked down and a considerable number more put up.
When the couple took possession the ground floor consisted
of two rooms and a sunroom. These have now been
knocked though into one large living area which opens out
through matching glass doors onto new decking front and
back made from old, black-painted scaffolding boards.
The sunroom remains a sunroom but is also now a dining/
breakfast area with terrific views down over the fields
toward the beach and a table and benches made by the
rightly-celebrated Hastings & Bexhill Wood Recycling,
with wood reclaimed from the old Hastings pier.
Right: Over the door into the kitchen the Fish sign is from
Wishbarn Antiques in Rye Below: Francesca “doesn’t do” fitted
kitchens. The natural wood shelving and a work surface were
made by H&B Wood Recycling. The full height cupboard was
made by Francesca’s father from old wooden tractor trailer doors.
Blue curtains in denim by Merchant & Mills in Rye cover the
dishwasher, freezer and washing machine. The kitchen walls are
painted in Ammonite and Stiffkey Blue by Farrow & Ball
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109 wealdentimes.co.uk
SuzannaCapellaWT176.indd 1 12/09/2016 RespireLivingWT176.indd 10:25
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Bi-folds Doors
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Established 25 Years, Family Business.
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KSEHomeImprovementsWT175.indd 1 09/08/2016 HomeandPetSitters4Uwt169.indd 14:34
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A.T. Palmer Ltd
RestoRation specialists est.1949
wealdentimes.co.uk
T: 01233 770077
Smarden Business Estate, TN27 8QL
110
atpalmer.co.uk
ATPalmerWT176.indd 1 09/09/2016 11:44
Field View was an instant success. Its first posting on Facebook had 4,000 hits
111 wealdentimes.co.uk
17th Sept - 16th Oct
¬
BRIGHTON TO RYE
by
CHARLIE COBB
Rye Art Gallery
_
107 High Street Rye
Tn31 7JE www.ryeartgallery.co.uk
RyeArtGalleryWT176.indd 1 14/09/2016 TailoredCarpetCompanyWT176.indd 14:51
1 13/09/2016 11:16
The Estate Yard,
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Nr Tunbridge Wells,
Kent, TN3 9JR
Sofas and beds, handmade in britain, in any fabric in the world
01892 572 309
sofasandstuff.com
Alwinton Chaise in Walloon Stripe
wealdentimes.co.uk
112
SofasAndStuffWT176.indd 1 06/09/2016 10:52
Previous page: The four-foot-high framed poster of Gary
Cooper is from McCully & Crane Above: The bed in the master
bedroom has been raised to be on a level with the windows
looking south over the fields to the sea. The headboard and
cushions were designed by Francesca, part of a new range she
is now developing. Right: Chest from Hunter Jones, rug from
Hunter Jones, painting from Lion Street Store The lamp, made
from an old wooden-cased voltmeter, is from McCully & Crane
On the walls are works by two Rye artists – mermaids by
Richard Adams and a delicate ladybird drawing by Lincoln
Taber. Flanking the window are two galvanised steel nautical
lights by Cox & Cox. “There are odd nods to the seaside
here and there,” says Francesca, “but nothing too obvious
– I didn’t want to start going down the seashell route.”
Also delightfully conspicuous by its absence is any evidence
of The Dead Stuffed Things School of Interior Design. True,
there is a stag’s head above the woodburner in the living area
but this is a lovely wood carving from Eras of Style in Bexhill.
The woodburner is set into a central chimney that is
all that is left of the original wall separating the front
and rear rooms. “It was the most expensive item in
the house to buy and to install,” says Francesca, “but
I really wanted to make sure that the house was a real
home for all seasons and it certainly does its job.”
The fireplace is now open from both sides of the chimney,
heating and cheering both the sitting room area and the
kitchen behind. The sofa is from made.com and the white
painted chest – as many other objects of desire around
the house – from McCully & Crane in Rye, owned by
Marcus Crane, who you will remember was Francesca’s
partner in the renaissance of Goodnestone Park.
113 wealdentimes.co.uk
The former garage has now been converted into a twin bedroom, games room and a bathroom. Above: The desk and chair in the
twin bedroom are from Francesca’s childhood. The Tintin print is from Eras of Style. The rug is from Hunter Jones
wealdentimes.co.uk
114
Above Left: The headboards are Rowan Plowden. Francesca bought the old painted toy box serving as a joint bedside table from a
stall in Lydd. The ceiling lampshade is from Hunter Jones. The wall behind the beds is painted in Stiffkey Blue by Farrow & Ball.
The hurricane lamps on the chest are from Dunelm Above right: Over the free-standing bath in the in new bathroom is a picture by
Francesca’s artist uncle, Nick Maddison.
The majority of walls throughout the downstairs are
Farrow & Ball Ammonite but a great feature of the
ground floor is a superb ‘wooden’ wall that runs from
the front to the back of the house and is clad floor to
ceiling in sanded, unpainted scaffolding board, effortlessly
giving the whole area a lovely beachy, driftwood feel.
Pièce de résistance in the kitchen area is a stunning
central island designed by Francesca, built by H&B
Wood Recycling and incorporating a huge hidden
kitchen storage area and lit by two industrial-style lights
that were being thrown out of a café in St Leonards.
In one side wall is a real ship’s porthole which Francesca
bought from a stall which appears and disappears Brigadoonlike
in Hastings Old Town and is run by a bloke called John.
At one end of the island is virtually a wall of glass, with
doors out into a magical shingle garden. At the other end are
parked two tractor-seat stools which serve as extra seating to
a circular dining table, joining a matching set of stylish steel
chairs that only Francesca could have found at Dunelm.
In an existing extension is the business end of the kitchen
– and as Francesca “doesn’t do fitted kitchens,” it’s all
natural wood shelving, a work surface made by H&B Wood
Recycling, a superb full height cupboard made by Francesca’s
father from old wooden tractor trailer doors, and pretty blue
curtains covering a dishwasher, freezer and washing machine.
At the end is a former loo, now a wetroom which means guests
can come in straight from the beach through the kitchen
door, down the tiled-floor kitchen and into the shower.
On the landing is a four-foot-high framed poster of Gary
Cooper from McCully & Crane, one of a pair of lobsterpot-y
string lampshades from made.com and a smart blind designed
by Francesca with ticking from Merchant & Mills.
wealdentimes.co.uk
116
Over 2000 sq.ft. of Antiques,
Collectables, Vintage, Retro,
Handcrafted & Unusual Items
The Old Forge Emporium
The Street, Appledore, Kent TN26 2BJ 01233 758585
abbeylace@aol.com www.theoldforgeemporium.co.uk
Hotline 01428
684494
Crafts for
Christmas
Opening times: Fri - Sat 9.00am - 5.00pm Sun 9.00am - 4.00pm
4 - 6 November
Maidstone Pavilion,
Kent County Showground, Detling, ME14 3JF
An opportunity to meet Britain’s most talented makers
and purchase inspirational gifts and festive foods.
At the event: Adults: £7.00 Seniors: £6.00
In advance: Adults: £6.00 Seniors: £5.00
(subject to 60p transaction fee)
rca@ruralcraftsassociation.co.uk www.ruralcraftsassociation.co.uk
OldForgeAntiquesWT174.indd 1 18/07/2016 RuralCraftWT176.indd 17:24
1 13/09/2016 11:09
COSI
Log Burning
Multi-fuel Stoves
& Range Cookers
Full Installation Service
Chimney Sweeping
Servicing & Repairs
Call for a free Survey
01227 787 587
www.cosi.co.uk
58-60 Wincheap, Canterbury CT1 3RS sales@cosi.co.uk
117 wealdentimes.co.uk
CosiWT175.indd 1 12/08/2016 16:51
Top: The sofa in the games room is from sofa.com while its
cushions and those on the Lloyd Loom chair are covered in
fabric by Merchant and Mills. The high desk, used as a side
table, is from McCully & Crane Left: The vintage Conran
Shop lamp and delphiniums tapestry are both from McCully
& Crane. The knitted sea urchin poofs are from Dunelm
The games room’s south-facing glass
doors lead out onto an area of decking
wealdentimes.co.uk
118
OakDesignsCoWT176.indd 1 22/09/2016 09:45
119 wealdentimes.co.uk
EmmaFreemanWT176.indd 1 13/09/2016 16:37
Quality
hardwood floors
supplied & fitted
by craftsmen
Showroom: The Barn, Main Road, Sundridge, Sevenoaks, Kent, TN14 6EE
For a free no obligation estimate call us on 01959 563063
visit our new website: www.dbwf.co.uk
We pride ourselves on the fi nest craftsmanship.
Offering Free expert advice, Free site surveys,
Free quotations. Let our experience and expertise
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NEWLANDS JOINERY
The finest handcrafted joinery
dif colour logos 21/06/2012 11:38 Page 1
Tel | 01959 522981
Mobile | 07501 725227
Web | www.newlandsjoinery.co.uk
Shoreham Nr. Sevenoaks
nole House
furnishers
DavidBrownWT176.indd 1 23/09/2016 NewlandsJoineryWT161.indd 12:06
1 22/06/2015 12:41
THE GREAT £174,000 STORE CLOSING SALE
Lounge Dining Bedroom
nole House
furnishers
nole House
furnishers
Over £174,000 of quality home furnishings, beds and
accessories will be sold at liquidation sale prices.
Everything is reduced, Sofas, Chairs, Dining Room
Tables and Chairs, Beds, Bedroom Furniture,
Living Room Cabinets, Occasional Furniture.
Special discounts will also be on offer for you to place a
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The Great £174,000 Store Closing Sale!
Opens to the public 10am on Friday 7th October
wealdentimes.co.uk
120
nole House
furnishers
The Old Town Jail. 14-18 London Road,
Sevenoaks, Kent TN13 1AJ
Telephone 01732 458150
www.knolehousefurnishings.co.uk
nole House
furnishers
KnoleHouseWT176.indd 1 19/09/2016 10:48
Downstairs, the former owner’s double bedroom now sports a
high bed on a level with the windows, so that when you open
your eyes you are looking south over the fields to the sea. The
headboard was designed by Francesca as were the cushions
– among the first of a new range she is now developing. On
the chest of drawers is a light made from an old woodencased
voltmeter, almost a trademark of McCully & Crane.
The former garage has been converted into a twin bedroom,
games room and bathroom. Again, the headboards are Rowan
Plowden and serving as a joint bedside table between the
beds is an old painted toy box Francesca bought from Lydd
from another resident of Brigadoon, a bloke called Drew.
The double aspect window sports more Rowan Plowden/
M&M blinds. The lampshade and the rug – as do most of
the rugs gracing Field View – comes from Hunter Jones.
Over the free-standing bath in the new bathroom is a
picture by Francesca’s artist uncle, Nick Madison. The
Left: Stairs painted in Purbeck Stone with runner in Railings
lead up to the vaulted master bedroom with a view to the sea
Below: The wall of the master bedroom is clad in the same sanded
scaffolding planks. The bedside lamps are from McCully & Crane.
Francesca designed the headboard. The cushions are covered in
Ralph Lauren fabric and the throw is from John Lewis
121 wealdentimes.co.uk
Above left: Wrought-iron daybed from IKEA. Francesca designed the Roman blind, which is in Ralph Lauren fabric
Above right: The shuttered mirror in the bathroom is from Strand Antiques and the industrial style light fitting is from
Cox & Cox. The blue glass is from LSA International
games room’s south-facing glass doors lead out onto an area
of decking and while this room would have made a superb
bedroom, it sits below local sea level, so this is verboten.
Instead, equipped with large TV, it’s an elegant bolthole for
the young. The TV cabin came from H&B Wood Recycling
and the high desk from McCully & Crane. A nice touch are
the woollen sea urchin poofs which serve as mini bean bags.
So onward and upward to the top of the house and an
absolutely magical vaulted bedroom suite from which
there is not only a great view out over the fields but
one can also see the blue ribbon of the sea beyond.
This area was just one large one, stepped into from the
top of the stairs, but Francesca has remodelled the whole
floor to provide a landing, spacious double bedroom,
lovely bathroom accessed through a pair of elegant
reclaimed wood doors and a secret, curtained child’s
sleeping cubbyhole made from an old attic cupboard.
The brilliant touch here is the reclaimed scaffolding
cladding behind the Rowan Plowden headboard, made
all the more dramatic as bed and cladding are what
greet you the moment you step into the room. In the
window is an Ikea wrought-iron day bed. The table
lamps are, of course, McCully & Crane. The blinds
in both bedroom and bathroom are Rowan Plowden
designed and the fabric is Ralph Lauren while the
bathroom’s three industrial lights are Cox & Cox.
Predictably, Field View was an instant success. Its
first posting on Facebook had 4,000 hits and it’s
never looked back, proving virtually as popular a
winter bolt hole as it has a summer escape.
So what’s the secret of its immediate success? Why does
it stand out from the crowd? Why is it that one feels
at once so impressed and so at home when one walks
into, not only Field View, but any Rowan Plowden
gig? What makes the difference between a gifted
amateur and such an accomplished professional?
Personally, I have no idea whatever, which is why I try so
manfully to keep my views to myself as I wander around
yet another property in which I would be delighted
to spend the rest of this life and most of the next.
wealdentimes.co.uk
122
monarchoak
Oak Frame Buildings
Over 50 years’ experience making oak frame buildings
• Garages
• Garden Rooms
• Complexes
• Gazebos
• Bespoke Buildings
01323 765410 Quality in its finest form
www.monarchoak.co.uk
MonarchOakWT147.indd 1 15/04/2014 GraceyardWT167.indd 15:06
1 26/11/2015 12:00
23 New Road
Brighton
BN1 1UF
01273 605574
sales@mistersmith.co.uk
www.mistersmith.co.uk
Croft Road
Crowborough
TN6 1DR
01892 664152
info@mistersmith.co.uk
123 wealdentimes.co.uk
MisterSmithInteriorsWT176.indd 1 19/09/2016 10:43
Multi-Award Winning Swimming Pool Installer
SPATA Pool Contractor of the Year 2015
Specialists in indoor and outdoor swimming pools,
servicing, maintenance and improvements.
XL Pools Ltd, The Parlour, Saracens Dairy,
Pluckley Road, Pluckley, TN27 0SA
Telephone: 0845 20 60 420
Email: enquiries@xlpools.com
www.xlpools.com
Above: The cabinet in the master bedroom is from Hunter Jones. The lamp is from Strand Quay Antiques, the mirror from McCully
& Crane. Francesca created a secret, curtained child’s sleeping cubbyhole from an old attic cupboard. The curtain is in ticking from
Merchant & Mills
Address Book:
Rowan Plowden design rowanplowden.com
Cox & Cox coxandcox.co.uk
dunelm dunelm.com
Eras of Style erasofstyle.com
Farrow & Ball farrow-ball.com
Hastings & Bexhill Wood Recycling recyclingwood.org.uk
Hunter Jones hunterjonesvintage.com
Lincoln Taber alincolntaber.co.uk
McCully & Crane mccullyandcrane.com
Merchant & Mills merchantandmills.com
Rectory Interiors rectoryinteriors.co.uk
Strand Quay Antiques 1-2 The Strand, Rye. 01797 226790
125 wealdentimes.co.uk
Potts Ltd
Kitchens, Bathrooms & Interiors
Superior Surroundings
Kiln Barn Road, East Malling, Maidstone, Kent, ME19 6BQ
01732 848444 www.potts.ltd.uk
Kitchen&
Bathroom
A Wealden Times Supplement
View the new Kitchen & Bathroom Directory online at wealdentimes.co.uk
LIVING SPACES MADE BEAUTIFUL
THIS KITCHEN WAS DESIGNED AND INSTALLED BY HKS
OUR DESIGN
YOUR SPACE
KITCHEN BEDROOM BATHROOM LIVING SPACES
01435 866166
HEATHFIELD HILL HOUSE, MUTTON HALL HILL, TN21 8NL
ALSO AT: EASTBOURNE • HAYWARDS HEATH • ST LEONARDS-ON-SEA
www.hks-uk.com
WT Kitchen & Bathroom Supplement
Contents
VISIT OUR
LARGE
SHOWROOM
Extensive Range
of Wall and
Floor Tiles
8 English Houses
Inspiring free-form kitchens from Ben Pentreath’s
magnificent new book
13 Colourful Character
Kitchen designers share their expert tips on how to
get colour into the heart of your home
18 Bright and Beautiful
Rainbow-hued kitchen accessories
21 Greenhouse to Our House
Jo Arnell advises on the best plants for bathrooms
Freelands Tiles
124-126 London Road, Dunton Green, Sevenoaks
Tel: 01732 459 765 | OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK
www.freelands-tiles.co.uk
FreelandsTilesWT172.indd 1 23/05/2016 12:53
The complete kitchen service...
25 Washstand and Deliver
The new trends for basins and baths
29 Bathing Beauties
Luxurious bathroom finishing touches
31 Colour Supplement
Brilliant, bright and bold tiling ideas
32 Directory
The best kitchen and bathroom resources, A-Z
Cover: Ceramic Tile Warehouse Above: West One Bathrooms
...from a hinge to to a complete makeover
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3 wealdentimes.co.uk
KitchenDoctorS13.indd 1 20/10/2015 11:36
STUNNING
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KITCHENS
FOR REAL COOKS
It’s time for a new kitchen, the
one you’ve always wanted.
Editor’s Letter
I’ve loved the grey years. It’s such a uniquely calming
colour and just about everything seems to look better in
it, but it has got a little ubiquitous, hasn’t it?
So perhaps it’s not surprising that rich dark blues, cerulean
and turquoise, shades of green from apple to bottle, sunflower
yellow and fuchsia are springing up in houses again – and not
just separately.
At the trendsetting end of the interiors world these colours
are popping out in fabrics, painted furniture and even – sharp
intake of breath – patterned fitted carpet. Imagine that!
It might take a while for most of us to get our heads round
that idea, but colour is already starting to look very appealing
again in kitchens and bathrooms. Ben Pentreath’s magnificent
new book English Houses has some wonderful examples that
inspired us to ask kitchen designers for expert advice on how
to bring colour back into the heart of the home.
Colour is also coming back into bathrooms, with taps and
fittings in lovely warm metals and even basins and baths in
colours other than white. And in both rooms patterned tiles
are a great way to bring in glorious colour.
I’m not giving up on grey entirely - the exterior of my new
home is painted a wonderful Dior shade - but remembering
how much I enjoyed living with the blue loo (above) in my
old house, I can’t wait to start full spectrum decorating.
We hope this supplement will make you feel as excited
about the return of colour as we are.
Craftsmanship modern & ancient
www.hammertons.co.uk
01435 868611
Sunset Farm • Heathfield Road
Cross in Hand • TN21 0UJ
HammertonsWT176.indd 5 05/09/2016 15:54
STUNNING HANDLES FOR DOORS & DRAWERS
www.theseplease.co.uk
• A simply stunning range of over 600 gorgeous handpainted
cupboard knobs, mortice handles and hooks •
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• Trade accounts www.thesepleasetrade.co.uk •
5 wealdentimes.co.uk
ThesePleaseWT176.indd 1 08/09/2016 10:08
MINTERIORS
JFine hand crafted kitchens and bespoke furniture
01580 291221 jminteriorsuk.uk Biddenden Showroom
WT Kitchen & Bathroom Supplement
English
eccentrics
Ben Pentreath’s magnificent new book, English Houses,
is a luscious tour through beautiful – and quirky –
homes, with kitchens as free-spirited as their owners.
Some of them have been designed from scratch,
others have evolved over time; what they share is an
organic quality, rooms that aren’t fixed in decorator
aspic, but continue to evolve and mature with use.
As he puts it “...a perfectly decorated room without people
to occupy it, love it, and live in it, is meaningless.”
THE BATHROOM SHOP
Independent bespoke bathroom specialists
k Bathroom installation
k Radiators, modern and traditional
k Sanitaryware, modern and traditional k Bathroom tiles supplied and fitted
k Taps and showers, modern and traditional k Accessories and toiletries
k Shower enclosures and bath screens k Robes, towels, bathmats etc…
k Fitted and free-standing furniture
11 East Cross, Tenterden, Kent, TN30 6AD k Telephone: 01580 763207
www.the-bathroomshop.co.uk
BathroomShop
@TheBathroomShop
BathroomShopWT176.indd 1 02/09/2016 15:37
Image: Original Style
Left: This flat in Cleveland Square is owned by Lulu Lytle of
Pimlico interiors shop Soane Britain. “Lulu and Charlie knocked
out the walls of three rooms to make a wide, welcoming kitchen,
installing oak cabinets and a copper-wrapped island that have
stood the test of time (like fixtures in all the best kitchens). The
walls are lined in turquoise glazed tiles from World’s End Tiles; a
copper Owl lantern from Soane Britain hangs above the dining
table, with its set of beautiful, battered leather Soane Casino
dining chairs—an iconic and timeless design.”
Above: A house on the Lloyd Baker estate in Islington, owned by
landscape gardener Maisie Rowe. “I love Maisie’s simple kitchen,
installed by the previous owner, architect Steven Mullen, in the
1970s. The cooking is still done on his lipstick-red AGA or on
Maisie’s vintage gas stove. Plates, bottles, saucepans and colanders
hang from hooks or rest upon heaving shelves. The whole effect is
one of happy chaos.”
TIle Library Co. Ad. 61W x 63H 20/1/09 17:09
Kitchen Tiles. Bathroom Tiles. Floor Tiles.
Shear Farm Oast, North Road, Goudhurst, Kent TN17 1JR
Mon-Fri 9.30 - 4pm | Wed 9.30 - 3pm | Sat 10 - 4pm
Tel: 01580 212700 www.tilelibrary.co.uk
9 wealdentimes.co.uk
TileLibraryWT176.indd 1 19/09/2016 15:42
WT Kitchen & Bathroom Supplement
Left: A country house in Northumberland.
“The chatelaine is a woman of great character
and beauty, who brings wit, humour, and an
irrepressible effervescence to the place. When she
inherited the house, she took the bold decision
to move the kitchen from a chilly service wing
to the sunny and light-filled old entrance hall,
facing south-west across the park. Sunshine
streams in from morning to late afternoon. At
one end is a cream-coloured AGA, seeming
quite at home amongst the bolection panelling
and sash windows; at the other is an old
Georgian fireplace with comfortable armchairs –
perfect for an afternoon nap.
Above left: The pantry, next door, is idyllic; it
has not been touched for decades, a sublime
example of timeless country-house decoration.
Above right: Wardington Manor, North
Oxfordshire, owned by Bridget Elworthy of
The Land Gardeners. “The kitchen is a warmhearted
room, with a wide table around which
all family life takes place. Bridget’s kitchen style
can be distilled into a successful recipe: a cream
AGA, white curtains in front of the cupboards
and Carrara marble counters with white tiles and
a simple shelf above. Throw in a huge, vividly
painted dresser, and season with a generous
pinch of clutter.”
English Houses will be available to
WT readers for the special price of £25
including postage & packaging (rrp£30 by
telephoning Macmillan Direct on 01256
302 699 and quoting the reference HU8)
wealdentimes.co.uk
10
English Houses
Hardback, £30,
Author: Ben Pentreath;
Publisher: Ryland,
Peters & Small;
Photographer:
Jan Baldwin
Style
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tilematesgroup.com Registered in England Company No. 05446904
BurlanesWT176.indd 1 12/09/2016 12:54
traditional handmade furniture
Kitchens
Bedrooms
Studies
Showroom: 78 London Road, Southborough
Tunbridge Wells, Kent. TN4 0PP
Tel: 01892 533273
Web: Woodworkkitchens.co.uk
wealdentimes.co.uk
12
WoodworkWT175.indd 1 16/08/2016 09:46
WT Kitchen & Bathroom Supplement
Colourful character
We asked kitchen designers for their expert
advice on how to bring colour back into the
heart of the home
WT Kitchen & Bathroom Supplement
“Kitchens are becoming bolder with mixed
styles and colours - a Shaker-painted cabinet
with zinc worktops, or painted cabinets with
polished copper fittings. When incorporating
separate furniture pieces, it’s important to
link them to the rest of the kitchen - through
the cabinetry, worktops or walls - to keep a
polished finish.”
Gemma Collins
Collins Bespoke
Old Surrenden Manor, Bethersden, Kent 01233 822595
collinsbespoke.com
Credit: Richard Gadsby
“A lot of people now want a freestanding look,
with a separate dresser and a separate larder,
rather than runs and runs of units. Clients are
also veering away from wall units. If they’ve
got the space they’d rather have it more open.
When it comes to colour, blue seems to be the
new colour coming up. Several clients have
wanted islands in a rich blue to contrast with
grey units. It’s also popular to have details of
wood in the island, to add interest without
having too much upkeep.We would always say
to clients, if you are thinking of mixing colour
and texture, look at what floor you’re having –
don’t overload it.”
Chris Lee
Traditional Bespoke Furniture
Unit 2, The Coppice, Petteridge Lane, Matfield,
Kent TN12 7LP 01892 723083
traditionalbespokefurniture.co.uk
13 wealdentimes.co.uk
WT Kitchen & Bathroom Supplement
“We’ve just changed our
showroom painting an island
aquamarine. It’s islands where
clients want to use colour,
becsause it’s not the whole
kitchen. Our kitchens are all
hand painted, so it’s not a big
deal to have it repainted if
they want. At Tunbridge Wells
they also have the Siematics
kitchens (left), which come in
bright colours. Strong yellows
and orange are very popular
and as kitchens are more living
areas now, they can be picked
up through the scheme in soft
furnishings.”
Sarah Cooper
Rencraft
Unit 9, Chart Farm, Seal Chart, Sevenoaks,
Kent TN15 0ES 01732 762682
rencraft.co.uk
“Using two tones is a very popular way of adding interest in a kitchen.
Darker shades are most often used in islands and base cabinets, with a
lighter shade on the wall cabinetry to soften the overall effect. A bold
injection of a suitable colour from a centre stage appliance such as a range
cooker, can really bring the look together.”
Amy Biddle
JM Interiors
Park Farm, Frittenden
Road, Biddenden, Kent
TN27 8LJ
01580 291221
jminteriorsuk.uk
wealdentimes.co.uk
14
E
HAND
CRAFTED IN
TBF
ENGLAND
●TRADITIONAL
EST 2003
●
RB E S P O K E F U RN IT U
Beautiful, bespoke kitchens and cabinetry.
Designed for the discerning.
KITCHENS
BEDROOMS
& BATHROOMS
01892 723083
www.traditionalbespokefurniture.co.uk
UNIT 2, THE COPPICE, PETTERIDGE LANE, MATFIELD, KENT TN12 7LP
www.collinsbespoke.com
For a free design consultation with Marion John Kitchen Design Award
finalists, visit, call or email: Old Surrenden Manor, Bethersden, Kent
01233 822595
info@collinsbespoke.com
Showroom very nearly ready but visitors are always welcome, of course!
TraditionalBespokeFurnitureWT158.indd 1 20/03/2015 CollinsBespokeWT176.indd 12:15
1 13/09/2016 10:04
MOUNTS HILL
BESPOKE KITCHENS, FURNITURE AND JOINERY
www.mountshill.com | 01580 715911 | enquiries@mountshill.com
15 wealdentimes.co.uk
MountsHillWT172.indd 1 24/05/2016 16:18
WT Kitchen & Bathroom Supplement
“People are starting to ask for something a
little different from the white and grey, handleless
kitchens that have dominated for so long.
With so many exciting materials, different
wood grains, as well as gloss, matt and other
distinctive finishes available, we are encouraging
our clients to think outside the box.”
Emily Rowland
Park House Kitchens
3 Ockley Court, Coles Lane, Ockley, Surrey RH5 5LS
01403 790812 phk.co.uk
“Bold people are starting to ask for bold
colour but white is still popular, although
increasingly with accents of colour and
involving different textures and new
materials. Using glass is our speciality. It’s
super strong, heat resistant and very hygienic,
and comes in great colours.”
Simon Wood
Cobham Furniture
43-47 Cobham High St, Cobham, Surrey KT11 3DP
01932 865814 cobhamfurniture.co.uk
“Clients are moving away from the greys and are starting to feel adventurous
about inserting some colour into their kitchen design.We say – be brave and
bold. Even a hint of colour can give your kitchen an instant face lift. It can
make it feel wider and draw attention to a feature worth highlighting. A
client came back to us wanting a splash of colour and we added a dresser in
blue. Dressers are the most popular freestanding pieces.”
Lindsey Durrant
Burlanes
41 Dartford Road,
Sevenoaks, Kent
TN13 3TE
01732 605001
burlanes.com
wealdentimes.co.uk
16
UK
www.STONEWRIGHTUK.com
Durable, Desirable, Affordable
Natural Stone For Your Home
• Natural Stone Floor Tiles • Fire Hearths •
• Kitchen Worktops • Bathroom Tops •
• Product Consultation Service •
• Granite • Quartz • Marble •
• Slate • Limestone •
Instant estimate available at www.stonewrightuk.com
Opening Hours 8.00am - 5.00pm Monday - Friday
Saturday by appointment only
Unit 1, Ninn Farm, Ninn Lane, Great Chart, Ashford, Kent TN23 3DA
Tel: 01233 650944 E: info@stonewrightuk.com
Caraco
Marble Granite Quartz
01435 868611
www.caraco.co.uk
Sunset Farm, Heathfield Road, Cross in Hand TN21 0UJ
StonewrightUKWT172.indd 1 12/05/2016 HammertonsWT172.indd 10:54
1 13/05/2016 11:20
NEFF TRADE-IN SAVE...
UP TO £70 *
FROM YOUR LOCAL ELECTRICAL Superhero!
Gas Hob
T23S36N0GB
• 4 Burners
• 2 Piece Black Cast Iron Sup ports with Rubber Feet
• Black Inlaid Control Panel
• FFD Fitted
• Stainless Steel
AFTER TRADE-IN
BEFORE TRADE-IN
£177.99
£207.99
Built In Single Oven
B44S53N5GB
• Multifunction Oven with Programmer
• 67 Litres Capacity
• Triple Glazed Slide & Hide Door
• Telescopic Shelf
• CircoTherm Cooking System
AFTER TRADE-IN £499.99
BEFORE TRADE-IN £549.99
£50
Trade-In
£30
Trade-In
GREAT Savings ON SELECTED NEFF APPLIANCES.
Built In 13 Place Settings Dishwasher
S51M53X3GB
• AquaStop Anti-Flood Device with Guarantee
• VarioFlex Basket System: Maximum Flexibility
When Loading
• Red LED Display
• Time Remaining Indicator
• Full Stainless Steel Interior
£70
Trade-In
AFTER TRADE-IN £479.99
BEFORE TRADE-IN £549.99
WRIGHTS WAREHOUSE
11 WATERLOO STREET, MAIDSTONE. ME15 7UG
Tel: 01622 690246
www.wrightswarehouse.co.uk
*T&C’s apply. Sold as an agent for Euronics Limited. Promotional dates 01.09.16 - 12.10.16. All rights reserved. All offers are subject to availability while stocks last. Delivery & Installation charges may apply. Exclusions and
Radius Apply. Prices correct at time of print but can be subject to change. See in store for full details. Images for illustration purposes only. Copyright Euronics 2016. September E&EO 2016. Trade-In T&C’s Apply.
Neff Autumn - L (70) Folder.indd 1 01/09/2016 13:19
17 wealdentimes.co.uk
WrightsWarehouseWT176.indd 1 21/09/2016 10:35
WT Kitchen & Bathroom Supplement
Muuto E27 bulb
£59, Rume
rume.co.uk
Moorish inspired
ceramic bowls, £3.99 each
Lavender Goose
www.lavendergoose.co.uk
Vintage Oxo tin
£8, Raspberry Mash
raspberrymash.co.uk
Bright sparks
Colour your kitchen beautiful with these bold annd beautiful accessories
The nutmeg grater
£0.99, Jeremy’s
Home Store
jeremyshomestore.co.uk
Plus multi salt or
pepper mill, £55
Rume rume.co.uk
Melamine cups,
£2.50, Berry Red
berryred.co.uk
Apple green
bowl, £21
Cloudberry Living
cloudberryliving.co.uk
Smeg pastel blue
kettle, £99.95
Beric Appliances
Cranbrook
01580 712656
Colourworks silicone
strainer, £11.99
Kitchen Craft
kitchencraft.co.uk
Regent four-slot toaster
£190.20, Rowlett Rutland
rowlettrutland.co.uk
Nest utensils, £30
Joseph Joseph
johnlewis.com
Credit: Mike Evans
Rockpool 28cm bowl
£65, Jo Downs
jodowns.com
wealdentimes.co.uk
18
Kitchen cupboard door
handles, £3.50 each
These Please
theseplease.co.uk
Designer and maker of handmade bespoke kitchens and furniture Established. 1980
Unit 3 Chart Farm
Seal Chart
Sevenoaks
Kent
TN15 0ES
Tel: 01732 763610 / 07809504251
Email: info@grantsofsevenoaks.co.uk
www.grantsofsevenoaks.co.uk
Autumn is coming
And this is exactly how we want it to look.
Our Wardley chair: £285, the Sheldrake Extendable table: £1,620,
Hoxton wine glasses: £40 and herb pots: from £10.
Create your own designs at neptune.com
Neptune Tonbridge, 1-2 Tannery Road, TN9 1RF, 01732 351866, info@neptunetonbridge.com
WT Kitchen & Bathroom Supplement
From greenhouse
to our house
Bathroom plants are back back back… Jo Arnell advises what varieties to
choose for this hotly revived trend – and how to keep them alive
After years out there in the interior design
wilderness, houseplants are trendy once more,
and looking especially cool in bathrooms.
Whether you want a jungle, or a more restrained or
contemporary look, there will be a plant to help create
the mood. Let’s do the Cheese plant again…
Design
Using one big plant (it doesn’t have to be a Monstera) in
your smallest room will make a statement and provide a
striking focal point. Contemporary spaces are enhanced
with architectural plants like Yuccas, but if your bathroom
feels a bit stark and clinical, a frothy line of Maidenhair
ferns along a shelf or a tasteful update on a cascading
Spider plant will soften the edges. Try a single pale orchid
for restrained opulence, or the frills and fronds of a
Boston fern or Kentia palm to cheer up a dull corner.
Health and beauty
Indoor plants not only make a room look fresher, the
plants themselves bring added health benefits. Studies
have shown that we feel calmer, safer and more creative
in the presence of plants. Many help lower humidity
levels by absorbing moisture through their leaves and
some can even purify the air and absorb polluting toxins.
So that’s clean, green and serene. Let’s get planting!
Growing conditions and cultivation
Houseplants are able to cope with varying degrees of low
light. As a general rule cacti and succulents need good light
and will be fine in direct sunlight. Those with dark green,
tough looking leaves will manage in shade and big floppy
leaves tend to need more watering. Most bathrooms are
humid environments, but if, like me, you have a cold and
draughty house, some plants will curl up their leaves
21 wealdentimes.co.uk
WT Kitchen & Bathroom Supplement
in horror. Choose carefully. A potted plant is completely
dependant on you, so be a kindly jailor and remember to
feed and water your captives according to their needs.
11 of the best bathroom plants
Some like it steamy
These plants have come from areas of naturally high
humidity and often have either large lush looking
leaves, or tiny delicate ones. Misting is also a good way
of introducing moisture (for you and the plant).
Swiss cheese plant (Monstera deliciosa) - huge split
leaves (not remotely like Swiss cheese except for holes).
This monster is a climber and will need support.
Peace lily (Spathiphyllum wallisii) - absorbs pollution
and moisture from the air. Peace lilies are toxic,
however, so avoid if you have small children.
Boston fern - likes a moisture retentive soil and
indirect light. Trim out any browning leaves.
Maidenhair fern (Adantium) - small, delicate fronds on a
compact plant, but needs a bit of tlc to stop it withering (I
only have to glance at one). Keep out of direct sunlight.
Architectural wonders
Succulents, spiky cacti and palms make striking focal
points in contemporary settings. Do not overwater.
Aloe vera - the sap in this spiky plant can be used medicinally.
String-of-beads (Senecio rowleyanus) - trailing green bobbles
best grown in a hanging container in gritty compost.
Air plants (Bromeliads) - these don’t need
any soil at all and can be attached to pieces of
wood or stone and misted once a week.
The indestructibles
Choose these if you’re not a nurturer, as they will put up with
some neglect. For best results, be kind but don’t pamper.
Cast iron plant (Aspidistra) - the name says
it all. You just can’t kill this one…
Bamboo (Dracaena braunii) - this is the small ‘lucky’
type of bamboo that won’t take over the bathroom.
Snake plant (Sansevieria) also known as ‘mother-in-law’s
tongue’. It’s another succulent, so don’t overwater.
Kentia palm (Howea forsteriana) - tall,
elegant dark green fronds.
wealdentimes.co.uk
22
01227 767576 www.stellisonselectrical.co.uk
Kitchens & Appliances
STUNNING NEW KITCHEN SHOWROOM - OPEN NOW
Warranty available on WKB120 and WMB120 models.
Located in the former Barretts
Digital World building
Wincheap Industrial Estate, 17 Maynard Road, Canterbury, Kent CT1 3RH | Monday - Saturday 9:00am-6:00pm Sunday 10:00am-4:00pm
CATCHPOLE & RYE
KENT ENGLAND
NEW TUNBRIDGE WELLS SHOWROOM NOW OPEN
EXCLUSIVE LUXURY BATHROOMS
LONDON • TUNBRIDGE WELLS • ASHFORD
LONDON • TUNBRIDGE WELLS • ASHFORD
T. 020 7351 0940 www.catchpoleandrye.com
T. 01892 526 996 www.catchpoleandrye.com
WT Kitchen & Bathroom Supplement
Kreoo Nabhi Bowl 09 Sodalite blue, £12,000,
West One Bathrooms, westonebathrooms.com
Dornbracht MEM 3 hole mixer taps
in Cyprum, £2329.56 inc. vat, Walton
Bathrooms, waltonbathrooms.co.uk
Washstand
and deliver
Refresh your bathroom, starting with the basin. Surface bowls now come
in all shapes and colours, while set under basins are paired with washstands
and vanities, with handy storage. Fittings are fab in copper and brass, with
polished steel great to pair when the basin is the statement
Warehouse Parisienne Double Washstand
in Portoro marble with copper bowls (without
taps) £4,998 inc. vat, Catchpole & Rye,
catchpoleandrye.com
La Loire Three Hole Taphead in Antiqued
Brass, from £450 plus vat, Catchpole & Rye
catchpoleandrye.com
Heritage Caversham graphite grey wall hung vanity
unit 1 drawer, £995 inc. vat, Cranleigh Bathroom
Studios, cranleigh-bathroomstudios.co.uk
Serpentine Bronze on Conical Bell, £11,509
West One Bathrooms, westonebathrooms.com
LONDON
a u t u M N p r o M o t I o N
S a v e
u p t o 5 0 % o f f
S e l e c t e d p r o d u c t S
Tunbridge Wells I 79 Calverley Road, Kent TN1 2UY 01892 548 111
Oxshott I 1 High Street, Surrey, KT22 0JN 01372 841 730
Colour
wash
For years it’s been ‘any colour as long as it’s
white...’ but why not make a statement with
a bath that is bold and beautiful? (And you
never know, one day soon avocado suites
might start to look appealing again...)
Calabar bath
£3,145, Ripples
ripplesbathrooms.com
Ocean blue
mother-of-pearl
Blenheim bath £6,200
Chadder & Co.
chadder.com
The
Jennings bath
£8,626.80, The
Watermonopoly
thewatermonopoly.
com
DIVA
bath from
£6500, Ripples
ripplesbathrooms.
com
27 wealdentimes.co.uk
Natural Stone Specialists
Unit 1 Croft Works
Diplocks Industrial Estate
Hailsham East Sussex BN27 3JF
Email: sales@sussexstone-ceramic.co.uk
www.sussexstone-ceramic.co.uk
Open Mon-Fri 9am-4.30pm Sat 9am-3pm
Bespoke worktops in
Granite, quartz and marble
Architectural and monumental masonry
Large selection of natural tiles and mosaics
Waterjet cutting service on various materials
Glass tops and splash backs
WE NOW HAVE A NEW STATE OF THE ART FACTORY AT FRAMFIELD
SussexStoneWT175.indd 1 22/08/2016 12:44
It’s more than our
outstanding knowledge
and product range
that makes us so
attractive.
Unit 4 Orchard Business Centre
Sanderson Way, Tonbridge
Kent TN9 1QG
01732 350 911
showroom@townsbathrooms.co.uk
www.townsmerchant.co.uk
wealdentimes.co.uk
28
TownsBathroomsWT171.indd 1 19/04/2016 12:33
Glass cage candle holder
and terrariums, from
£19.50, Dassie Artisan
dassieartisan.com
WT Kitchen & Bathroom Supplement
Golden crystal and
metal dispenser
£22.99, Zara Home
zarahome.com
Octagon copper
mirror, £36.95
MiaFleur miafleur.com
Bathing
beauties
Add warmth
and sheen
finishing
touches in
warm metal
finishes
Toulouse sequin basket
£25.95, Dassie Artisan
dassieartisan.com
Prosecco bath salts, £4.99
The Oak Room
oakroomshop.co.uk
Body brush, £8
Green People
greenpeople.co.uk
Rhita hanging mirror
£29.95, Dassie Artisan
dassieartisan.com
Copper pipe toilet roll
stand, £65, Lime Lace
limelace.co.uk
Copper hammered
storage pot, £9
Marquis & Dawe
marquisanddawe.co.uk
29 wealdentimes.co.uk
KITCHENS BEDROOMS STUDIES APPLIANCES
creative
interior designs
For further information or a brochure please call:
0208 663 3393
71 High Street
Beckenham
Kent BR3 1AW
www.creative-iduk.co.uk
info@creative-iduk.co.uk
SPECIALIST BATHROOM SHOWROOMS
CreativeInteriorsWT176.indd 1 27/09/2016 09:39
SALE NOW ON
01622 791791
Unit 2, 2M Trade Park, Beddow Way, Aylesford, ME20 7BT
Plumbers Merchant
Opening Hours:Mon-Fri 7.30am-5pm & Sat 8.30am-4pm
wealdentimes.co.uk
30
AskPlumbingWT176.indd 1 06/09/2016 12:17
Ormeaux Mix as
patchwork, £4.65 per tile
available in 12 designs,
Tile Library tilelibrary.co.uk
Alhambra, £224.89
per m², Tile Mates
tilematesgroup.com
WT Kitchen & Bathroom Supplement
Colour supplement
Original Style Ottoman
£249.83 per m², Tile
Mates tilematesgroup.com
Tiles are a brilliant - and practical – way to bring colour and
pattern into bathrooms and kitchens
Original Style Odyssey in
Tapestry Blue, £2.95 per
tile, Tile Library
tilelibrary.co.uk
Original Style York
in Black and Dover
White, £97 per m2
Ceramic Tile Warehouse
ceramictilewarehouse.co.uk
Original Style Bolero Blue
£90.88 per m², Tile Mates
tilematesgroup.com
Original Style Glassworks
Colorado, £4.62 per tile
Ceramic Tile Warehouse
ceramictilewarehouse.co.uk
Nikea patchwork tiles
£38.40 per m², Tenterden
Tiling tenterdentiling.co.uk
31 wealdentimes.co.uk
Kitchen&
Bathroom
A Wealden Times Supplement
appliances
Stellisons
Canterbury 01227 767576
stellisonselectrical.co.uk
Wright’s Warehouse
Maidstone 01622 690246
wrightswarehouse.co.uk
BAthrooms
The Bathroom Shop
Tenterden 01580 763207
the-bathroomshop.co.uk
West One Bathrooms
Tunbridge Wells
01892 548111
westonebathrooms.com
BATHROOMS &
Kitchens
Burlanes
Sevenoaks 01732 605001
burlanes.com
Directory
Catchpole & Rye
Chelsea Walk 0207 351 0940 /
Pluckley 01233 840840
catchpoleandrye.com
Hammertons
Cross in Hand 01435 868611
hammertons.co.uk
HKS
Eastbourne / Haywards
Heath / Heathfield / St
Leonards 01435 866166
hks-uk.com
Neptune
Tonbridge 01732 531866
neptune.com/tonbridge
Potts Ltd.
Maidstone 01732 848444 potts.
ltd.uk
Stonewright UK Ltd
Ashford 01233 650944
stonewrightuk.com
Sussex Stone, Marble
& Granite Ltd
Hailsham 01323 848100
sussexstone.co.uk
Traditional Bespoke Furniture
Matfield 01892 723083
traditionalbespokefurniture.co.uk
Woodwork Traditional
Handmade Furniture
Tunbridge Wells
01892 533273
woodworkkitchens.co.uk
building supplies
Parker Building Supplies
Crowborough / East Grinstead
/ Heathfield / Maidstone /
Tonbridge
0844 257 7000
parkerpaving.co.uk
KITCHENS
Collins Bespoke
Ashford 01233 822595
collinsbespoke.com
JM Interiors
Biddenden 01580 291221
jminteriorsuk.uk
The Kitchen Doctor
01689 850000
thekitchendoctor.com
Mountshill Woodcraft &
Design Ltd
Cranbrook 01580 715911
mountshill.com
knobs & handles
These Please
01435 817153
theseplease.co.uk
plumbing
Ask Plumbing
Aylesford 01622 791791
askplumbing.co.uk
TILES & TILING
Freelands Tiles
Sevenoaks 01732 459765
freelands-tiles.co.uk
Tenterden Tiling
Tenterden 01580 761191
tenterdentiling.co.uk
Tile Library Co.
Goudhurst 01580 212700
tilelibrarycompany.co.uk
Tile Mates
Tunbridge Wells
01892 514004
tilematesgroup.com
Learn a trade or improve your skills
with the CITB CSkills Award for wall
Suppliers and installers and of Quality floor tiling Wood training Burning courses and with
Multi Fuel Stoves from our traditional qualified professional to contemporary. tutors.
Fire Baskets, Fire Whether Screens, you want Companion introduction Sets to the basics,
to develop your existing skills or a full intensive
and Accessories.
course giving you the skills and confidence to
tackle any tiling project, we offer one, two and four
week courses, PLUS the opportunity to become
a registered Devi under tile heating installer.
Contact us for more details:
Tel./Fax:
01580 761191
www.tenterdentiling.co.uk
Showroom at:
Leigh Green Industrial Estate
Appledore Road,
Tenterden TN30 7DE
TenterdenTilingWT149.indd 1 16/06/2014 15:29
Suppliers and installers of Quality Wood Burning and
Multi Fuel Stoves from traditional to contemporary. Fire
VISIT OUR LARGE SHOWROOM
Baskets, Fire Unit Screens, G6 Companion The Powerhub
Sets and Accessories.
& TRADE COUNTER
Marlpit Maidstone Farm, Natural Business Fires, Unit 10 Centre Wierton Road,
LEARN A TRADE OR IMPROVE YOUR St Boughton Peters Monchelsea, Street, Maidstone, Kent, ME16 ME17 4JW 0ST
SKILLS AT OUR C.I.T.B. APPROVED
TILING TRAINING SCHOOL 01622
Suppliers and installers of Quality Wood Burning and
691676
Multi Fuel Stoves from traditional to contemporary.
www.tenterdentiling.co.uk
www.naturalfires.net
Leigh Green Industrial Fire Estate, Baskets, Appledore Fire Rd, Screens, Tenterden Companion TN30 7DE Sets
and Accessories.
Suppliers wealdentimes.co.uk and installers of Quality Wood Burning and 32
TenterdenTilingWT166.indd 1 10/11/2015 NaturalFiresWT172.indd 14:23
1 25/05/2016 15:13
Suppliers and installers of Quality Wood Burning and
Multi Fuel Stoves from traditional to contemporary.
Multi Fuel Stoves from traditional to contemporary.
Where ends meet
Photos: David Merewether Styling: Helen Barton Model: Chris Martin Location: Pett Level Beach
wealdentimes.co.uk
128
Prepare for the coming colder months with hardy boots, fleecy layers and handcrafted accessories
John Smedley sweater, £185, Meyer trousers, £99, County Clothes Menswear, Canterbury, Tenterden, Reigate
countyclothesmenswear.co.uk; Barbour waxed jacket, £239, RM Williams Stockyard boots, £180, The Golden
Boot, Maidstone 01622 752349 thegoldenboot.co.uk; Jack Murphy hat, £29.99, Charity Farm Countrystore,
01580 713189 charityfarmcountrystore.co.uk
129 wealdentimes.co.uk
Linda Pope
F.B.D.O
44
Is proud to present “Powder’s” exciting range of adult socks,
gloves, scarves and hats plus delightful socks and mittens for
little ones. All with Powder’s beautiful gift boxes or bags. Lovely
Autumn separates at sensible prices have also just arrived.
Opening Hours: Tuesday—Friday 10.30am—5pm
Saturday 10.30am—3.30pm
44 High Street, Charing, Kent TN27 0HX 01233 714689
facebook.com/LindaPopeOpticians
Rye Road • Hawkhurst
Telephone. 01580 753744
Elizabeth44WT176.indd 1 12/09/2016 LindapopeQRTWT176.indd 10:49
1 08/09/2016 11:51
QUALITY CLOTHING AND A PERSONAL SERVICE
With the autumn/winter season
drawing closer, we are pleased
to be able to offer our new
ranges of BARBOUR classic,
country and contemporary
ranges of clothing. With
probably the widest selection
in the southeast, please visit our
Canterbury and Reigate stores.
As well as a smaller collection
of contemporary BARBOUR, our
Tenterden store is now pleased
to be stocking ranges of R M
WILLIAMS footwear and clothing.
Established in 1932, the name is
synonymous with quality crafted
boots and accessories.
19 St. Margarets St,
Canterbury,
Kent CT1 2TH
Tel: 01227 765294
2 East Cross,
Tenterden,
Kent TN30 6AD
Tel: 01580 765159
6 High St,
Reigate,
Surrey RH2 9AY
Tel: 01737 249224
Follow us
CountyClothes
wealdentimes.co.uk
130
CountyClothesWT163.indd 1 13/08/2015 17:26
Braided leather belt, £49.99, The Golden Boot, Maidstone 01622 752349 thegoldenboot.co.uk
131 wealdentimes.co.uk
Barbour shirt, £59.95, tartan dog lead, £42.95, Schoffel fleece gilet, £129.95, RM Williams Stockyard boots, £180, The Golden
Boot, Maidstone 01622 752349 thegoldenboot.co.uk; Meyer trousers, £99, County Clothes Menswear, Canterbury, Tenterden,
Reigate countyclothesmenswear.co.uk
wealdentimes.co.uk
132
BillyRuffian.
MENS’ SHOES
& ACCESSORIES
Free striped socks
with every pair
billyruffianshoes.co.uk +44 (0)1234 816820
The Clever Dresser
Boutique stocks
some of the most
sought-after brands
of the moment
alice + olivia
Helmut Lang
DVF Diane Von
Furstenberg
MILLY New York
McQ McQueen
Tom Ford
AG Jeans
Rebecca Taylor
By Malene Birger
360 cashmere
Velvet by Graham
& Spencer
Duffy
CleverDresser
6 Bank St. Sevenoaks,
Kent TN13 1UW
01732 453 002
www.thecleverdresser.com
THE CLEVER DRESSER
BOUTIQUE
BillyRuffianWT176.indd 1 05/09/2016 CleverDresserBoutiqueWT175.indd 12:16
1 19/08/2016 14:54
Concept
Hair
salon
Now
Searching
For Our New
Apprentice
50 High Street, Tenterden 01580 762 564
Book online at www.williamcharleshair.co.uk
or through our facebook page
133 wealdentimes.co.uk
CordeliaJamesWT176.indd 1 13/09/2016 WilliamCharlesWT176.indd 10:00
3 12/09/2016 16:27
Brakeburn flannel shirt, £39.95, Charity Farm Countrystore, 01580 713189 charityfarmcountrystore.co.uk;
Braintree trousers, £59, The Golden Fleece, Rye 01797 224271 thegoldenfleece.co.uk; brown suede belt,
£29.99, Goorin Bros flat cap, £35, Red Wing shoes, £239, The Golden Boot, Maidstone 01622 752349
thegoldenboot.co.uk
135 wealdentimes.co.uk
Trousers and shoes, as before; Fynch-Hatton shirt, £65, sheepskin lined parka jacket, £470, County Clothes Menswear, Canterbury,
Tenterden, Reigate countyclothesmenswear.co.uk
wealdentimes.co.uk
136
STYLISH SHOES FOR STYLISH FEET
cashmere and silk knitwear
New for A/W 2016,
exclusively at Cashara
Lauren Vidal
Not Shy
Ca’Vagan
Passioni
Kirei
Ladies Shopping Event
Wednesday 19 th October 5.00–9.00pm
Come and browse
Come
the
and
new
browse
Autumn/Winter
our new
collections whilst
enjoying a glass of champagne and benefit from a 10%
discount on the
Spring/Summer
evening and a free
Collections
gift with every purchase
23 High Street, Tenterden TN30 6BJ
Telephone 01580 761222 Email sales@cashara.co.uk
Shop online at www.cashara.co.uk
ManukaShoesWT176.indd 1 19/09/2016 CasharaWT176.indd 10:57
1 15/09/2016 17:31
NEW FIORELLI BAGS
Tel: 01797 224271
16 Lion Street, Rye, E.Sussex TN31 7LB
e: shop@thegoldenfleece.co.uk
w: www.thegoldenfleece.co.uk
@goldenfleecerye
5 Stone Street, Cranbrook,
Kent TN17 3HF
Tel: 01580 714156
www.spicecranbrook.co.uk
137 wealdentimes.co.uk
GoldenFleeceWT176.indd 1 06/09/2016 SpiceWT176.indd 16:20 3 06/09/2016 12:45
dressing undeniable beauty
www.odyl.co.uk
01580 714907
S t a r C o l l e c t i o n J u s t A r r i v e d
OdylWT176.indd 1 19/09/2016 12:23
20%
Autumn
Discount
through October
For Wealden Times
readers
EVES OF WEST MALLING
84a High Street, West Malling, Kent ME19 6NE 01732 845303
www.evesofwestmalling.co.uk
H U G E C L E A R A N C E S A L E N O W O N
0 1 2 4 4 9 6 0 1 1 3
W W W . F E A T H E R S O F I T A L Y . C O . U K
wealdentimes.co.uk
138
EvesWT176.indd 1 22/09/2016 FeathersOfItalyWT176.indd 13:50
1 26/09/2016 11:54
Barker shoes, £220, County Clothes Menswear, Canterbury, Tenterden, Reigate countyclothesmenswear.co.uk; Gianni
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CornellWT176.indd 1 21/09/2016 RunningHubWT176.indd 16:46
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142
UckfieldChiropractorWT169.indd 1 11/02/2016 TownCountryHomecareWT133.indd 15:12
6 04/02/2013 16:20
Beauty
Balmy
High
Keep your skin radiant - despite the radiators -
with Josephine Fairley’s moisturising musts
In my office, for years, I’ve had a really useful little
humidity meter. It was sent to me by Volvic, years
ago, and it tells me how damp or dry the air is. Over
summer, the needle was occasionally pointing at the ‘Damp’
zone – but mostly ‘Normal’. But I know the minute I switch
on the Dyson heater in my non-centrally-heated office, and
turn up the thermostat on the timer downstairs, that needle
will head ‘Dry’-wards – and it’ll be bad news for my skin.
Central heating is one of skin’s least-recognised ‘enemies’.
It strips the moisture from the air – and sucks it out of our
complexions. That’s why, come autumn, your lips feel dry,
your elbows go flaky, and your body may even start to itch.
There are, however, ways to combat the problem. Some
of them are ‘lifestyle’ fixes, others come in cream, oil or
buttery form. But you won’t just be helping skin’s ‘comfort’
factor when you set out to counteract the effects of a dry
indoor environment: you’ll also be helping skin to defend
itself against ageing. When skin’s all moist and dewy, cells
‘communicate’ perfectly. They get the message to produce
lots of lovely collagen and elastin, which gives skin its
‘bounce-back’ factor, and to turn over at a healthy pace. Not
enough water? Cells may take up to 40 days to renew, which
is going to leave your complexion looking
flat and dull.
This month, it’s all about moisture.
But the very last thing you want to do is
spritz on water or toner (contrary to what
many a beauty ‘expert’ will tell you),
to try to combat dryness. Those are
fine in summer, when the air’s damp.
In winter, the water will evaporate
– and take some of your skin’s precious moisture with it.
By contrast, what you want to do is use the right product
to optimise skin’s ‘barrier function’. I’m not a big one for
blinding readers with science, so here’s the simplification:
when your skin’s barrier is impaired, it acts a bit like a sieve
- liquid escapes. When it’s robust – almost ‘sealed’ – natural
moisture is kept in, that cell communication happens
efficiently, and skin looks ‘plumped-up’ and radiant.
One of the best-known ‘barrier products’ is of course
Vaseline. Now, I’m absolutely not suggesting that you
slather your skin in Vaseline – even if Joan Collins does
swear by it; it’s way too greasy for applying make-up and
there is probably even less of a pleasure factor in using it
as part of your night-time regime than in applying it to a
small person’s derrière. Like, less than zero. But at least in
part, one very good reason that the ultra-rich, somewhat
pricy Crème de la Mer earned its impressive anti-ageing
reputation is that it, in common with Vaseline, is brilliant at
maintaining skin’s ‘barrier’. (La Mer The Moisturizing Cream
is priced from £60 for 15ml. Not only do I have friends
who swear by it, but it did very well in some of our Beauty
Bible trials.)
The good news is that great moisturisers are now available
at every price-point. A couple which have most impressed
me lately happen to be real ‘steals’, actually. The Sanctuary
Illuminating Whipped Moisture Creme SPF15, £15.50,
leaves skin looking incredibly healthy, thanks to some
light-reflecting particles in the light-as-air, bliss-to-use
formulation. (There’s an SPF15, too:
enough for this time of year, but you’d
want to up that come next summer.)
Soap & Glory Speed Plump Overnight
Moisture Mousse, £14 for 40ml, is equally
joyous to use: as the name suggests. It
harnesses, I’m told, something called
‘Bubble-BoostTM Technology’: each
time you open the jar, the ‘self-bubbling’
mousse regenerates, refilling with air.
143 wealdentimes.co.uk
We don’t compromise
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Beauty
(No, I don’t know how it works, either – and care less: the
whipped texture presses all my skincare pleasure buttons.)
At the mid-price range, you have Clarins HydraQuench,
£36 for 50ml: feather-weight, but packing a serious
moisturising punch, it features botanicals including
antioxidant pomegranate, Alpine willow herb (which is
soothing) and an essential oil from a Madagascan plant
called ‘katafray’, which has a skin-fortifying action. I also
completely love, love, love Fresh Rose Deep Hydration Face
Cream, £34 for 50ml (and hallelujah, Fresh finally and
belatedly now have a UK website at fresh.com/UK): it
smells like armfuls of roses, which encourages generous and
diligent use. (A key factor, with any product.)
Chanel Hydra Beauty Crème, £50 for 50g, offers an active
ingredient from camellia flower: after four hours, Chanel’s
tests showed that skin hydration was still boosted by 40%.
There’s also a Chanel Hydra Beauty Gel-Crème, also £50
for 50ml – and what I would say is that these ‘gel-creams’
are just brilliant for combination or oilier complexions. It’s
a complete myth that oily skin doesn’t need moisture. It
doesn’t need oil, that’s for sure – but every complexion on
the planet needs moisture, for that healthy ‘communication’.
There are some absolutely brilliant gel-creams out there: you
might also check out Garnier SkinActive Moisture Bomb –
there’s a day and a night option, £7.99 for 50ml each, and
I also really like The Body Shop Vitamin C Glow Boosting
Moisturiser, £16 for 50ml (designed, as they put it, for
‘Dull, tired, grumpy skin’!)
Back at the pricier end of the spectrum, I know all sorts
of dry-skinned women who just love the Guerlain Super
Aqua collection, which spans everything from serum
through to the beauty ‘classic’ Guerlain Super Aqua-Crème
Day Cream, £79.50 for 50ml. But whatever you’re using,
now the central heating’s on, keep the word ‘more’ in mind:
more product, applied more generously, and more often. As
a last tip, I counsel you to apply a drop or two of facial oil
over your chosen moisturiser, at night: again, it’s all part of
maintaining that ‘barrier’, and I think it acts as a ‘sealant’
over the moisture in the cream.
Check out Jo’s beauty and fragrance websites at
beautybible.com and perfumesociety.org.
Stalwart Wellness provides a unique setting nestled in the
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n Clinical pilates classes
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n Cancer rehab specialist
n Vinyasa flow yoga
n Back pain specialist
For more information and details on the classes
please go to www.stalwartwellness.co.uk or contact
info@stalwartwellness.co.uk or 07779 670502
Stalwart Wellness Tenterden Kent
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145 wealdentimes.co.uk
RyeRetreatWT176.indd 1 06/09/2016 15:06
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October’s outlook
Wealden Times talks to Susannah Hewett...
Health & Beauty
Do you have a beauty
regime? I have a beauty regime
as much as my life affords.
Between running our business
and having two children at
primary school, I’m not left
with much time! I got into the
routine of cleanse, tone and
moisturise as a teenager and
have managed to stick to that.
I make sure my diet includes a
good variety of fresh fruit and
vegetables and I drink lots of
water to keep myself and my
skin hydrated. Having lived
in the Middle East for six
years I have also got into the
good habit of using a SPF30
moisturiser on my face every
day, come rain or shine. I vary
the products I use but try to
stick to products made in the
UK and that champion clean
and natural ingredients.
Is there a particular product
you couldn’t live without? I
cannot live without lip balm.
My trusty mini Vaseline with
aloe vera comes with me
everywhere. I have a spare in
my car, handbag, on my bedside
table, and it also doubles up as
a ‘heal all’ cream when the little
ones injure themselves. Upping the
ante a little, Eve Lom cleanser is
always on my Christmas wish list.
What’s your ultimate pampering
treat? My ultimate pampering
treat is not one I fulfil very often,
as I suspect is the case with
lots of busy women. It would
definitely involve a full spa day
with a vigorous massage to
loosen my muscles, followed by
a soothing facial and of course, a
long siesta in a relaxation room.
Once a month would be ideal..
Do you have a style icon? I
admire any woman who looks
confident and understands who
she is and what works for her.
My icon would actually be my
mum. Since hanging up her
farm shop apron eight years ago
she has taken time for herself to
explore her interests and what
she loves. Everyone comments
on how stylish she is and how
she looks and seems younger.
She is a great role model for me,
thinking a few years ahead!
Susannah and her husband Craig
run Eggs to Apples, a beautiful
award-winning farm shop in
Etchingham. They’re the third
generation of Barnes to run a farm
shop, and have taken an inspired
and modern approach to the
business. Pop in for a coffee and
pick up a copy of Wealden Times.
Find out more at eggstoapples.co.uk
Nuts about nuts...
If you’re on the wrong side
of the M25, you may often
wonder what those bundles
of frilly fruits are outside
village grocers. From August
to October, cobnuts are in
abundance around Kent,
and unlike other nuts,
they’re sold fresh and have a
crunchy, milky and delicately
succulent flavour. Bowls full
of them adorn dinner tables
at Christmas time, and they
work well with both savoury
and sweet dishes, adding
texture and a nutritional
kick. They’re low in sodium,
making them the perfect mid
afternoon nibble, and they’re
packed with protein, fat and
fibre, meaning they’ll give the
nibbler a satisfied ‘full’ feeling,
keeping sugary cravings at bay.
The copper and magnesium
content reduces blood pressure
and inflammation, lowering
the risk of cardiovascular
disease and benefiting healthy
circulation and brain function.
If you’re coming to the
Midwinter Fair this year, then
you can get your cobnut fix
from the Potash Farm stand
in the foodie marquee.
A little fairy dust...
Helen was treated to the
delights of English Mineral
Makeup this month, and
sampled their foundation,
tone corrector, bronze and
blush. These little pots of
magic are 100% natural,
mineral, cruelty free, vegan
and organic. Plus, natural
minerals are antibacterial
and anti-inflammatory,
meaning skin is kept
calm and clean…Wow!
The top grade mineral
ingredients apply like a
dream, smoothing over
blemishes and dark circles
with the mini kabuki
brush they arrive with. The
coverage is both flawless
and weightless, and with
a little added application
a great contouring effect
can be created by bringing
out facial highlights with
the ‘Warmth & Bronze’
and ‘Blush’ palettes. These
vary from bold tones, to
more subtle, day-time
hues and come in shades
for all skin types. The
Mineral Foundation is
£37, Warmth & Bronze,
£25, Tone Corrector, £19
and Blush comes in at
£25. Find your shade at
englishmineralmakeup.co.uk
147
Take control with
weight loss surgery
Rapid access to expert
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Call to
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consultation
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We all know that being a sensible weight improves our
health and wellbeing. So if you’ve tried every diet going,
are worried about being severely overweight and have a
BMI of 35*-50, the next step could be weight loss surgery.
For most patients, the results are significant. The lost
pounds can lower your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes
and many other serious conditions, including coronary
heart disease, stroke, breast or bowel cancer, obstructive
apnoea, high blood pressure and osteoarthritis. You can
also enjoy a more active way of life.
But to achieve a healthy weight and sustain it in the future,
takes more than a single operation. That’s why we offer a
full package of support from our specially-trained and
compassionate staff, including sessions with our
counselling team and dieticians.
Why Benenden Hospital? Our consultants are all specialists
with many years’ experience. Our safety record is second
to none. Our facilities are modern and comfortable.
Our staff are friendly and welcoming. And, however
you choose to travel, we’re easy to find.
As we’re not for profit, we can offer highly competitive
rates too. You can access weight loss surgery at Benenden
Hospital as a self-paying patient or as a discounted
self-paying Benenden member.
Private patients
All-inclusive price
Benenden member**
Discounted price
Gastric bands £5,000
Sleeve gastrectomy £9,000
Gastric bands £4,500
Sleeve gastrectomy £8,000
*Patients can access the service with a BMI of 30 if they are an adult
with type 2 diabetes. **Weight loss surgery is not available as part of
Benenden membership, members do however receive an exclusive
discount off the full private patient price. This offer is only available for
treatment undertaken at Benenden Hospital Trust, Kent. The Benenden
Hospital Trust is a company limited by guarantee. Registered in
England, number 3454120. Registered charity number 1065995.
Registered office, The Benenden Hospital Trust, Goddard’s Green
Road, Benenden, Cranbrook, Kent TN17 4AX
Find out more today
01580 242 521 quote WT
www.benendenhospital.org.uk/WeightLossSurgery
A month to remember
Health
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. An average of 55,000 men and
women are diagnosed every year, so to keep you all in the know, we asked some
experts to talk through the process, from consultation to recovery.
Genevieve runs Stalwart
Wellness in ‘Tenterden...
What are the side effects of breast cancer treatment
and surgery? Breast cancer treatment is often followed
by a decline in upper body function. Up to 50% of our
patients suffer from symptoms after surgery, radiotherapy
and chemotherapy. These can include bodily problems
like impaired shoulder mobility, muscle weakness,
severe arm pain, lymphedema and cording, which is the
development of fibrous scar tissue after lymph nodes
have been removed. Other side effects can range from
fatigue and nausea to lowered self esteem and anxiety.
What happens in one of your workshops? The pain
and dysfunction associated with breast cancer therapies
is a consequence of restrictions in connective tissue. As
a result, our approach is to focus on mobilising these
restrictions by using gentle, non-invasive techniques that
often produce dramatic, life-changing results. Breast
cancer recovery is a very sensitive time. A time to be
respected for the hard-won healing that is taking place,
as well as the physical and emotional complexities that
are encountered. People recovering from breast cancer
face many challenges, not only in getting strength and
energy back, but in many cases, regaining self-confidence
and learning to trust the body once more. Specialist
Pilates rehabilitation equipment can be used to improve
movement in joints, work the abdominal muscles, improve
balance and stability and build strength and endurance.
With the use of Thera-Bands, weights, yoga postures and
breathing techniques, a high quality of life can be restored.
What are the benefits and results that your clients have
had? Clients will often regain function in their upper
bodies, sometimes after months or even years of impaired
movement. Recent studies show a direct link between
moderate physical exercise and an improved quality of life
for breast cancer survivors. Along with direct strength and
mobility improvements in the shoulders and arms, the
core muscles in the abdomen and back can be retrained
and stabilised. Self-confidence and a positive body
image come naturally once posture and biomechanics
are restored. Increased energy levels and decreased stress
and tension mean clients develop the confidence to
practise at home and take part in everyday activities.
Genevieve is fully qualified and experienced in Cancer
Rehabilitation. Working closely with Macmillan
Cancer means she can help clients before, during
and after treatments. Being fluent in English,
German and French gives her the ability to work
with a huge range of clients. To get in contact visit
stalwartwellness.co.uk or call 07779 670502.
Spire in Tunbridge Wells give us an
insight into the options...
What do you offer as part of a One Stop consultation? The
One Stop Breast Clinic is consultant led. Whether you need a
breast check or diagnosis of any symptoms, results are discussed
by consultants, radiologists, pathologists, breast care nurses
and oncologists. Within the clinic, patients have access to the
diagnostics they need including consultation, mammogram,
ultrasound and a biopsy if required, and all of our patients
have access to the latest advances in digital mammography. 3D
digital breast tomosynthesis has proven to increase detection
of breast cancer by 25% and has the capabilities of identifying
smaller cancers which can be easily missed. Running the One
Stop Breast Clinic means that patients can walk away feeling
informed of their health from just one appointment.
What are the surgical options? The most common benign
breast lump is called a fibroadenoma, which can be removed
radiologically under local anaesthetic. If this is larger or
cancerous, then surgery will be required. If the cancerous
tumour is particularly large, then chemotherapy or hormone
blocking tablets can aid in reducing the size, making surgery
possible. If a patient has significantly large breasts, there is
an option for therapeutic mammoplasty. This involves the
removal of the tumour alongside breast reshaping, often giving
a desirable cosmetic result. Axilla, or armpit surgery is also
necessary to evaluate the guardian node, or sentinel node, to
ensure the disease hasn’t spread into the lymph nodes. This is
done through a micro-bubble test which detects any spreading.
Some patients may require a mastectomy, in which case they’re
given the option of immediate or delayed breast reconstruction.
This can be carried out with either an implant and mesh, or
the patient’s own tissue.
Can you talk us through a mammogram consultation?
The surgeon would begin by explaining the rationale for a
mammogram, along with the potential risks involved. Typically,
two different views are taken of both breasts, but with the
addition of tomosynthesis one can obtain three dimensional
pictures, thus improving its sensitivity and the diagnostic
accuracy. During the tomosynthesis exam, breasts are placed
under compression while the x-ray arm of the mammography
machine makes an arc over the breast, taking a series of images
at a number of angles. This will only take a few seconds and
all of the images are viewed by the mammographer to ensure
adequate images have been captured for review by a specialist
radiologist.
Spire Tunbridge Wells Hospital offers a comprehensive range of
services and facilities in a comfortable and relaxed environment
to patients in Kent and surrounding areas. for further
information on the treatments provided visit spirehealthcare.
com/tunbridgewells or call 01892 740047.
149 wealdentimes.co.uk
Tours and Tastings
at Hush Heath Estate
Enjoy a fantastic day at Hush Heath Estate & Winery,
the home of award-winning Balfour Brut Rosé. Now
open 7 days a week, including Bank Holidays, from
11am-5pm for visitors and wine-lovers to experience
FREE Self-Guided tours and tastings. No need to book.
New for 2016 – Free Guided Tours on selected dates
(see below) Enjoy a free guided tour by one of our winery
experts, 2½ hours including: A full Estate tour and winery
tour followed by a tutored tasting of our award winning
wines and ciders.
(All 11am) Sun 16 TH October
Call 01622 832794 to book your place.
hush heath estate, five oak lane, staplehurst, kent tn12 0ht
01622 832794 www.hushheath.com
HushHeathWineryWT176.indd 1 05/09/2016 15:46
– LOWER ROAD – WEST FARLEIGH – KENT – ME15 0PE – – CRANBROOK ROAD – GOUDHURST – KENT – TN17 1DX –
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150
GoudhurstInnWT176.indd 1 22/09/2016 15:30
Food
The Staff
Above: The master at work Above right: Flour
is dusted over proving loaves before baking
Below: Emmanuel periodically checks on the
loaves in the oven
of life
Photographs: David Merewether Styling & Words: Helen Barton
Meet internationally acclaimed baker, author of three titles and
inspirational teacher extraordinaire, Emmanuel Hadjiandreou.
Wealden Times visited The Crown in Hastings where the floury
magic happens on a daily basis, picked up a few age-old skills and
came away with a couple of recipes
Sat on a rooftop terrace drinking flat whites, we talk bread. Think beyond
the eternally identical white-sliced blocks in plastic packaging. This
is bread in all its glory. Hand-crafted, kneaded to perfection, proved,
slashed, baked and savoured. These careful hand-crafting hands belong to
Emmanuel Hadjiandreou, or Emmanuel The Baker as I now like to call him.
151
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EVENTS AT EASTWELL MANOR
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E a s t w e l l Pa r k , B o u g h t o n L e e s , A s h fo rd , Ke n t T N 2 5 4 H R
EastwellManorWT176.indd 1 26/09/2016 14:03
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152
HungryGuestWT176.indd 1 21/09/2016 10:01
Above far right: Beetroot bread proves in baskets on an
old shoe rack Above right: Emmanuel mills his own flour
from wheat grown in Surrey Below: The malt varies in
roasting time, producing numerous beautiful shades
Above: Proving baskets and baking tins line the walls
Below: Emmanuel uses a special tool to slash the dough before
baking, creating the crusty ‘ears’ that appear once finished
Judges Bakery brought him to Hastings, and an organic
offering sealed the deal. His project was to transform a
conventional bakery, and introduce a wider variety of gluten
filled, and gluten free products. What better person for the
job than Emmanuel?
Having learnt his impeccable levels of precision from
working at The Savoy and Gordon Ramsay, he went on to
teach, and still does. The love of teaching comes from the joy
on students’ faces when they take their first loaf out of the
oven, he tells me, and the look of relief that theirs has turned
out like everyone else’s.
The timer Emmanuel seemingly carries everywhere,
bleeps, so as he rushes off to check on the beetroot bread
the conversation changes to menus. Tess and Andrew are
the owners of The Crown pub on All Saints’ Street and were
drawn to Hastings by the ever growing creative hub here.
Having started out with well-loved pub classics, the menu
evolved into a simple, honest and expertly executed collection
of dishes. The bar is graced with an extensive selection of
locally brewed beers that can be perfectly matched with one
of The Crown’s bar snacks. Taste buds tingling yet?
Like so many other grand ideas, Emmanuel’s contribution
to the pub started over a drink. After sharing dreams of
starting his own micro-bakery, Tess and Andrew suggested he
bake bread for the pub. Nearly a year later here he is, using
up kitchen leftovers and dregs of kegs. ‘You can put anything
in bread,’ Emmanuel explains. Potato, hummus, beer,
onion and dill with smoked salmon, seaweed and mackerel,
beetroot, pumpkin, liquorice, charcoal, the list is neverending.
You name it, he’s tried it.
‘Baking is all inclusive, anyone can do it’- Emmanuel
attempts to convince me as I try my hand at kneading for the
first time. His passion, however, is contagious. I’ve since gone
home with a copy of his most recent book ‘How to make
Sourdough’, and have
spent considerable time
gazing wide-eyed at some
of the masterpieces that
fill the pages.
There’s something
about bread that’s
grounding. It’s humbling.
It’s a cultural common
denominator. Do it as
a family, it’s cheap and
above all, it’s fun.
How to
Make Sourdough
Hardback, £19.99,
Publisher: Ryland
Peters & Small
153 wealdentimes.co.uk
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154
RosemaryShragerWT176.indd 1 22/09/2016 14:40
Food
Beetroot Sourdough
Ingredients:
• 340g strong white flour
• 8g salt
• 200g coarsely grated fresh
beetroot
• +/- 200ml cold tap water
Equipment:
• 2 large mixing bowls (+/-
2l capacity)
• 2 small mixing bowls (+/-
1l capacity)
• 1 grater with a course
setting
• 1 pastry brush
• 200g white sourdough
• +/- 60ml olive oil
• extra strong white flour
for dusting
• 1 loaf tin (500g capacity)
• 1 proving basket (500g
capacity)
• 1 roasting tray
• 1 small peel (for loading
the loaf into the oven)
1. In a smaller mixing bowl, combine the white flour
and salt together to create a dry mix. Set aside.
2. Grate the beetroot on the course setting
and place in a small bowl.
3. In a big mixing bowl, dissolve or break up the
sourdough into small pieces in the water.
4. Mix the flour (dry) mixture into the wet mixture
and combine by hand until it comes together, then
add the grated beetroot and thoroughly mix in.
5. Put half of the olive oil in the other big mixing bowl.
6. Place the sticky dough into the olive oil, allow
to rest for 15 minutes, making sure it is covered
with the small bowl that had the flour in it.
7. After 15 minutes fold the dough lightly
twice and cover with the small bowl.
8. Repeat the process another three times with 15 minutes
rest in between, adding some olive oil, so that the
mixture does not stick to the bottom of the bowl.
Remember to cover the mixture between folds.
9. Allow to rest for 1 hour.
10. Remove from the bowl, using a light sprinkling of white
flour so the dough does not stick. Shape into a ball.
11. Shape the loaves into proving baskets that
have been floured, or a greased tin.
12. Allow to prove for around 3-6 hours or
until the dough is double in size.
Above left: Tess slices some freshly baked loaves for us to
nibble on Above: Chunky doorstop slices are served with
butter and handmade fruit jams
13. Pre heat the oven to 250C / 500F / Gas 9 on a
fan setting with a deep tray at the bottom.
14. Once the bread is ready for baking, turn it out of
the proving basket onto a floured peel and slash
the loaf with a very sharp serrated knife.
15. Place the loaf in the oven.
16. Add a cup of tap water on the hot bottom tray to
form steam, lower the oven to 220C / 425F / Gas 7.
17. If the loaf is in a bread tin, follow steps 15 and 16,
remembering to slash the top of the loaf with a
sharp serrated knife before placing in the oven.
18. Bake for around 30-40 minutes until golden brown.
19. The loaf will be baked when a hollow sound be
can heard when it’s tapped on the bottom.
20. Turn out of its shape and allow the
loaf to cool on a wire rack.
155 wealdentimes.co.uk
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at the Secret Garden
156
The Secret Garden
Hythe Road (A20), Mersham le Hatch
Nr Ashford, Kent TN25 6NH
01233 501586
events@secretgardenkent.co.uk
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The Secret Garden
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01233 501586
events@secretgardenkent.co.uk
www.secretgardenkent.co.uk
SecretGardenWT158.indd 1 25/03/2015 11:46
Food
Malted Beer Soda Bread
Ingredients:
• 170g strong white flour
• 170g wholemeal flour
• 30g dark malt powder
• 6g salt
• 4g bicarbonate of soda
• 170g whole milk
• 170g dark beer
• vegetable oil for greasing the tin
1. For this recipe you require 2 mixing bowls: 1 big
and 1 small. The small bowl when placed upside
down on the big bowl can act as a lid.
2. Pre heat the oven to 250˚C / 500F / Gas
9 with a tray at the bottom.
3. Mix the strong white flour, wholemeal flour, dark malt powder,
salt and bicarbonate of soda (remember to sift if lumpy) in
a small mixing bowl and set aside. This is the dry mixture.
Make sure all the ingredients are thoroughly combined.
4. Weigh out the milk and the beer together in the large mixing bowl.
5. Mix the dry ingredients together with the wet mixture
until it comes together and there are no dry lumps.
6. Transfer the mixture into a greased 500g baking tin.
7. Place the loaf in the oven and pour a cup of water
on to the hot tray to form steam, then lower the
oven to 200˚C (fan) / 400F / Gas 6.
8. Bake through for 30 to 35 minutes.
9. Remove the loaf from the tin and allow it to cool on a wire rack.
10. If you can’t hear the hollow sound when it’s tapped on the
bottom, pop it back in the oven for another 5 minutes.
Above: freshly baked loaves sit ready and
waiting for pub service
157 wealdentimes.co.uk
FrasersWT176.indd 1 20/09/2016 10:22
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Garden
Squash up!
Some of us get really excited about giant pumpkins
at this time of the year, and I’ve tried over the years
to join in and to use the beautiful orange flesh from
Halloween carving sessions to cook up into soups and pies.
This has been to no avail, alas, but not because pumpkins
themselves are intrinsically inedible, nor because I’m
that much of a bad cook (we’ll gloss over that). No,
it’s because the giant Jack-o-lantern pumpkins are too
fibrous, disappointingly watery and so sadly only fit for
Halloween hollowing (and then the compost heap).
Luckily, however, there are lots of delicious pumpkin
varieties available - both to buy and to grow,
and the ever reliable, if harder to carve, winter
squash is in season for much of the year now.
Pumpkins and squash are in the same
botanical family (Cucurbitaceae) and it can
be hard to tell them apart. I’m not sure
it matters unless you’re a botanist, except
that it’s useful to know the difference between soft-skinned
summer squash (including courgettes), and the winter types,
which ripen later and have a much tougher outer skin.
Pumpkins and squash come in all shapes and sizes,
and many are beautiful enough to just sit about as
ornaments or still life subjects - for months on end if
you so choose, because they store so beautifully (but
think of the dust). They are also really easy to grow.
Jo Arnell gets misty about her pumpkin patch
“Pumpkins and
squash are beautiful
enough to sit about
as ornaments”
How to grow pumpkins and squash
The seeds of cucurbits are reassuringly large and easy to
handle, but because of their size, each one will need its own
9cm pot to grow in. If you can bear to be cruel, sow two seeds
per pot and then pull out and discard the weaker seedling.
Seeds can be sown directly into the ground, but are
not hardy and may rot off or be eaten by pests before
they can germinate. They are more reliably sown under
cover in mid April and then planted out into their
final positions once the danger of frost is passed.
That final position might ideally be a dedicated pumpkin
patch, or at least somewhere that gives
them enough space to grow (when I say
grow, I mean rampage untrammelled over
everything). Mini pumpkins and some of
the smaller squashes will climb up sturdy
obelisks or arches, but larger varieties
need space to ramble along the ground, as
their fruits are too heavy for the stem alone to support.
You may see pumpkins and squash being grown on
large compost heaps (the garden at Great Dixter has a
magnificent pumpkin heap). This suits them very well,
as they need rich deep soil - and the warmth of
the heap will also help with growth and ripening.
You can also make a mound of compost on
the ground and then plant into that for a
159 wealdentimes.co.uk
Garden
similar ‘heap’ effect. The distance between each plant
should be at least 60cm, to allow for all the rampaging.
Three in a bed
If you are short of room, or want to maximise vertical
as well as horizontal space, there is a way to grow three
tender crops – squash, beans and sweetcorn in one space.
This ancient American Indian technique called the
‘Three Sisters’ relies on the tall growing corn to act as a
support for the climbing beans, the beans then help to
feed them (with the special nitrogen fixing nodes in their
roots) and the pumpkin or squash plants create shade
and suppress weeds with their large spreading leaves.
It’s not the tidiest way to grow them (think three straggly
sisters entwined together on a bad hair day), but it has been
tried and tested as a companion planting technique for
thousands of years and, if nothing else, definitely saves space.
Feeding and watering
Most vegetables that produce fruit - tomatoes,
aubergines, sweetcorn - and all the cucurbits need
plenty of food and water in order to successfully
flower, set seed and swell into juicy edibleness.
Try to keep the monstrous plant from The Little Shop of
Horrors in your mind (‘FEED ME!’) as you mulch the ground
around squash and pumpkin plants with compost or wellrotted
organic manure, water well in dry spells and, if needed,
feed with potassium rich fertiliser once the plant is flowering.
The fruits are produced all along the rambling stems
and will go on appearing as long as the plant keeps
growing. I tend to pinch out the growing tip once I can
see about five fruits appearing on each stem. This is not
compulsory, but it diverts the plant into producing a
few good sized fruits rather than lots of smaller ones.
Harvest time
Make sure that the developing fruits are cushioned as
they get to maturity - either with mulch, or a light bed of
straw. This will stop the side or base of the fruit coming
into contact with damp ground and rotting. It will also
help air to circulate and aid the ripening process.
Pumpkins and squash should be ripe by the time the
foliage starts to die back in early autumn. Leave them
out in the sun for as long as possible, as this will ‘cure’
the skin and enable the fruit to last longer in storage.
Bring inside before the frosts arrive, cutting each fruit off
from the main stem, but leaving a long stalk if you can, as
this will also help prolong their shelf life. As mentioned,
they’ll keep for ages, providing they’re stored in a dry place.
For the tastiest results
As mentioned, huge monsters are best saved for
lanterns, as it seems to be the smaller pumpkins
that are the tastiest. The sweet nuttiness of
pumpkins and squash is enhanced by roasting.
Bake them whole in their skins, and then scoop
out the flesh, mash and mix with seasoned butter.
Or chop thinner skinned varieties and butternut
squash into smaller pieces, roast in herby oil (scatter
sage or oregano onto the roasting tray).
I tend to stuff the little ones and bake them whole, use
firm fleshed butternuts for risottos and pasta dishes and the
larger pumpkins for soups and for purees to put into baking.
Best culinary varieties
Uchiki Kuri - also called Red Kuri/Red Onion
Squash, is medium sized and an attractive
deep red colour. A good all-rounder.
Marina di Chioggia - suspiciously weird and blue
on the outside, but with tasty orange flesh.
Crown Prince and Queensland Blue - more blue/
green skin with orange flesh. Great roasted.
Sweet Dumpling - smallish with cream and green
striped outer skin, with firm orange flesh, excellent for
baking. Delicata is also good for baking and stuffing.
Butternut squash - widely available and actually
these are my favourite and (mercifully if you
end up with a glut) home grown ones taste even
better once they’ve been stored for a while.
For gardening ideas, courses and makeovers contact Jo
Arnell 01233 861149 hornbrookmanor.co.uk
Credit: FreeImages.com/ Rob Fallows, Krzysztof Szkurlatowski, Julia Freeman-Woolpert
wealdentimes.co.uk
160
Garden Perfection
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BA BA (Hons) (Hons) | NDIP | NDIP Hort.Arb | TechCert | (ArborA) |EGS.DIp
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Mill Cottage, Pett Road, Pett, East Sussex, TN35 4HE
Telephone: 07812 024 070
Email: marcus@mfdesignconsultancy.com
Mill Cottage, Pett Road, Pett, East Sussex, TN35 4HE
Telephone: 07812 024 070
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Mill Cottage, Pett Road, Pett, East Sussex, TN35 4HE
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161 wealdentimes.co.uk
HawkhurstFishFarmWT174.indd 1 20/07/2016 17:28
From a tiny acorn...
Sue Whigham celebrates the mighty English oak tree
On the first day of college we were instructed that
the only book we would need at this stage was
The Hillier Manual of Trees and Shrubs. We were
pretty horrified to see that it didn’t have any pictures. But
can you imagine how huge a tome it would have to be with
the section on the Quercus (oak) genus alone describing
just a small proportion of the 500 species of oak?
However, we’ve only two native species in the UK:
Quercus robur, the English Oak, which is surely the most
easily recognised native tree we have, a national emblem
if you like, and the sessile oak, Quercus petraea.
They’re easy to tell apart in that the acorns of Q. robur are
held on a long stalk whilst those of the sessile grow straight
from the stem. The other way to identify them is that the
leaves of the English oak are far smaller
than those of the sessile – about four inches
compared to the sessile leaf which is a good
six or seven inches or so. And sessile oaks,
which do well in damp conditions, are
mainly found in the wetter west of the UK.
However, wandering down the lane
by my house recently, I found sessile oak
leaves in the hedge and near a pond, but the plant itself
definitely hadn’t reached the dizzy heights of a mature tree.
The oak is a massive feat of engineering in itself. Given
some space and a lot of it, it can grow up to forty metres
tall and live for hundreds of years. When young it has a
growth spurt which slows down when it reaches 120 years
old. This the tree does in order to extend its own lifespan.
Above: Quercia rouge, one of the 500 species of oak trees
“Oaks create a
haven for numerous
species of insects,
animals and birdlife”
Wandering through the woods, you’re likely to see a lot of
pretty lanky ‘young’ oaks looking a bit sorry for themselves
and without the fissured bark of a mature tree. This is because
they’ve been fighting for light and resources all their lives
and it shows, but somewhere in that same wood will be
their ‘free range’ parent, so recognisable by its thick squat
trunk and its lower branches growing sideways and its upper
branches growing in a very distinct matrix of sturdy limbs.
A large tree will compete more successfully for said resources
if it rearranges itself over the years. It has to be able to cope
with prevailing environmental conditions, usually high
winds, and to do this it spreads its weight equally around
its ‘body’ which tends to become as wide as it is high.
This of course is in an ideal world and it’s rare to see an
oak in a perfect ‘cloud’ shape, but the ones
which have had optimum conditions and the
time to create their own core strength create
a very distinctive silhouette – as beloved by
designers of corporate logos - in the winter
months after their leaves have fallen.
Oak woods create an incredible haven for
numerous species of insects, animals and
birdlife. The flowers, produced in early spring at the same
time as the leaves, provide food for caterpillars of various
butterflies including the little native purple hairstreak.
The purple hairstreak’s larvae burrow into young
oak flower buds and can be found in crevices of
oak branches. They’re seldom seen as they tend to
live high up in a tree’s canopy unless feeding off
honeydew provided by aphids nearer the ground.
Oak leaves are soft and break down into a hugely rich
leaf mould which is home for both invertebrates and fungi.
Bats roost in any loose bark they might find as well as in old
woodpecker holes; all manner of creatures eat the acorns.
It is an interesting fact that the acorns of Q. robur are not
produced until the tree is at least forty years old with peak
acorn production at twice that age. Acorns, even produced
in huge numbers, are such a good food source – eaten by
squirrels, mice, pigeons, woodpeckers, ponies and pigs when
they get the chance - that many hundreds of thousands fail
to germinate each season. They are too busy being useful.
I know that there are wild boar in the local woods and
maybe they are helping germination by trampling some of the
acorns into the ground as they forage. It has been found that
in European woods oaks tend to have a higher germination
Credit: FreeImages.com/ weatherbox, Ben Wright, Emma McCreary
wealdentimes.co.uk
162
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164
MillbrookWT176.indd 1 07/09/2016 15:56
Garden
Above: The distinctive bark of the Quercus robar
rate than here due to the number of wild boar being sustained
there. And in the days when a commoner had the right
(pannage) to graze his pigs in local woodland, doubtless
there would have been a higher acorn germination rate.
Either way, acorns are pretty miraculous if you
think about their individual size in relation to that of
their parent. However, I’m sure that squirrels and the
odd jay that stores a supply here and there before the
winter must forget some of their stashes enabling some
to sprout in the shelter of a hedge bottom or bank.
Bluebell Nursery and Arboretum have a particularly
wonderful selection of different oaks in their catalogue.
One of the trees they sell is an absolute winner – if
you have the space. Not native to here but one of the
North American oaks, the Northern Pin Oak or Q.
ellipsoidalis ‘Hemelrijk’ is really to be recommended.
It tends to come into leaf later than our natives but
the new, deeply lobed leaves start off with a pink tinge,
turning bright green until the autumn when they have
brilliant red tones finally ending up a cinnamon brown
and remaining on the tree for ages. The other nice things
about it are the drooping branches and fast growth.
This is definitely one oak you’ll be able to see reach
a decent size in your lifetime with a bit of luck. I love
Quercus palustris, too, to which the Northern Pin Oak
is related. This is another good elegant tree with a very
distinctive habit. The leaves are very distinctly lobed and
a shiny, shiny green. This one is good for autumn colour
too, turning a rich red as the weather cools down.
bluebellnursery.com 01530 413700
The Arboretum and Nursery is now a RHS
partner garden and well worth a visit.
The National Collection of Quercus is one of twelve
national collections held at the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens
and Arboretum, Jermyns Lane, Ampfield, near Romsey,
Hampshire, SO51 0QA 01794 368787 hillier.hants.gov.uk
Sue Whigham can be contacted on 07810 457948 for
gardening advice and help in the sourcing and supply
of interesting garden plants.
165 wealdentimes.co.uk
PetalsForPlantsWT176.indd 1 13/09/2016 09:58
The
Green
Goddess
Penny Kemp
on upcycling
I
met the work before I met the man. I was at
the Green Gathering in Chepstow, a festival
dedicated to teaching people to live lightly on
the planet and have fun, when I turned into the craft
field and a giant merman greeted me - otherwise
known as The Metamorphosis of Glaucus.
Standing a full twenty feet tall, magnificently carved
from one piece of wood, with flowing locks and a perfect
aquiline nose, he represented the talent and expertise that
awaited visitors to the craft field.
Canterbury-based Daniel Hilton is a young man on a
mission. He believes his childhood on a farm, being close
to nature, gave him the skills that he uses today to create
large stunning works of art from native trees. Daniel
trained under master sculptor Graham Jones and spent
eight years learning his craft.
The sculpture most people associate with Daniel is his
carving of a baby in a tree situated in Victoria Recreation
Ground in Canterbury. Carved in March, 2013, Dan tells
the story: ‘ There was a dead tree in Canterbury due to
be cut down by the Council and I wanted to save the tree
and showcase my work. The thought of pregnancy and
rebirth led to Tree Baby.’
The work has led to rave reviews for Dan. The Lilford
Art Gallery called it a landmark piece of work and it
confirmed this young man as an original sculptor, even
though he describes his own work as a kind of ‘upcycling
firewood’.
His recent work is stunning and he now has a body of
work that he rents to festivals and private individuals for
functions, and a growing portfolio of public works in the
South East of England. He is open for commissions and
if twenty foot mermen are not your cup of tea, his chairs,
benches and charming loveseats may suit.
A particular favourite of mine is a ten foot chair with
a spectacular back that curves and twists following the
shape of the original branches, making it look like a
tangled mass of curls or intertwining snakes reminiscent
of Medusa.
Find Daniel on iswoodgood.co.uk
We’ve got designs !
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Gardenproud was established in 2007 and is based near Tunbridge Wells.
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GardenproudWT175.indd 1 22/08/2016 11:50
Kate Ball
Garden Design & Planting Plans
Garden design Planting plans
Advice and consultation
07870 627145
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166
KateBallWT170.indd 1 21/03/2016 17:36
OpenviewLandscapeDesignWT176.indd 1 15/09/2016 17:20
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167 wealdentimes.co.uk
SussexTimberWT174.indd 1 20/07/2016 10:45
Saint Ronan’s School
Hawkhurst, Kent • Founded 1883 • www.saintronans.co.uk
Boys & Girls from 3-13 • Day & Boarding • Forest School
Headlines
‘Excellent’ ISI
inspection report
70 scholarships won
in three years
Tatler Good Schools
Guide 2017
Photo © Sarah Clark Photography
Discover the magic! Email emmatv@saintronans.co.uk
or call 01580 752271 to book an appointment.
Lateral
thinking
WT’s education columnist Susan Elkin looks at the different options available in both the state and private sectors to
parents seeking alternative forms of education for their children
Children are not socks. One-size-fits-all doesn’t
work in education. Every child is different, has his
or her own way of learning and comes complete
with unique needs. That’s why Bedales in Hampshire
and Frensham Heights in Surrey emphasise the arts
and personal development and why Slindon College in
Sussex works with boys “who don’t thrive in a mainstream
environment” and provides high levels of learning support.
A mainstream school isn’t always the answer for every
child. They tend to be large and children have to fit into
the system rather than the system adapting to the child.
Even independent schools can be pretty samey with the
pretty girl playing the violin on page 5 of the prospectus,
the wholesome boy in his cricket whites on page 7 and
everyone in science goggles looking very alert on page 9.
So what about the alternatives? Schools which swim
against the tide and try to offer something quite different,
usually with a strong focus on individuality, may seem
like a gamble but they can work well for some children.
The alternatives come in two main forms. First there are
independent schools trying to break away from the norm
and for these, obviously, fees are charged unless the child
wins a scholarship or is assigned some sort of bursary.
Then there is the new breed of ‘free school’. Such schools
are part of the state education system and therefore free at the
point of use as well as being free from local authority control
and many of the regulations which govern their maintained
sector counterparts. That allows scope for a different way of
working if that’s what the people concerned want. There are
now 300 free schools across England, including for example,
eight in Kent and Medway and more in Sussex and Surrey.
Let’s look at the independent options first. The
most famous example, and certainly the most
extreme, is AS Neill’s Summerhill in Suffolk which
was founded by the eponymous Neill in 1921 and is
now run by his daughter Zoe Neill Readhead.
It hasn’t always been plain sailing. The school was
severely criticised by Ofsted in the late 1990s and came
close to closure in 2000. And a 1993 Channel 4 TV
documentary, which showed students killing and cooking
a wild rabbit, did it no favours in the public eye.
The idea has always been to run a school on democratic
lines. In practice that means daily councils at which
pupils make management decisions, optional lessons
and a strong focus on learning outside the classroom.
Summerhill’s published examination results suggest
that most students attend most lessons most of the
time and that they are well taught. In 2015, for
169 wealdentimes.co.uk
“The best independently
minded schools focus on
rigour and firmly reject
the word ‘alternative’
instance 72.5% of Summerhill students passed five
GCSES at A*-C including English and Maths.
The relevance of Summerhill today is probably that its
ideas, shared worldwide via Neill’s books have, for nearly a
century, influenced other free-thinking educators and schools.
It’s a case of buyer beware, with all these schools and it’s all
too easy to let your liberal principles get the better of you so
that your child is sold short. The best independently minded
schools focus on rigour and firmly reject the word ‘alternative’.
Take Hampton Court House School for example. “We
don’t reject the tenets of traditional education, not at all,”
says headmaster Guy Holloway, who talks to staff applicants
by Skype before inviting them in for interview because he
wants to be sure that they are committed readers and have a
range of intellectual interests and passions for sharing them.
Holloway himself teaches a history of music course, teaching
is bi-lingual (English and French) in Years 1-4, Mandarin is
taught to all as part of the curriculum and many pupils can
chat in it. Holloway teaches a Cultural Studies course which
allows for plays and novels outside examination specifications.
He believes strongly that children must be helped to learn
how to make the very best possible use of their time.
The school achieves all this without the trappings
of uniform and it’s Christian name terms throughout.
“Our staff are not friends with the children but we are
friendly,” says Holloway. It works. 42% of all HCHS
GCSE grades were graded A or A* this year.
Another example of a different way of working began with
Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925). He was an Austrian philosopher
who applied his ideas about how human beings function
and develop to a number of fields as well as education.
The first Steiner School was opened in Stuttgart in 1919
(interestingly, two years before AS Neill’s Summerhill).
Today there are 26 such schools in England (including one
in Brighton, one in Canterbury, one at Forest Row and four
in London. In Britain these are fee charging schools. In most
European countries they are part of the maintained sector.
The emphasis in a Steiner school is on the needs
of the whole child and the unforced development
of a love of learning with an emphasis on artistic
activity and the development of the imagination.
The idyllically rural Canterbury Steiner School, for
instance, has a well-equipped theatre space for musical
and theatrical learning and performance which is fairly
unusual in a primary or prep school. Controversially,
technology is not usually used at primary level so there
are no computers and tablets in Steiner classrooms.
Or take the Round Square Schools Association which was
founded 50 years ago on the principles of Kurt Hahn
170
Dulwich Preparatory School
Cranbrook
Independent day and flexible boarding school for boys and girls aged 3 to 13
‘A huge breadth of
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A Great Education Since 1866
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Saturday 8th October 2016
10am – 12noon
Please contact hmsec@wellesleyhouse.net
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Bus transfers to and from London,
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t: 01843 862991 | e: hmsec@wellesleyhouse.net
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EXTRAORDINARY LIVES
BEGIN AT HOLMEWOOD...
WellesleyHouseWT176.indd 1 15/09/2016 15:16
In the last three years pupils have been
awarded 70 scholarships including:
• 34 academic
• 17 sport
• 19 music, drama and art
Destination schools include:
Benenden, Brighton, Eastbourne,
King’s Canterbury, Sevenoaks, Tonbridge
OPEN DAY
13TH
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IN 2017
We open our new
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library, IT suite and learning
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HOLMEWOOD HOUSE SCHOOL
A day and boarding school for girls and boys aged 3-13
in Tunbridge Wells, Kent
welcome@holmewoodhouse.co.uk • www.holmewoodhouse.co.uk
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172
HolmewoodHouseSchoolWT175.indd 1 04/08/2016 14:30
(1886 – 1974). Hahn was a German educator who fled
Germany in 1933 having spoken out against Hitler. He then
founded Gordonstoun in Scotland where Prince Philip was
one of the first pupils in 1934. The school was modelled
on the school Hahn had founded and run in Germany.
Later Hahn founded Outward Bound and the Duke of
Edinburgh Award among other things. Prince Charles, who
has always insisted that he loathed it and was very unhappy
there, was at Gordonstoun in the 1960s. A generation later,
Princess Anne’s children both seemed to flourish at the school.
The Round Square / Kurt Hahn philosophy is based on
six holistic learning ideals. Schools which become part of
the group are committed to internationalism, democracy,
environmentalism, adventure, leadership and service. The
association currently has 160 members worldwide (Australia,
India, USA, South Africa, mainland Europe and elsewhere).
The ten English members include Box Hill School
in Surrey and Cobham Hall in Kent where Radio 4’s
Today programme presenter Mishal Hussain, was a pupil.
In all these schools there is slightly more emphasis on
learning by doing than on being formally instructed
by teachers, but we’re a long way from Summerhill and
much of the approach is relatively conventional.
And so to those free schools. Usually launched by
determined parents and teachers, they are funded directly by
central government. They often have a specific focus such
as being more academically rigorous, being more childcentred
or meeting special educational needs. Some have
been founded to meet local needs such as opening a village
school where there is no longer local authority provision.
Focus on a specific faith is quite common. So is the inclusion
of a subject not usually taught such as Mandarin or Latin.
Free schools are sometimes satellites of established schools
or trusts and there have been cases of small independent feecharging
schools, including several Steiner schools, applying
for free school status. In theory – and often in practice – free
schools are adding diversity and giving parents more choices.
The Tiger Primary School in Maidstone, for example,
opened in September 2012 and was one of the first free
schools. Operated by Future Schools Trust it is on the
site of an existing secondary school operated by the Trust
which also runs another secondary school elsewhere in
the town. Mandarin is taught alongside English and
there is a commitment to improve numeracy. Every
child is encouraged to play a musical instrument.
Last year the school took possession of its new building
in which learning takes place in large ‘plazas’ which
accommodate the whole year group with access to plenty of
technology – the space can be subdivided for smaller sessions.
Unlike many mainstream schools Tiger is open from
7.30am to 6pm and there’s a healthy breakfast, lunch and
tea on offer to all pupils. For working parents this seems
to have some of the advantages of boarding without the
disadvantage. The school admits 60 children per year
into Reception and is usually oversubscribed. Since this
was the first new primary school to open in Maidstone
for 25 years it is clearly meeting needs locally.
Education in Britain is a mixed economy. In 1992,
when David Blunkett was Education Secretary, he issued
a White Paper called Choice and Diversity. Twenty four
years later, parents really do have as much choice as they’re
ever likely to given cash and locality constraints. But a
really good school is not about gimmicks, slogans and
whacky theories. Let Guy Holloway have the last word.
“I think the key is respect for the child, commitment
to continual self-improvement (for both pupils AND
staff) and a strong sense that the world needs good
men and women in it, who have acquired the skills
to influence and lead. If these things are in place then
you have a happy and transformative school.”
summerhillschool.co.uk
steinerwaldorf.org
hamptoncourthouse.co.uk
gordonstoun.org.uk
roundsquare.org
futureschoolstrust.com/Tiger-Primary-School
newschoolsnetwork.org
173 wealdentimes.co.uk
Open
Days
Friday 30th September 9.30am – 12pm
Saturday 1st October 9.30am – 12pm
Come and discover our exciting
Pirate Adventure
for under 5s on Saturday 1st October
To register your attendance, or to arrange a separate
visit, please contact Karen Cooper on 01580 883090
or at admissions@vinehallschool.com
www.vinehallschool.com
VinehallSchoolWT176.indd 1 19/09/2016 16:41
For boys and girls aged 2 to 13
Call us on 01825 830 234 or visit
www.skippershill.com to book
Five Ashes, Mayfield, East Sussex, TN20 6HR
OPEN MORNING
Tuesday 4 October
9.30 - 11.30am
wealdentimes.co.uk
174
SkippersHillWT176.indd 1 14/09/2016 09:49
Grammar lessons
Education columnist Susan Elkin considers all the issues when choosing a school
I’ll come clean. I’m a grammar school girl and proud
of it. Today only 158 grammar schools remain across
the country although Theresa May has indicated –
controversially but rightly in my view – that there could soon
be more. Meanwhile Kent has 33 selective schools and there
are a further six in the Medway Local Education Authority
area which lies within the county.
Last month thousands of children took the Kent
Test to assess whether or not they have the ability and
potential to benefit from a grammar school education.
Results will be announced on 13 October.
When I was in what we now call Year 6 every one
of us sat the 11 plus examination. Today it’s optional.
Many families are perfectly happy with the local
alternatives to grammar school so their children are
not tested for selective education suitability.
In principle a grammar school education is a fine thing but
not all grammar schools are as good as they should be and
many non-selective schools are excellent. Moreover, if a child
isn’t ready for grammar school at 11, they may be different
at 14 or 16 and there’s plenty of flexibility within the system.
You do, however, have to make the best possible choice for
your child from the options available – now. That means
attending every open day/evening this term. Don’t rely on
reputation which is always fickle and usually out of date.
If there’s a chance to see the schools in session then grab
it. Open days can be strained and contrived. If you’re there
when real lessons are happening look for a well-managed
working buzz. Too much silence is not necessarily good.
Visit the students’ toilets if you can too. If they’re
clean and pleasant it’s a sign that this is a school which
takes care of its pupils and respects them. Above all
talk to the current students who show you round.
Listen to your child’s opinion. Sometimes they will spot or
sense something you’ve missed. Ultimately though remember
that they are only 10 or 11, very inexperienced and may be
more worried about where friends are going than anything
else. It is your responsibility as parent to make this decision
on his or her behalf and the wise parent makes that very clear.
Grammar schools are a great idea (excuse my bias) but
they are never going to be right for everyone. We should
look for and support high quality alternatives (Mrs May and
colleagues, please note) and stop this destructive, emotive
talk of ‘failure’ and ‘writing them off for life at 11’.
Christmas Panto
and Craft Event
14th December 2016 - 10am -11.30am
Sutton Valence Preparatory School invites you and your
toddler to our Christmas Panto and Craft morning.
Prepared specially for a young audience Theatre Bugs will be
performing The Toytown Christmas. The festive fun will continue
as the children make a classic Christmas craft with our expert staff.
Sutton Valence Preparatory School,
Chart Sutton, Maidstone, Kent ME17 3RF
Spaces are limited so book your place
online at www.svs.org.uk
175 wealdentimes.co.uk
SuttonValenceWT176.indd 1 16/09/2016 16:33
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INDEPENDENT SCHOOL | BOARDING AND DAY | BOYS AND GIRLS 13 TO 18
DancingBoutiqueWT176.indd 1 16/09/2016 DoverCollegeWT176.indd 15:36
1 23/09/2016 12:21
SENIOR SCHOOL & SIXTH FORM
Sixth Form Information Evening
Thursday 6th October - 6pm
OPEN MORNING
Saturday 15th October 9.30am - 1pm
Sixth Form Scholarship Assessments
7th, 8th & 9th November
For further information: www.claremontschool.co.uk/senior
T: 01580 830396 | E: enquiries@claremontschool.co.uk
Bodiam, Robertsbridge, East Sussex | DAILY TRANSPORT FROM ETCHINGHAM STATION
wealdentimes.co.uk
176
FriendsOfClaremontSchoolWT176.indd 1 22/09/2016 12:58
What’s On In October
Art
Throughout Oct
De La Warr Pavilion, Marina,
Bexhill-on-Sea TN40 1DP
PETER BLAKE: ALPHABETS,
LETTERS & NUMBERS
Using silk screen printing Blake
has created several fascinating
series of works based around the
alphabet related to his enduring
interest in childhood innocence
and nostalgia, and Victorian and
Edwardian graphic illustration.
Entry: Free
Info: dlwp.com
Sat 17 Sept – Sat 1 Oct
RYE ARTS FESTIVAL
Rye Arts Festival is one of the
top ten small festivals in Britain,
providing a diverse mixture of
musical, literary and theatrical
events with an emphasis on quality,
intellectual weight, style and fun.
Info and Booking: 01797
224442 / ryeartsfestival.co.uk
Sat 1- Tues 11 Oct 12-5pm
The Observer Building,
53 Cambridge Road,
Hastings TN34 1DT
OBSCURED BY CLOUDS
EXHIBITION
Bringing together two painters
who have steadily worked
through the coming of the
Personal Computer age,
‘Obscured by Clouds’ explores
the irresolvable clash between
the analogue and digital realms.
Entry: Free
Info: info@
observerbuildinghastings.co.uk
Sat 15 - 29 Oct
WING Gallery, High Street,
Wadhurst TN5 6AA
5 MILLION COLOURS:
MELANIE BERMAN
Using entangled graffiti
marks and rhythmic patterns
Melanie’s paintings
explore man-made traces
within the natural world.
Fragmented irregular coloured
shapes float, dance & move
before the viewer’s gaze.
Info: wingartgallery.com
Fri 21 Oct - Sun 20
Nov 10am-4.30pm
The Stables Gallery, Hall
Place, Bourne Road,
Bexley, Kent DA5 1PQ
Textile studio
exhibition
Enjoy a collection of new work
by member of The Textile
Studio. Work includes hand and
machine stitching, felt making,
fabric printing, dyeing and other
techniques, that reflect the makers
unique approach to their art.
Info: 01322 526574
Sat 22 Oct – Sun 30 Oct
The Powder Mills Hotel,
Battle TN33 0SP
PURE ARTS FAIR
A selected and curated art
fair showcasing the brightest
upcoming and more established
talent, it features the work of
artists working across all fine
art media including painting,
drawing, printmaking,
photography, sculpture,
ceramics and glass.
Info: pureartsgroup.co.uk
Sat 22 - Sun 23 Oct 10am-5pm
De La Warr Pavilion,
Marina, Bexhill-on-Sea,
East Sussex TN40 1DP
The Sussex Guild
Contemporary
Craft Show
For the first time designer
makers of the Sussex Guild
exhibit their fine crafts in the
ground floor auditorium.
Entry: Adults £3,
accompanied children free
Info: 01273 479565 /
thesussexguild.co.uk
Sat 29 & Sun 30 Oct 10am-4pm
Hamstreet Primary
Academy TN26 2EA
Art Exhibition and Sale
A unique opportunity to enjoy
the work of a much-loved
and talented Kent artist.
Exhibition of paintings loaned
by private owners. Also
over 150 works for sale.
Entry: Free
Info: 01233 732684
Family & Friends
Sat 1 - Sun 30 Oct 10.30am-6pm
Hever Castle, Hever Road,
Nr Edenbridge TN8 7NG
Autumn Colour Trail
Pick up a trail on arrival and
discover the top autumn walks
and colour hotspots. Besides
suggesting picturesque routes
through the gardens, it’s packed
with interesting information about
plants and trees to look out for at
the height of their autumn glory.
Info: 01732 865224 /
hevercastle.co.uk
Fri 7, Sat 22 & Sat 29
Oct 6.30pm-11pm
The Observatory Science
Centre, Herstmonceux,
Hailsham BN27 1RN
STAR GAZING OPEN
EVENINGS
Are you interested in the night
sky? Have you ever wondered
what it would be like to look
at the stars, planets and the
moon through some of the
country’s largest telescopes? Well
here is your opportunity.
Entry: Adults £8, Children £6.15
Info: 01323 832731 / theobservatory.org/open-evenings
Sat 8 Oct 7.30pm
Ashdown Primary School,
Crowborough TN6 2NT
Charity quiz Night
The Royal British Legion,
Crowborough Branch, presents
a Charity Quiz Night with cash
prize, raffle and licensed bar.
Entry: £6.50, including supper
Booking: Guest’s Shoe Services,
5 High Street, Crowborough
Info: 07884 484100 /
crowboroughrbl@outlook.com
Sat 15 - Sun 23 Oct 10.30am
Penshurst Place, Penshurst,
Tonbridge TN11 8DG
Spooky half term
Discover the life of some of
Britain’s more spooky inhabitants
like bats and spiders for our
Spooky Half Term pumpkin
trail, before creating some creepy
crafts to take home ready to
decorate for Hallowe’en!
Info: 01892 870307 /
penshurstplace.com
Sat 22 - Fri 28 Oct
Leeds Castle, Maidstone
ME17 1PL
HAlloween activities
Join Leeds Castle for Halloween
fun this October half term with
a fancy dress competition at 2pm
each day with prizes to be won.
Included with price of admission.
Info: 01622 765400 /
leeds-castle.com
Mon 24 – Fri 28 Oct 1pm-4pm
Godinton House &
Gardens, Godinton Lane,
Ashford TN23 3BP
AUTUMN WEEK
A week of activities for families
to enjoy. Including a traditional
treasure hunt, garden games
and children’s arts and crafts.
Info: godintonhouse.co.uk
Thurs 27 – Mon 31
Oct 7pm-9pm
The Canterbury Tales,
St Margaret’s Street,
Canterbury CT1 2TG
CONTAGIOUS!
The Canterbury Tales’ Halloween
event Contagious! returns for
its second year, transforming
the much-loved attraction into
something much more sinister on
the streets of Medieval Canterbury.
Entry: £10
Info: canterburytales.org.uk
Fri 28 & Sat 29 Oct
6.30pm and 8.30pm
Bodiam Castle, Bodiam
TN32 5UA
GHOST WALKS AROUND
THE CASTLE
This Hallowe’en visitors to the
castle will be warmed through
with a hearty meal in our Terrace
Room before taking a trip to the
castle to meet some of Bodiam’s
lesser known residents.
Info and Booking: 01580 831324
Festivals and Fairs
Fri 30 Sept – Sat 1 Oct
Cranbrook
CRANROOK LITERATURE
FESTIVAL
The town of Cranbrook has always
embraced tradition and culture
with its popular annual art show,
177 wealdentimes.co.uk
Detling Antiques,
Vintage &
Collectors Fair
Up to 300 stalls in two buildings, shopping
arcades, marquees & outside offering a wide
range of items from ceramics, glass, vintage
clothing, furniture, books, metalware, kitchenalia,
postcards, pictures & much more.
Sat 29th - Sun 30th
October
Sat: Early Entry 8.30am - £6
Sat: General Entry 10am - 4.30pm - £5
Sun: 10am - 3.30pm - £4
Kent County Showground, Detling, ME14 3JF
Tel: 01636 676531
www.b2bevents.info
#nationaltrust
Play and Display exhibition
22 October to 20 November, 11am - 3.30pm
daily
Relive childhood memories with our charming new
exhibition of paper and card toys. The collection
highlights how popular, versatile and enchanting
paper and card toys have been over the centuries
with puppets, paper dolls, model theatres and
panoramas. You can get hands on and have some fun
playing with modern ones too.
Call 01580 710700 for details
nationaltrust.org.uk/sissinghurst-castle-garden
When you visit, donate, volunteer or join the National Trust, your support helps
us to look after special places such as Sissinghurst Castle Garden for ever, for
© National Trust 2016. The National Trust is an independent registered charity, number 205846. Photography © National Trust Images\Emma Warren.
From Country Chic To Fabulous Boutique
B2BEventsLtdWT176.indd 1 06/09/2016 SissinghurstCastleWT176.indd 10:05
1 22/09/2016 15:20
Fashion / Gifts Galore / Homeware / Artisan Makers / Food & Drink
LUXURY CHRISTMAS GIFT FAIRS
11-12 Nov Tun Wells / 24-25 Nov Uckfield
“A fabulous collection of Boutique Owners
& Artisan Makers selling a huge array of beautiful
& unique Christmas gifts & decorations”
Each Fair is open 10am-4pm / £4 Entry / Free Parking
11-12 Nov - Salomons Estate, Tunbridge Wells, TN3 0TG
24-25 Nov - East Sussex National, Uckfield, TN22 5ES
Sign up for giveaways & updates at www.countrylifestylefairs.co.uk
wealdentimes.co.uk
178
CountryLifestyleFairsWT176.indd 1 19/09/2016 10:46
What’s On In October
The Contemporary
Craft &
Design Fair
KentPaintersGrouPWT176.indd 1 03/08/2016 14:14
Purchase
direct from
the very best
makers in
the UK
Sevenoaks School
SEVENOAKS
21 - 23 October
12 noon to 5pm Fri
10am to 5pm Sat & Sun
Admission £4 • High Street TN13 1HU
www.craftinfocus.com T: 01622 747325
CIF_130x90_Sevenoaks_16.indd CraftinFocusWT176.indd 1 1 09/09/2016 12:32 12:52
apple fayre and music festival.
Now it’s time to celebrate the
written word with the first ever
Cranbrook Literature Festival.
Entry: Some events free,
others start from £8
Info: cranbrookliteraturefestival.com
Sat 1 Oct 9.30am-12pm
Penshurst Place, Penshurst,
Tonbridge TN11 8DG
October Farmer’s
market
With over 40 stalls offering the
best local food and drink, the
market is a must for anyone
looking to learn more about
the produce of Kent, and
the people who supply it.
Info: 01892 870307 /
penshurstplace.com
Sat 1 - Sun 2 Oct 10am-6pm
Kent Life, Lock Lane, Sandling,
Maidstone ME14 3AU
APPLE AND CIDER FAYRE
As well as the traditional
process of cider pressing,
enjoy live music, local produce
stalls and morris dancing.
Entry: Adults £9.50, Children £7.50
Info: 01622 763936
/ kentlife.org.uk
Sat 15 Oct from 12pm
The Stade Open Space,
Old Town, Hastings
950TH ANNIVERSARY OF
THE BATTLE OF HASTINGS
CELEBRATIONS
Celebrate the 950th anniversary
of one of history’s most
famous battles with a torch
light procession, fireworks,
drumming and much more.
Entry: Free
Info: hbbs.info
Sun 16 Oct
Bateman’s Lane, Burwash,
East Sussex TN19 7DS
BATEMAN’S APPLE DAY
As well as exploring the orchards,
you can even have a go at making
apple juice with our homemade
apple mill and press and meet our
beekeeper to learn how the bees
and the orchard work together to
produce this rich autumn harvest.
Entry: Adults £10, Children £5
Info: nationaltrust.org.uk/batemans
ARE YOU SINGLE?
Yours truly is affordable,
exclusive, traditional and
successful
*Confi dential Interviews*
*Personal Matching*
CHANGE YOUR LIFE AND CALL
Louisa Sheridan
01892 667750
www.yourstrulyintroductions.co.uk
Sat 22 Oct – Sun 30 Oct
Rye
WILD BOAR WEEK
The 6th Wild Boar Week in Rye,
East Sussex offers the perfect
opportunity to indulge in culinary
delights from the countryside.
Wild Boar Week events also
include walks, tours, live music
and quiz nights in various locations
around the historic town of Rye.
Info: wildboar.org.uk
YoursTrulyWT133.indd 1 19/02/2013 17:54
Sat 29 Oct 9am-3pm
Highbury Hall, Highbury
Lane, Tenterden TN30 6LE
TENTERDEN BOOK FAIR
15 book dealers attending with
1000s of pre-loved books for
sale on all subjects, for both
the reader & the collector.
Refreshments available all day.
Entry: Free
Info: 01580 764395
Music
Thurs 6 Oct 7.30pm
Hazlitt Theatre, Earl Street,
Maidstone ME14 1PL
The Unique Komedy
Ukelele Orchestra
After a string of hugely successful
European Tours, the musicians
from TUKUO directed by Peter
Moss will once more be combining
their totally unique vocal harmony
blend with their own brand
of typically British humour,
brilliantly daring and inventive
arrangements and the unbelievable
sound of their miniature
instrument of choice, the famous
and hugely underrated Ukulele
that originated from Hawaii.
179 wealdentimes.co.uk
Ibbett Mosely
AuctIoneers & VAluers
Limited Liability Partnership
The Auctioneer's Next Sale Will Be On
Wednesday 19th October 2016
Commencing at 12.30pm | Viewing 10.00am - 12.30pm
At Ibbett Mosely Auction Rooms, Argyle Rd, Sevenoaks, Kent TN13 1HJ
Valuation Day - Wednesday 26th October 2016 11am to 4pm
Crown Inn, School Road, Chislehurst, Kent BR7 5PQ
Tel: 01732 456731 Web: www.ibbettmosely.co.uk
125 High St, Sevenoaks, Kent TN13 1UT
Registered in England No. 0C341637 Regulated by RICS Registered at the Sevenoaks office as Ibbett Mosely Surveyors LLP
FESTIVE GIFT FAIR
Everybody
Welcome
join us and
choose
your festive
gifts
Winchelsea New Hall
Saturday 12 NOVEMBER 2016
10AM – 3PM
RIBBONS
PAPER & TAGS
GIFT BOXES
PROCEEDS
TO THE
RefUrbishment
of Winchelsea
New Hall
IbbettMoselyWT176.indd 1 05/09/2016 11:17
HORNBROOK MANOR FARM
SWEETS
JAMS
CHUTNEYS
BISCUITS
TEA & COFFEE
TOMBOLA
RAFFLE
Wine Tasting
Garden ideas, design and planting
For Borders, Planting plans or full Garden Makeovers
Contact Jo on 01233 861149 www.hornbrookmanor.co.uk
Chocolate
Cakes
Children’s
Clothes
Cards
WOOL PRODUCTS
WALKING STICKS
WINTER BULBS
WRAPPING PAPER
JEWELLERY
LIGHTS
PAINTINGS
GLASS
POTTERY
LOCAL
PRODUce
REG Charity no 235174
A4giftfairposterART.indd 1 12/09/2016 22:12
FIRST CLASS ENTERTAINMENT IN KENT
HornbrookManorWT175.indd 1 08/08/2016 WinchelseaVilageHallWT176.indd 15:09
1 13/09/2016 10:44
BOOK ONLINE: ORCHARDTHEATRE.CO.UK
TICKET OFFICE: 01322 220000
wealdentimes.co.uk
180
OrchardTheatreWT176.indd 1 13/09/2016 16:43
What’s On In October
Entry: Adults £22, Children
/ Concessions £20
Info: 01622 758611 /
parkwoodtheatres.co.uk/
Hazlitt-Theatre
Fri 7 Oct 8pm
Tunbridge Wells Jazz Club, The
Masonic Centre, St John’s Road,
Tunbridge Wells TN4 9UY
The Pedigree Jazz Band
Enjoy this live jazz event with
a raffle and licensed bar. The
bar is also open for sandwiches
and soft drinks/coffee.
Entry: Members £1.50, Students £2
Info: 01892 890442 /
twjazzclub.co.uk
Fri 21 Oct 7.30pm
Groves Hall, Sutton
Valence School
SUTTON VALENCE
MUSIC SOCIETY
Classical guitarist Sean Shibe
studied at the Royal Conservatoire
of Scotland. He is the only
solo guitarist to have been
awarded a Borletti-Buitoni
Trust Fellowship and is the
first guitarist to be admitted
to the prestigious BBC New
Generation Artist Award Scheme.
Entry: £12
Info & Booking: 01622 863002
Tours
Every Sat in Oct 9.45am-11am
Biddenden Vineyards,
Gribble Bridge Lane,
Biddenden TN27 8DF
BIDDENDEN
VINEYARD TOURS
Learn more about the history of
the vineyard and how we make
our award-winning wines, ciders
and juices. The tour is followed
by tastings of our wines, ciders
and juices in our vineyard shop.
Entry: Free
Info: 01580 291726 /
biddendenvineyards.com
Mon 17 Oct 12.30pm-3.30pm
Great Dixter, Northiam,
East Sussex TN31 6PH
BEHIND THE SCENES
AT GREAT DIXTER
Great Dixter gardener Rachael
Dodd will take you on an
afternoon’s exploration of the
borders to examine the plants in
bloom and give you an insight
into the work that makes the
renowned garden so beautiful.
Entry: £45 per person
Info and Booking: 01797
254048 / greatdixter.co.uk
Sat 22 – Mon 31 Oct 11.30am
Tunbridge Wells Tourist
Information Centre, The Old
Fish Market, The Pantiles, Royal
Tunbridge Wells TN2 5TN
GUIDED WALKS OF ROYAL
TUNBRIDGE WELLS
Learn all about the historic spa
town of Royal Tunbridge Wells
on a guided stroll through the
Pantiles and the historic heart
of the town. Discover its 400
year old history and hear about
the many famous visitors.
Entry: Free
Info: 01892 515675
/ visitkent.co.uk
Sat 22 Oct from 9.30am
Mote Park, Maidstone,
Kent ME15 8NQ
TREE WALK AT MOTE PARK
A guided walk around Mote Park
with the Chairman of the Mote
Park Fellowship who will introduce
you to some of the history of the
park as well as the importance
it plays in protecting some of
the oldest trees in the country.
Entry: Adults £2.50
Info: 01622 730453 /
moteparkfellowship.org.uk
Listings are correct at time of going
to press but may be subject to change.
Readers are advised to check with venues
before making arrangements. We can list
your event in the next issue of Wealden
Times for only £15! Please supply up to
50 words that should include date, time,
venue, and any entry price to whatson@
wealdentimes.co.uk or send with payment
(cheques payable to JPS Media) to What’s
On, Wealden Times, Kettle Chambers, 21
Stone Street, Cranbrook, Kent TN17 3HF.
Wealden Times reserves the right to edit
text to fit space allocated. If you would like
your event listing to be accompanied by a
full colour reproduction (42.5 x 62.5mm)
of a poster or other pictorial image, the
total charge will be £95. Deadline for the
November issue is 14 October 2016.
VOICE TRIALS
for boys aged 7 & 8
5 th November 2016
Substantial scholarships are
awarded and choristers benefit
from an all-round excellent
education at St Edmund’s
School Canterbury.
The Master of Choristers,
David Flood, is always
pleased to meet and advise
parents and their sons.
For further details
please telephone
01227 865242
davidf@canterbury-cathedral.org
@No1Cathedral
CanterburyCathedralChoirED03.indd 1 28/04/2016 12:51
Weekdays October-3rd-21st.
Autumn Tints—enjoy a trip
through the beautiful Sussex
countryside. Sit back and relax as
you meander along the line between Sheffield Park and
East Grinstead. ‘Souper Steam’- enjoy a bowl of warming
Autumn vegetable soup as you travel or choose to travel
in the Railway’s unique Observation Car-limited seating
so booking advisable and essential for the ‘Souper Steam’
The next BIG thing 28th-30th October
‘Giants of Steam’
Train services throughout the day-two visiting engines
will compliment the Railway’s fleet of larger engines.
70013 ‘Oliver Cromwell’ (with thanks to NRM and
Great Central Railway) and LNER B12 from Midland
and Great Northern Society based at North Norfolk
Railway (both subject to availability)
For more information or to book
please contact us. 01825 720800
www.bluebell-railway.com
Sheffield Park Station
TN22 3QL
181 wealdentimes.co.uk
BluebellRailwayWT176.indd 1 20/09/2016 15:07
Home & Interiors
Garden & Building
Wealden Wealden Times Times - Bazaar - Classified
Clare Langdon
INTERIORS
Made to measure
curtains & blinds
Tracks & poles
Measuring & fitting service
Home consultation
Fabrics & design advice
Telephone 01233 850829
clarelangdoninteriors.co.uk
Aquarius Soft Furnishings & Wool Shop
ClareLangdonWT171.indd 1 11/04/2016 10:49
Knitting wool & Haberdashery Ribbons, buttons, elastic, sewing aids
Curtain making & Upholstery Fabrics, Linings, tapes, hooks & much more
ALL STYLES OF CURTAINS,
HAND MADE IN OUR WORKSHOP
We can supply Fabrics or make up your own
CURTAIN TRACKS & POLES SUPPLIED
Including electric curtain tracks
BLINDS Roller, Roman, Vertical, Venetian, Pleated
Books & Old
Postcards
Bought and Sold
Goudhurst Bookshop
01580 388027
UPHOLSTERY & LOOSE COVERS Terms also are Cushion strictly replacements
20 days from date of invoice. For All a FREE artwork, site colour survey
matches and scans are done as a free of charge service, s
GoudhurstBookshopWT172.indd 1 06/05/2016 11:03
errors, mistakes, or poor colour reproduction 2 The Oast, Clockhouse Farm, Coxheath ME17 4PB Established 1976 and where advice we have please typeset calladvertisements. Clients should supply their own digita
acceptable. If ICC is used to collect a debt, 10% + costs + VAT will be added. No advertisement
advertising designed
from as by Magnet
little
Media Lim
07799 351299
Telephone: 01622 744265 or 746454 Email: may be aquarius.1@btconnect.com
used in either promotional literature or other publications without prior permission. A minimum of £50 will be levied as £40 a month. Call us if
www.aquariussoftfurnishings.co.uk
Health & Wellbeing
Life Coaching
Positive Help for
Life’s Challenges
Exam Success, Career Coaching,
Creative Retirement.
New Directions For All Ages.
Call Sally on 07545 397606
Gifts
LTJ SURFACING
Family Run Business for over 27 years
Specialists in Tarmac ‧ Block Paving
‧ Concrete ‧ Bonded Tar & Gravel
‧ Resin Bounded ‧ Brickwork
‧ All Other Groundwork Undertaken
Private & Commercial ‧ Driveways
‧ Patios ‧ Footways ‧ Alterations &
Repairs ‧ Car parks & Roads
‧ Pressure Washing ‧ We Offer
Machine & Hand Lay Tarmac Teams
or 01622 436933
Visit us at www.ltjsurfacing.co.uk
AquariusSoftFurnishingsWT176.indd 1 23/09/2016 12:35
LTJSurfacingWT167.indd 1 14/12/2015 17:48
Battle Mowers Ltd
THE ESSENCE OF FINE
BRITISH LAWNS
For further information please phone 01424 773096
or e-mail: battlemowers@btconnect.com www.battlemowers.co.uk
visit our showroom at The Granary, Station Rd, Battle. TN33 0DE
Local Book Store
BattleMowersWT160.indd 1 11/05/2015 12:05
Full colour
01580 714705
CLINICAL HYPNOTHERAPIST,
EFT & NLP Practitioner
Help with: Weight Loss, Stop Smoking,
Panic Attacks, Phobias & many
other anxiety based disorders
Debbie Winstanley BSc(Hons)Psych,MBSCH
Tel: 01424 460096
www.debbiewinstanley.co.uk
debbiewins@hotmail.com
SallyMuskerWT175.indd 1 22/08/2016 14:36
A pet portrait makes a wonderful gift
Professional Oil Paintings & Drawings
Book for Christmas Now
Visit www.dianewilks.weebly.com or
Email for examples: wdiane93@aol.com
Diane 01580 212327
DebbieWinstanleyWT172.indd 1 10/05/2016 DianeWilksWT162.indd 09:48 Please call 107733 263 239 06/07/2015 11:07
to book an appointment in
10% off first
London or Hastings
consultation
introductory
www.kellymillington.co.uk
offer
kelly
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millington
wealdentimes.co.uk
182
KellyMillingtonWT176.indd 1 21/09/2016 HawkenburyNurserySchoolWT176.indd 10:03
1 26/09/2016 16:54
WIN A two piece knife gift
set & wooden display box
Over recent years, Flint and Flame have been
gaining significant recognition in Europe for
their outstanding range of knives, crafted
and designed with the chef in mind.
They’re beautifully contoured, with an ergonomically
designed handle incorporating ‘Centre Point Balance’
technology and a unique ‘Zero Pressure Point’ design.
This eliminates the risk of callouses forming after
prolonged use, making these knives a real musthave
for the home and professional chef alike.
We are thrilled to offer readers an online discount
code of 25% off retail prices. Just enter WD25 at
the checkout. For further offers and information
be sure to visit stand number 16 at the Midwinter
Fair or take a look at flintandflame.co.uk
With Flint and Flame’s engraving service you’re
guaranteed to find a unique gift for someone special.
HOW TO ENTER: For your chance to win this fantastic prize of a two piece knife gift set presented in a wooden display box,
just answer the following question: What is Flint and Flame’s Midwinter Fair stand number? Enter your answer with your contact
details* in the online form at wealdentimes.co.uk/competition or post to: Flint and Flame competition, Wealden Times, 21 Stone Street,
Cranbrook, Kent TN17 3HF by 31 October 2016. There is no cash alternative and the prize must be taken by October 2017. *All
entrants’ details will be passed on to Flint and Flame and Wealden Times Events. Please let us know if you do not wish your details to
be passed on.
Congratulations to Lauren Jordan who wins our July competition for a Night Stay For Two At Frasers, Egerton.
It’s our
950 th
ANNIVERSARY
visit1066country.com/950
Try something different...
come curling & love it!
Staff Outings
Entertaining Clients
Birthday Parties
Christmas Parties
Stag & Hen Parties
Social Events
FUN
on ice!
1066 themed events for all to
enjoy from 8 to 16 October
LOVE CURLING IN KENT!
Dundale Farm, Dundale Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN3 9AQ
01892 826004 • info@curlinginkent.co.uk • www.curlinginkent.co.uk
find us on facebook & twitter
183 wealdentimes.co.uk
HastingsBoroughCouncilWT175.indd 1 16/08/2016 FentonsRinkWT176.indd 16:59
1 21/09/2016 11:57
Jane Howard’s
Fables from the Farm
It’s already Christmas in the supermarkets and getting towards the end of the
year on the calendar – but in farming it’s all just kicking off
October already. Aaaagh. While
it may seem like the year is
drawing to a close, in the world
of agriculture it is quite the opposite and
Michaelmas, which falls on September
29th, is very much seen as the start of
the farming calendar.
Michaelmas is named after St Michael
the Archangel, the greatest of all the
Archangels honoured for defeating Satan
in the War of Heaven. He is seen as a
protector against the dark of night, and
the administrator of cosmic intelligence!
So quite an interesting
chap then, but on a more
mundane level Michaelmas,
coming around the equinox
(when night time hours
are the same as day time
hours) is also one of the
Quarter Days – the others
being Christmas Day, Lady Day and
Midsummer Day.
Traditionally farmers expected to have
completed the harvest by Michaelmas
and it’s the day when rents were due,
leases began and servants hired.
Although we won’t be hiring any
servants this year at Coopers, there is still
very much a feeling that another year
has drawn gently to a close. 2016 has
been an exceptionally good year for grass
and our barns are crammed with hay
and straw in preparation for the cattle
“Rather like dress
sizes, cows get
scored according
to their level
of rotundity”
coming in when the weather changes
again in November.
The pigs are fat as butter (having
stuffed themselves with acorns) and
ditto the cattle. In terms of assessing
the condition of the cows, rather like
dress sizes they get scored according to
their level of rotundity with one being
exceptionally thin and five being far too
much of a Bessie Bunter.
Sussex cows are known for their ability
to ‘do well’ on the roughest grazing and
having enjoyed the summer grass mine
are edging dangerously up
the scale, but this is to be
expected. And when they
come inside at the end of
the year, the calves will be
weaned off them and they
will go on a four month
‘hay diet’ i.e. just hay so
they slim down to calve in the spring at a
respectable 3.5 or 4.0.
The ewes, however, end the summer
looking much plainer (thinner in
farming parlance) having raised a couple
of lambs that end up being almost the
same size as their mothers. The lambs
were weaned in August and the ewes are
now on a ‘rising plane of nutrition’ to
end up in tip top condition ready for the
rams in early November.
Unlike cows and pigs that are fertile
all year, female sheep only come into
oestrus when the night time hours exceed
the day time hours (so, starting around
Michaelmas) and traditionally the rams
are put to the ewes on Bonfire Night
with lambs appearing after April Fools’
Day, a clever way of ensuring the lambs
only come when the weather warms up
and the grass starts growing.
So the ewes are now grazing the better
pasture and soon they will go on to the
best the farm has to offer – those fields
which were cut for hay and have sweet
and succulent regrowth - to be flushed.
Grazing such nutritious grass encourages
them to produce more eggs so when
they do get together with the rams the
result will be more twins and triplets as
opposed to singles.
The other thing I love about this time
of year is blackberrying and producing
pots of bramble jelly. But that too
must come to an end. Going back to
our cosmic administrator St Michael,
apparently when Satan was hurled out of
heaven he fell to the ground and landed
in a patch of brambles.
Not being best pleased he poured fire
and brimstone on the innocent bushes
and apparently renews the curse every
Michaelmas, so unsuspecting foragers
like you and I should never pick them
after September 29th. But that doesn’t
matter too much as soon it will be time
for the sloes and strangely the gin always
seems more popular than the jam.
Follow Jane Howard – and the farm
– on Instagram @coopersfarm
wealdentimes.co.uk
184
CO-EDUCATIONAL | DAY & BOARDING | 3-13 YEARS | IAPS
76/78 High Street, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN1 1YB
Tel. 01892 534018 | Fax. 01892 510536
Email. info@gcollinsandsons.com | www.gcollinsandsons.com
Nursery Pre-Prep Prep
To register interest or for
more information please contact:
registrar@junior-kings.co.uk
+44 (0)1227 714000
www.junior-kings.co.uk
Open Mornings
Saturday 8th October 2016
Saturday 6th May 2017
3 seater Brenchley sofa
from £1695
Bayham chair
from £1395
• A large range of fabrics & leathers to choose from
• Available in customers own fabrics
• Old school, quality upholstery with coil sprung seats
• Dimensions can be altered to suit personal preference
Handmade in England & also
available in bespoke sizes!
Free delivery and up to
3 years 0% APR free credit
Wells Bedding and Interiors
44 High Street, Tunbridge Wells, TN1 1XF
For more information call 01892 272353
www.wellsinteriors.co.uk