Viva Lewes Issue #133 October 2017

BOOKS AND BOBS
LOCAL LITERATURE
If You Knew Her is a psychological thriller set largely
in the intensive care ward of a Sussex hospital. It
involves a diligent nurse, a frightening secret, and a
man suffering from locked-in syndrome who holds
the only key to a desperate woman’s safety. It was
written by Emily Elgar and published by Little,
Brown, and it promises to be the first of many novels
by this Lewes resident author, zipping along at the
sort of pace that will surely attract a film producer or
two before long (£7.99).
Phew! Seemingly a far cry from Into the Wild (Lawrence
King Publishing, £12.99), an ‘exotic woodland
colouring book’ by Daisy Fletcher. But scratch the
surface and you’ll find that Daisy’s book has a secret
narrative of its own: as you progress through the
drawings (with or without your crayons) what at first
seems to be a realistic setting for woodland creatures
turns into a more fabulous and surreal environment
sheltering a mythical beast. It’s beautifully drawn and
beautifully paced, as
acutely observed realism
takes on a magical
turn: CS Lewis meets
Franz Bauer, perhaps.
This Way (£8) is a
walking map, designed
by two local walkingand-map
enthusiasts
(Emily and Felicity, but
unnamed on the map)
keen to describe some
of their favourite sights
and watering holes along the way. They suggest two
routes from Brighton to Lewes (or vice versa), and
plenty of off-piste paths too. On the back is Time-
Out-guide style information on, for example, The
Juggs Arms, and the lost village of Balsdean. A lovely
project: more at this-way.co / @follow_this_way.
BOOK REVIEW: MILLINERY. THE ART OF HAT-MAKING
BY SARAH LOMAX AND RACHEL SKINNER
“A good hat is like a sculpture on the head,” Rachel
Skinner tells me. She realised her true vocation to
be a milliner at art college. She and Sarah Lomax,
the other half of bespoke Lewes Milliners Lomax &
Skinner, have been designing and making all manner
of hats all their working lives “over 50 years between
us!” They know their stuff. Sarah and Rachel met
when apprenticing with the Queen’s milliner, Frederick
Fox, who specialised in dramatic, technically
brilliant creations. His clients included many famous
women, such as Princess Diana, Joan Collins and
Hillary Clinton. The first hat that Rachel made for
herself (“cream and navy, for a wedding”) was made
on the Queen’s hatblock.
You can have Lomax & Skinner design the headpiece
of your dreams, from £250 upwards. Or you can make
your own. They’ve written a beautifully illustrated
book which explains, step-by-step, how to create
twelve different
hats, which they’ve
given charming
names, such as
‘magenta percher’,
‘sculpted sinamay’
and ‘feathered
teardrop’. You can
make them, apparently,
using (mostly)
stuff you’ll have at
home. Thimbles,
pliers, needles and an iron for starters. Emma Chaplin
Millinery, The Art of Hat-Making £16.99. Available
from Waterstones or thegmcgroup.com. Sarah and Rachel
also run courses, Sun Studios, Castle Ditch Lane,
Thursdays 14th and 21st, 10am-4.30pm, £180,
lomaxandskinner.co.uk
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