Wedding SUPPLEMENT inside
Inspirational Interiors • Fabulous Fashion • Delicious Dishes
PRICELESS
AUGUST 2018
Designers and makers of handmade kitchens
The difference is in the detail
Please call for a brochure or visit our showrooms
Unit 9, Chart Farm, Seal Chart
Sevenoaks, Kent TN15 0ES
Tel: 01732 762682
81 Calverley Road
Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN1 2UY
Tel: 01892 520730
www.rencraft.co.uk
Exclusive offers
See in store for details
14-18 London Road | Sevenoaks | TN13 1AJ
T: 01732 755555
Sevenoaks.home-design.schmidt
20 Grosvenor Road | Tunbridge Wells | TN1 2AR
T: 01892 547 132
Tunbridge-wells.home-design.schmidt
MINTERIORS
JFine hand crafted kitchens and bespoke furniture
01580 291221 jminteriorsuk.uk Biddenden Showroom
UK distributor of Decking, Cladding & Flooring Products by Thermory ®
www.roundwood.com
OAK FRAMED BUILDINGS
QUALITY DECKING & CLADDING
OAK & WALNUT FLOORING
HOME & GARDEN FEATURES
Tel: 01435 867 072
Round Wood | Newick Lane | Mayfield | East Sussex | TN20 6RG
ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE
Create your own Great
British Bake Off kitchen
As the summer heats up, it can only mean one thing: it’s time for the return of The Great British Bake Off to
our screens. Prue, Paul and the team will be back in the famous tent this August for our annual blast of sugar,
showstoppers and soggy bottoms. If the show inspires you to embrace your inner domestic goddess, there’s no
need to stop once the technical challenges are over. Create your own extra slice by bringing the look and feel of
the Bake Off kitchen into your home. Here are some ideas from Wren Kitchens to get you started…
Perfect pastels
If you close your eyes and picture the Great British Bake
Off, you’ll see picture perfect baking stations complete
with pastel units and accessories. The colour palette
available from Wren Kitchens’ Macaroon Collection
includes some perfect pastel blues, greens, lavenders
and lemons so you can recreate this look at home. Try
pretty Jelly Bean, Bubblegum, Lavender, Spearmint and
Lemon Curd from Wren’s new Macaroon Collection.
Or opt for a gentle neutral scheme with soft creams
or whites and add a splash of pastel paint on your
kitchen walls to bring the whimsical look of the Bake
Off kitchen into your home.
Signature style
The Great British Bake Off kitchen is all about nostalgia
for a traditional country kitchen. From the trademark
bunting to the shaker-style units, the vibe captures
the charm of days gone by. You can get the look with
Wren’s charming Shaker, Country and Edwardian
kitchens with their panelled units and traditional handle
options. All available in a wide range of colours.
Break up that modular fitted kitchen feel with a choice of
bespoke feature units. An open dresser unit is perfect for
displaying your vintage crockery with pride or choose
open shelves for easy access and convenient storage.
Island paradise
Be the star of your own show with every baker’s
dream - a kitchen island all to yourself for prepping,
mixing and decorating.
At Wren Kitchens you can sit with an expert Kitchen
Designer and create an island that is perfect for your
dream kitchen. Style it up with a wine rack and wine
cooler and finish it off with a cook’s table suited for all
baking connoisseurs. Accessorise with vintage bowls,
cooking tools, and wicker baskets to store those
yummy ingredients. With hundreds of special features
to choose from, your island will be entirely unique.
Wonderful worktops
A staple of the Great British Bake Off kitchen is the
traditional timber worktop. A timber worktop is a
lovely surface to work on and gives a warm finish to
any kitchen. Like a Shaker kitchen - timber worktops
work just as well in modern or period homes.
Available in Oak and Walnut and in two thicknesses,
you can choose the right shade for your kitchen.
Serious bakers can bring the features of a
professional kitchen into their own home by
integrating a Carrara marble pastry slab into their
worktop. Marble maintains a low temperature
which helps to keep pastry cool and stops dough
from sticking.
A professional-standard oven
However good your baking skills, a sub standard
oven will let you down. For an oven with everything
a baker needs, look no further than the NEFF
Slide&Hide® Oven, available from Wren Kitchens,
which comes complete with the sliding door feature
seen on the Great British Bake Off and 12 different
options - including the Bread Baking and Dough
Proving settings.
The perfect place to start your Bake Off
transformation journey is your local Wren Kitchens
Showroom. Find yours at www.wrenkitchens.com
This complete kitchen
including all fully built units, shelving,
Zanussi appliances, granite worktops,
sink & tap.
£244
per month over 5 years
Tunbridge Wells
Fountains Park, TN2 3FB
0345 127 7008
Maidstone
Aylesford Park, ME20 7TP
01622 231420
Orpington
Springvale Park, BR5 3SG
01689 414878
For a Wren Kitchens brochure and to find your
nearest showroom visit wrenkitchens.com
Kitchen price is for kitchen units, handles, appliances, worktops, sink and tap. Excludes props and small worktop appliances. Price checked on 03/07/2018
Interest free credit provided subject to application and status. Minimum spend – £4,000 for two years, £6,000 for three years, £10,000 for four years and £16,000 for five years. Kitchen Price £16,202,
10% deposit of £1,620.20 and then 60 monthly payments of £243.03 at 0% APR. Total amount payable £16,202. Interest free credit is available on all kitchen projects and Wren Installation services.
Full details are available at wrenkitchens.com/finance
5 High Street, Cranbrook, Kent TN17 3EB
01580 715144
Email: kld@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 £250.00+VAT
(Initial fixed-fee appointments also available at our Cranbrook offices)
Litigation Solicitor from £200.00+VAT
Matrimonial Solicitor from £150.00+VAT
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
KingsfordSolicitorsWT186.indd 1 24/07/2017 16:55
a w o r l d o f i n t e r i o r s
INDAH MANGO WOOD
FURNITURE RANGE
tradingboundaries.com
01825 790200
Visit our showrooms
Trading Boundaries, Sheffield Green,
Nr Fletching, East Sussex TN22 3RB
10% off
all furniture
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(valid until 31/8/18)
wealdentimes.co.uk
TB_SH_July.indd 1 20/07/2018 12:17
10
TradingBoundariesWT198.indd 1 20/07/2018 12:41
Contents
August 2018
22
114
GRACIOUS LIVING
Maggie Alderson’s personal
pick of properties
101
S4
HAMMER TIME
Let’s get excited about
auction houses again
125
78
LATE BLOOMERS
Jo Arnell tells how to keep up
appearances in your August garden
41
48
73
78
NOTEBOOK
Our seven top events for August
THE HOUSE OF
MANY WORDS
The house which also serves as
inspiration and performance
space of Explore the Arch
GET THE LOOK
Add a little theatrical splendour
to your own home
A PASSAGE FROM INDIA
Inside the home of
British interior design
legend Sasha Waddell
107
111
112
114
HERE COMES THE
BEAUTIFUL BRIDE
Josephine Fairley’s tips to
enhance your bridal beauty
A YEAR OF WELLNESS
Eminé Rushton takes a look
at holistic skin health
NATURAL WISDOM
Seasonal advice from Ella
Carey and products to save the
planet and scent your home
LIGHT AND BRIGHT
Light bites that are perfect
for the summer season
129
131
137
138
SURVIVING RESULTS
SEASON
Hilary Wilce on why failure
isn’t the end of the world
WHAT’S ON
All the best things to do this August
COMPETITION
Win a £500 luxury spa break
for two at Eastwell Manor,
Champneys Hotel & Spa
FABLES FROM THE FARM
Jane Howard talks favourites
from the farm
99
GET THE LOOK
Products that will give your
home that signature Sasha style
119
LET THE GRASSES GROW
Sue Whigham thinks we should
all watch the grass grow
Published by JPS Media Ltd. Kettle Chambers, 21 Stone Street, Cranbrook, Kent TN17 3HF
Telephone 01580 714705 Email info@wealdentimes.co.uk visit wealdentimes.co.uk
Copyright © 2018 JPS Media Ltd. The views of the advertisers and contributors are not
necessarily those of JPS Media Ltd.
WEDDING
SUPPLEMENT
30 pages of
flowers, tipis,
honeymoons
and cake.
After page 104.
Weddings
A Wealden Times Supplement
View the new Weddings Directory online at wealdentimes.co.uk The woodland wedding
11
● Fun cakes ● Tipis ● Fabulous flowers ● Honeymoon heaven
Lamberhurst
A magnificent Grade II listed stately home currently set up as multiple dwellings
which offers a wide range of accommodation totalling circa 29,062 sq ft with
formal gardens and grounds of about 6 acres.
Lot 2 available by separate negotiation circa 40 acres currently used as a 9 hole golf course
Guide price: £3,600,000
simon.biddulph@knightfrank.com
01892 310700
KnightFrank.co.uk/tunbridge-wells
oliver.rodbourne@knightfrank.com
01892 310700
KnightFrank.co.uk/country
@KF_HomeCounties
KnightFrank.co.uk
EXQUISITE
COMFORTS
Elegantly crafted three, four and five bedroom homes.
Just 400 metres from Tenterden’s boutique High Street.
YOUR STYLE OUR QUALITY
High specification homes available now with a
bespoke range of premium fixtures and fittings
and paint colours by Farrow & Ball.
Prices from £495,000.*
Show homes open daily 10am to 5pm
01580 854076 churchview-tenterden.co.uk
RESERVE EARLY AND HAVE
FIRST CHOICE OF
THE BEST HOMES
HOUSE TO SELL? Ask about our
Easy Mover service to help sell
your existing home
*Prices correct at time of print. Farrow & Ball colour shades apply to front door.
‘Our Focus ‘Our Determines Focus Determines Your Reality’ Your Reality’
HARPERS AND HURLINGHAM
GOUDHURST £1,525,000
STUNNING GRADE II LISTED FAMILY HOME WITH CONVERTED BARN
House: Four reception rooms and conservatory · Kitchen/breakfast room · Utility room · Five bedrooms (one
ensuite) · Swimming pool · Tennis court · Garaging · Stunning views · Planning permission for a double storey
extension. Barn: Sitting room · Kitchen · Two bedrooms · Two shower rooms.
Cranbrook School Catchment Area
Sales & Lettings Team
Harpers&Hurlingham
The Cornerhouse, Stone Street, Cranbrook
01580 715400
www.harpersandhurlingham.com
Jane Emilie Chez Cathy Sarah Debbie Jane A Debbie S Janey Caroline Dianne
LONDON OFFICE: KENSINGTON 020 7938 2311
Land & Property Experts
MANOR HOUSE
BENENDEN, KENT
A truly outstanding agricultural and residential Estate in the Kentish High Weald. All within a ring fence and situated
close to the popular village of Benenden. Including the following: -
• Grade II* Listed 15th Century Manor House with 7 bedrooms, extensive mature
gardens, Period timber frame Kent Barn and Double Garage
• A Grade II Listed Secondary Farmhouse with 4 bedrooms
• Single Kiln Oast House and Period Kent Barn
• 3 bedroom Cottage and separate Flat with adjoining Workshop and Stores
• A useful range of modern and traditional Farm Buildings including a
Farm Office, Yards, Sheep Buildings and Hay Store
• Agricultural Land and Woodland comprising Grassland, Arable and Apple Orchards
In all approximately 346.7 Acres
FOR SALE BY PRIVATE TREATY AS A WHOLE OR IN LOTS
GUIDE PRICE ON APPLICATION
FARMHOUSE
Challock Office
01580 242700
2 Windmill Oast, Windmill Farm, Rolvenden, Kent TN17 4PF
Woodchurch oIEo £1,495,000
Award winning, 6 bedroom detached Barn set in 7 acres of grounds and
gardens (approx.)
hIGh hALdEN oIEo £1,000,000
INForMAL tENdEr - Enchanting 22 acre (approx.) farmstead with
farmhouse, cottages and outbuildings – exciting revenue streams (stpc)
WINchELsEA, Nr ryE
PoA
Historically significant 5 bedroom period home with impressive views of
Church and surrounding village.
Goudhurst oIEo £900,000
INForMAL tENdEr - 6/7 bedroom, detached Victorian Cottage, with later
additions set in 2 acres, Cranbrook School Catchment Area.
roLvENdEN LAyNE oIEo £775,000
Deceptively large, 5 bedroom detached family home with pretty gardens
in quiet village location.
sANdhurst £750,000
Immaculate Granary and annexe in peaceful rural location – 3 bedrooms.
Cranbrook School Catchment Area.
roLvENdEN oIEo £475,000
An inviting and spacious 4 bedroom Grade II Listed Georgian home.
Cranbrook School Catchment Area.
BENENdEN oIEo £450,000
4 bedroom detached, family home benefiting from considerable additions
and improvements. Cranbrook School Catchment Area.
wealdproperty.net
Design & Planning
Restoration
New Build
Barn Conversions
Extensions
Joinery
COX
Developments
(Charing) Limited
www.coxrestorations.co.uk
www.coxdevelopmentscharing.co.uk
NATIONAL AWARD WINNER COX DEVELOPMENTS
(CHARING) LIMITED – BEST SMALL DEVELOPMENT
For a free consultation please contact: 01233 714950
www.coxrestorations.co.uk
Established 1986
MAXIMISE THE VALUE
OF YOUR LAND
Have you got a large
garden or plot of land?
We are experts at working
with owners to maximise
the full value of their land
Industry leading experts
We take care of the planning permission!
The risk-free way to maximise your land
Zero cost to you!
Planning laws are changing
Act now before its too late!
What our clients say…
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Amanda and Robert Petch
June 2016
"The cost involved to try and
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Working with Country House
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Mr C Partridge (Loose, Kent)
September 2016
For a free appraisal call 0843 557 4080
www.maximisemyland.co.uk
sales@countryhousehomes.co.uk
“Guy and team at CHH did a fantastic
job securing planning permission on
our rear garden plot. Although a fairly
problematic application (which took
over 18 months), they kept us informed
throughout the entire process.
I would certainly use them again”
David J (Oxted, Surrey)
January 2017
Discretion is is the Better Part of Valour
The property market has changed astronomically
At SJD we work to source the right developers for
in the past few decades, bringing in a new era
your site - all of our sales are made confidentially
of off-market and private sales.
thus protecting both your identity and your
individual interests.
Unlike conventional methods, we we offer offer discrete
marketing where details of your site are not
openly marketed. Private sales generate a sense
of exclusivity, boosting the likelihood of a quick
and hassle-free transaction.
If If you If you have have a development
a opportunity that that you you would like like to to sell sell off-market,
please contact us us for for a free a free appraisal.
Contact Stephen Donnelly on
on
07739 514350 or or or 0845 456 8969
Web: sjd-projects.com
email: steve@sjd-projects.com
SJDprojectsWT196.indd 1 23/05/2018 16:17
Installed in homes
from just £149
Do you have an electric or hybrid vehicle?
Universal charge points - suitable for all
makes and model of electric/PHEV
Home and workplace grant
funding available*
Charge points installed in homes
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CONTACT US FOR
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Plug in, charge, drive!
*Ts & Cs apply
wealdentimes.co.uk
20
TotalQualityMaintenanceS42.indd 1 26/03/2018 12:46
LOOK
INSIDE
Join our Open Day celebrations and
be one of the first to view this new
luxury retirement village in Kent.
EMERSON PARK OPEN DAY CELEBRATIONS
Friday 7th September: 12am – 6pm and Saturday 8th September: 10am – 4pm
Take a look inside the new luxury retirement
village for Kent – Emerson Park, Hextable.
It offers a range of on-site amenities and services
including restaurant & bar, fitness suite, hair &
beauty salon, cinema, private transport service
and 24-hr emergency call system.
Emerson Park Retirement Apartments:
42 luxury apartments and 5 Service Plus Apartments.
Emerson Grange Care Home:
Emerson Grange is a luxury care home offering nursing,
residential, dementia and respite care.
To find out more call 01322 515417
SHOW SUITE OPEN Monday to Saturday 10am – 4pm
Emerson Park, Rowhill Road, Hextable BR8 7RL
Web: www.cinnamoncc.com/emersonpark
House
Month
of the
£1,450,000
Gracious living
Maggie Alderson picks her favourite homes on the market
Island Farm
The Dream: A Grade II listed
medieval house (1483) with every
possible kind of olde worlde furdly
burdly detail. Unusually, it’s also light
and airy, with good room heights,
so there is none of that ‘ceiling as
a tight hat’ feeling. There’s a lovely
eat-in kitchen and a character
bathroom. You will just need to
supply your own Jacobean beds.
Where: Just outside the
village of Biddenden, ten
minutes from Tenterden.
Setting: In beautiful countryside,
with woodland to the rear.
Beds: 5 Baths: 3, (2 en suite)
Special features: A front door
that would impress Gandalf
and adorable lead mullion
windows, inglenooks a go go.
Pleasing details: It sits in the middle
of the plot, so there are lovely
aspects from every room. There is
a dragon beam in the dining room
and an unusual floor-to-ceiling oriel
window in the drawing room.
Outside: Glorious mature gardens
and a wonderful wisteria on the
exterior. A swimming pool and
an all-weather tennis court.
Time to town: Ten minutes drive
to Headcorn station, then just
over an hour to Cannon Street,
Charing Cross, or St Pancras.
Agent: Fine & Country, Tenterden.
01580 766388 fineandcountry.com
wealdentimes.co.uk
22
Darwell Hill
£1,850,000
The Dream: Horse heaven, with pristine
equestrian facilities and direct access
to unlimited riding trails in Darwell
Wood. The house is lovely too, 1920s
Arts & Crafts style with a magnificent
thatched roof and quirky rambling plan.
Where: On the edge of the village of
Netherfield, 3.5 miles from Battle.
Setting: An elevated position in the
High Weald AONB, with views over
the Southern Downs to the coast.
Beds: 6 Baths: 2, the master en
suite, with a dressing room
Special features: Stabling for four horses,
an American-style barn incorporating
a tack room and washdown area.
Pleasing details: A store room, a cold
store, a utility room, a snug, a music
room and a study, before you get on
to the normal roster of rooms.
Outside: Mature, shrubtastic gardens,
with many delightful details.
Time to town: Trains from Battle (7 mins)
to London Bridge, Charing Cross and
Cannon Street in around 90 minutes.
Agent: Savills, Cranbrook 01580 720161
savills.co.uk
Wissenden Corner
£975,000
The Dream: With light pouring in from
a plethora of large windows, golden
floorboards for miles, this beautifully
appointed house is finished to a level
rarely seen outside American TV shows.
Where: In a small hamlet, close
to the village of Bethersden.
Setting: Surrounded by farmland.
Beds: 5 Baths: 4, two en suite
Special features: Suntrap terraces
for outside entertaining.
Pleasing details: An annexe perfect
for sequestering gangs of teenagers.
Outside: Landscaped gardens,
a meadow and pond.
Time to town: Ashford (15 mins
drive) then 37 minutes to St Pancras.
From Pluckley (10 mins), then an
hour and 20 to Charing Cross,
London Bridge and Cannon Street.
Agent: Jackson-Stops 01580 720000
jackson-stops.co.uk
23 wealdentimes.co.uk
FREE
NO OBLIGATION
HOME VISIT,
QUOTATION AND
FITTING
For the ultimate in timeless elegance look no further than
Blind Blind Design’s Design’s range range of blinds, of shutters and and blinds. curtains.
Call Freephone
0800 988 1071 1071
For Your Free Home Visit Visit
Unit 6, 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
Telephone 01323 509 661 Freephone 0800 988 1071
www.blind-design.co.uk
www.blind-design.co.uk
The Kitchen is the Heart of Your Home
See how we can transform your home today www.bentonskitchens.co.uk canterbury@bentonskitchens.co.uk
Showroom: 17 Maynard Road, Canterbury, Kent CT1 3RH Telephone: 01227 767576
VISIT OUR
KITCHEN SHOWROOM
CINQUE PORTS ST.
RYE
SHOWROOM: 53A CINQUE PORTS STREET RYE, EAST SUSSEX. TN31 7AN
01797 226 478 portraitkitchens.co.uk
A.T. Palmer Ltd
Restoration Specialists Est.1949
| Employed Skilled Workforce
| Renovations & Extensions
| Conversions & Alterations
| Design & Build
T: 01233 770077
Smarden Business Estate, TN27 8QL
atpalmer.co.uk
Expertly fitted school shoes
by the people who care
www.thegoldenboot.co.uk
A different perspective.
Some see stores as places to shop.
We see them as places to call home.
Neptune Tonbridge, 01732 351866 | Neptune Canterbury, 01227 209300.
neptune.com/stores
DESIGN & PLANNING | RESTORATION | NEW BUILD | BARN CONVERSIONS | EXTENSIONS | JOINERY
For a brochure or home consultation call 01797 366895
www.anthony-hicks.co.uk
Calling all women!
At Spire Tunbridge Wells you are our priority, so it’s time to put yourself first
Take time for you at our women’s health event on
Saturday 29th September 2018
at Spire Tunbridge Wells Hospital from 10am-1pm
A team of breast, gynaecological and physiotherapy consultants will
be available on the day covering a range of symptoms and concerns
Goody
Bags
Tea, Coffee
& Cakes!
Heavy
painful
periods
Menopause
Breast
cancer
family
history
What’s available:
FREE breast checks, FREE smear tests, FREE
mini consultations. Limited spaces available.
Call today to book your place
01892 741150
Post-natal
concerns
Bladder
& bowel
frequency
incontinence
Pelvic
floor
Discounted 3D
mammograms
available
If you don’t want a health check, then why not come along to meet
our consultants and listen to their presentations covering:
‘Common signs of breast cancer and what to look out for’
‘Are heavy periods normal?’
Make Spire Tunbridge Wells your hospital of choice.
Call us in confidence on 01892 741150
tunbridgewebform@spirehealthcare.com
www.spiretunbridgewells.com
Midwinter Fair
Sponsored by
harpers and hurlingham
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
Ticket Hotline: 01580 236071
wealdentimes.co.uk/events
HOME & GARDEN
Inside five heated marquees you’ll find everything
you need for the perfect Christmas. Browse
amongst hand-picked stalls selling contemporary
and vintage goodies for the home, plus a fine
selection of gifts, fashion and jewellery.
Pre-book
discounted
tickets online
now!
Using this code
WT1
15th, 16th & 17th
november 2018
THe HOP FARM, Paddock Wood, Tn12 6PY
& FOOD DRINK
Eat a delicious lunch in our Street Food Café, enjoy
tea, a slice of cake or a light lunch in our Café
Bakery or sip on something a bit special in our Café
Bar. Foodies will also love the independent, artisan
producers on show in our food hall.
See page 77 for a sneak peek at some of the
exhibitors we have at this year’s Wealden
Times Midwinter Fair...
25 th July – 22 nd Aug
Find out more and book
your free tickets at
theglades.co.uk
Fast access to GPs
and referrals all in one
convenient location
FREE
parking
Doctor
our
will see you now
Our new GP service offers
flexible appointments to get
you back on track in no time
25minute
appointments
Blood testsMRI
Pathology
Expert
care
Appointments
£95
Rapid
access to results
Call 01580 242 521 or visit benendenhospital.org.uk/GP
For Terms & Conditions please visit benendenhospital.org.uk/GP
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
www.homeleighgroup.co.uk
Get ahead....
plan your garden & buildings
this summer
NATURAL PAVING
from
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RAILWAY SLEEPERS
HOMELEIGH OFFER
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PAVING OFFER
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Maidstone:
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Woodford Depot:
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Staplehurst:
01580 892037
Station Road | Staplehurst | TN12 0PY
Ashford:
01233 850075
Ashford Road | High Halden | TN26 3BP
the original
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TIRED OF YOUR OLD KITCHEN?
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Call 0330 127 3482 for a free consultation or visit our showrooms
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Highlights for August and September
Saturday 11 August
A Unique Evening of Variety
Mon 20 – Sat 25 August
Fame the Musical
Wed 29 August
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The perfect first
theatre trip for
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Saturday 15 September
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Notebook
It’s lit
The very first Hastings Litfest will be spreading the
joy of literature throughout the lovely seaside town
from Friday 31 August to Sunday 2 September.
The programme is full of workshops, talks, films,
panels, music and a book fair. It will take in
glorious venues including Jerwood Gallery and
Hastings Pier and boasts names including Sir David
Hare and our own editor Maggie Alderson who will
be talking about her new novel The Scent of You
over brunch at White Rock Hotel. hastingslitfest.org
Pixie manor
Venture into a land of pixies, fairies
and dragons at Ruxley Manor from
Saturday 14 July to Sunday 2
September. Sneak past the fearsome
sleeping dragon, Greenock, and learn
the Fairy Godmother’s magical oath to
receive your special gift and photograph
as an honorary pixie! ruxley-manor.co.uk
Notebook
Exhibitions
&
events near you
this month
The play’s the thing
Grab your picnic basket and head to
Fairlight Hall in Hastings this month
for a spot of Shakespeare. Following
nine sell out seasons at Lamb House,
the players are playing their first season
at Fairlight Hall’s beautiful round.
From Friday 17 to Sunday 19 August,
West End and Broadway favourites
Jonathan Broadbent and Jessica Regan
and Radio 4’s Carrie Quinlan will lead
The Lamb Players in Shakespeare’s As
You Like It. thelambplayers.com
For art’s sake
Explore the Rye Society of Artists’
summer exhibition from Saturday 4 to
Sunday 26 August. See a mix of work
from the RSA, a long established group
of painters, printmakers, sculptors,
photographers and ceramicists (many
with national and international
reputations). societyof artists.co.uk
Tony Momrelle
All that Jazz
Friday 24 to Monday 27 August sees
a wealth of musical talent gather in
the beautiful town of Rye as the Rye
international jazz and blues festival
returns. The programme is a platform
for established and emerging talent
including acclaimed British Soul singer
Tony Momrelle. ryejazz.com
Knight’s tale
Hever Castle’s summer jousting is like
something straight out of a costume
drama, starring Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn
and a host of valiant knights. From
Saturday 14 July to Monday 27 August
families can enjoy some brilliant action,
falls and stunts as the knights fight to be
named champion. hevercastle.co.uk
41 wealdentimes.co.uk
ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE
Dealing with online abuse
There has been a marked increase in
the number of defamation cases brought
before the courts recently, many of
which can be attributed to the growing
use of social media. Here Cripps
lawyers Alex Davies, head of family
law, and defamation specialist Will
Charlesworth, explain how to deal with
the issue if you feel you are affected.
The end of a relationship can be the
lowest part of life and it often brings out
the worst in people. The internet age has
brought new ways to express anger and
resentment in those situations, the effects
of which can be deep and long lasting.
The 17th century playwright William
Congreve had it right when he said
‘heaven has no rage, like love to hatred
turned’. How many books or films can
you name about breaking up? How many
songs can you sing about lost love?
“Soon after Facebook was launched in the
UK, it started to feature in my caseload,”
said Alex. “I well remember my first
harassment case involving highly offensive
and disturbing content being posted on
my client’s Facebook wall. It was 2008
and the evidence ran to over a thousand
pages. In those days there was only one
way (that we knew of) to put a stop to it,
so we duly obtained a non-molestation
injunction against the perpetrator. The
posts carried on and the court was asked
to commit the perpetrator to prison.”
The world has moved on in the last ten
years. Facebook and hundreds of other
social media sites have opened up a world
of possibilities – some for good, some
for bad. It would be impossible for our
courts to handle the volume of claims that
would result if every single case of online
harassment were to be litigated over. Many
people either close down their online
accounts or simply ignore it in the hope it
will go away. So, what are the alternatives?
How can you put a stop to online
harassment from an ex-partner or spouse?
The good news is that there are solutions
out there that do not have to break the
bank with legal fees. At Cripps we have
seen a dramatic increase in enquiries
from people complaining of online
harassment and often we are able to deal
with it using defamation or privacy law.
Defamation is a false statement of fact
that harms a person’s reputation. It
causes serious harm by, for example,
exposing that person to hatred,
ridicule, or contempt. There are two
types of defamation – libel, which
typically involves “lasting” forms
of publication, and slander, which
includes spoken words or gestures.
The law requires that a letter of claim
is sent before a defamation case is
started. There is no “one size fits all”
letter. A letter of claim must be carefully
written to ensure that it includes
relevant information and demands the
appropriate remedies, which can include
• A takedown and retraction;
• An enforceable promise not to repeat
the same or similar comments;
• Payment of compensation; and
• An apology.
Often a well written letter can resolve
the situation. In addition, a take-down
request can be made to the social
media platform itself. Reporting
functions are available on the main
platforms and many of our clients ask
us to deal with them on their behalf.
If warnings don’t work, it might be
necessary to start a defamation case
and the Court Service has reported an
increase in such cases in recent years.
In some circumstances, it may be possible
to send a Take Down Notice to the Internet
Service Provider (ISP). Regulations
now in force provide that an ISP may be
held liable itself unless procedures are
properly followed and timescales met.
Reputational damage may also be suffered
through public disclosure of personal
information, such as family photos or
intimate secrets. This may lead to claims
for breach of privacy or confidentiality
which can be considered in addition, or
as an alternative, to a defamation claim.
So, if you are suffering from online
harassment, defamation or an
embarrassing disclosure, our top tips are:
1. Don’t delay. Often your case will be
weakened if you don’t act fast;
2. Secure your evidence. Take
screenshots of offending material
and keep as much detail as possible,
including the date, time and location of
posts on social media or websites; and
3. Take legal advice. It doesn’t have
to cost the earth. At Cripps we offer
fixed fees for most of our services
relating to problems online.
For more information or an
informal chat, please contact:
Alex Davies
T - 01892 506 326
alex.davies@
cripps.co.uk
Will Charlesworth
T - 01892 506 004
will.charlesworth@
cripps.co.uk
www.cripps.co.uk @crippslaw This article gives examples and is intended for general guidance only
Editor’s
Letter
While putting together this issue I’ve fallen madly in
love. With weddings. Over recent years they’ve taken
such a lovely relaxed turn, inspired by the boho chic
of festival culture we have all come to adore.
Looking through hundreds of pictures of real weddings, where
everyone seems to be grinning in every picture, has made me
long to go and do it all again – this time in an ancient forest,
with Converse under my wedding dress, a hedgerow bouquet and
a table of outrageously pretty sweet goodies instead of a rock-hard
white cake.
Also inspiring me this issue are our two houses. One is a
masterclass in sophisticated simplicity by a living legend of home
style which makes me want to throw away most of what I own –
and paint what’s left white.
The other is an inspiration on several levels. More than a
beautiful house, Archer Lodge is a working theatrical space and
HQ – domestic and artistic – of a very exciting creative collective.
They are running some fascinating workshops for the very first
Hastings Literary Festival, which is happening the last weekend
of this month. I’m inspired by the idea of that too (and not just
because I’m a featured author – see more in Notebook).
Enjoy your Wealden Times.
HAPPY DAYS
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Wealden Times Team
Editor ....................................................................................... Maggie Alderson
Editorial Assistant ........................................................................Rebecca Cuffe
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Design .........................................................................................Powerful Pierre
Design Team ..............................................................................Anthony Boxall
Rob Cursons
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Tanya Goldsmith
Managing Director ........................................................................ Julie Simpson
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Sales Manager ................................................................................... Jen Shearer
Media Sales.................................................................................Sarah Norwood
Distribution ....................................................................................... Kate Watts
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Sales Account Manager ...................................................................... Joy Adams
Jude Brown
Show Director ................................................................................. Flo Simpson
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Words: Antonia Methuen Photographs: David Merewether Styling: Kimberley Watson
The house of
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Previous page: The East Room is in a constant state of flux. The deck chair frames on the wall are from a past
production This page: An arch of suspended books wittily frames the entrance to Archer Lodge
Some of the most celebrated houses in the
world have become such, not just because
of the vibrancy of their walls, the luminosity
of their windows or the verdancy of their gardens,
but because of the lives lived there. The inhabitants
of a building have as much, if not more impact
on the atmosphere that is left behind.
What would the Georgian terrace house in Doughty
Street, Holborn be without the legacy of Charles
Dickens’ residence there (and his actual writing
desk…)? The grey stone Yorkshire parsonage that
was home to the Brontë sisters would be a pretty
country residence, but the lingering energies of those
extraordinary siblings raises it to another level entirely.
Archer Lodge in St Leonards is just one of those
houses. Whilst not (yet) world famous, its charm and
spirit are entirely down to the creative dreams and
ambitions of a group of actors, musicians, engineers
51 wealdentimes.co.uk
Above: The water clock in the hall was made
by sculptor Frank Roper Right: Javanese
Wayang Golek puppets in the West Room
and composers who have come together to
live there, creating something that is so very
much more than the sum of its parts. The
house is its residents and the unique energy
that emanates from this sprawling red tilehung
Sussex-vernacular villa, in the heart of
suburban St Leonards, is like nothing else
you will have experienced. It is a collaborative
commune with respect, creative endeavour
and a love of words at its very heart.
Built in the 1890s by local Sussex architect
Charles Archer Pigott as a show home for his
Arts & Crafts inspired architectural language,
the house’s ambitions in both scale and
drama seem to have been tailor-made for the
group of current co-owners that comprise the
theatrical company Explore the Arch. The
name is a witty play on both the name of the
house and the traditional proscenium arch,
which is so notably absent from theatrical
productions produced here. Add in exploring
and the name encapsulated what they do.
They take ideas and words, fashioning
kernels from the cultural ether, looking
around themselves and at the world in
wealdentimes.co.uk
52
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Left: A deconstructed piano, used in a recent composition. The collective are always looking for unwanted instruments to repurpose
Right: Seddlescombe-based artist Mark Fisher painted this portrait of Jane Eyre for the ATownExploresABook17 festival. On the wall
are young musician Ali Alana’s grid paintings, inspired by Rimsky-Korsakov’s synesthesia scale
which they live, and create something within their home
and present it to the world outside. Throwing open their
doors and blurring the normally defined edges of what we
consider private and public space, family and community,
the real and the imagined, the theatrical and the every day.
Walking into the house on a glorious sunny
seaside summer morning, the first thing you hear is
music. Not the usual banging bass that has become
the backdrop to our everyday urban lives, at Archer
Lodge it’s the sound of a violin, a recorder, a flute.
The elegant notes seem to tumble from an open upstairs
window, setting the tone for a journey through a house
that is individual, inspirational and completely organic.
Later I stumble across the source of this angelic sound
and find a room crammed with five teenagers, practising
for a forthcoming performance at Cecil Sharp House in
London, not an iPhone or game of Fortnite between them.
Folk-inspired music fit to stir the soul and, no
doubt, the audiences that attend Archer Lodge
for the series of multi-disciplinary performances
that Explore the Arch produce each year.
Archer Lodge is situated on a wide leafy avenue in St
Leonards, near the very aptly named Bohemia Road.
Like walking into the pages of an Esther Freud novel,
it is words and books that are the backbone of this
home-come-creative-space – indeed you enter it under
an arch of books, apparently suspended in mid-air.
Taking me on a tour of the house is Gail Borrow, one
of the founders of the company, along with engineer
Paul Beadle and composer Vladimir Miller. A further
cast of writers, artists, performers and, of course, musical
teenagers appear and disappear as the house welcomes
like-minded individuals from around the world.
However, any sense of hierarchy or traditional domestic
structures are firmly left at the large front door, under that
book arch which feels like the house is beckoning you
55 wealdentimes.co.uk
The terrace overlooks the garden in which the company have
created a series of outdoor rooms used for rehearsals
wealdentimes.co.uk
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OlsonTimberBuildingsWT198.indd 1 11/07/2018 17:08
Previous page and bottom: The garden
is dominated by a weeping ash grafted
onto a standard ash tree, probably
planted when the house was built – and
which feels like a character in its own
right Left: An arch echoes the entry to
the house Below: Chairs which have
been rebuilt using found materials, as
they have weathered over the years
into a world that has been re-imagined by this inspiring
group of creative explorers and literary adventurers.
Gail explains to me that the dramatic space Pigott created
in Archer Lodge was the first thing that attracted them all
to it. The sense of over-scale and of the building’s elegant
grandeur perfectly lends itself to welcoming the public into its
rooms. A generous hallway, decorated with a period Sanderson
bird motif wallpaper and slate grey floor leads to two huge
reception rooms and a large garden, all of which have been
employed as stages in this very stage-less theatre experience.
It was, explains Gail, also the feeling of light and
shade, the juxtapositions so loved by the theatre, which
also lured them in. The darker hallway and West Room,
which doubles up as the foyer and meeting room, are
the antithesis of the sun-drenched East Room, terrace
and garden all of which are saturated with light.
The sense of the darkness in the hall is further
exaggerated by two large hand-painted canvases featuring
the words of nineteenth century Welsh travel writer
Richard Fenton. A water clock made by Frank Roper in
the 1980s, the former vice principal of Cardiff College
of Art, adding another intruiging distraction.
Another element that pulled the company all the
way from Waterloo, where they had been based, living
in separate flats, was the grid patterns in the original
Victorian cornicing of the major ground-floor reception
rooms. The company, who perform around four or five
experiential productions a year in the house and its grounds,
employ the ceiling grids for their props and staging.
Using skills Gail learnt from study of Javanese Wayang
Golek puppetry tradition and through time with
Australian shadow puppeteer Richard Bradshaw, after
59 wealdentimes.co.uk
Above: The kitchen has been constructed around re-purposed antique
cabinets sourced in Kings Road, St Leonards Left: The living and
rehearsal areas are stuffed with exploratory work
she left the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, objects
appear to float, attached to strings that intricately connect
the dado rails and ceilings. Inspired by scenes or words from
the books from which they are performing, the individual
props and words, made entirely from found materials, are
dropped and rotated as demanded by each performance.
Around the house are elements left from their previous
productions. Little paper puppets sit on hall chairs and the
white nightshirts of Dickens’ Great Expectations Pip and
his deceased siblings flutter at the tall landing window.
More remnants from the recent performance inspired by analysis
of that classic Dickens work, entitled The House of Mrs Joe, which
focused on the world of sister/mother figure of Mrs Joe Gargery,
are scattered across the East Room. Dustpan brushes and an
empty window frame, made from card, hang from strings, like
birds hovering above your head. A large metal anvil sits in the
centre of the room whilst musical instruments dot the edges.
As productions come and go, Gail explains, so does the
furniture, much of which is sourced from local antiques dealers
such as Teddy Tinker’s, Kings Road Antiques, La Marette
wealdentimes.co.uk
60
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Left from a previous production, the white nightshirts of Great Expectations’
Pip and his deceased siblings flutter at the tall landing window
63 wealdentimes.co.uk
Left: Words fom Kipling’s feminist short
story, The Gardener, are informing an
autumn show to mark the Armistice
centenary Below: A work by collage artist
Anna Bachène Bottom: Words by Derek
Walcott and a model boat collection
found at Teddy Tinker’s in the bathroom
are part of the recent production about
the Windrush generation
Brocante and Grand Designs, all in
St Leonards. You don’t get the sense
that any objects or pieces of furniture
become permanent fixtures in Archer
Lodge. They are simply elements of the
next production.
Gail and I take a seat at one of a series
of long weathered wooden tables on the
large terrace outside which were once
the set for another production, The
House of The Man Who Painted The Sea,
inspired by Bulwer-Lytton’s 1830 novel,
Paul Clifford.
The terrace overlooks the garden in
which the company have created a series
of outdoor rooms, which are used for
rehearsals. Sofas and chairs are planted
in little vignettes, as hidden walkways
invite you to take a moment to sit still,
take stock and contemplate life.
Back in the house Gail explains that
the kitchen, filled with re-purposed
antique cabinets, including one that
is still lined with the newsprint from
the Yorkshire Post of 1885, might have
to soon give way to a new disabled
bathroom for audience members.
“Where will the kitchen go?” I ask.
Gail smiles and shrugs, “No idea!”
It’s like that at Archer Lodge, there
is no grand plan, things just seem to
happen as and when they should, in a
manner which seems entirely fitting.
Beginning to take shape in an upstairs
bedroom known at the library, is the
company’s Christmas performance. The
House of Circus is being created from
the Smart circus family archive with
wealdentimes.co.uk
64
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Above: Bath-based artist Emma Joy’s painting hangs over a print
recreated from Soviet artist Sergey Burylin’s work, Tractor Left:
On the landing, a clutter of puppets and books
descendent and visual artist Greg Smart great-grandson of
Billy himself. Magnificent vintage Billy Smart Circus posters
line the walls.
In another bedroom are the initial words and ideas for
the company’s August show, The House After Windrush,
inspired by the book Lovers & Strangers: An Immigrant
History of Post-war Britain by Clair Willis and Stories
from Blue Latitudes: Caribbean Women Writers at Home
and Abroad by Elizabeth Nunez and Jennifer Sparrow.
Most importantly perhaps, the performance will feature
the words of Michael Braithwaite, a member of the
Windrush generation whose story was one of the first about
the recently revealed scandal to appear in the Guardian.
Fired up by the political situation unfolding every day,
Gail explains how the company has been inspired by
real life, art and literature for the performance which is
set to open on August 6 and will run for two weeks.
The company, who were behind the successful Easter
festival ATownExploresABook18, located in and around St
Leonards, will also be opening their doors to the forthcoming
first Hastings Literary Festival (31 August – 2 September).
Explore the Arch will be running a one-day Creativity
workshop taking the idea of words and developing them
throughout the day as a kind of Chinese whispers
67 wealdentimes.co.uk
This page In an upstairs bedroom known as the library, because of the book wallpaper, the Christmas performance The House of
Circus is coming into shape, with visual artist Greg Smart, currently an artist – literally – in residence
wealdentimes.co.uk
68
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Above: A musical instrument left over from a
recent production
experiment showing how words can metamorphose
and transform from group to group and person
to person.
In 2018 there aren’t many towns in the UK where
a large Victorian villa could avoid the siren call of the
property developer. So one can only celebrate that
in St Leonards this large building has not become a
faceless care home, or flat conversion and instead has
remained intact, enabling a community of artists and
actors to live out their dreams by the sea.
Blurring the boundaries between life, work, art
and theatre, reality and imagination, Archer Lodge
and its inhabitants bring life to the true meaning of
bohemian. And long may it continue.
Address Book:
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Hastings Lit Fest hastingslitfest.org
ATownExploresABook Festival atownexploresabook.com
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70
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Not planning for unexpected costs
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A passage from India
A bona fide legend of British interior design, Sasha Waddell has embarked on a
charitable project designing beautiful textiles which will benefit impoverished children
in Delhi – and are used to glorious effect throughout her own home
Words: Nadene Ghouri Photographs: David Merewether
79 wealdentimes.co.uk
www.elliottreid.co.uk
Space?
Previous pages: The kitchen has shelves rather than cupboards,
displaying Sasha’s collection of bright antique pottery. The
floors throughout are old skirting boards treated with a Swedish
product from Pale & Interesting This page: Another Sasha
expert tip: chicken wire in the cupboard doors. Curated objects
on the mantelpiece
As soon as the front door opens, the unadulterated
joyfulness of this St Leonards-on-Sea artisan’s
cottage just glows. Entering a gloriously
bright open-plan white living room it’s hard not
to gasp at the deceptive simplicity of it all.
A sofa, bench and period chair well-stocked with
plump cushions you want to sink straight into.
A simple white-painted wooden table flanked by
matching painted chairs on one side and a mahogany
antique bench on the other, covered with thick white
cushions. Fresh, white walls – and everywhere, gorgeous
throws and curtains in simple blues and whites.
It is elegant, modern, timeless, cosy, relaxed and simple
all at the same time with that oh-so-casually thrown
together vibe that is so perfectly, cleverly and carefully
done you suspect this home must be the work of someone
with great skill when it comes to designing interiors.
No surprises then to learn that Sasha Waddell is indeed
one of the UK’s leading interior designers. The term
‘legend’ is often overused but in design terms she truly
is that. One of 12 interior designers listed in The Best
of British Women, in the top 100 Interior Designers
81 wealdentimes.co.uk
This page: White and blue is the theme throughout the house, with the different
prints of Sasha’s fabrics for Room 100 adding visual variety
by House & Garden magazine – where she is also credited
as one of the most influential designers of the decade.
More simply put, Sasha is the woman credited with bringing
pared-back Scandi chic style to the UK through her legendary
eponymous shop in West London, a global best-selling book
New Swedish Style and numerous TV and radio appearances.
Then there are all the design commissions, including the
furnishing fabrics for the Venice-Simplon Orient Express
train ad, revamping The Organ Room at Glyndebourne,
as well as many private homes belonging to high-profile
clients (although she’s much too discreet to say who…).
Sasha’s inspiration was the essence of 18th and 19th
century Swedish ‘Gustavian’ style – a cool and simplified
interpretation of ornate French classical decoration created by
the Swedish king Gustav III after a visit to Versailles in the late
1780s – to bring fresh interiors, full of light, to this country.
Inspired by the ‘informal domestic elegance’ of Swedish
manor houses, Sasha’s signature is all about pared-back
clean lines, lashings of white, painted wood and tactile
textiles. Sasha calls it ‘bringing the outside in’. And her
St Leonards home is a masterclass in how to achieve it.
As you take in this extremely sophisticated simplicity,
in Sasha’s open-plan space, another theme jumps out
at you: throws, curtains and cushions in different
patterns of stripes, paisley, florals and checks.
And it’s no coincidence that they all go together so
wealdentimes.co.uk
82
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Sasha calls her style of sophisticated
simplicity “bringing the outside in”
This page: Looking from the main room through to the kitchen, with Sasha’s oversized paisley for Room 100 featured on the table
85 wealdentimes.co.uk
eautifully, as all of them were designed
by Sasha as a range called Room 100,
specially to be made by local women
through a charitable foundation in Delhi,
India. The foundation supports women by
teaching them creative skills to empower
them, so they can make a living of their
own (and of which, more, further on).
Despite her extraordinary design pedigree
Sasha is wonderfully unpretentious
and funny, cheerfully confiding that
her attic is “of course rammed full of
stuff, so that I can live this tidy life.”
Once the eye has adjusted to different
shades of white in the main room’s
palette – bright, soft, creamy, zesty –
the detailing starts to pop out. Those
pale stripped wooden floors. Surely
expensive white limed oak, I ask?
“No, very cheap”, confides Sasha.
“Skirting boards. They make great floors
because the boards are nice and wide.
The effect comes from washing
This page: The top of the dining/work table is a sheet of MDF painted with white
emulsion. French windows open on to a courtyard
wealdentimes.co.uk
86
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www.deaconandsandys.co.uk
Follow us on Twitter @visitryebay | 33
ConceptsWT195.indd 1 25/04/2018 DeaconSandyWT193.indd 14:54
3 20/02/2018 12:18
FOR SALE
Normandy farmhouse
near Bayeux
About the property
A delightful, traditionally detached 18c farmhouse. Set in approx
0.5 acres of hedged, easily maintained lawned garden. The 3
bed house could be easily extended on both floors into the dry
attached outbuildings. Total accommodation area approx 90m 2 .
Furnished, well decorated, ready for occupation as a permanent
residence, holiday home or potential holiday let income
source. The tiled roof is in good condition. Almost all wood
framed double glazing. Benefitting from considerable recent
renovation, with traditional ‘Maison en Terre’ rendering to the
rear and end. Mains water, electricity, phone line. Tarmacked
area at front for 4–6 cars, large garage for 3–4 cars.
Location and history of the region
Ideal for walking, boating, fishing and enjoying the peaceful
forest, marshes and waterways. Located in historic Graignes-
Mesnil-Angot, a very rural, tranquil and friendly community with
village shops, school and the famous Hippodrome Equestrian
centre. Surrounded by countryside, farmland and forest. In the
region of the Marais du Cotentin, between St Lo and Carentan.
With Utah Beach 14mi, Bayeux 21mi and Cherbourg 31mi.
Situated in an area of much military activity during WW2, with
the Operation Overlord: D-Day landing beaches close by.
O.I.R.O £95,000 (FREEHOLD)
Contact Alan on hbsengineering@hotmail.co.uk for more details.
wealdentimes.co.uk
88
AlanMarshallWT198.indd 1 13/07/2018 13:08
Above: Looking out from Sasha’s work room, colourful art works grouped on the landing wall are reflected in a bright rug from
Flushed, in Hastings Old Town
them with a special Swedish product made of white lye
that my daughter sells in her shop Pale & Interesting,
in Rye, to get that limed look. Anyone can do it.
“I love simple effects. I work at the table in here
every day. The top is just white-painted MDF and
whenever it gets a bit grubby I repaint it.”
The bespoke country style bookshelves in the
alcoves are covered with chicken wire, another super
cheap but effective Sasha trick. “It just sort of diffuses
the contents so they don’t pop out at you.”
Encouraging furniture to ‘recede’ is another of Sasha’s
tropes: “It’s more relaxing and makes a space look bigger.”
Another tip is to have furniture on legs, hence wooden
benches, showing the floor beneath, creating a feeling of flow.
The wonderful thing about Sasha’s style is that it’s so easily
achievable and inexpensive. No wonder the country fell so
in love with her. The Scandi look she has championed since
the 1980s is now so firmly entrenched in the UK as equalling
comfort and relaxation, it’s hard to imagine a time without it.
But before Sasha dragged us into our Scandi-inspired futures
she reminds me UK homes “were full of festoon blinds, with
yards of chintz you could strangle yourself in, everything was
squishy and cluttered. It was so formal, with reproduction
period furniture, and separate dining rooms and kitchens.”
She was a trailblazer. “It was very unusual to be a
woman in the interior design world, working on site. I
had to be handy to convince people I could do it. One
of the first jobs I ever did I created a big moulding above
a door. The builder working with me said it wouldn’t
work so I lost my nerve and made it smaller. It looked
horrid, so I insisted we take it off and do it my way.
And of course, the builder said it looked beautiful.”
A former actress, Sasha brought her theatrical flair to
design in this way, dressing homes “like a set for people to
live their lives in, to be more relaxed with how they lived.”
Above the fireplace is a huge ornate French mirror bought as
a gift by her foster son, which she loves precisely because it was
a present. It was gold, she explains “ but I painted it white...”
Of course, she did. I ask if she ever feels guilty for
taking the paintbrush over furniture. “Not at all. It’s
89 wealdentimes.co.uk
This page: A change of colour scheme
in the work room, with green painted
furniture from Sasha’s Utility collection
about making something as I want it. But if something
is of superior quality the way it is, I will leave it as is.”
She points, laughing, to a second ornate mirror – this one
antique brass – as proof.
The living room is packed full of books and intriguing
ornaments including a 1930s Viennese sculpture, Swedish
miniature furniture, little display boxes (made by Sasha),
antique Dutch Maastricht dishes (which Sasha found
in Sri Lanka) and some exquisite blue and white china
bowls which she explains are Spanish monk’s bowls.
“I found hundreds of them in a shop in the US, and I
bought them all. I sold some in my shop and kept the rest.”
What’s interesting is that although the look is simple, it isn’t
minimalist. Sasha isn’t afraid to show the decorative or the
personal, for example a framed birthday card and hats made
by her milliner friend Brian Harris (who used to design hats
for fashion designer Zandra Rhodes), displayed on the wall.
The same juxtaposition of clean white and interesting
objects is visible in the kitchen where three rows of
chunky shelving set against plain white brick tiles are
used to display more brightly coloured collections of
antique pottery gleaned from her global travels.
Sasha’s designer’s eye is clear again in how the different
collections are artfully grouped together in little mini displays.
A cluster of fruit bowls sits on a small table, covered with a
gorgeous blue and white paisley tablecloth by Room 100.
Doors open onto a little suntrap courtyard garden, with
a painted chair and table covered with another paisley
tablecloth, this one a zesty lime green, perfectly set against the
greenery of lavender in vintage pots. Even the storage shed
wealdentimes.co.uk
90
THE BROADBAND
SPEED YOU’RE
PAYING FOR.
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GUARANTEED.
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a quick visit and choose the package that’s best for you.
TROOLI.COM
5 th Year Anniversary
KARENS FOAM STORE
AND BESPOKE SEWING SHOP
Upholstery tools
Tacks, Cotton, Felt, Hessian
Webbing
Polyester
Calico fabric
Foam cut to size
Replacement sofa cushions
Car park opposite store
Upholstery supplier
Bespoke cushion making
Outdoor seating/cushions
Camper van/caravan
139 CAMDEN ROAD
TUNBRIDGE WELLS, TN1 2RA
T: 01892 530003 / 07479 538286
E: Karensfoam@outlook.com
KarensFoamStoreWT191.indd 1 14/02/2018 16:11
50 Years Experience in
Home Improvements
Windows, Doors, Roofline Conservatory
UP TO 50% OFF
Dependent on order value. Time limited offer (Not Alarms)
I would be more than happy
to pop round and give you
a Free Quote for any of our
home improvement products
on offer at the moment or just
request a Free Brochure
Call 07930 375070
CHRIS WILLMOTT (your local rep)
www.everestwindowssussex.co.uk
wealdentimes.co.uk
92
EverestHomeImprovementsWT198.indd 1 24/07/2018 16:27
Above left: The vintage bathroom cabinet was given to Sasha by her brother, fashion illustrator and designer Gavin Waddell. Right:
The linen-weight ticking used for the shower and cupboard curtains is Rural Stripe in Swedish Blue, the blind is Flower, also in
Swedish Blue, both from the Floral Chic Collection by Room 100 available from Pale & Interesting
is ‘dressed’ with vintage embroidered linen curtains creating
the impact of another room, rather than a utility area.
Retiring to St Leonards nine years ago, to be closer to her
family, was life changing for Sasha and one she has no regrets
about – but the quiet retirement didn’t quite go as planned.
Sasha also has a home in Goa, India and one of her Indian
neighbours there is the son of the original founder of the
formerly mentioned charity Swami Sivananda Memorial
Institute (SSMI), which supports women by teaching them
creative skills, feeds 20,000 people a day from kitchens set up
in the slums and educates 1,000 children in its own school.
Sasha went to visit their work and was blown away.
“They found a whole family of traditional block
printers living in the slums and brought them to the
workshop to train others. I could see these products
had such potential and I was so impressed by the ethics
of the charity. They were selling their products to the
Indian market but not globally. So here I come in.”
Sasha has worked with them to set up Room 100, as a
range of textiles including homewares, curtains, cushions,
table linen, clothing and accessories. “I designed it so as
many women as possible would be employed and be able
to utilise their skills in embroidery, sewing, printing.”
She’s overseen a new Room 100 website, designed a Delhi
showroom (white of course) and has worked directly with
the women printers to design new textiles with a more global
appeal using soft-as-butter cottons, linens, silks and voile.
“They already did a paisley design, but it was small
and busy. I made it bigger, added more space. It’s
the Swedish thing. This way the pattern is calmer,
it recedes instead of jumping out at you.”
Heading upstairs the Indian textiles come into their
own in a new context. Sasha’s bedroom is a glorious
cornucopia of soft blue and white cotton throws,
curtains and cushions in stripes, checks and florals.
“It’s a bit over the top in here, a bit Doris Day in
Calamity Jane,” she laughs.
Above the bed is a group of framed miniatures which
look antique, but it turns out some are old postcards
Sasha framed herself as a child and two were hand
painted by Sasha’s mum. “She taught me about history
through paintings. It was such a good way to learn.”
Two pretty blue-and-white painted mirrors, which
go so well with the Indian fabric I assume they must
93 wealdentimes.co.uk
This page: With white-painted furniture and floorboards, and
blue and white Room 100 fabrics, the bedroom is a perfect
example of the sense of nurturing calm created by Sasha’s
sophisticated simplicity, set off by a few feature artworks
have come from there, were in fact hand-painted by
her daughter Atlanta Bartlett (also a notable interior
designer, whose work has been featured several times
in this magazine) when she was at university.
The small, but delightful, bathroom is another showcase
for a more unusual use of the Room 100 textiles. The
shower is hidden behind a blue striped curtain, with a
delicate floral blind made from the same fabric covering
the window. Continuing the colour theme onto the floor
is a checked blue-and-white patterned Swedish runner.
Sasha’s office next door marks a change with green painted
furniture from her Utility furniture collection. It is inspired
by 1930s interiors but still looks up to date and modern.
“That’s the essence of it. It’s simple so it doesn’t date.
Everything the Swedes did had been taken from the
French style and simplified. So I did the same. I took
French furniture and simplified it. I couldn’t design one
piece and sell it; I had to design the whole look, lights,
furniture ranges, textiles, so that people could achieve it.”
And that’s precisely what she’s now doing with
Room 100 and Swami Sivananda. A chance meeting
that has resulted in a perfect marriage of Sasha’s
design skills and Indian artisan craftsmanship.
To help the range to grow – and with it the benefits
to these impoverished families, so they can support
wealdentimes.co.uk
94
Summer Sale is now on!
Studioline bedroom furniture is on show in our Eastbourne store
Made in Germany, this versatile range of wardrobes, chests and beds are available at
Summer Sale prices with free fitting. See our website for more details, download a
brochure or call into the shop to see all the styles and finishes.
Wealden House, Cross In Hand 01435 863921 116 South Street, Eastbourne 01323 722921
www.davidsalmon.co.uk
KITCHENS
FOR REAL COOKS
It’s time for the kitchen you’ve always wanted
www.hammertons.co.uk
01435 868611
Sunset Farm • Heathfield Road
Cross in Hand • TN21 0UJ
Traditional Craftsmanship
for Modern Applications
GraceyardWT194.indd 1 09/03/2018 HammertonsWT198.indd 14:23
9 29/06/2018 10:33
THE BATHROOM SHOP
Independent bespoke bathroom specialists
k Bathroom installation
k Sanitaryware, modern and traditional
k Taps and showers, modern and traditional
k Shower enclosures and bath screens
k Fitted and free-standing furniture
11 East Cross, Tenterden, Kent, TN30 6AD k Telephone: 01580 763207
www.the-bathroomshop.co.uk
BathroomShop
k Radiators, modern and traditional
k Bathroom tiles supplied and fitted
k Accessories and toiletries
k Robes, towels, bathmats etc…
@TheBathroomShop
Garages & Outbuildings
Glazed Extensions
& Garden Rooms
Quality Buildings at
Competitive Prices
chartwelloakbuildings.co.uk
Call for a quote 01959 447477
Filston Farm, Filston Lane, Sevenoaks, Kent TN14 5JU
wealdentimes.co.uk
96
BathroomShopWT198.indd 1 23/07/2018 ChartwellOakBuildingsWT195.indd 14:15
1 11/04/2018 17:17
Above: An arrangement of Sasha’s signature white objects, is
set off by a burst of colour in a painting, echoed by the real
peonies in the jug
themselves - Sasha would love to hear from other
outlets interested in stocking the range.
“This is just a start. I want to find stockists
across England and Europe. My whole
reason for getting involved is to earn money
for the charity to continue and grow.
“The children who come in are often so malnourished
it can take a few weeks for them to recover before they
can even begin learning. They need food and clothing.
“If I can use my skills to help, then it will
be a very good ‘retirement’ indeed.”
Address Book:
Room 100 room100-ssmi.com
Pale and Interesting, 3 Landgate, Rye 01797 344077
paleandinteresting.com
Who’s Wearing What, 34 London Rd, St Leonards-on-
Sea 01424 272925 whoswearingwhat-boutique-co.uk
Swami Sivananda Memorial Institute, Delhi ssmi.in
The Room 100 range is currently stocked in Pale and Interesting in Rye and Who’s Wearing What in St
Leonards. If you are interested in becoming a stockist please contact Sasha via info@sashawaddelldesign.com
97 wealdentimes.co.uk
E
FOUR LIMES DESIGN
Bespoke Fine Furniture
www.fourlimes.design
01304 842497
Kentmere Dining Chair in
Walnut and Sycamore
Exceedingly well
made furniture
SOFAS • BEDS • CHAIRS • RUGS
Proudly hand built in Britain
by master craftsmen
By appointment only: 01233 840847
www.huutt.com
FourLimesDesignWT197.indd 1 11/06/2018 HUUTT-WT193.indd 16:52
1 13/02/2018 10:19
HAND
CRAFTED IN
TBF
ENGLAND
●TRADITIONAL
EST 2003
●
RB ES P O K E F U RN IT U
KITCHENS
BEDROOMS
& BATHROOMS
01892 723083
www.traditionalbespokefurniture.co.uk
The Old STableS, CryalS rOad, brenChley, Tn12 7aW
wealdentimes.co.uk
98
GrahamClarkeWT198.indd 1 10/07/2018 TraditionalBespokeFurnitureWT194.indd 11:53
1 16/03/2018 09:52
1 2
3
4
10
Get
the
l
l
look
6
9
11
7
8
13 12
5
1 Galvanised pendant light £76 Hurn & Hurn hurnandhurn.com 2 Handwoven wool runner £180 Ana Noush
ana-noush.com 3 White floor board soap from £14.45 Pale & Interesting paleandinteresting.com 4 Cherry Plastercast £120
Pale & Interesting paleandinteresting.com 5 Classical white armchair £348 Sweetpea and Willow sweetpeaandwillow.com
6 Quadro loose sofa from £3,825 Designers Guild designersguild.com 7 Karuma jug £22 National Trust
shop.nationaltrust.org.uk 8 White cereal bowl £7 Creative Tops creative-tops.com 9 Room100 paisley linen style
cotton £25.50/m Pale & Interesting paleandinteresting.com 10 Romo Linara fabric £38.50 Mister Smith Interiors
mistersmith.co.uk 11 Oriel linen by Imogen Heath £105/m Mister Smith Interiors mistersmith.co.uk 12 Natterbox chair
£250 Loaf loaf.com 13 Cushion cover in Room100 Bold Stripe £25.50/m Pale & Interesting paleandinteresting.com
Authorised service centre for
• Specialising in all luxury brands
• Pre-owned watches bought & sold
• Full servicing with 2 year warranty
• Vintage restoration work undertaken
• Refurbishing of cases & bracelets
• Watch batteries, straps & accessories
www.dciws.co.uk 01342 604269
info@iwsworkshop.co.uk @DCIWS
74 High Street, East Grinstead, West Sussex RH19 3DE
ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE
DavidCarpenterWT198.indd 1 24/07/2018 15:51
Specialists in luxury watch brands
Set in the heart of
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Carpenter independent
Watch Servicing is an
independent watch specialist,
offering a range of watch
servicing and repairs. our onsite
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several luxury watch brands.
We understand that your watch
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whether it’s a current model
or vintage piece, which is why
we take the utmost care and
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Furthermore, our customer
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We also have a vast range of
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Please visit our website
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to find out about:
• Watches and accessories
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wealdentimes.co.uk
100
DavidCarpenterWT198-advertorial.indd 1 24/07/2018 15:50
Hammer time
Forget Bargain Hunt... auction houses are changing and
it’s time to get excited about them again
Star item
“I fished a table writing box
out of a car boot fair once. I
saw it in the owner’s boot and
asked what he was doing with
it, he said it was going up the
tip. I told him he should try
auctioning it, thinking it was
19th century Anglo-Indian or
Portuguese. He did put it up
for auction and a couple of
bidders both reckoned it was
18th century – they ended
up driving it up to £5,000 –
£6,000, all for a box which
was headed up the tip!”
Nick Crabb
Crow’s Auction Gallery
The real benefit of buying with
auction houses is that you only
pay market value, which could be a
third or quarter of what you would
pay in a retail setting. You may have
to do some extra work but you get a
much better price.
The Lingo
Provenance
This is evidence of an item’s history
and/or origin which indicates
authenticity or quality.
If you have a piece of paper (a photo
or will for example) you have proof
of an item’s story. People always want
provenance and if you have it the item
will sell better.
Post-sale online auction
At Crow’s, every lot is sold live in the
auction room and on three auction
platforms live online.
If an item is not sold it gets uploaded
onto a post-sale online auction, which is
set up a bit like eBay.
In a normal auction we sell up to 200
lots an hour, but with this you have five
days to bid online which is a lot less
pressure. We sell 25% of unsold stock
that way.
Caveat emptor (buyer beware)
The law assumes that the buyer
has more knowledge than the
auction house.
Top tip
“If possible view items in
person. If you can’t and it’s
something you’ve seen on the
internet, make the most of
the auction house, request a
report or give them a call, they
may send you more images
or describe the item over the
phone and you can get a better
understanding of it”
You can bring items back if there’s
an inconsistency with the description
in the catalogue, but otherwise it’s
the buyer’s responsibility to check the
quality of any item you buy.
If you want to know more about an
item or check on something you can
always call the auction house.
Nick Crabb, Director/Owner, Crow’s
Auction Gallery, Dorking
01306 740382
crowsauctions.co.uk
101 wealdentimes.co.uk
Leslie Gillham Gorringe’s
My first experience of an auction
house was going to work at one
– here at Gorringe’s – around 1968, as
a bookkeeper and porter. Since then
I’ve been a director at Bonhams in
Knightsbridge and vice president of
Phillips in New York, but after all that
I ended up coming full circle back here
to Gorringe’s.
Auctions work on cycles like that
too, but generational ones. The same
thing that’s happening now happened
Star item
in the 20s. An entire generation looked
at the antiques world and said ‘Why
do we want all this old stuff?’ and the
classic 20s art deco style was born
This continued until the 60s, when
interest in antiques started to grow
again and from then to the 2000s prices
went up and up. Now it’s going down
again. The only exception is the very
best stuff which will always do well. If,
for example, you had a very ordinary
George III mahogany table it could sell
“This Indian sword sold for £7,000 last September and has a great story.
It is a late 19th century fine Indian tulwar [a type of sabre], with an
iron hilt, elephant’s head pommel and tiger knucklebow, all inlaid with
gold and fitted with gems. The finely watered single-edge blade is inlaid
in gold with the owner’s monogram TMS and it retains its silk-covered
scabbard with engraved silver mounts. It was formerly the property of
Leonard Harry Baybut (1900-1960) and thence by descent. Having
served in the RAF in World War I, he went to India and by
1935 was running his own furniture factory in Srinagar. He
was awarded the contract to refurnish gulab Bhavan, the
summer palace of the Maharajas of Jammu and Kashmir,
and as a result he struck up an enduring friendship
with the last Maharaja, Hari Singh (1895-1961) in the
mid-1940s. The relationship developed further when
Leonard accepted the post of private secretary to the
Maharaja in 1948-9, a position he held until ill-health
forced him to retire and return to england in 1959.”
Top tip
“Some people think of the
bidding process as scary and
that they will accidentally
wind up bidding thousands
of pounds because they
happened to sneeze or blink
at the wrong moment. That
never happens! The auctioneer
can see everyone and any
experienced one will know
who is interested and never
mistake say a wave or a sneeze
for a bid. So just come, relax
and enjoy it. And if you are
worried, you don’t even have
to go in person. You can now
sit and watch live on your
computer screen and bid with
a simple click.”
for around £150 at auction, but we have
seen a pair sell for £2,600. Why? Well,
obviously being a pair adds value but they
were also the very best quality and had a
good history.
The internet is changing things too.
Online bidding is increasingly popular.
Now up to 40% of things we sell –
especially smaller items like pottery or
ceramics – go to online bidders. It really
has been a revolution.
If, for example, you put a specialist
Scandinavian picture up for auction
here in Tunbridge Wells you would get
Scandinavian bidders online.
Thirty years ago people would have to
leave bids with the auctioneer, or phone
in, if they couldn’t go to the auction. This
all still happens sometimes, but it has been
completely superseded by the internet.
The one thing I would say about
online bidding is that you can get delays.
Experienced bidders see the difference
because they can’t type as quickly as they
can bid in person, but it doesn’t usually
cause a problem.
And of course you always have the
backstop of a telephone bid which lets you
talk to a real person who makes a real bid
for you then and there.
Leslie gillham, Partner, gorringe’s,
Tunbridge Wells 01892 556860
gorringes.co.uk
wealdentimes.co.uk
102
FrenchDepot
FUTURE EXHIBITIONS
G&C GALLERY
The largest French furniture
warehouse in the South.
8000sq.ft. of French furniture
and effects including
over 200 French beds.
Telephone Hastings
01424 423703 or 07707 057570
www.thefrenchdepot.com
Joseph M c Carthy
Mirror & Frame makers
FrenchDepotWT192.indd 1 04/01/2018 10:22
Midsummer Garden Art Show
26th Aug-27th Aug 2018
Astonishing artworks from international artists
Children’s art trail and workshops
Meet up & socialize with artists
At Burrswood Health and Wellbeing Centre
Groombridge, Tunbridge Wells, TN3 9PY
Tickets available at venue or at :
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/
midsummer-garden-art-show-tickets-47958850212
Nature: A Fleeting Image
15th Sep-25th Sep
Photography of nature by international artists
Bespoke Mirrors
Designed · Created · Installed
- visit our showroom -
The Pantiles Coach House , London Road, Tunbridge Wells TN2 5BF
info@josephmccarthy.co.uk
www.josephmccarthy.co.uk
01892 527528
WWW.GCGALLERY.CO.UK
+44 (0) 1892532638 info@gcgallery.co.uk
8 Camden Road, Royal Tunbridge Wells, TN1 2PT
Opening Times 10am-6pm Monday-Saturday
MAKE A PRIVATE VIEWING:
INFO@GCGALLERY.CO.UK
103 wealdentimes.co.uk
JosephMcCarthyWT197.indd 1 12/06/2018 G&CGalleryWT198.indd 10:23
1 25/07/2018 12:55
Saltcote Place, Rye
WEDDINGS & ANNIVERSARIES
THE EXCLUSIVE USE WEDDING VENUE
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With an enviable reputation for outstanding hospitality our experienced
team will help you deliver the perfect wedding.
You are not simply with us for your wedding day,
you will come to feel part of the family.
SaltcoteWeddings.co.uk tel: 01797 222220 celebrate@saltcote.co.uk
Weddings
A Wealden Times Supplement
The woodland wedding ● Fun cakes ● Tipis ● Fabulous flowers ● Honeymoon heaven
At Holmsted events we provide a bespoke wedding service
specializing in Tipis and Sailcloth Tents. We bring a unique and
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match.
To discuss your event contact us today 01622 890698
Covering all areas in Kent and Sussex
www.holmstedevents.co.uk
Contents
Over 45 years experience
specialising in coats of arms
With over 10,000 coats of arms, crests &
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Perfect day
17
The wedit
4Natural
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20The great
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Rodney J Rigby F.I.P.G
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Hand & seal engraver
Handmade signet rings, cuff links
& bespoke 3D blazer buttons
in gold, silver & platinum
T: 01892 724951 www.rodneyjrigby.com
info@rodneyjrigby.com
RJRigbyLtdWT195.indd 1 03/04/2018 12:50
4 NATURAL
ROMANCE
Bridal looks for elegant
outdoor weddings
17 THE WEDIT
Our edit of bridal
accessories
19 HEAD OVER HEELS
Shoes that can survive
an outdoor wedding
20 THE GREAT
BRITISH CAKE OFF
Do something a little
different with your cake
23 PERFECT DAY
Venues that set the
scene for wedding bliss
29 FLOWER POWER
How to pick the best
beautiful flowers
30 MOONSTRUCK
The expert opinions of
honeymoons
19
Head over
heels
Professional Firework Displays by
AJ Pyrotechnics Ltd
Whatever the occasion AJ Pyrotechnics can light up your night!
We offer professional, fully insured, high impact display packages and can
tailor our displays to accommodate most budgets. We pride ourselves on the
content, design and value for money that all our displays bring.
WEDDINGS • BONFIRE NIGHT • ALL YEAR CELEBRATIONS • RETAIL FIREWORKS
Cover image: Cotton voile and tulle dress, from £1800, The
Robing Room therobingroom.co.uk; for ring details see page 9; foliage
headdress, Sue Davies Flowers and Garden suedaviesflowers.com
Tel: 07826 658996 or 07733 159499
or 01303 867011
www.ajpyrotechnics.co.uk
3 wealdentimes.co.uk
AJPyrotechnicsWT198.indd 1 24/07/2018 17:48
Natural
romance
Relish every moment of your special day in a
dress that is as relaxed as it is elegant
Photographs: David Merewether Styling: Kate Watts Make up: natasha Valerie
natashavaleriemakeup.com / 07837 553905 Hair: Vicky at Truffle, Tunbridge Wells
truffleonsea.com/tunbridgewells / 01892 557722 Model: Jessica Bishop
dressing undeniable beauty
35 High St,
Cranbrook
www.odyl.co.uk
01580 714907
44
Going Away or Staying at Home?
Top up your Summer Wardrobe at
and add a dash of glamour with
our fashionable accessories
Opening Hours: Tuesday—Friday 10.30am—5pm
Saturday 10am—3pm
44 High Street, Charing, Kent TN27 0HX 01233 714689
Striking pieces borrowed from the most
glamorous of bygone eras, to complement
your unique style
Elizabeth44WT198.indd 1 05/07/2018 OdylWT198.indd 15:07 1 12/07/2018 16:33
Fine, vintage & costume jewellery
Designer vintage clothing
Vintage collectables
Seasonal specials
Unique gifts
www.smashing-things.co.uk
Telephone 01435 813 320 info@smashing-things.co.uk
WT Wedding Supplement
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VintageLionsWT197.indd 1 20/06/2018 16:22
Previous page: Kate dress, from £965, malmaison flower sash or crown £145.95, Tara Deighton Bridal & Bespoke taradeighton.co.uk;
metallic clogs, £129, Kitty Clogs kittyclogssweden.co.uk; gold hunting coin necklace, £234, gold travelling star diamond necklace,
£190, Pearl & Queenie pearlandqueenie.com; large circle necklace, £45, Crystal & Stone crystalstonelondon.co.uk
This page: Louka dress, starting from £1200, Rembo Styling rembo-styling.com; stacking rings, £16, Crystal & Stone
crystalstonelondon.co.uk
7 wealdentimes.co.uk
Left and top: Dress, £850, Real Green Dress realgreendress.com; bouquet & flowers in hair, Sue Davies Flowers and Garden
suedaviesflowers.com Bottom right: Cotton voile and tulle dress, from £1800, The Robing Room therobingroom.co.uk; rings left to
right: top £16, Crystal & Stone crystalstonelondon.co.uk; pearl ring, £175, aqua chalcedony stone 22 carat gold on silver, £56, Pearl &
Queenie pearlandqueenie.com; top £16, Crystal & Stone crystalstonelondon.co.uk; bottom labradorite stone 22 carat gold on silver, £40,
Pearl & Queenie pearlandqueenie.com; top beaded £20, knot, £16, Crystal & Stone crystalstonelondon.co.uk; bottom hand enamel &
amethyst ring, £156, Pearl & Queenie pearlandqueenie.com; top £16, bottom £16, Crystal & Stone crystalstonelondon.co.uk
WT Wedding Supplement
8
SUMMER
SALE
The One Stop Shop for Ladies Fashion in Surrey
www.melitaboutique.co.uk
57 High Street, Chobham, Surrey GU24 8AF
Tel: 01276 856308
Swattenden Lane | Cranbrook | TN17 3PS
01580 713189
www.charityfarmcountrystore.co.uk
WEST KENT
SHOOTING SCHOOL
MelitaOfChobhamWT198.indd 1 24/07/2018 CharityFarmWT197.indd 15:34
1 14/06/2018 16:02
Concept
Hair
salon
Open Monday to Friday 10am–5pm
Telephone: 01892 834306
• English Sporting
• Skeet
• 100ft High Tower
• Lessons
• Corporate Days
Friday 3 August—Shotgun & Chelsea Bun Club
Monday 15 August—Young Shots Morning
Tuesday 21 August—BASC Young Shots Activity Day
Wednesday 5 September—Side by Side Grand Masters
New Hay Farm, Old Hay (Off Pearsons Green Road)
Paddock Wood, Brenchley, Kent TN12 7DG
westkentshooting.co.uk
50 High Street, Tenterden 01580 762 564
Book online at www.williamcharleshair.co.uk
or through our facebook page
9 wealdentimes.co.uk
WestKentShootingWT198.indd 1 13/07/2018 WilliamCharlesWT196.indd 16:53
1 10/05/2018 15:42
BIG SUMMER SALE
SUMMER SALE
NOW ON
cashmere and silk knitwear
NOW ON
UP
TO 50% Off!
23 High Street, Tenterden TN30 6BJ
Telephone 01580 761222
Shop online at www.cashara.co.uk
Hawkhurst-No6 The Colonnade Rye Road Kent. TN184ES
01580 752118
Rye- No12 High Street Rye East Sussex. TN317JF
01797 224369
Lewes -27 High Street Lewes East Sussex. BN72LU
01273 480896
www.countyclothesmenswear.co.uk
p
pencil us in
Silk
pTies
Shaving
accessories
County Clothes Menswear
Quality & Personal Service
CasharaWT198.indd 1 11/07/2018 CordeliaJamesWT198.indd 10:23
1 12/07/2018 10:23
Canterbury Tenterden Reigate Sevenoaks
fRNLtRnTiEORaItOnL
EdIn aTiE
Break free from the conformity and restriction of
suit hire and invest in something that expresses
your individuality.
Call us today to arrange a consultation and
enjoy the luxury of quality clothing
and a personal service.
Cosy
Scarves
Stripy
Socks
velvet finesse
19 St Margaret’s Street
Canterbury
Kent, CT1 2TH
2 East Cross
Tenterden
Kent, TN30 6AD
6 High Street
Reigate
Surrey, RH2 9AY
14 Bank Street
Sevenoaks
Kent, TN13 1UW
01227 765294 01580 765159 01737 249224 01732 454068
@countyclothescanterbury @countyclothestenterden @countyclothesreigate @countyclothessevenoaks
WT Wedding Supplement
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CountyClothesWT198.indd 1 11/07/2018 10:04
Main dress, £95, Hoopers hoopersstores.com; wedges, £200, Zaccys London zaccys.com; gold travelling star diamond
necklace, £190, Pearl & Queenie pearlandqueenie.com; moonstone bead ring necklace, £40, hammered ring necklace,
£35, stacking & knot rings, £16, Crystal & Stone crystalstonelondon.co.uk; in background left to right: shirt dress, £95,
Hoopers hoopersstores.com; vintage dress, £550, Real Green Dress realgreendress.com; custom made leather fringe jacket,
from £400, The Robing Room therobingroom.co.uk; floral maxi, £359, Hoopers hoopersstores.com; vintage dress, £550,
Real Green Dress realgreendress.com
11 wealdentimes.co.uk
The Robing Room
Bespoke Service
Beautiful handcrafted garments designed
and made to measure ‘just for you’....
Bespoke Service
Adults & Children
Beautiful handcrafted garments designed
and made to measure ‘just for you’....
Adults & Children
Prices start www.therobingroom.co.uk
from £500 for wedding dresses,
£85 for lingerie and £150 for Bridesmaids
T: 01303 487230
www.therobingroom.co.uk
LINDAPOPEOPTICIANS
FACEBOOK.COM/LINDAPOPEOPTICIANS
WWW.LINDAPOPEOPTICIAN.CO.UK
RYE ROAD • HAWKHURST
TELEPHONE 01580 753744
RobingRoomWT198-QRT.indd 1 23/07/2018 LindapopeWT198.indd 11:22
1 10/07/2018 11:18
The Robing Room
Bespoke Service
Beautiful handcrafted garments designed
and made to measure ‘just for you’....
Adults & Children
www.therobingroom.co.uk
purely beauty
Beauty Salon & Clinic
Hawkhurst
Pamper Packages
Available
View our website for all our
pamper packages
Purenique Top to Toe
- Mini Manicure
- Mini Pedicure
- Express Facial
70 mins Just £60
Book Online
www.purenique.co.uk
WT Wedding Supplement
12
Laser - IPL - Advanced Skin Treatments - Electrolysis
Hair Removal - Advanced Facials - Massage - Nails
01580 753383 Book Online www.purenique.co.uk
EmmaFreemanWT198.indd 1 24/07/2018 PureniqueWT198.indd 15:47
1 28/06/2018 12:45
This page: Honey Bear dress, starting from £1200, Rembo Styling rembo-styling.com; bar necklace, £36, moonstone bead ring
necklace, £40, Crystal & Stone crystalstonelondon.co.uk; bouquet, Sue Davies Flowers and Garden suedaviesflowers.com
13 wealdentimes.co.uk
Left: Crepe dress with beaded shoulders, from £1400, The Robing Room therobingroom.co.uk; mother of pearl earrings, £88, Pearl &
Queenie pearlandqueenie.com Right: Ridely London silk devore dress, £699, The Robing Room therobingroom.co.uk; mother of pearl
earrings, £88, Pearl & Queenie pearlandqueenie.com; floral headdress, Sue Davies Flowers and Garden suedaviesflowers.com
A special thank you to all the team at The Dreys in Sittingbourne for working with us at their beautiful venue in the Kent
wilderness. Visit thedreys.co.uk or contact 01622 236550 to find out more about their bespoke wedding service, event hire or
glamping. Floral arrangements and headdresses Sue Davies Flowers and Garden, Sutton Valence suedaviesflowers@gmail.com /
suedaviesflowers.com / 07703 413522
WT Wedding Supplement
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Say “I do”
IN THE GARDEN OF ENGLAND
YOUR BESPOKE KENT COUNTRYSIDE WEDDING
AT EASTWELL MANOR
Choose from our grand oak panelled manor house or whimsical walled garden to host your civil ceremony and reception.
With sublime cuisine and the finest selection of wines, elegant bedrooms, a Champneys spa for the
ultimate pre-wedding pamper and stunning grounds for a picture perfect backdrop,
Eastwell Manor is more than a breath-taking setting; it’s a place where dreams are made.
FAIRY TALE
WINTER WEDDINGS
SPRING & SUMMER
WEDDINGS
EXCLUSIVE
HIRE
from £6,500 from £8,950 from £25,000
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO SPEAK TO A MEMBER OF OUR WEDDING TEAM
PLEASE CALL 01233 213020 OR VISIT EASTWELLMANOR.CO.UK
WEDDINGS AT BANNATYNE
SPA HOTEL HASTINGS
Situated in the heart of 1066 Country, between the historic towns of
Battle and Hastings, this stunning Georgian country house can be exclusively
yours for your special day. Fall in love with it’s unique character and style,
a modern boutique hotel, with many original features.
Whether it’s one of our all inclusive packages or a bespoke package to suit your exact
requirements, our dedicated wedding team will be happy to assist in making your day perfect.
Contact our events team now to arrange your show round and receive a personalised quote.
Small and Intimate packages available from £550
All inclusive packages available from £3500
Bespoke packages also available
Quote “Wealden Times” when booking your viewing and we will honour our 2019 prices for all 2020 weddings. Phone
01424 851222 (opt 2) or email events.hastingshotel@bannatyne.co.uk for more information.
Follow us on social media for all our latest offers!
IIII
IIII
Moonstruck rose earrings
£35 Ivory & Co
ivoryandcotiaras.co.uk
V Jewellery Luna pendant
£65 Fenwick Tunbridge Wells
fenwick.co.uk
Titania crown £1,295
Hermione Harbutt
hermioneharbutt.com
Platinum ear studs with
emerald cut diamonds
£3,260 Prestons
prestonsdiamonds.co.uk
Sienna headband £35 Silver Sixpence
in her Shoe
silversixpenceinhershoe.co.uk
Charlotte Wise Photography
IIII
Cleo pearl and crystal headress
£485 Snow Jewels snowjewels.co.uk
The
Wedit
WGet ready for your close up with
some fabulous accessories
Cleo headress £190 Donna Crain
donnacrain.com
Deco back necklace £235 Hermione
Harbutt hermioneharbutt.com
Back necklace £89 Not on the
High Street notonthehighstreet.com
Pearl Pendant £59.95
Annabel James
annabeljames.co.uk
Head chain £95 Silver Sixpence in
her Shoe silversixpenceinhershoe.co.uk
Flower crown with detachable veil
Pelican Rose £125 pelicanrosebride.com
IIII
Timeless necklace £236
Links of London
linksoflondon.com
Cinnamon Rose hair vine
£185 Ivory & Co
ivoryandcotiaras.co.uk
Ostrich Feather Stole
£95 Pretty Eccentric
prettyeccentric.co.uk
Stud earrings £265
Pandora uk.pandora.net
17 wealdentimes.co.uk
3 magnificent oak beamed function rooms,
self-contained with their own bar and toilets.
Licenced for Civil Ceremonies.
Off peak discounts available. Ample free parking.
Unique photo opportunities in the High Rocks National Monument.
2 am licence for drinking and dancing.
No venue hire charge.
Call us now on 01892 515 532 to arrange
a viewing or visit www.highrocks.co.uk
The High Rocks | Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN3 9JJ
Marmalade £59 Office
office.co.uk
Felicity wedges £235
Freya Rose freyarose.com
Marci gladiators
£39 Kurt Geiger
kurtgeiger.com
Isha gold shoes £135
Lisa Kay lisakayshoes.com
Lisa Kay shoes available
at Melita of Chobham
motherofthebridechobham.co.uk
Penelope pom pom sliders £35
Accessorize uk.accessorize.com
ead
H heels
Forget glass slippers and painful stilettos –
over
happy feet make for a happy wedding and
at an outdoor venue practicality is a must!
Studded sandals
£30 River Island
riverisland.com
Broderie tennis shoes £49
Bensimon bensimon.com
Mel sandals £59
Office office.co.uk
Lucy beaded sandal £35
Accessorize uk.accessorize.com
Mules rule
Otter mules £129 Kurt
Geiger kurtgeiger.com
Nick of Time heels £89.99
Irregular Choice irregularchoice.com
Boden sandals £150
John Lewis johnlewis.com
Espadrille sandals
£45 River Island
riverisland.com
Charlotte flats £99
Dune dunelondon.com
19 wealdentimes.co.uk
The great British
cake off
Forget those rock hard white
edifices, the modern wedding
cake is as fun as it is scrumptious
(and it’s not always a cake...)
What does a wedding
cake look like in 2018?
Increasingly not shiny white
tiers of rock-hard icing over the yellow
marzipan layer so many people loathe
and solid fruity cake that isn’t much
more popular.
Today’s bride – the Duchess of Sussex
included – wants a cake as relaxed and
fun as the rest of her wedding.
Loulou Hamilton of the wonderful
Cocolicious café in Cranbrook has been
creating this much more laid back and
modern take on the great celebration
cake, since she opened four years ago.
“We like making wedding cakes
which are as natural as possible,” she
says. “Definitely no fondanted ones! We
do ‘naked’ cakes, with no icing at all
on the sides, so you can see the layers
of sponge, which are very popular, and
‘rough’ buttercream icing – as above –in
pretty colours, applied in a deliberately
loose way, with fresh flowers. It’s all
much more relaxed.
“Another detail people love is having
different flavours in every layer. The
taller cake in the picture here has layers
of elderflower and lemon, salted caramel
and raspberry rose.”
Taking the idea of a choice of flavours
further is the new idea of having not
just one cake – but a whole ‘dessert
WT Wedding Supplement
20
table’ of different sweet treats.
“It’s been big in America for a while,’
says Loulou. “People have seen it on
Pinterest and Instagram – which are
a huge source of inspiration and have
created a boom in beautiful, visual ideas
for wedding cakes – and have started to
ask for it here.
“I think it’s a lovely idea, because
instead of having a formal pudding
delivered to each guest by waiters,
guests get up and mingle at the desserts
table. It’s a great conversation starter.”
And, really, compared to the oldstyle
cakes, so dessicated and rigid that
slices of them could be sent through the
post to invitees who couldn’t make the
wedding, how joyous to choose between
glazed doughnuts, cupcakes, layers of
delicious sponge – and the lamingtons
which Loulou has made Cocolicious’s
signature treat. (Indeed they are now
sold, beautifully boxed, in Selfridges.)
Cutting the cake has never been
more fun.
Contact Loulou Hamilton via
askloulou@cocolicious.co.uk
You can see more of their cakes on
Instagram @cocoliciouscranbrook and
online at cocolicious.co.uk
Cocolicious, Stone Street, Cranbrook
01580 714954
21 wealdentimes.co.uk
Giant Tipi Hire for
Weddings, Celebrations
and Corporate Events
For a bespoke quotation or to arrange a free consultation,
visit www.mytipievent.co.uk
My tipi event
Welcome to MyTipiEvent.
We are a multi-award winning Tipi provider
situated in the South East of England. Our Nordic
Tipis or Teepees create a magical and spacious
atmosphere; allowing our customers to transform
a blank canvas into a unique and extraordinary
venue with almost unlimited potential
Telephone: 01474 824021 or 07809 351182
email: info@mytipievent.co.uk
mytipievent
MyTipiEvent
mytipievent
#perfectlypitched
Perfect day
The venue sets the whole tone of
a wedding and whether you are
after laid-back festival vibe, or
a wonderfully dramatic setting,
there’s more choice than ever
My Tipi Event
Darren Smith
“My children and my family are in love
with all things festival – we camp a lot,
we love the great outdoors. Three years
ago we discovered Nordic tipis purely by
accident on line and I decided to start
this company, although I had no previous
experience with any events industry, or
weddings.
It was only meant to be a part-time gig,
six months in summer – I already had a
retail business – but it’s blown us away.
We’ve done 50 weddings in 6 months and
it’s still increasing, but we are not going to
let it grow too much, because we want to
keep the personal touch. I’m at every set
up and every take down.
The people who book our tipis have a
sense of adventure and don’t want to be
pocketed into a formal wedding, they want
something quirky and versatile, that can be
pitched anywhere.
We offer our ‘Giant Hats’ which are
the really big tipis and smaller chill-out
tents, plus catering tents. To help our
clients plan what they want, we just need
to know how many seated guests you are
going to have and how many in total, but
a rough guide is that for every 100 people
you will need two Giant Hats.
The smaller chill-out tents have low
wooden tables, Moroccan pouffes and an
open fire pit. We supply an abundance
of giant marshmallows. They are a break
away from the noise and hysteria, it’s a
zone. We also have a wood-fired pizza
oven in a little hat tipi with fairy lights,
that’s very popular.
We say, let your imagination run wild.
We can create a traditional vibe with
round tables and lime-washed Chiavari
chairs, or festival route with rustic trestle
tables and benches. You can use all your
own suppliers for all the details, or we
have a Little Black Book on the website,
with all of our friends who, DJs, florists,
caterers and cake makers.”
My Tipi event mytipievent.co.uk 01474 824021
23 wealdentimes.co.uk
The Dreys
Dave Keulemans
“Our venue appeals to people who
want a festival-inspired, free-spirited,
organic, bohemian alternative in a
wonderful woodland environment. This
is our fifth year and demand is growing
drastically.
The Dreys is family-owned and
run and we are very aware of our
surroundings, of the symbiosis of nature
and humans working together. There
are 80 acres of natural environment, we
don’t use concrete anywhere, or plant
anything, it’s all here. The couples who
choose us are looking for this type of
venue, because we are different.
We have a fully licensed in-house
bar and we sell all local Kent products,
like Chapel Down wines and cider
from The Kent Cider Company. Our
alcohol supplier is Page & Sons, which
has been operating in Ramsgate since
the Napoleonic era. We try not to bring
things in from outside the county.
A special feature is the ceremony area,
a lovely spot in the woods with oaks
and old hornbeams and natural arches.
Guests pull up in the car park, in
front of a mass of woodland, then they
go through a tiny little doorway onto a
secret pathway meandering through the
woodland to the ceremony area.
We are licensed for civil partnerships
and marriages. After the ceremony it’s
another 50 metres through the woods to
the venue.
There is a 15 x18m marquee with
wood flooring, outside there is a fire pit
with daybeds and additional seating and
it’s all professionally wired for sound,
with festoon lighting throughout. We
have capacity for 60 to 500 people and
a licence until 2am.
You can bring your own food and
entertainment – we have a system for
DJs and band. We give people a lot of
freedom, but we can also recommend
food suppliers that have been used on
the site and were great.
And if it rains, that’s fine. Everything
is under cover and you can bring wellies
and brollies to walk to the venue.”
The Dreys, Squirrel Wood, Rumstead Lane, Stockbury, Sittingbourne ME9 7RT 01622 236550 thedreys.co.uk
Wedding photos by Mark Gray weddingevent.photography
WT Wedding Supplement
24
Together we will
create your unique,
perfect celebration
DECORATED FEASTING BOXES
FOR YOUR SPECIAL DAY
Free yourself and your guests from formalities. Dive into
apple crates filled with a fabulous feast, tailored to suit your
tastes. Our gourmet sharing boxes are decorated to your
theme, forming the perfect centrepiece for your table.
Great for a Tipi, Yurt or outside at a festival style wedding.
We offer something beautiful, delicious and different for
all occasions: weddings, hen parties, shooting parties,
birthdays, festive events, or glamping.
Boho Events
boxed-weddings.co.uk
boxedweddings
Call The Girls@BOXED
07767 830167 / 07858 154908
Sissinghurst Road, Biddenden TN27 8DQ
01580 292992 www.glampingwedding.co.uk
Baldwins Travel Group
BoxedWeddingsWT198.indd 1 17/07/2018 BloomsburysBiddendenWT198.indd 14:17
1 20/07/2018 12:55
Picture courtesy of Sandals
In association with
www.baldwinstravel.co.uk/weddings
E:weddings@baldwins-travel.co.uk T:01892 506401
25 wealdentimes.co.uk
BaldwinsTravelWT198.indd 1 16/07/2018 11:14
High Rocks
Giuseppe
“Our venue is very special, because
it’s on a site that contains an official
National Monument – a Stone Age
camp – and the amazing sandstone rock
formations, that can be accessed by a
system of eleven bridges.
There is also a station for the Spa
Valley Railway in our garden, so the
bridal party – or the whole wedding
– can arrive by steam train. You
can hire one carriage, or the whole
train, boarding at Tunbridge Wells,
Groombridge or Eridge. You can even
start at London Bridge, change at
Eridge and arrive at High Rocks.
When we came here there was just
a tiny restaurant. We moved the Great
Hall Barn here from Herefordshire. We
also have the Halt and the President’s
Suite, depending on the guest numbers.
We are a venue at the affordable end
of the market, where we do everything
for the bride and groom, you can get
married here and all our food is homecooked
by our dedicated team. We have
chefs who have been here for 30 years.
We don’t charge for the venue, you
choose a package which is multiplied by
the number of guests, so it’s very simple.
The Rocks has been used many times
as a film and video location – Merlin
was filmed here and Enya made a video
here - and offers the opportunity for
the most amazing dramatic wedding
photographs, including flood-lit nighttime
photos which are something very
special to have long after the wedding
day is over.”
The High Rocks, High Rock Lane, Tunbridge Wells TN3 9JJ highrocks.co.uk 01892 515532
Yoghurt Rooms
Aafke Bauer
“We have been running weddings on
our organic beef family farm in the
heart of Sussex for over nine years now
and since we built our beautiful oakframed
barn in 2014 we have been fully
booked year after year.
As well as the huge barn they have
full access to the farm, our three
gorgeous Mongolian yurts and two
stylish apartments accommodating up
to 42 guests on site. We also have a new
marquee, sound systems, an after-hours
music room, camping fields, fire pits
and play area, all with incredible views
over stunning rolling countryside.
Our couples book because they
want something a bit different to the
traditional hotel weddings.
Most of our couples want a festival
style or boho wedding and that’s exactly
what we do best.
It’s a DIY type venue where our
couples have the chance and freedom
to inject their own style and ideas and
really let their imagination run wild.
One of our beautiful brides wanted
to be delivered to her ceremony on
the front of our tractor in the bucket!
Which we of course gladly did.
It is lovely to see how amazing, cool
and different their set ups can be. Our
couples dream up their perfect day and
we help them create it.”
Yoghurt Rooms, Busses Farm, East Grinstead RH19 4NL yoghurtrooms.com 07543 941191
WT Wedding Supplement
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St Julians Club
THE PERFECT VENUE FOR YOUR WEDDING
Tucked away behind Knole Park, Sevenoaks, St Julians is a beautiful
19th Century house and gardens with spectacular views across the valley.
At St Julians, we believe that your wedding day is uniquely special, and
we aim to make it unforgettable for you and your guests. Our friendly
staff can assist you in every aspect of planning your wedding, and are
always on hand to ensure that your day runs perfectly.
A UNIQUE VENUE
BESPOKE PLANNING & EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE
IN AN UNPARALLELED SETTING
01732 458261 • INFO@STJULIANS.CO.UK • WWW.STJULIANS.CO.UK
StJuliansClubWT198.indd 1 11/07/2018 10:39
27 wealdentimes.co.uk
CHD-WT198.indd 1 03/07/2018 12:35
Sissinghurst Flowers
made with love
WEDDING FLORIST OF THE YEAR 2014-2017/18
KENT WEDDING AWARDS
Finalist 2016
KENT EXCELLENCE IN BUSINESS AWARDS
Regional Finalist (London & South East) 2014-2018
WEDDING INDUSTRY AWARDS
Multi award winning Wedding Florist
www.emilyandme.co.uk 07581 294387
Weddings Life Events Courses
www.sissinghurstflowers.co.uk
Telephone: 01580 852144 / 07977 142447
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1 15/05/2018 11:06
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WT Wedding Supplement
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Flower
power
Choosing flowers for a wedding can be overwhelming – they’re all so beautiful! – so we
asked two highly experienced wedding florists for advice
Sue Davies, Sue Davies Flowers
“My role is to guide them, which I
do with a no obligation consultation.
I show them images of weddings I’ve
done and I have a pictorial library of
different flowers, colours, types, so I can
show them what I’m talking about.
Usually they will have a colour idea,
they’ve quite often sourced the dresses.
After that conversation I will have
an idea of what they want and I give
people a mood board to look at.
Instagram and Pinterest have changed
everything and it’s great, giving people
wonderful ideas. I did a great one
this summer [see above] where the
bridesmaids chose their own dreses,
in different colours and that was my
colour palette. The bride had all those
colours in her bouquet and crown.
Wild and informal tied bouquets are
really in. They want to look as though
they’ve gathered it on the pathway up
to the ceremony area – and it takes
professional skill to achieve that. I’ve
always mixed hedgerow bits and pieces
in with flowers. I grow flowers myself to
use and work very seasonally.
I also do complete artificial flower
weddings, I once boxed one up and sent
it to Greece. Artificial crowns are very
practical and brides can keep them and
hang them up, a lovely memento.
The quality of artificial flowers is so
fantastic now.”
suedaviesflowers.com 07703 413522
Image above Mark Gray
weddingevent.photography
Sam Reynolds
Creative director Emily & Me
“The first thing is to plan a budget for
their flowers – and to make it realistic.
Brides often undervalue the amount
needed for flowers, but they are a major
part of the day, they are the decoration
of the venue and what the guests see.
On our website we provide a guide
to flower prices and we always route
people there from first emails. That’s
the place to start.
Once they have a budget, they need
to find a specialist wedding florist –
not a retail florist – who fits with their
ideal. The internet has made this so
much easier, because they can look at
websites and see what they like. They
should also check out their reputation
through reviews and whether they’ve
won any awards.
Then they can book a free
consultation to talk through their ideas
and bring with them Pinterest ideas,
pictures from magazines, anything to do
with their wedding. I love to see all of
it. The more someone can tell me, the
more I can get a feel for it. The flowers
reflect the couple. We do some really
wacky weddings and it all starts with
these conversations.
A lovely trend at the moment is
arches covered with flowers, which are
great if they are getting married outside,
then they can bring them in and have
them behind the top table.”
emilyandme.co.uk 07581 294387
29 wealdentimes.co.uk
Moonstruck
We’re all online travel experts now, but for a trip as special as your honeymoon it pays
to have the experts sort it (and who needs the stress with a wedding to plan?)
Dorking Travel
Alistair McLean, owner
Baldwins
Steph Witchell, Bespoke Travel Manager, Tunbridge Wells
“A honeymoon should be the most memorable holiday
you ever take – so don’t try to cut corners. Look at what is
available online, but then come and speak to an expert on
how to put it all together.
Booking on the internet is fraught with pitfalls. If you
book the flight and the accommodation separately and one
falls through you’ve lost the other. An experienced travel
agent will take away the stress from the bride and groom,
with a personal touch.
The style of honeymoons is changing. Couples are
looking for experiences rather than fly and flop. They’ve
done that before and want to have experiences – or go
somewhere you can combine experiences and activities, and
then flop for four or five days. People say: ‘We want to do
all these things while we can, because the next step in our
journey will be children and we won’t be able to afford it.’
We are doing a lot of safaris for honeymoons and I’ve
even done road trips in America, Route 66. A wonderful
option is Gaia Island resort off the coast of Borneo, which
has rooms on stilts on a beautiful beach with rainforest
behind. You can kayak through mangrove forest, go
ziplining, snorkelling with the experts in conservation and
see orangutans.
But on the other hand, while honeymooners’ initial
thoughts are the further away the more exotic it’s going to
be, do you really want to spend 20 hours on a plane to the
Cook Islands? Or would you just like to go to Positano…?”
dorkingtravel.co.uk 01306 735757
“The first thing we do when a couple comes in to enquire
about a honeymoon is to sit and have a chat about what
they are thinking they might want to do. Then we can
elaborate on that and make suggestions they haven’t even
thought of. It’s about talking to people, listening to their
ideas and then telling them the options.
We work with so many different operators and have such
depth of experience across our branches, we can arrange
anything anyone wants to do. We might suggest that they
twin centre it, rather than just going to one place. Luxury
train trips are huge this year. Not just the Orient Express
to Venice, they also do trips in Peru and Malaysia, with
stunning suites on the trains.
A lot of newlyweds now are doing a luxury ‘mini moon’
short break right after the wedding and then saving up to
do a proper honeymoon a year later.
After a big swing to the internet, people are coming back
to travel agents. There are so many dodgy companies online
and we offer price parity with what you find there, but we’ll
do everything for you and because of the contacts we have
we can get room upgrades and added extras.
Many of our clients have got their home already, so they
start a Honeymoon Fund with us and ask for contributions
to a honeymoon as a wedding present. They have cards they
give to wedding guests with our contact details and guests
ring in to us to make a contribution.
When couples come in to pick up their tickets they get a
bottle of prosecco and a wedding card – and we ask them
to pop in and have a coffee with us when they come back
and they show us their holiday pics. It helps us learn if
it’s somewhere we haven’t been ourselves and it’s great to
get feedback on hotels and trips, then we know what to
recommend to other people.”
baldwinstravel.co.uk 01892 506401
WT Wedding Supplement
30
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Beauty
Here comes the
beautiful bride
Meghan Markle – the Duchess of Sussex – set the bar
very high, but Josephine Fairley has tips for all brides to
achieve their big day beauty best
Was there ever a more radiant vision than Meghan Markle
(as she still was then) walking up that aisle on her own? But
while we’re not all TV star perfect, there’s a lot that any bride
can learn from her, starting with her complexion perfection.
What we know for sure is that she has regular facials – from
Nichola Joss, whose brilliant protégée Charlotte Connoley
works at The Old Rectory Treatment Rooms in Hastings.
Savvy brides book in for a six-month series of facials – and/
or facial acupuncture, which can be fantastic for glow and ‘lift’
– on a monthly basis leading up to the wedding, with the final
facial perhaps a week before the Big Day. You don’t want any
post-cleanse pimples breaking out that morning...
Consulting with a facialist – ideally someone without a
particular brand allegiance – is probably the best way to
fine-tune a skin regime that works best for you. Through
that magnifying glass, they’re able to see exactly what your
complexion needs.
Make-up is then the icing on the wedding cake – and
Meghan’s was picture-perfect: natural, neutral and even with a
few freckles shining through. (As a result, Google searches for
‘freckle-friendly make-up’ are up 117%, FYI.)
Of course you may have booked your hair and make-up
artist the minute the ring was on your finger, but if you’re
going to be doing your own maquillage, you can still tap into
good advice from the pros: head for a department store, and
have a makeover from a consultant whose look you like. Keep
doing it until you’ve tried three or four ranges. Clinique, Bobbi
Brown and Estée Lauder all give great on-counter makeovers.
If you’re happy with the results, you can even enquire about
the make-up artist’s availability for weddings. Although, if
you’ve the budget, many top editorial and catwalk make-up
artists will do wedding make-up at a price; check out the
on-line portfolios at joygoodman.com and mandycoakley.co.uk
Before settling on your look, heed the wise words of Daniel
Martin, the A-list make-up artist who
Meghan enlisted to do her wedding
make-up: “In years to come you
want to be able to look back at
your photos and think about
how great you felt in your dress
on your wedding day, and not
be distracted by how
Hollywood
Flawless Filter,
Charlotte
Tilbury £30
trendy your make-up
was in 2018.”
Which certainly means avoiding the
contouring/strobing/Kardashian-esque
look that’s alas so currently prevalent.
Tinted Lip
He acknowledges Meghan does have incredible
Balm in Zinnia,
skin, so for the day itself, he recalls: “I started by Burt’s Bees
prepping her skin with a clarifying toner, water-based £5.99
moisturiser and a Korean sunscreen that also acts as a
foundation gripper to lock down foundation.”
That sunscreen’s important; although brides aren’t normally
driven by carriage through the streets of Windsor, there will
almost certainly be photo opportunities outdoors and you don’t
want to end up sunburned.
Daniel doesn’t actually talk specifics about product used on
the royal bride – because the now Duchess of Sussex (our very
own Wealden duchess…) can’t be seen to be endorsing specific
lines, but my hunch is that it could well have been the cult
favourite Etude House Surprise Mild Airy Finish SPF50, which
you can find in the UK on Amazon.
Then, Daniel Martin says: “I just balanced and neutralised
any discolourations with concealer and foundation. I like to use
water-based foundation, because it absorbs well into the skin
without becoming oily over time.”
You could try MAC Studio Waterweight SPF30,
£27.50, Bobbi Brown Intensive Skin Serum Foundation
SPF40B, £42, and Clinique Even Better Makeup, £28
– but just as important as finding a formulation you
like is ensuring a great colour match.
It bears repeating – because I still see women in
department stores experimenting with shades by
applying them to the back of their hands – that
foundation should always be tried on the jawline,
to make certain it blends seamlessly with
the skintone of both face and neck. No bride
will regret carving out some time in her frenzied
schedule to find her perfect foundation.
A luminiser (also known as highlighter)
was then ‘stippled’ over Meghan’s foundation,
apparently – flattering and pretty in pictures,
but only if it’s applied with the deftest touch.
It’s wise to have a friend (or your make-up
pro, if you’re using one) take snaps at your
wedding make-up rehearsal – with flash, in daylight
and in natural light indoors, so you can see how the
light bounces off your face in photos.
107 wealdentimes.co.uk
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logo.pdf 1 05/07/2018 16:58
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“Makeup is so exciting, there are no boundaries.
You can be who you want to be.”
07837 553905 www.natashavaleriemakeup.com
Dale Weeks Photography
Beauty
For that teensy touch of gleam, I’d recommend Charlotte
Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter Hollywood Glow, £30. It
goes on subtly, and is a buildable liquid. (There’s also a terrific
on-line tutorial on how to use it, on charlottetilbury.com.)
For blush, Daniel went for a coral shade of cream blush; if
you’re cool-complexioned, go for a rosy tone, instead. I’m a fan
of the new Revlon Photoready Insta-Blush, £9.99, which offers
a Rose Gold and Berry Kiss option. Cream blusher is brilliantly
blendable, but be aware: cream blusher doesn’t last all day. A
whisper of your favourite translucent powder whisked over the
top will help it stay put.
As for eyeshadow, Daniel couldn’t have gone for a more
natural-looking palette of browns, taupes and ivory, with a little
touch of copper. For this natural-looking smoky eye, Daniel
explains: “The trick is to lay down a base of cream colour all
over your lid and layer it with shadow. I used shades of warm
chestnut, cocoa and a smudge of rust into her lash line.”
My go-to palette for this sort of soft, smudged look would be
Tom Ford
Eye Colour Quad in Cocoa Mirage, pricey at £66 but
it’s one of the few palettes in which you’ll use every single shade.
And no, those weren’t Meghan’s natural lashes.
Daniel customised some lashes and applied to the
outer corner, for that fetchingly doe-eyed look. But
don’t try this at home; falsies are best left to the
pros, for a wedding. Another option very popular
with brides (and Mary Berry…) is to have some
semi-permanent lashes glued on in advance at your
preferred beauty salon. It’s worth having a couple
of trial runs before the event to find the length and
number of false lashes that feels right for you.
Lips, are the finishing touch, but all Meghan
used was a tinted balm. Layer this over a base of
lip pencil, as balm can disappear superfast. I’m a
Holo Pink
Addict Lip
Glow, Dior
£24
huge fan of
Fresh Sugar Tinted Lip Treatment,
£19.50 – try Rosé – and the fab, all-natural
Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm, £6.
Savvily, Martin revealed that Meghan
had blotting papers to hand – a far better
way for a bride to reduce shine than caking
on powder, as they simply press onto skin
leaving make-up intact, lifting off the oil.
Shiseido Oil-Control Blotting Papers, £19, are my fave –
almost slim enough to slip inside a Givenchy couture wedding
gown, without spoiling the silhouette.
Last, but not least, whether you’re getting hitched in front of
a dozen good friends or several billion TV viewers, remember to
have someone close to you carry a few make-up must-haves to
the church and on to the reception, for touch-ups before those
all-important snaps.
And whenever your Big Day is, I hope the sun shines as
gorgeously as it did on the radiant Duchess of Sussex.
Jo Fairley is co-founder of The Perfume Society
which offers perfume Discovery Boxes and
online VIP membership with special events,
competitions and discounts from leading
perfume websites, plus six downloadable
issues a year of award-winning magazine,
The Scented Letter. perfumesociety.org
Oil blotting
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£19
wealdentimes.co.uk
NatashaValerieMakeUpWT198.indd 1 06/07/2018 14:50
108
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IDD Therapy has changed Sue’s life
Main picture: Sue (centre) receiving a 5K
cross-country Team GB gold medal
Sue won the South of England Cross
Country Championships last December
Back pain and sciatica ruled my life
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Life became more difficult when
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More than that, I can do everyday
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Private Care Service
at Mealtimes
Our Private Care Service carers can come
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110
HBMedicalWT198.indd 1 16/07/2018 10:03
Wellbeing
A Year of Wellness
There is a lot more to our complexions than meets the eye.
Our wellbeing editor, Eminé Rushton, tackles holistic skin
health, from the inside-out
Month: August
Skin has always fascinated me. I
think that’s why I circuitously
made my way from beauty editor
to holistic facialist, then back again to
wellbeing writer… there are so many
secrets and signposts revealed by our
faces and bodies and the more I learn,
the more I want to know.
Our skin is the body’s largest organ
and it’s incredibly receptive and
intuitive. We blush when embarrassed,
blanch when shocked – and we can very
easily develop skin conditions overnight,
when things within are just not right.
So, to become allied with
our skin, to learn to read its
language and understand its
signals, offers us not only
the ability to keep it healthy,
glowing and vital, but also
to comprehend better what
is going on for us beneath
the surface. From our guts
and nervous system, to our endocrine
and psychological state.
Following on from our discovery
of the complexity of the gut and its
multifarious and multi-functioning
microbiome, we are also now learning
of our other organs’ own microbiomes
i.e. the complex community of viruses,
bacteria and mites that make up the
‘environment’ of the surface of our skin.
There is a very delicate, synergistic
equilibrium at play here – and meddling
with it too much can upset the balance.
As a holistic facialist, I learned very
quickly that less is more.
If you over-cleanse,
strip, exfoliate, peel, or
even over-moisturise,
you are preventing
your skin from
carrying out its own
“We can develop
skin conditions
overnight, when
things within are
just not right”
vital and natural functions.
If you have naturally oily skin and
use oil-stripping cleansers and oil-free
moisturisers, your skin will receive
signals from its surface that tell it that it
is low in sebum. So the sebaceous glands
begin producing more. And more...
If, however, you apply a lightweight
oil to the skin (I like jojoba for its
natural skin affinity, its chemical
structure being most similar to sebum),
the skin receives the message that it is
amply ‘oiled’ and so, slows down its
own production. Eventually, skin finds
its own balance, and
the cycle of stripping/
overproducing, is broken.
Using purest plant oil to
treat oily skin has been a
failsafe part of my holistic
approach for over a
decade now – it works.
Our skin has its own
unique pH too; it is acidic and various
medical studies have shown that skin
with a pH of less than 5 is healthiest
and less likely to develop eczema,
psoriasis and acne (one of the cited
reasons for this is that several of the
acne-causing bacteria are inhibited by
acidic conditions).
This natural pH is called the acid
mantle, and it can be difficult to
maintain it. The average pH of tap
water in the UK is between 6.5 and 9.5.
The harder the water, the more alkaline
it is likely to be, which can upset the
skin’s balance quite significantly.
If I have time, I use a cream or oil
cleanser and then spritz with a floral
water to remove, or if using a hot cloth
to remove my cleanser, I wring the
flannel out as much as I can, so that I
am at least, not dousing my skin with
our hard tap water. It
might sound precious,
but my skin is far less
prone to redness and
dryness as a result.
I also like products that rebalance
and correct the pH of the skin, in
particular Marie Reynolds Dermabiome
Mask, £68 (mariereynoldslondon.com).
It contains live bacteria, probiotics and
is naturally rejuvenating. And I steer
clear of acids. I know there are many
who use an ‘acid toner’ daily and vouch
for the benefits. For me, though, I have
found that prolonged daily use of acids
can cause sensitisation (particularly to
UV) further down the line, and I feel it
unwise to continually ‘add’ something to
the skin, which then disempowers skin’s
own natural balancing acts.
Support, rather than interference,
is best. Using a layer of natural live
yoghurt as an exfoliating face
mask, once a week, will do the job
brilliantly, without the abrasive
friction of a scrub, or aggressive
action of a chemical peel. Raw
honey is also a fantastic face mask;
deeply moisturising, anti-bacterial
and brightening.
I also support from within
with lots of liver- and kidneycleansing
teas: nettle, dandelion, fennel,
chamomile; a wonderful gut-balancing
probiotic, because yes, gut health
directly reflects in one’s skin. (I swear
by Symprove symprove.com). I also take
highest quality food-grown supplements
and find Wild Nutrition Skin, Hair
& Nails, £30 (wildnutrition.com) is
wonderfully complete.
Ultimately, when it comes to our
precious skin, what goes within appears
without… so, gently does it.
Credit: freeimages.com/Ettina82
eminé Rushton is Wellbeing Director-at-Large at Psychologies magazine, and co-founder of the
conscious living blog, The Balance Plan, balanceplan.co.uk
Wellbeing
Natural wisdom
Ella Carey is a qualified Natural Nutritionist, a
certified GAPS Practitioner and qualified Kinesiologist,
who runs Full Spectrum Health.
What one piece of seasonal wisdom
helps you in August? This time of
year is a favourite for foraging, so many
delights can be found in the hedgerows.
More than a fun activity to do with the
children, I see it as a key element of
keeping my family healthy, as well as a
lovely way to connect them to nature
and eating seasonally.
We make immune-boosting syrups
from rose hips and elderberries, which
are packed with vitamin C. We eat
blackberries straight from the brambles
for their vitamin content and their wild
bacteria – the strains of which are so vast
we haven’t identified all of them yet, but
which are absolutely fundamental to our
health and wellbeing.
Bacteria play a key role in boosting
our immune systems, and so along with
foraging wild foods, we ferment a lot
of food at home – beetroot, carrots,
sauerkraut etc - to increase our beneficial
bacteria intake.
What’s cooking in your kitchen this
month? Beetroot in all ways! Saltroasted
beetroot with burrata and herbs
from the garden is a delicious light
dinner, and the kids’ favourite way to
eat beetroot is the Indian dish halwa
(not to be confused with halva) . It’s an
unusual, but really tasty, alternative to
your morning breakfast cereal, which
is often low in nutrients and high in
sugar. Beetroot’s great for anyone with a
tendency toward anaemia or fatigue too.
Share one book that taught you
something amazing about life
I was very inspired by Patch Adams’
book Gesundheit. The story follows his
life after he graduates as a doctor and is
wonderful at explaining the frustration
he felt at the expensive and restrictive
US medical system. He dedicated his
life to creating a medical centre and
a community organic farm run by
health professionals and volunteers.
Patients and their families could
come and receive treatment, support
and community – and organic food.
What always brings a smile to your
face? No matter how many people I
work with, it makes me so happy to
hear that people are overcoming their
health issues through nutrition and
natural healing practices.
I especially love it when the nonverbal,
autistic children I work with
start forming words and making eye
contact only weeks into the nutrition
programme. It is a true testimony to
the body’s innate ability to heal, and
the most valuable and fulfilling part
of what I do.
fullspectrumhealth.work
Drastic plastic
Our use of this eternal substance continues to grow exponentially.
Yet, we can all make very small changes that add up to an enormous
impact. Try these tips:
• keep a couple of thin cotton bags and an eco-cup/
bottle, in your handbag
• pick loose produce in the fruit and veg aisles, and
pop them into your own brought-from-home
bags. Or better still, get to know your local
greengrocer, who uses paper bags
• pack food up in paper and string, eco Bee’s Wrap
(beeswaxwraps.co.uk), in bamboo or wooden lunch
boxes, or at a push, aluminium foil, which is fully recyclable
• don’t buy plastic straws, or toothbrushes. A combo of bamboo
handles with fully biodegradable Nylon 4 bristles are the best. Try
Save Some Green (savesomegreen.co.uk) bottles or containers.
Health and beauty tips
Discover a wealth of wellbeing advice
wealdentimes.co.uk/wellbeing
Eminé says:
Try this in August
I’ve developed a ‘thing’ for room spray. The
former asthmatic in me doesn’t get on well with
commercial ‘air fresheners’, so it’s taken me a
long time to find all-natural aromatherapeutic
scents that I can spritz freely, to aid me in
my work, focus and mood. I now rotate two
beautiful favourites: Ilapothecary Beat the
Blues Room Spray, £28 (ilapothecary.
com) – I defy anyone to continue
an argument after this delightful
rose geranium and petitgrain mist
hits the air – and Root & Flower
Yoga and Meditation Mist, £20
(rootandflower.co.uk) which is just
the happiest hit of rosy goodness,
and never fails to knit up those
frayed nerves.
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Food
Light and bright
In our climate we need stodgy food to get us through the dark damp months, so make the
most of high summer when these lighter bites are the perfect choice
Breakfasts worth
getting out of bed for
Citrus Salad
Makes 2 portions
A ‘wake up’ fruit salad made with slices of zingy citrus fruits.
• 1 large orange
• 1 grapefruit
• seeds from half a
pomegranate
• juice and zest of 1 lime
• ½ teaspoon (or to taste)
cardamom seeds
• 1 handful of toasted,
flaked almonds
1If using cardamom pods,
crush to extract the
seeds, then peel and slice
the fruit, arrange in a dish,
drizzle lime juice, then honey
and cardamom (mix this in
advance if preferred). Lightly
toast the almonds and scatter
over fruit.
• 2 pieces un-dyed smoked
haddock
• 200ml milk (or water)
• 100g brown basmati
rice, rinsed (you can use
other varieties of rice, but
brown basmati is healthy
and more delicate than
the class wholegrain kind)
• 2 hard boiled eggs
• 100g peas (optional)
• 1 handful parsley,
chopped
• 1 heaped tsp freshly
grated (or level tsp dry
powdered) turmeric
• 50g butter
1Cook the rice according
to packet instructions and
hard boil the eggs.
Kedgeree
Makes 4 small portions
Save this breakfast classic (very Downton Abbey…) for a
weekend brunch, or make the night before if your weekdays
are hurried, as it’s not the quickest breakfast to prepare.
Adding sunshine coloured turmeric brings extra health
benefits. This meal of a dish makes a lovely light lunch or
supper too – increase all the ingredients by a half again (three
pieces of fish, 300ml of milk, 150g of rice, 150g of peas, 1.5
teaspoons of turmeric, 75g butter) to make larger servings.
2Poach the haddock in
milk for 10mins (put in a
saucepan, cover with the liquid
and put a lid on, bring to the
boil, then simmer gently). I
add peas to the fish towards
the end of this time, but these
can be cooked separately (or
not used at all).
3Strain the fish, reserving
some cooking liquid.
Combine the cooked
ingredients, add turmeric,
butter and, if you like a moist
texture, some of the fish
cooking liquid (exact quantity
is up to you, I often don’t add
any, so see how you go). Stir in
the parsley, season to taste and
arrange the eggs on top.
Recipes & styling: Jo Arnell Photographs: David Merewether
wealdentimes.co.uk
114
Light lunches & simple suppers
Tangy chicken tacos
Makes 4 small portions
• 2-3 chicken breast fillets
• 8 tacos or 4 tortillas
• 1 red chili, thinly sliced
• 1 bunch spring onions,
chopped
• 1 red pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 little gem lettuce,
shredded
• 1 mango, skinned and cut
into slivers
• 1 crushed clove garlic
• handful of coriander,
roughly chopped
Taco dressing
• Juices from the cooked
chicken
• ½ tsp paprika
• ½ tsp cumin powder
• Juice and zest of a lime
• 1 tbsp honey
1If you are using tortillas,
make the taco ‘containers’
by pushing them gently into
a muffin tin - this will make
a bowl shape, then oven bake
them for 3 minutes or so - just
until they hold their shape
(i.e. don’t overbake them).
Alternatively you can use premade
taco shells, or simply
roll the ingredients in the soft
tortillas.
2Gently fry (or poach)
the chicken breasts for
approximately 20 minutes,
until cooked right through
and evenly browned on both
sides. Leave to cool slightly
and keep the cooking juices.
Shred or slice the chicken when
cool. Make the dressing by
combining paprika, cumin,
lime juice and honey, then
mix into the chicken and
vegetables, pile into taco shells
and serve. Shown here served
with tomato salsa, made by
chopping an onion, 3 tomatoes
(skin removed), juice of half a
lemon, a handful of chopped
coriander.
115 wealdentimes.co.uk
Za’atar Salmon with
Cauliflower couscous
Serves 4
Omega-3 rich salmon is given a Middle Eastern spice up with
a za’atar crust. Using clean tasting cauliflower makes a lighter,
gluten free, alternative to a traditional wheat-based couscous.
• 4 salmon fillets
• Juice and zest from 1
lime
• Approx 3 tablespoons
za’atar (Middle Eastern
spice mix)
• 1 tbsp pomegranate
molasses
• 1 tbsp olive oil
Cauliflower ‘couscous’
• 1 bunch spring onions,
chopped
• a head of cauliflower,
florets only, grated, or
processed to course
couscous-style granules
• seeds from half a
pomegranate
• handful of mint, chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
Couscous dressing:
• 1 dsp honey
• 1 dsp white wine vinegar
• 1 dsp olive oil
• ½ tsp salt (to taste)
• small bunch watercress
and natural yoghurt to
serve
1Pre-heat the oven to
150c/gas 4. Marinade the
salmon fillets in the lime juice
and zest for 30 mins.
2Make the couscous by
lightly steaming the
cauliflower crumbs for 2-3
minutes. Transfer to a pan,
add the olive oil and spring
onions, sauté gently for
4-5 minutes, turn off the
heat and add the mint and
pomegranate seeds. Set to one
side until you’re ready to serve.
3Drizzle half the oil onto a
non-stick or foiled baking
sheet, lie the salmon pieces on
the baking sheet and brush
the rest of the oil on top of
the salmon. Smear on a little
pomegranate molasses, then
sprinkle a layer of za’atar on
top. Place in a pre-heated
oven (150c/gas 4) and bake
lightly. Cooking time will be
dependent on the thickness
of the salmon, but should be
approx 10-15mins. Be careful
not to over cook).
4Mix together dressing
ingredients and stir
through couccous. Serve
salmon on a bed of couscous,
with a dollop of yoghurt, a
swirl of pomegranate molasses
and garnish with watercress.
Avocado, matcha and
pistachio ice cream
Serves 4
Generally ice cream isn’t on my list of healthy foods, but if you use
avocado for part of the ‘cream’ texture, it suddenly is. The avocado
fruit is mild-tasting, silky in texture and goes really well (and not
just colour-wise) with pistachios. The addition of matcha green tea
blends in even more anti oxidants. This ice cream is really easy to
make and looks impressive (green, but impressive).
• 2 ripe avocados
• 75g finely chopped or
ground pistachios, plus a
handful more - roughly
chopped to decorate and
give the ice cream some
crunch
• 1 can condensed milk
(or for a vegan version
substitute 150ml almond,
or coconut milk*)
• 1 tbsp matcha (powdered
green tea)
• 1 tsp almond essence
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
1For a more intense, nutty
flavour, lightly toast the
pistachios prior to chopping/
grinding. Mash down the
avocados, or puree with a
stick blender to a smooth
Fabulous food
More recipes to make your mouth water
wealdentimes.co.uk/recipes
consistency, then add to a
mixing bowl, with all the other
ingredients and whisk together
for approx 5 minutes, until
well blended.
2Pour into a container and
place in the freezer for 3
hours or so, until frozen. The
magical thing about using
condensed milk in this recipe
is that it makes such a creamy
consistency that you won’t have
to stir/use an ice cream maker
while it is freezing. Take out
of the freezer 10 mins prior to
serving.
*If you are opting for the vegan
version, take it out of the freezer
and stir twice during the freezing
process (or use an ice cream
maker). This is done to stop ice
crystals forming.
wealdentimes.co.uk
116
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118
WCLandcraftWT195.indd 1 13/04/2018 16:11
Garden
Let the
grasses
grow
Hakonechloa macra
Not just something dull that needs
endless mowing Sue Whigham
exhalts the subtle effects of feature
grasses in borders and for striking
autumn colour
In 1871 William Morris travelled down from London
to see a house near Lechlade and fell instantly in
love with the place. It was the house he had seen in
a dream. We recently visited and could understand how
he must have felt when he first saw Kelmscott Manor.
After lunch we walked along the Thames Path for a while
and took in the sedges and the reeds along the river. And
earlier in the day, during an idyllic amble up the side of a
barley field to the accompaniment of skylarks overhead and
blackcaps singing in the wayfaring trees, I was thinking that
perhaps we could grow a few clumps of barley (Hordeum
vulgare) in our gardens. It’s beautiful with its golden colours
and rippling movement as the wind blows through it.
Grasses mingling with herbaceous plants provide a
transition between mixed borders and areas of the garden
Fountain grass
which are left uncut until the autumn - ‘garden meadows’
if you like - and there is an enormous choice of ornamental
grasses to choose from; the majority of which are pretty
easy to grow and which thrive in most soil conditions.
Some are perfectly happy in dry conditions, always a bit
of a difficult one for gardeners. These include those with
a ‘blue’ foliage such as Elymus magellanicus. Meanwhile,
the sedges and rushes thrive in damp conditions like
those spotted on the riverside at Kelmscott. The pH of
the soil isn’t usually a factor in planting grasses and as
long as those of us who grow on chalk can make sure that
there is some soil to plant them in they should do fine.
Most grasses are happiest in sun but some, like the carexes
and the hakonechloas are more than able to grow well in semi
shade. There are both deciduous and evergreen grasses and
the rule of thumb is to cut the deciduous varieties down in
the spring. The evergreens don’t appreciate being cut hard
back particularly, although it can be done, if you feel the
need, during their growing season (between late spring and
August) and you can thin and tidy them up in the spring too.
So many grasses have the most gorgeous tints in the
autumn and fine structure throughout the winter that
they add hugely to the beauty of a winter garden. Grow
them too in pots remembering to water regularly during
the growing season, plus adding dollops of good compost
and a long-term fertiliser thrown in for good measure.
A few firm favourites would include:
Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Hameln’ or Fountain Grass
is a deciduous grass and has lovely dark green foliage
and catkin like flowers which turn gold in the autumn,
adding to a long period of interest. I saw it recently
combined with bright white penstemons and a very
119 wealdentimes.co.uk
Garden
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Grasses can provide a simple backdrop for flowers
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HarrietBarkerGardenDesignWT193.indd 1 08/02/2018 11:01
May the
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deep blue lavender which was a really pretty combination.
There is also a rather good emerald green form, Pennisetum
alopecuroides ‘Viridescens’ which is worth having.
Miscanthus nepalensis This heavenly plant, native to
the Himalayas as its name suggests, is a late flowering
grass which has the most beautiful, silky golden flower
heads which look completely wonderful in the evening
light. You’ll need a sheltered, sunny position for it to
thrive but do grow it if you can. You’ll love it.
Miscanthus sinensis ‘Malepartus’ I think that one of
the best things - and there are many – about this grass
are its autumn tints. The leaves turn in later summer to a
colour combination of russets and orange and before that
transformation you have silvery brown flowers that fade
as the season progresses. It grows to at least two metres
and definitely needs to be left until the spring before
being cut down as it is so striking in the winter garden.
Molinia caerulea arundinacea ‘Transparent’ is a tall form
of the moor grass which grows so profusely on the Scottish
hillsides. It starts to flower in mid-June and grows tall, delicate
and feathery. I really do love seeing this plant which, despite
reaching heights of up to two metres, is so good in the front
of borders. You can then see the planting behind it in a sort of
soft haze. It’s a lovely thing. ‘Windspiel’ is a rather stiffer, more
upright cultivar which has honey-coloured tones in autumn.
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LivingForestWT198.indd 1 02/07/2018 14:26
120
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121 wealdentimes.co.uk
McGeachyGardenDesignWT196.indd 1 21/05/2018 10:06
Garden
-seireSC rotcart nedraghsitirB retteb eht
• on htiw sarg tew *tcelloc & tuC
gni golc
• elxa tnorf tsac a serutaef – tsal ot tliuB
kced rettuc decrofnier dna
• seiroseca derewop evirD
• dna seltten elkcaT
**selbmarb
• *nwal a epirtS
nedrag hsitirBeht rof niatirBni tliuB
Barley ripening in a quintessentially English landscape
Garden Perfection
City Escapes provide domestic & commercial garden solutions
kced gnihcluM ssarG hgiH** / rotcelloC ssarG derewoP* :lanoitpo seriuqeR
Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’ arrives on the scene in early
April when its bright yellow leaves appear above the ground,
, tsruhduoGAP2 and 71NT then progresses on through into autumn. It looks good
9512 08510
grown in a pot or interesting container in either a sunny or
partly shaded spot. Its leaves are brightly variegated in yellow
ku.oc.gbam @ofni
and green and all face the same way. The colour tends to change
depending on position with sun producing a brighter yellow.
I have it in a clay pot in partial shade and am going
to experiment by giving it more light. Hakonechloa
macra is a rather underused plant in comparison to
the variegated forms (of which ‘Aureola’ is only one)
of this grass. Its bright green leaves clump up nicely
and tiny flowers appear in the late summer.
Grow too our native hair grass, Deschampsia cespitosa, which
produces mounds of dark green foliage topped with delicate
long stems and billowing masses of cloud like flowers. ‘Bronze
Veil’ and ‘Golden Veil’ grown through borders have soft,
subtle colours which give the appearance of floating through
and around plants with a more definite outline. These are
really easy to grow from seed. Chiltern Seeds sell them.
Finally, grasses can make rather inviting homes to all
manner of wildlife; to field mice and a huge diversity
of insects and also provide nesting material for birds so
all the more reason to add them to your borders, your
gravel garden and to the wilder areas of your garden.
mraF , nerG nedI daoR korbnarC 3 tinU
MABrownSonsLtdWT197.indd 1 12/06/2018 15:23
dtL snoS & nworB A &M
Sue Whigham can be contacted on 07810 457948 for
gardening advice and help in the sourcing and supply of
interesting garden plants.
■
■
■
■
■
Regular Maintenance
Design & Construction
Small one off works
Turf care management
Problem area Solutions
■
■
■
■
Seasonal Bedding plant displays
Approved pesticide/
herbicides operators
Habitat Management
RHS qualified gardeners
Tel: 01435 868211 | M: 07831 302107 | E: gardensmanager@gmail.com
www.cityescapes.co.uk
Help and advice
For all your gardening needs
wealdentimes.co.uk/gardens
wealdentimes.co.uk
CityEscapesWT187.indd 1 16/08/2017 15:53
122
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PassmoresWT175.indd 1 11/04/2016 10:54
email: production@indexmagazine.co.uk
Below is a proof of your ad to be published Positions in the in the maga
tel: 01892 517320
PLEASE NOTE The content of the advertisment it will be taken that this ad
WEST is KENT the responsibiluty MAY edition of the Index Magazine. positions tel: PLEASE NOTE are agreed 0189 The co
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advertiser guaranteed – the publisher except where cannot accept special responsibility for any inaccuracies. PLEASE NOTE
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124
ChartStablesWT197.indd 1 18/06/2018 14:11
Garden
Aster
Cosmos pink
Late bloomers
The roses may be over, but don’t despair, says Jo Arnell, there are
plenty of plants to bring colour to the borders yet
It’s easy to think that the garden is on the way out this
month. The early summer colour has faded and the
borders could be looking careworn and frazzled. But take
heart, for it need not be so. There are ways of turning the
August garden from crestfallen to crescendo, with plenty of
plants to carry us through the late summer and on into the
golden autumn days.
An annual blast
You can’t beat annuals for long-term reward. This is down
to their short, but action-packed and free-flowering lives.
They only have one season in which to grow, flower and
set their seed, so if you thwart them by continually dead
heading, they will keep on trucking along, flowering until
the frosts. Floriferous and reliable annuals include Cosmos,
Antirrhinums and Zinnias for sun, and for the shadier parts of
the garden Nicotiana, Impatiens and violas.
Perennial colour
We tend to get carried away at the start of the season and
rush out to fill our trolleys with cottage garden perennials
and plants that are in bloom at the start of the summer. The
trouble is that June blooms don’t always last for long. Many
will have finished flowering by July and can also have quite
straggly foliage by that time too.
There is a way to perk up the early flowerers, plants like
delphiniums, lupins, catmint and geraniums. It’s a bit ruthless,
but will pay off in the end. You just cut them all back down
to the ground as soon as they’ve finished flowering at the
beginning of July - and then by the end of August they will be
back, with a repeat show of flowers and tidy new leaves.
So if you have cut back the early arrivals after flowering they
should reappear for their encore at the same time as the later
flowering perennials start. So borders in late summer can be
even more flower-packed than in the earlier months.
Many of the late bloomers are in the daisy family:
Rudbeckias, Echinaceas, Asters and Heleniums are at their
best this month. The range of colours are suitably sultry,
verging on autumnal; shades of dusky pink, mellow oranges,
russet and mahogany, with splashes of blue and mauve from
the asters. Some have long-lasting seed heads too, so once
the flowers have finished they persist as silhouettes, looking
sculptural when backlit against grasses in the autumn light.
The flowers of Sedum spectabile are a magnet for butterflies
and bees at this time of the year. They are a great addition to
the front of the border and will provide long-lasting colour
right through the autumn, as the nectar-packed flowers fade
into attractive seed heads in shades of russet and bronze.
Sedums are easy to care for and will put up with many
situations, but given a choice they’d prefer sunshine and freedraining
conditions.
Dahlias are in full swing now, and with any luck will
provide a sumptuous late summer spectacle until the frosts.
They are greedy plants and need rich, well drained compost
and plenty of moisture. Dead head them regularly to keep the
flowers coming and then, once the frost has cut them back,
either lift and store the tender tubers somewhere frost-free
for the winter, or heap up with mulch and leave them to take
their chances…
Fabulous Foliage
Don’t fixate on flowers – foliage can often have as much
colour as a flower and is a good deal longer lasting, once the
flowers are gone. Large leaves and architectural foliage will
125 wealdentimes.co.uk
Echinops
Heleniums and grass
Melianthus
Buddleia
also bring structure and unity to the border and help set off
flowers to good effect.
Try the exotic looking Melianthus major, with its glaucous,
serrated leaves (it will be cut down by the frosts as it is slightly
tender, but perks up again in the spring). Euphorbia ‘Wulfenii’
also has glaucous leaves, but these are evergreen and it has the
added advantage of handsome lime green bracts in spring.
A useful, if diminutive, group of plants that seem
to grow in any situation, including tricky dry shade
are the Heucheras. There is a striking, almost black
variety called ‘Obsidian’, several cultivars come in
opulent maroon shades, but there are lighter colours
too, and for a splash of orange, try H. ‘Marmalade.’
Graceful grasses
Many of the ornamental grasses will be flowering
around now, sending up shimmering golden, silver or
russety flower spikes. Some are demure and ‘grassy’,
others have dramatic plumes or ‘feathers’ of flowers.
There are tall grasses that will do the job of a shrub in
the border, bringing instant height and presence, but in
a more graceful and airy way than a shrub. Miscanthus
zebrinus, or M. ‘Silberfeder’ are good ‘shrub substitute’
grasses. Calamagrostis ‘Karl Foerster’ makes a tall golden
pillar and will bring rhythm and punctuation to a scheme,
while the low growing evergreen Stipa tenuissima is an airy
and irresistibly tactile little grass for the front of the border.
Structure from shrubs
Shrubs provide height, presence and act as the backbone of
the border and there are some great late summer flowering
shrubs that have their starring moment right now. Hydrangeas
have long-lasting bracts that fade beautifully into autumnal
shades (and also make great cut flowers), Hibiscus will
provide an exotic boost in shades of pink, blue or white,
and the Buddleias will bring in butterflies and bees.
Smaller shrubs like Caryopteris, with its sky blue
flowers (there is one called ‘Heavenly Blue’) are useful
in the middle of the border, and the low growing
Ceratostigma willmottianum, with its cerulean blue
flowers will also have brilliant autumn foliage.
Container ideas
If your summer pots are starting to look a bit careworn and
straggly, or you want to give the garden an instant colour
boost or focal point, plant up a sumptuous late summer
container. There’s a great range of late summer/early
autumn bedding plants around now, and you can also use
perennials like Heuchera, Dahlias, Crocosmia, grasses such
as Panicum or Pennisetum to bring a vibrant splash of colour
and long-lasting interest on paved areas near the house.
The summer show is definitely not over yet, in fact
it could just getting going again. With a bit of luck
and a few extra plants, the garden borders can party
on until the frosts come. Let’s get out there.
Contact Jo for gardening courses
and garden advice: 01233 861149
jo@hornbrookmanor.co.uk
wealdentimes.co.uk
126
GardenproudWT198.indd 1 10/07/2018 15:46
Bespoke design & build treehouses, playhouses
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127 wealdentimes.co.uk
CheekyMonkeyS40.indd 1 25/01/2018 PotsAndPithoiWT198.indd 15:42
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wealdentimes.co.uk
128
HawkhurstFishFarmWT196.indd 1 23/05/2018 15:38
Surviving results season
Less than brilliant grades aren’t always a disaster, says Hilary Wilce, with the right support,
there’s as much to learn from failure as there is from success
It’s August, exam results season, and for many young people
a time of celebration and optimism. They are setting out on
the next step of life with their heads held high. But for others,
things might not be looking so rosy. Their results may have been a
terrible disappointment. They may have failed to get into the sixth
form or college of their choice, or into their chosen university.
When this happens, it can feel very bitter, but in fact there is
an awful lot to be said for failure. Indeed, the
“Talk about your
own mistakes
and what
you’ve learned
from them”
outcome of failure often turns out to be success.
The schoolchild who ‘fails’ to get into their
first choice primary school, or doesn’t pass the
eleven-plus, may well find themselves happier
and doing better at their alternative school. And
a clearing-place university might turn out to
be exactly the right one for a student to shine.
Failure also teaches lots of useful lessons. As
human beings we fail all the time – at work
and at home – but if we are smart we can learn from that failure.
We can figure out how to do things a different way, discover
that we’re capable of working harder, get to know ourselves
better and change the behaviours that are getting in our way.
That’s why good teachers positively welcome failure into
their classrooms and tell pupils that mistakes are essential to
good learning. They set high standards, but give students
the support, encouragement and non-judgmental feedback
they need to grow into doing as well as they can.
As parents, though, our instincts can be different. We
want to protect our children from failure because we know
how much the shame and pain of it can sting. But if we try
too hard to protect our children from all failure, they will
subliminally soak up our anxieties and become too scared to try
new things, or to come home with less than perfect results.
They will absorb the message that they must do everything
right, the first time they try it, and grow either timid and
perfectionist, or else rebel and act up because they know
they’ll never reach the high standards expected.
Parents who constantly push and bribe their children
for high grades, who bellow and admonish
their children on the touch lines of school
pitches, are always demanding of schools why
their children aren’t doing better… are people
who are, deep down, terrified of failure.
Instead of falling into these patterns, make
friends with failure and help your children to think
of it as a normal part of life. Encourage them to
look it in the face and see it as something that will
help them to learn better and grow stronger.
Talk about your own mistakes and what you’ve learned
from them. Avoid comparisons with higher-achieving
pupils, or talking about success and failure in black and
white terms. Instead encourage your child to see that their
brain is pliable and plastic, quite capable of stretching
itself round new things and rising to challenges.
Tell them that top athletes know that mental attitudes
matter just as much as sporting prowess and that’s why
they work as much on developing grit, determination
and resilience as on developing their physical abilities.
Because at the end of the day, that’s where the roots of
success and failure always lie – in how each one of us decides
to look at life and meet the challenges it flings at us.
129 wealdentimes.co.uk
1066 REASONS
TO VISIT
Stand shoulder to shoulder with the past
at England’s most iconic battlefield.
High Street, Battle, East Sussex TN33 0AD
15 minutes from Hastings by rail
The English Heritage Trust is a charity, no. 1140351, and a company, no. 07447221, registered in England.
What’s On in August
Art
Until Sun 9 Sep
Woods Restaurant and Bars, 62
& 64 The Pantiles, Tunbridge
Wells, Kent TN2 5TN
Remarkable
A collaboration between
photographer Mark Wilkinson
and writer Anne Wagstaff
recording forty remarkable
Tunbridge Wells characters, many
of whom are donating prizes to
the accompanying Remarkable
Raffle. Proceeds from the project
will be donated to local charity
Fegans which provides children’s
counselling and parent support
services in the South East.
Entry: Free (voluntary donations
to local charity Fegans welcome)
Info: remarkablecharacterstw.com
Sat 7 Jul – Sun 2 Sep
Maidstone Museum, St. Faith’s
Street, Maidstone, Kent
ME14 1LH
Paul Kidby: Discworld
& Beyond
An exhibition showcasing Paul
Kidby’s wonderful book covers
and illustrations for Terry
Pratchett’s novels. It also reveals
Paul’s own projects, influenced by
British folklore and landscapes.
Entry: Adults £4, children £2,
families £10
Info: 01622 602838 /
museum.maidstone.gov.uk
Sat 21 Jul – Sun 12 Aug
Godinton House & Gardens,
Godinton Lane, Ashford,
Kent TN23 3BP
Sculpture in
the Garden
For three weeks a year, Godinton
House and Gardens become
a gallery displaying work for
every bit of the garden from 18
artists. You can explore the trail
every day from 1pm whether
you are looking to purchase
or just have a nice day out.
Info: godintonhouse.co.uk
Sun 5 – Mon 13 Aug
10am-4.30pm
Sussex House, 61 Lower Pantiles,
Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN2 5TE
Eclectic Art arrives
on the Pantiles
Local artists Suzy Phillips
and Carol Anne Slater are
showing their latest collection
of contemporary paintings. The
exhibition draws upon poetry to
demonstrate the value of the poet/
painter collaboration. Words
leave a lingering image and many
of the chosen poems matched to
their paintings, achieve just this.
The artists wish to encourage
people from far and wide to
visit where they will also have an
opportunity to meet the artists.
Entry: Free
Info: carolanneslaterart.co.uk
Children & Families
Sat 25 - Mon 27 Aug
St George’s Church, Brede Hill,
Brede, Rye TN31 6EJ
Brede Flower Festival
Weekend
Visit Brede’s ancient church
with its beautiful views over
the Brede Valley for a fantastic
flower festival themed around
events that happened 100 years
ago. There will be 35 themed
displays, each depicting a different
event, plus refreshments, stalls,
trips up the tower, a raffle, live
music and an art exhibition.
Info: bredeflowerfestival.org.uk
Fri 6 Jul – Thu 16 Sep
Chatham Dockyard, Main Gate
Road, Chatham ME4 4UY
Brick History
History comes to life in this
interactive exhibition that takes
visitors through all the pivotal
moments in history modelled in
LEGO® bricks.
Entry: Included in entry tickets to
The Dockyard
Info: 1634 823800 /
thedockyard.co.uk
Sat 14 Jul – Sun 2 Sep
11am-6pm
Penshurst Place, Penshurst,
Tonbridge, Kent TN11 8DG
Maize Maze
This amazing maize maze returns
with some new twists and turns
this year. Plus while you’re at
Penshurst, there will be bushcraft
workshops, a woodland trail
and falconry displays over the
bank holiday from Sunday 26 to
Monday 27 August.
Info: penshurstplace.com
Sat 14 Jul – Mon 27 Aug
Hever Castle, Hever Road,
Hever, Edenbridge TN8 7NG
Summer Jousting
For those who couldn’t make it to
the World Cup, try this medieval
alternative - a jousting tournament
right out of a costume drama
starring Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn
and a host of valiant knights, and
set in an authentic jousting arena
complete with royal box.
Info: 01732 865224 /
hevercastle.co.uk
Wed 25 Jul – Sun 2 Sep
Hop Farm, Maidstone Road,
Paddock Wood, Tonbridge, Kent
TN12 6PY
Summer Fun at the Farm
Keep children entertained over
the summer holidays with giant
jumping pillows, children’s TV
and film characters, animal farm,
bumper cars, zorbs, 4D cinema,
bungees, bouncy castles and birds
of prey displays.
Info: 01622 872068 /
thehopfarm.co.uk
Tue 31 Jul – Sat 18 Aug
Various locations on Thanet
Coast
Summer Seashore
Safaris
Take a couple of hours to explore
Thanet’s rocky shore to discover
the fascinating rockpool wildlife
hiding there. These safaris will
be travelling along the coast
throughout the month so check
online to find out where to meet!
Entry: Suggested £1 donation
Info: nekmpa.org.uk
Fri 31 Aug 7.30pm-9.15pm
Knole, Sevenoaks, Kent
TN15 0RP
Bats at dusk
Meet Knole’s resident bat
population on this guided walk
at dusk with an expert ecologist.
Bat detectors will be provided but
you should bring your own torch.
After the walk there will be time
for questions over a hot chocolate
in the Visitor Centre. Children
aged 5 and over are welcome.
Booking essential.
Entry: £10 per person.
Info: nationaltrust.org.uk/knole
Festivals & Shows
Sat 11 & Sun 12 Aug
10am-5pm
Dover Castle, Castle Hill Road,
Dover CT16 1HU
Tudor Pageant
Party like its 1544! Dover Castle
is taking a trip back in time to
King Henry VIII’s preparations
to invade France. Celebrate
with the King as a colourful
parade showcases the strength
of the English army. The Tudor
encampment will have fools and
musicians, monk monopoly and
junior jousting as well as the
chance to try coin striking and
learn about Tudor food.
Info: english-heritage.org.uk
Fri 24 – Mon 27 Aug
Various locations in Sandwich,
Kent
Sandwich Festival
The streets of Sandwich are
going to be filled with music,
dancing and life over this weekend
festival with outdoor concerts, a
food fayre, barn dancing in the
street, classic cars and a fantastic
illuminated boat parade.
Entry: Free
Info: sandwichevents.org.uk
Food & DRink
Sat 25 & Sun 26 Aug
Brogdale Collections, Brogdale
Farm, Brogdale Road, Faversham
ME13 8XZ
Brogdale Cider
Festival
Local craft ciders and live music
for a full weekend! Expect
entertainment for the whole
family with a little festival goers
area, yummy street food, fun
festival games, and local shopping.
Info: 0 1795 536250 /
brogdalecollections.org
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DESIGNER MAKERS
OF CONTEMPORARY AND
TRADITIONAL CRAFTS
DESIGNER MAKERS
OF CONTEMPORARY AND
TRADITIONAL CRAFTS
EVENTS Contemporary 2012
CRAFT
SHOWS
CONTEMPORARY
CRAFT SHOWS
THROUGHOUT SUSSEX
3 - 5 August
MICHELHAM PRIORY
with craft demonstrations
Upper Dicker, Hailsham, East
Sussex BN27 3QS
www.sussexpast.co.uk
Registered Charity No. 239992. Company No. 633098
Registered Charity No. 239992. Company No. 633098
Image © Amanda Hedges
The Sussex Guild
Shop and Gallery
The North Wing
Southover Grange
Southover Road
Lewes, East Sussex
BN7 1TP
Shop open 7 days a
STEP INTO NINE
week, 10.00 - 5.00
except Christmas Day
Reg. Charity no: 292234
CENTURIES OF HISTORY
www.thesussexguild.co.uk
01273 479565
25 - 27 August
PASHLEY
MANOR GARDENS
Ticehurst, Near Wadhurst,
East Sussex TN5 7HE
www.pashleymanorgardens.com
www.thesussexguild.co.uk
01273 479565
Reg. Charity no : 292234
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www.thesussexguild.co.uk
A summer filled with adventure, music
and drama as well as our wonderful daily
attractions means there’s always a great
reason to visit.
EXPERIENCE MORE
leeds-castle.com
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Wealden Times Ad 2018.qxp_Layout 1 22/06/2018 16:54 Page 1
Steam through the Ages
Travel through 100 years of
history in one day!
Plenty to do and see at three
stations including
Live music from the Victorian
Era.
WW2 themed activities,
music and displays including a
static Spitfire Display and
‘Homefront Bus’
Donkey rides and ‘seaside’
activities.
RSA
RYE SOCIETY OF ARTISTS
RYE SOCIETY OF ARTISTS
SUMMER EXHIBITION 2018
Steam through the Ages
11th - 12th August 2018
Buy your tickets online in advance
at www.bluebell-railway.com
Advance tickets available online at www.bluebell-railway.com
01825 720800 info@bluebell-railway.co.uk
The Bluebell Railway | Sheffield Park Station | East Sussex TN22 3QL
4–26 August 2018
The Dance Hall, Community Centre
Conduit Hill, Rye TN31 7LE
Open daily 10.30am to 5.30pm
Te
l: 07501 82830
www.ryesocietyofartists.co.uk
Supported by the Rye Community Shop
Cliff Howe Dis
ta
nt Down
s
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1 28/06/2018 15:11
Paul Young: 35 Years of No Parlez Tour
The Greatest Show: Live in Concert
Saturday 29 September 7.30pm
Dirty Dancing: The Classic Story on Stage
Friday 12 October 4.30pm & 7.30pm
Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain: With Bells On
Tuesday 23 - Saturday 27 October
Thursday 15 November 7.30pm
NEW AUTUMN HIGHLIGHTS Book online:
whiterocktheatre.org.uk
Ticket Office: 01424 462288
White Rock, Hastings TN34 1JX
WhiteRockTheatre
@The_White_Rock
@white_rock_theatre
133 wealdentimes.co.uk
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PAINT YOUR OWN CERAMICS,
CRAFTS & PERSONALISED GIFTS
Visit in August to see
hundreds of lilies, the
abundant kitchen garden
and the herbaceous
borders looking fantastic
Sussex Guild Craft Show
25, 26 & 27 August
Beautiful 11 Acre Gardens; Café with Terrace; Gift
Shop; Sculpture Exhibition; open until 29th Sept.
Ticehurst 01580 200888
pashleymanorgardens.com
Keepsakes
Come in and have a go!
No appointment necessary
Paint your own
Decopatch
Located on Hawkhurst Fish Farm
www.slapndash.com 01580 755674
Open times: Mon-Fri 10.00 to 5.00, Sat & Sun 10.00 to 4.00
(Evenings by appointment)
Disabled access • Ample Parking • Cafe on-site
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1 24/05/2016 18/07/2018 11:01 10:11
#nationaltrust
Open-air theatre at Smallhythe
Place
Enjoy an evening of entertainment with
friends and family this August. Pack your
picnics, rugs and hampers and relax in the
tranquil summer gardens of Smallhythe
Place for open-air performances of 'Peter
Pan' on Sunday 5th and 'As You Like It' on
Monday 27th.
Call 01580 762334 for details
nationaltrust.org.uk/smallhythe-place
© National Trust 2018. The National Trust is an independent
registered charity, number 205846. Photography © National Trust
Images\Rosie Gaston.
WWW.THE-OBSERVATORY.ORG
31 st August - 2 nd September 2018
Now in its 14 th year...
Soak up the incredible atmosphere whether just for a day
or the whole weekend. Camping pitches are available.
Programme includes talks, planetarium shows, family
activities, Astro Radio and much more!
Confirmed speakers...
Jane Green FRAS
(Author, broadcaster & registered school’s speaker)
Dr Stephen Wilkins (University of Sussex)
Christopher Jacobs (Deep Space Navigation
Engineer, NASA/JPL)
Pete Williamson FRAS
(Astronomer and Broadcaster)
Dr Amelie Saintonge (UCL)
wealdentimes.co.uk
134
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What’s On in August
Sat 25 – Mon 27 Aug
Mote Park, Mote Avenue,
Maidstone, Kent ME15 7SU
Shemomedjamo
A multicultural food festival
named after the Georgian phrase
for the feeling of being full but
unable to stop eating because the
food tastes too good. Visit this
global village of food and you can
take in music, dance and art from
the cultures of the world too.
Entry: Free
Info: visitmaidstone.com
Mon 27 Aug
Kent Life, Lock Lane, Sandling,
Maidstone, Kent ME14 3AU
Ice Cream Festival
Candy floss, popcorn, snow cones,
chocolatiers and over 20 flavours
of ice cream - what’s not to love?
Kent Life will also have animal
activities, face painting and a
‘Dairy Stage’ with live music for
all to enjoy.
Info: kentlife.org.uk
THEATRE
Fri 6 Jul – Fri 31 Aug
Scotney Castle, Lamberhurst,
Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN3 8JN
Outdoor Theatre
Over August Scotney Castle
encourages us all to get outside
and enjoy a bit of culture with
a series of outdoor theatre
performances set with the
beautiful Mansion house as a
one-of-a-kind backdrop. Enjoy
such titles as The Reluctant Dragon
and The Tempest (which will be
performed by the UK’s premier
all male company, The Lord
Chamberlain’s Men).
Info: nationaltrust.org.uk/
scotney-castle
Thurs 9 – Sun 12 Aug
Kent Event Centre, Detling,
Kent ME14 3JE
Spirit of the Horse
Europe’s greatest equestrian
theatre show’s new production,
Renaissance, stars over 20
magnificent horses from six
countries and is full of drama,
humour and poetry with stunt
riding, Spanish dancing horse
and the fabled Pegasus, a fabulous
winged horse.
Info: spiritofthehorseshow.com
Fri 10 Aug
Smallhythe Place, Smallhythe,
Tenterden, Kent, TN30 7NG
The Importance of
Being Earnest
A fast-paced, one-act adaption
of Oscar Wilde’s beloved “Trivial
Comedy for Serious People”.
Info: nationaltrust.org.uk/
smallhythe-place
WORKSHOPS
Wednesdays and Sundays
throughout August excluding
Wed 29 Aug
Canterbury Baking School, 22,
The Ness, Canterbury CT1 3NL
Baking School
Canterbury Baking School offers
a multitude of classes which teach
life-long skills including basic
bread techniques, and making
artisan bread, sourdough, pasta or
pizza! In the heart of Canterbury,
these personal, specialist workshops
are taught by bread expert, Vicky,
who was trained by an Italian
master chef!
Entry: £165pp, £10 off for Wealden
Times readers, quote ‘Wealden10’
Info: canterburybakingschool.com
/ vicky@canterburybakingschool.com
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+VAT!
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+VAT. Deadline for the
September issue is 8 August 2018.
GodintonHouseWT198.indd 1 19/07/2018 09:52
135 wealdentimes.co.uk
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Clare Langdon
INTERIORS
Made to measure
curtains & blinds
Tracks & poles
Measuring & fitting service
Home consultation
Fabrics & design advice
Telephone 01580 712209
clarelangdoninteriors.co.uk
W E
H AV E
MOV ED
Battle Mowers Ltd
Main dealer for
THE ESSENCE OF FINE
BRITISH LAWNS
For further information please phone 01424 773096
or-email: battlemowers@btconnect.com www.battlemowers.co.uk
Showroom: 15-19 Vinehall Business Park, Vinehall Road, Mountfield TN32 5JW
VACANCY -
HAIRDRESSER
ClareLangdonWT195.indd 1 04/04/2018 BattleMowersWT198.indd 12:18
1 02/07/2018 11:34
Are you experienced
(ideally 5 years) in all
aspects of styling, cutting
and colouring, available
to work 3 days per week,
including Fri & Sat?
01424 465333
halcyonhairdressing.co.uk
halcyonstleonards@gmail.com
72 Norman Road,
St. Leonards TN38 0EJ
IAN THOMAS
Bespoke Joinery & Carpentry
Interior woodwork & refurbishment
Staplecross • 01580 830590
www.ianthomasbespokejoinery.com
Creating gardens
of distinction
HalcyonHairdressingWT198.indd 1 11/07/2018 IanThomasJoineryWT198.indd 12:32
1 17/07/2018 11:45
Blackland Farm
Outdoor Activity Centre
Probably the most experienced, established
& qualified contractor in the area
Geoff Tiltman
City & Guilds in Horticulture N.C.T
FREE QUOTATIONS, CALL
SMARDEN 01233 770777 or 07775 694963
All Garden Construction &
Maintenance • Drives
Paving • Walling • Fencing
Untidy Gardens Made Tidy
Kayaking
Canoeing
Bungee trampolining
Rock climbing
Archery
Crate challenge
Zip wire
Abseiling
Aeroball...
...and many more!
GeoffTiltmanWT171.indd 1 25/07/2018 19:02
The complete kitchen service...
...from a hinge to a complete makeover
The supply & replacement of
drawers, doors, worktops,
hinges, all fitted kitchen
components/appliances, door
renovation & polishing, bedroom
doors & bespoke cabinets.
Please call
01689 850000
www.thekitchendoctor.com
Serving London & the South-East since 1984
A pet portrait makes a wonderful gift
Professional Oil Paintings & Drawings
Visit www.dianewilks.weebly.com or
Email for examples: wdiane93@aol.com
Diane 01580 212327
Come and join us for
fun-filled activity days.
Why not have your
birthday party here too?
Blackland Farm
01342 810493
blackland@girlguiding.org.uk
www.blacklandfarm.org.uk
wealdentimes.co.uk
136
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1 03/03/2015 BlacklandFarmWT138.indd 12:30
1 10/07/2013 17:31
Competition
Win A £500 luxury spa break
for two at Eastwell Manor,
champneys hotel & spa
Eastwell Manor is a magnificent hotel within a
historic grand house in beautiful landscaped
gardens in Kent, with a Champneys spa. The
winner and their guest will enjoy a one-night stay in
a luxe room in the main Manor house, with dinner,
breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and a 50-minute spa
treatment each.
The Champneys spa offers a wide range of health
and beauty treatments, indoor and outdoor
20-metre heated swimming pools, jacuzzi, steam
room, sauna, and relaxation beds.
Winners will also have use of all the leisure
facilities at Eastwell Manor, during their stay,
which include a 3000 square foot gym, designated
footpaths, all-weather tennis court, petanque court,
croquet lawn and nine-hole golf course.
Eastwell Manor prides itself on an outstanding
range of dining options, celebrating British heritage
with an international influence. In addition to the
spa, leisure and eating amenities, they offer wedding
day packages, celebratory events and the hire
of meeting and conference rooms.
Eastwell Manor, Eastwell Court,
Ashford TN25 4HR eastwellmanor.co.uk
How to enter:
For your chance to win a
£500 spa break at Eastwell
Manor, Champneys Hotel
& Spa just answer the
following question: What
kind of room will the
winners stay in? Enter your
answer with your contact
details* in the online
form at wealdentimes.
co.uk/competition by 31
August 2018. The prize is
a one-night spa break for
two people with dinner,
breakfast, lunch, afternoon
tea and a 50-minute
treatment for each guest.
There is no cash alternative
and the prize must be
taken before 31 August
2019. *You must be over
the age of 18 to enter.
Congratulations to Margaret Lipsham who wins our June competition
for £400 of luxury bedding from King of Cotton
137
Jane Howard’s
Fables from
the Farm
Why cows win the farm animal popularity
contest – and sheep most definitely do not
Among those of us old enough to remember, Coopers
Farm has often been likened to an i-spy Book of The
Farm. These tiny pocket books were the pre-digital
way of keeping children entertained. Each one was dedicated
to a different topic like The Seaside, Birds, Cars or even
Motorways (a novelty way back then), each page illustrated
with objects you had to look out for and then tick off.
Once completed, and I never knew anyone who ever did,
you could send them back to the publisher – Big Chief I
Spy - and look forward to receiving a magnificent prize such
as a pencil or a badge. Those were the days!
Fact is over the past 20 years we have managed to collect,
or at some point tried our hand at, most of the farm animals
that would have featured in one of these books – cows, pigs,
sheep, goats, chickens, turkeys, guinea fowl – and many of
them are still here. Though some are most definitely not.
The goats were the worst, escaping, eating the roses,
making a racket and generally getting in the way. They only
lasted a few weeks but sheep come a close second in my
“more effort than their worth” opinion, but
it’s OK because they’re Adrian’s sheep and my
cows, so it’s not my problem.
When we first came to Coopers we had
almost no farm knowledge, Adrian decided to
sign up for an NVQ in agriculture at Hadlow
College. While there he was taken under the
wing of a very experienced shepherd who
turned up at the farm one day with five ewes
and a ram having rightly decided that being taught in a
classroom is only half the job, getting stuck in is far more
important. The die was cast, the flock was installed so, as
you do, I went and bought six cows.
“Sheep shearing
can be a very
competitive
business”
But here’s the thing. Once the cows are turned out in the
fields in the spring, apart from checking on them every day
it’s a pretty carefree summer. The shepherd’s work however
is never quite done.
As someone famously said there are two things sheep like
doing, one is escaping and one is dying and if they can die
escaping then that is true happiness.
All summer they have to be regularly wormed, have jabs
to stop diseases, their feet trimmed and be
sprayed with noxious chemicals to prevent fly
strike, a ghastly Hammer House of Horror
condition where bluebottle flies lay their eggs
in the wool and if undetected the maggots
burrow into the sheep’s skin and literally
devour the poor animal.
This is less of a problem once they’ve been
shorn but that too is a major undertaking –
and, rather like a hot dog eating competition, can be a very
competitive business.
Matt Smith, a farmer from Cornwall can shear a sheep in
44 seconds and recently broke a world record by shearing
731 ewes in nine hours!
In his heyday, Adrian could manage about 15 sheep a
week, not quite a match for Matt who by my calculations
would whizz through our 80 in under an hour, but these
days we employ the services of the much younger James.
But it still takes the two of them all day to get them in,
shear them, swap the combs and cutters, make endless cups
of tea and ‘wind’ the fleeces into big wool sacks.
Over in the cattle department I will spend my summer
wandering gently through the meadows watching my brown
cows just grow sleeker and glossier.
I rest my case.
Follow Jane Howard – and the farm – on Instagram @coopersfarm
wealdentimes.co.uk
138
Being pushed
out of your
workplace?
We’ll help
you push
back.
Authorised and Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Offices in London and
throughout the UK
Call 0203 319 2685
slatergordon.co.uk
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