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Wealden Times | WT206 | April 2019 | Garden supplement inside

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GARDEN SUPPLEMENT <strong>inside</strong><br />

Inspirational Interiors • Fabulous Fashion • Delicious Dishes<br />

PRICELESS<br />

APRIL <strong>2019</strong>


Designed to stand the test of time<br />

The difference is in the detail


Please call for a brochure or visit our showrooms<br />

Unit 9, Chart Farm, Seal Chart<br />

Sevenoaks, Kent TN15 0ES<br />

Tel: 01732 762682<br />

81 Calverley Road<br />

Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN1 2UY<br />

Tel: 01892 520730<br />

www.rencraft.co.uk


01580 291221 jminteriorsuk.uk<br />

Please call to arrange an appointment at our Biddenden showroom


MINTERIORS<br />

JFine hand crafted kitchens and bespoke furniture


DANISH DESIGN SINCE 1952 | BOCONCEPT.COM<br />

BOCONCEPT CANTERBURY . 4-5 ORANGE STREET . CANTERBURY . CT1 2JA<br />

01227 455585 CANTERBURY@BOCONCEPT.CO.UK


I<br />

N<br />

E<br />

J<br />

O<br />

I<br />

N<br />

O U<br />

R<br />

F<br />

R<br />

E<br />

T<br />

B<br />

E<br />

R<br />

I<br />

O<br />

R<br />

S<br />

C<br />

L<br />

U<br />

FROM DENMARK.TO YOUR DOOR<br />

SPRING FURNITURE<br />

COLLECTION AT<br />

BOCONCEPT CANTERBURY<br />

NOW<br />

It’s Spring and time to refresh your home. Explore our Spring<br />

furniture collection today and get expert advice on all your<br />

interior challenges with our FREE interior design service.<br />

Why not join our Free Interiors Club. BoConcept Canterbury<br />

members enjoy complimentary Interior Design talks and<br />

workshops, plus invitations to preview exclusive sale offers,<br />

new products and much more.<br />

Contact canterbury@boconcept.co.uk for more details.<br />

Finance options available in store.


8 luxury family homes set in the countryside village of Shadoxhurst close to Ashford, Kent. - NOW RESERVING<br />

4 and 5 bed homes £699,000 - £749,000.<br />

SHOW HOME NOW OPEN!<br />

10am - 4pm Fri – Mon. Come in and discover the Jarvis Homes difference.<br />

Come and be inspired by the Neptune<br />

designed show home interiors.<br />

Register at:<br />

sales@jarvishomes.com<br />

01233 421055<br />

SHADOXHURST • KENT • TN26 1LD<br />

www.chequersgreen.com<br />

jarvisnewhomes.co.uk<br />

JarvisNewHomes<strong>WT206</strong>.indd 1 11/03/<strong>2019</strong> 11:21<br />

5 High Street, Cranbrook, Kent TN17 3EB<br />

01580 715144<br />

Email: kld@kingsfords.net www.kingsfords-solicitors.com<br />

We offer an excellent, swift and friendly service.<br />

Conveyancing - Wills & Estates - Commercial Law -<br />

Matrimonial Law - Prenuptial Agreements - Litigation -<br />

Employment Law - Family Law - French Property<br />

Conveyancing Services from £550.00+VAT<br />

Wills from £215.00+VAT / Mirror Wills from £295.00+VAT<br />

Lasting Power Of Attorney (LPA's) from £250.00+VAT<br />

(Initial fixed-fee appointments also available at our Cranbrook offices)<br />

Litigation Solicitor from £200.00+VAT<br />

Matrimonial Solicitor from £150.00+VAT<br />

We will always try and match any quotation<br />

Kingsfords Solicitors Limited registered office address 2 Elwick Road, Ashford, Kent TN23 1PD<br />

Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority 621466<br />

wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

8<br />

KingsfordSolicitorsWT186.indd 1 24/07/2017 16:55


Contents<br />

<strong>April</strong> <strong>2019</strong><br />

42<br />

114<br />

136<br />

26<br />

33<br />

42<br />

69<br />

76<br />

101<br />

102<br />

HOUSES WITH HISTORY<br />

Maggie Alderson hunts<br />

down homes with<br />

interesting backstories<br />

NOTEBOOK<br />

<strong>April</strong> events to take note of<br />

LIGHT & SPACE<br />

Art director Clarkson’s<br />

coastal retreat<br />

GET THE LOOK<br />

Recreate airy seaside chic<br />

MAKE HISTORY<br />

Go behind the scenes<br />

at Battel Hall<br />

GET THE LOOK<br />

Invest in vintage style<br />

à la Battel Hall<br />

DESIGN THREAD<br />

Kit Kemp shares the key to<br />

magical interiors<br />

109<br />

111<br />

112<br />

114<br />

123<br />

127<br />

133<br />

FRESH PRINTS<br />

Our pick of Kit Kemp style<br />

fabrics and wallpapers<br />

TAKING SIDES<br />

Stunning side tables<br />

SIDE TO SIDE<br />

What to top your<br />

side tables with<br />

SETTING THE SEAM<br />

Kate Watts chooses bold suiting<br />

MAKE IT LAST<br />

Jo Fairley’s tips for<br />

successful scent layering<br />

FORWARD THINKING<br />

The latest non-invasive<br />

surgical news<br />

A YEAR OF WELLNESS<br />

Eminé Rushton takes a look<br />

at the vital role hormones<br />

play in our wellbeing<br />

Published by Priceless Media Ltd. Kettle Chambers, 21 Stone Street,<br />

Cranbrook, Kent TN17 3HF | Call 01580 714705 | Email info@wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

Visit wealdentimes.co.uk Copyright © <strong>2019</strong> Priceless Media Ltd. The views of<br />

the advertisers & contributors are not necessarily those of Priceless Media Ltd.<br />

134<br />

136<br />

149<br />

153<br />

159<br />

160<br />

NATURAL WISDOM<br />

Wellbeing help and advice<br />

GREEN & PLEASANT<br />

Juliet Bidwell’s St George’s Day feast<br />

SKILLS THRILLS<br />

Hilary Wilce explains the<br />

importance of skills for learning<br />

WHAT’S ON?<br />

Find out…<br />

COMPETITION<br />

Win a £500 voucher to<br />

spend at BoConcept<br />

FABLES FROM THE FARM<br />

There’s a real buzz at Coopers<br />

Farm this month<br />

GARDEN<br />

SUPPLEMENT<br />

32 pages of<br />

expert advice,<br />

places to visit and<br />

garden glory<br />

After page 144.<br />

<strong>Garden</strong>s<br />

A <strong>Wealden</strong> <strong>Times</strong> Supplement<br />

9<br />

Grow your own<br />

● Feathery ferns ● Ask the experts<br />

Sponsored by


SALES / LETTINGS / MANAGEMENT<br />

VISIT US AT HUNTERS.COM<br />

HERE TO GET you THERE<br />

BETHERSDEN £550,000<br />

A deceptively spacious Grade II listed character cottage with a wealth of period<br />

features, three/four bedrooms and three reception rooms, situated in the heart of<br />

the desirable village of Bethersden. EPC EXEMPT<br />

NEWENDEN £650,000<br />

An individual three bedroom detached home, with two reception rooms situated<br />

in an enviable rural position, on a highly desirable country lane with fantastic<br />

views over the River Rother and far reaching views. EPC TBC<br />

TENTERDEN £450,000 - £475,000<br />

A superb two double bedroom duplex apartment built approximately 11 years<br />

ago as part of a small select development, situated within 250 metres of the high<br />

street and finished to a high specification presented in immaculate order. EPC C<br />

ASHFORD £700,000<br />

This four bed detached house has so much more to offer than meets the eye with<br />

two reception rooms, double garage, workshop, grounds of approx 0.80 acres<br />

and stunning historic barn which is waiting to be converted. EPC TBC<br />

50% RESERVED<br />

HEADCORN PRICED £795,000 - £980,000<br />

NEW 5 BEDROOM SHOW HOME OPEN WEEKENDS BETWEEN 10am-4pm<br />

Nestled within the beautiful countryside village of Headcorn, Weavers Park offers an exceptional range of 4 & 5 bedroom luxury homes.<br />

The charming village offers an abundance of local amenities and primary school. Weavers Park is just a<br />

short drive from the M20 and Headcorn station with regular trains into London.<br />

HERE TO GET you THERE<br />

MEET YOUR LOCAL Tenterden Team!<br />

Over 150 independently owned branches across the UK. Jake, Andrew & Laura<br />

TENTERDEN<br />

HYTHE<br />

01580 763 278<br />

ASHFORD<br />

01233 613 613<br />

email: weaverspark@hunters.com and 03301 200 750<br />

01303 261 557<br />

FOLKESTONE<br />

01303 210 335<br />

Over 200 independently owned branches across the UK.


Kent & Sussex<br />

kentsussex@humberts.com<br />

01580 230281<br />

humberts.com<br />

MOVING YOU SINCE 1842<br />

Coming soon...<br />

a fantastic collection of 1 and 2<br />

bedroom apartments in Sevenoaks....<br />

exceptionally high spec, easy walking<br />

distance to town and the station,<br />

allocated parking spaces, some even<br />

with outside terraces ... what more<br />

could you ask for!!<br />

With prices from £270,000 call us<br />

now for more information and to<br />

register your interest<br />

Tenterden SOLD £1,500,000<br />

An opportunity to acquire a detached family home in need of<br />

updating, with a separate one bedroom annexe, sitting in its<br />

own parkland of circa 52 acres, with wonderful countryside<br />

views.<br />

Horsmonden SOLD £450,000<br />

A brand new one bedroom family home over 1,300sq.ft.<br />

with contemporary open-plan living finished to an<br />

exceptionally high specification on an exclusive gated<br />

developement.<br />

Faversham FOR SALE OIEO £600,000 Halstead FOR SALE £550,000<br />

A charming & exceptionally characterful 4 bedroom<br />

attached converted Kentish oast house set in a peaceful<br />

rural location amongst farmland & open countryside, with<br />

bespoke fitted roundel kitchen.<br />

A beautiful attached Grade II Listed cottage believed to date<br />

back to the 18th Century with three bedrooms, courtyard<br />

garden, Great British Kitchens’ kitchen and recently<br />

renovated bathroom.<br />

William Bankes,<br />

Regional Manager,<br />

Kent and Sussex,<br />

07810715892<br />

Stuart Hutchinson,<br />

Assistant Regional<br />

Manager,<br />

Chichester,<br />

07395790035<br />

Martin Jordan,<br />

Assistant Regional<br />

Manager,<br />

Canterbury,<br />

07796338345<br />

Emma Tighe,<br />

Property Consultant,<br />

Tenterden,<br />

07395790033<br />

Matthew Jolin,<br />

Property Consultant<br />

Chichester,<br />

07976276428<br />

Glynn Amos,<br />

Property Consultant,<br />

Sevenoaks,<br />

07734555545<br />

Lizzie Jordan,<br />

Property Consultant,<br />

Canterbury,<br />

07891654996<br />

Leila Himm,<br />

Base Camp Team,<br />

01732741212<br />

Tracey Jackson,<br />

Base Camp Team,<br />

01732741212


MAXIMISE THE VALUE<br />

OF YOUR LAND<br />

Have you got a large<br />

garden or plot of land?<br />

We are experts at working<br />

with owners to maximise<br />

the full value of their land<br />

Industry leading experts<br />

We take care of the planning permission!<br />

The risk-free way to maximise your land<br />

Zero cost to you!<br />

Planning laws are changing<br />

Act now before its too late!<br />

What our clients say…<br />

"The team had a huge amount of<br />

knowledge and every step was handled<br />

in a professional manner. Their excellent<br />

relationship with the local planning<br />

department helped achieve a fantastic<br />

result for us. We would have no<br />

hesitation in recommending them to<br />

anyone who wants to achieve planning".<br />

Amanda and Robert Petch<br />

June 2016<br />

"The cost involved to try and<br />

get planning on our land<br />

were just not feasible for us.<br />

Working with Country House<br />

meant we didn’t have to risk<br />

our money as they took care<br />

of everything"<br />

Mr C Partridge (Loose, Kent)<br />

September 2016<br />

For a free appraisal call 0843 557 4080<br />

www.maximisemyland.co.uk<br />

sales@countryhousehomes.co.uk<br />

“Guy and team at CHH did a fantastic<br />

job securing planning permission on<br />

our rear garden plot. Although a fairly<br />

problematic application (which took<br />

over 18 months), they kept us informed<br />

throughout the entire process.<br />

I would certainly use them again”<br />

David J (Oxted, Surrey)<br />

January 2017


My My life life is is<br />

for for living living<br />

We would like to extend a warm welcome and invite you to<br />

our March Moving Event on Thursday 14th March, 11am-4pm<br />

in Seaford. Presenting a bespoke removal service and part<br />

exchange solutions for certainty in an uncertain market.<br />

We would like to extend a warm welcome and invite you to our March Moving<br />

Event on Thursday 14th March, 11am-4pm in Seaford. Presenting a bespoke<br />

removal service and part exchange solutions for certainty in an uncertain market.<br />

How will you spend your days living at Hortsley, Seaford? Just<br />

moments from the sea, this charming collection boasts fabulous<br />

lively sea café views. and cultural On fine scene days, beckon. coastal When walks you’d rather and the stay in, town’s the building’s lively attractive café<br />

and cultural scene beckon. When you’d rather stay in, the building’s<br />

it easy attractive to feel right Winter at home. Gallery overlooking the courtyard garden and<br />

Exclusively accessed for from the all over properties, 60s makes it easy to feel right at home.<br />

To Exclusively register your for interest the over and to 60s<br />

be kept up to date with this and all<br />

future To register events please your interest call 01323 and 315 to 061 be kept up to date with<br />

PegasusLife.co.uk/Hortsley this and all future events | 5 please Sutton Park call 01323 Road, Seaford, 315 063<br />

BN25 1FA<br />

How will you spend your days living at Hortsley, Seaford? Just moments from the sea, this<br />

charming collection boasts fabulous sea views. On fine days, coastal walks and the town’s<br />

Winter Gallery overlooking the courtyard garden and accessed from all properties, makes<br />

PegasusLife.co.uk/Hortsley<br />

5 Sutton Park Road, Seaford, BN25 1FA<br />

Destinations Nationwide: London: Hampstead, Purley, Westminster North: Wilmslow<br />

East: Harpenden, Sevenoaks West: Bath, Bristol, Cheltenham, Portishead, Tetbury<br />

South: *Prices Brockenhurst, correct at the Falmouth, time of print. Poole, **Rental Seaford, price Winchester, includes Woking. service charge<br />

*Prices correct at the time of print. **Rental price includes service charge<br />

Buy from<br />

£249,950<br />

or Buy<br />

£1,431<br />

from<br />

£249,950 PCM**<br />

or £1,431<br />

PCM**


NEW SHOW HOME<br />

NOW OPEN<br />

THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS<br />

Beautiful character homes that feature the<br />

very best of town and country living.<br />

AVAILABLE NOW<br />

Award winning family homes surrounded by beautiful<br />

green open spaces and excellent local amenities just<br />

400 metres from Tenterden’s boutique High Street.<br />

Church View offers an enviable lifestyle that features<br />

the very best of town and country living.<br />

Apartments and family homes from £250,000<br />

Show homes open daily 10am to 5pm<br />

01580 854076 | churchview-tenterden.co.uk<br />

GREAT INCENTIVES available |<br />

Prices correct at time of publication and are subject to change<br />

HELP TO BUY available


Residential Sales<br />

#The<strong>Garden</strong>OfEngland<br />

Estate Agents<br />

Woodchurch<br />

Guide £995,000<br />

Farmhouse, barn conversion, home gym/games<br />

room. <strong>Garden</strong>s adjoining fields, close to the<br />

beautiful village of Woodchurch. EPC Rating D<br />

Warehorne<br />

Guide £895,000<br />

Unlisted 18th Century period family house,<br />

separate holiday cottage, gardens, paddock.<br />

About 2 acres. EPC Rating E<br />

NO CHAIN<br />

Tenterden<br />

Guide £745,000<br />

Well proportioned living accommodation over<br />

three floors, ample off road parking, attached<br />

double garage and gardens. EPC Rating B<br />

High Halden<br />

Guide £885,000<br />

Extended and improved family home offers over<br />

2900 sq ft of fabulous living accommodation in<br />

a semi rural setting. EPC Rating C<br />

Pluckley<br />

Guide £1,295,000<br />

Grade II 5 bed period Listed Farmhouse, two<br />

bedroom cottage (rental income of £9,000 p/a).<br />

Vineyard, heated pool and useful outbuildings<br />

(about 1,200ft). In all about 3.60 acres.<br />

Hobbs Parker Estate Agents www.hobbsparker.co.uk<br />

Ashford 01233 506260 Tenterden 01580 766766<br />

Tenterden<br />

Guide £1,550,000<br />

01580 766766<br />

Well appointed and beautifully presented<br />

country house with far reaching views.<br />

In all approx 1.7 acres. EPC Rating C


A home to match your lifestyle.<br />

It can only be Redrow<br />

Existing homeowner?<br />

Help to Sell can get you moving<br />

Designed to sell your existing home quickly and easily,<br />

Help to Sell is your ticket to a dream new home. We’ll take<br />

care of all the paperwork and even contribute to your estate<br />

agent fees, leaving you to enjoy a hassle-free move.<br />

The service you’d expect from a name you can trust.<br />

Find out more about our new Help to Sell service<br />

and book your appointment today.<br />

3, 4 & 5 bedroom homes from £374,995<br />

The Parsonage<br />

Goudhurst Road TN12 9JY | Call: 01622 528655 | redrow.co.uk<br />

Details correct at time of going to print, terms and conditions apply, visit www.redrow.co.uk for full details. Image is indicative only.


Rye, East Sussex £1.1m - £1.15m<br />

A luxury collection of five contemporary townhouses situated<br />

in the Rock Channel area of the Ancient and Cinque Port<br />

Town of Rye. Built in materials reflecting the Town’s maritime<br />

history the cedar-clad houses offer stylish waterside living<br />

just a few minutes’ walk away from the Citadel with its<br />

cobbled streets, 12th Century church and an eclectic mix of<br />

individual shops, cafes, restaurants and boutique hotels.<br />

The three storey coastal homes are finished to a high<br />

specification, including bespoke kitchens and built-in storage.<br />

A large glass-fronted open plan living area frames the everchanging<br />

natural landscape with views of the river and<br />

beyond. The properties provide three double bedrooms, a<br />

utility room, study and car parking for 2 vehicles. EPC TBC.<br />

RYE OFFICE 01797 227338<br />

MAYFAIR OFFICE 0870 112 7099<br />

phillipsandstubbs.co.uk


Boughton Park<br />

Boughton Monchelsea, ME17 4HU<br />

An exclusive collection of 4 & 5 bedroom<br />

homes with prices from £440,000<br />

Show Home Open<br />

Thursday to Monday<br />

The<br />

Cock Inn<br />

6 minutes<br />

0.3 miles<br />

Boughton<br />

Monchelsea<br />

Post Office<br />

& Village<br />

Store<br />

4 minutes<br />

0.2 miles<br />

Boughton<br />

Monchelsea<br />

Primary<br />

School<br />

1 minute<br />

0.03 miles<br />

Boughton<br />

Park<br />

Leeds<br />

Castle<br />

11 minutes<br />

5.1 miles<br />

Maidstone<br />

Centre<br />

12 minutes<br />

4.1 miles<br />

Tesco<br />

Superstore<br />

12 minutes<br />

3.1 miles<br />

J8 - M20<br />

Motorway<br />

13 minutes<br />

6 miles<br />

10 am – 4 pm New Homes<br />

Maidstone<br />

East<br />

Train Station<br />

17 minutes<br />

5.2 miles<br />

The best of town & country<br />

*Distance taken from googlemaps.co.uk. Help to buy is subject to scheme rules.<br />

Computer generated image<br />

fernham-homes.co.uk<br />

01622 230631 sales@fernham-homes.co.uk


PRESENTING ...<br />

STOCKWOOD MEADOW<br />

1st Phase is now available for viewings – By appointment only<br />

Stockwood Meadow is<br />

an exclusive collection<br />

of twenty-six 2, 3, 4 &5<br />

bedroom homes nestled<br />

in the picturesque<br />

village of Staplecross.<br />

These light and spacious homes<br />

surround their own village green.<br />

The first phase ‘The Lodge’<br />

incorporates generous, clean<br />

layouts designed with modern<br />

country living in mind, from the<br />

well proportioned sitting room<br />

to the spacious kitchen/dining<br />

room which is filled with natural<br />

light and has integrated Bosch<br />

appliances and doors leading to<br />

the enclosed garden.<br />

A cloakroom and hall cupboard are<br />

also included on the ground floor.<br />

The first floor boasts a spacious<br />

master bedroom with high<br />

specification tiled ensuite, a double<br />

bedroom with potential to divide<br />

to create a double and a single<br />

if required, a good size family<br />

bathroom, an airing cupboard and<br />

additional hallway cupboard.<br />

HARPERS AND HURLINGHAM<br />

Telephone 01580 715400<br />

www.harpersandhurlingham.com<br />

enquiries@harpersandhurlingham.com


ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE<br />

Enjoy town or country living with Taylor Wimpey in Kent<br />

T<br />

aylor Wimpey is giving home hunters<br />

in Kent the luxury of choice when it<br />

comes to deciding between town or<br />

country living. Its Three Fields development,<br />

located on the outskirts of the vibrant<br />

market town of Tenterden, is ideally placed<br />

for people who want the convenience of<br />

everyday amenities on the doorstep. For<br />

those who prefer a more relaxed lifestyle in<br />

the countryside, the homebuilder’s Halden<br />

Field development, situated in the peaceful<br />

village of Rolvenden, is the perfect option.<br />

There is a variety of one to five bedroom<br />

homes available across both developments,<br />

as well as a range of incentives to help first<br />

time buyers and existing homeowners.<br />

Jason Stokes, Sales and Marketing Director<br />

for Taylor Wimpey South East, says: “Whether<br />

your preference is town or country living, we<br />

have a new home to suit you at Three Fields<br />

or Halden Field. Anyone looking to move<br />

should pay us a visit to see for themselves<br />

what these developments have to offer.”<br />

The homes at Three Fields and Halden<br />

Field are priced from £245,000. Further<br />

information about both developments, and<br />

the homes and incentives available, can be<br />

found online at www.taylorwimpey.co.uk.<br />

PLOT OR NOT?<br />

If you think your land or property has development potential,<br />

why not give us a call without obligation and in confidence.<br />

TaylorWimpey<strong>WT206</strong>Advertorial.indd 1 13/03/<strong>2019</strong> 11:04<br />

WE ARE ALWAYS ON THE LOOKOUT FOR LAND AND PROPERTY WITH DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL<br />

Many of our clients retain our services and, in the majority of<br />

cases, pay our fees saving property owners significant costs.<br />

Commercial buildings for residential conversion, former public houses, redundant<br />

buildings for redevelopment, buildings for conversion or replacement, houses<br />

for improvement, large sites on the edge of town, barn conversions, large<br />

gardens in residential areas and major regeneration projects.<br />

Contact Stephen Donnelly on<br />

07739 514350 or 01892 579937<br />

website: sjd-projects.com<br />

email: steve@sjd-projects.com<br />

For regular updates, visit us at<br />

twitter.com/projects<br />

wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

22<br />

SJDprojects<strong>WT206</strong>.indd 1 12/03/<strong>2019</strong> 11:27


Ashford Riverside Park<br />

Launching 19th - 22nd <strong>April</strong><br />

A collection of 1 & 2 Bedroom Apartments and 3<br />

Bedroom Houses set in this exclusive brand new<br />

development Ashford Riverside Park, Kent.<br />

Opening Hours:<br />

19th, 21st, 22nd <strong>April</strong> – 11am to 4pm<br />

20th <strong>April</strong> – 10am to 5pm.<br />

Help to Buy<br />

Parking<br />

Riverside & Park Views<br />

0.5 miles to<br />

Ashford International<br />

38 Minutes to<br />

London St Pancras<br />

Balconies on all plots<br />

Contact us for more information<br />

01233 427 767<br />

info@greassets.co.uk<br />

greassets.co.uk/projects/riverside-park<br />

Help to buy is subject to status and qualifying conditions. Terms and conditions apply.<br />

Featured CGI images are for illustration purposes only. Show home available to view at launch.


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JM Finn are proud to<br />

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House<br />

Month<br />

of the<br />

Houses with History<br />

Maggie Alderson picks her favourite homes on the market<br />

£POA<br />

The Clock House<br />

The dream: Not just a house, a<br />

historical landmark. The Clock<br />

House, Grade II* listed, was<br />

designed by Decimus Burton in<br />

the ecclesiastical Gothic revival<br />

style, as part of his scheme for<br />

the elegant seaside resort of St.<br />

Leonards in 1830. Lovingly<br />

restored by the current owners, it<br />

was featured in all its magnificent<br />

glory in the December 2018<br />

issue of this magazine.<br />

Where: Round the corner from<br />

the groovy hub of Norman<br />

Road and all the bars, cafés and<br />

restaurants on the seafront.<br />

Setting: On the elegant Maze Hill,<br />

with the park on one side, five<br />

minutes’ walk from the beach.<br />

Beds: 5 Baths: 2<br />

Special features: The whole<br />

house is a special feature.<br />

Pleasing details: The eponymous<br />

clock on the outside, made by<br />

George III’s clockmaker.<br />

Outside: Mature trees in its own<br />

garden with a summerhouse,<br />

which opens onto the lovely<br />

park of St Leonards <strong>Garden</strong>s,<br />

with its ornamental lake.<br />

Time to town: Fast trains from St<br />

Leonards are 1.5 hours to Charing<br />

Cross, but longer coming back.<br />

Price: POA<br />

Agent: Fine & Country, Cranbrook<br />

01580 715000 fineandcountry.com<br />

wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

26


Hill House<br />

£1,595,000<br />

The dream: An unusually spacious Grade<br />

II* listed townhouse, in the heart of<br />

Cranbrook. The front is beautifully tile<br />

hung, with a splendidly porticoed front<br />

door. Parts of the house date back to the<br />

mid-15th century, when it was a cloth hall.<br />

Where: On The Hill, in the lee of<br />

the famous windmill, with all of<br />

Cranbrook’s attractions on hand.<br />

Setting: High pavement and street<br />

to the front, gardens to the rear.<br />

Beds: 7 Baths: 4<br />

Special features: The drawing room is large<br />

enough for a full-sized billiards table as well<br />

as the usual sofa etc and there are three other<br />

generous reception rooms and an eat-in kitchen.<br />

Pleasing details: Glorious beams,<br />

fireplaces and wide floorboards.<br />

Outside: A lovely and extensive partially<br />

walled mature garden, with a terrace.<br />

Time to town: Ten mins to Staplehurst,<br />

then just over an hour to Charing<br />

Cross or Cannon Street.<br />

Price: OIEO £1,595.000<br />

Agent: Harpers & Hurlingham, Cranbrook<br />

01580 715400 harpersandhurlingham.com<br />

21A, The Pantiles<br />

£685,000<br />

The dream: What better way to embrace<br />

town centre living, than in one of the loveliest<br />

of town centres – The Pantiles in Tunbridge<br />

Wells. This three-storey maisonette is bang<br />

amongst it all, with internal proportions as<br />

elegant as the urban landscape without.<br />

Where: Bang in The Pantiles, within walking<br />

distance of all Tunbridge Wells has to offer,<br />

right by the chalybeate spring (water rich in<br />

iron) which made the town a Regency spa.<br />

Setting: The Georgian collonnade,<br />

with all its lovely shops and places to<br />

eat, plus the lovely row of trees.<br />

Beds: 3 Baths: 1 (and another loo)<br />

Special features: Lovely French<br />

windows opening onto a cast-iron<br />

balcony in the sitting room.<br />

Pleasing details: A groovy<br />

contemporary kitchen.<br />

Outside: The Pantiles.<br />

Time to town: An hour from<br />

the station, just up the hill.<br />

Price: £685,000<br />

Agent: Hamptons, Tunbridge Wells<br />

01892 310693 hamptons.co.uk<br />

27 wealdentimes.co.uk


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5111-Gorringes (WT) (Apr<strong>2019</strong>) 130x185.indd 1 04/03/<strong>2019</strong> 11:00<br />

Gorringes<strong>WT206</strong>.indd 1 04/03/<strong>2019</strong> 11:40<br />

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29 wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

KentAndSussexHolidayCottages<strong>WT206</strong>.indd 1 06/03/<strong>2019</strong> 14:23


19 May <strong>2019</strong>, 11am-3pm<br />

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Join us for our Open Day<br />

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Meet our team of experts for advice about our range of<br />

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chat about our Benenden Health Membership and our<br />

helpful finance options. We will also be on hand to talk<br />

about career and volunteering opportunities.<br />

01580 232 488<br />

hello@benenden.org.uk<br />

benendenhospital.org.uk/<br />

openday<br />

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Benenden, Cranbrook<br />

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*Bookable in person on event day only - appointments to<br />

be completed by 19 August <strong>2019</strong>.<br />

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Notebook<br />

What to do and see near you this month<br />

Living the dream<br />

Get ready to bounce! Dreamland<br />

Margate is joining forces with the<br />

UK’s favourite family festival this<br />

Easter as it starts the season with a<br />

full park takeover by Camp Bestival.<br />

From Saturday 6 to Monday 22 <strong>April</strong>,<br />

Camp Bestival will bring a taste of its<br />

much-loved family vibes to Margate<br />

with live music, rides, and extravagant<br />

entertainment for all the family, and<br />

the great news is, it’s free to enter!<br />

Take the family to Dreamland for the<br />

Easter school holidays to experience<br />

three oh-so-lnstagrammable Bestival<br />

installations including the 8m tall<br />

Love-Bot that spreads love and joy to<br />

all, a mini temple and Bollywood chill<br />

out zone, and The World’s Biggest<br />

Bouncy Castle which is taller than the<br />

Great Wall of China and accommodates<br />

100 bouncers at a time. The wobbly<br />

Olympics is also not to be missed,<br />

on top of festival mask making, and<br />

some cute and occasionally creepy<br />

creatures in the Dreamland Ark.<br />

The Easter festivities will culminate<br />

in a big Camp Bestival Party on<br />

Sunday 21 <strong>April</strong> with a day of<br />

family friendly DJs, live music<br />

and workshops for big and<br />

little kids alike. Plus, if you<br />

need a break between the<br />

raves and revels, there will<br />

be a pop-up Sleep Retreat<br />

with yoga, gong baths<br />

and meditation from local<br />

relaxation experts, or you<br />

can just wander over to the<br />

golden sands of Margate<br />

beach. dreamland.co.uk<br />

Flowers,<br />

Fizz & Fun<br />

Join the <strong>Garden</strong>ing for<br />

Disabled Trust at Hush Heath<br />

for a fabulous Plant Fair and<br />

open garden on Wednesday<br />

24 <strong>April</strong>. Meet plant and<br />

garden specialists, enjoy some<br />

free tastings of Hush Heath’s<br />

award-winning pink fizz, and<br />

explore the restored and<br />

landscaped private garden<br />

of Mr & Mrs Balfour-Lynn.<br />

gardeningfordisabledtrust.org.uk<br />

Easter<br />

Eggtravaganza<br />

Visit the Historic Dockyard<br />

Chatham this Easter from<br />

Saturday 6 to Saturday 20<br />

<strong>April</strong> for an Easter egg hunt, a<br />

Doc. Yard Secret Lab and the<br />

Festival of Steam and Transport<br />

on Easter Sunday and Monday<br />

thedockyard.co.uk<br />

33 wealdentimes.co.uk


News<br />

sCreen TiMe<br />

Have you been to Ashford Picturehouse yet? Based in the<br />

heart of Ashford, this cinema is a luxury experience with its<br />

lush foyer complete with restaurant and bar and a range of<br />

special screenings including dog-friendly, autism-friendly and<br />

kids club options. on top of the usual blockbusters, this month’s<br />

offerings include a kids club showing of wreck-it-ralph 2, A<br />

Clockwork orange for a Vintage sunday, and a dementiafriendly<br />

screening of The African Queen. picturehouses.com<br />

Financial<br />

times<br />

To guide you through the<br />

proverbial minefield of Financial<br />

Planning in the 21st Century,<br />

Burfields House Wealth<br />

Management Ltd is holding<br />

seminars at One Warwick<br />

Park Hotel, Tunbridge Wells<br />

this month. Reserve your<br />

place on one or both sessions<br />

on Thursday 25 <strong>April</strong> <strong>2019</strong><br />

(3pm for Pensions or 7pm<br />

for Business Owners).<br />

burfieldshousewm.co.uk<br />

Romney had<br />

a little lamb<br />

Sunday 7 <strong>April</strong> is your chance<br />

to meet the gorgeous lambs<br />

of Romney Marsh Wools at<br />

their wonderful open day in<br />

celebration of lambing season.<br />

Explore Kentish crafts, try food<br />

and drink from some specially<br />

selected local producers,<br />

learn about the history of<br />

Romney sheep and entertain<br />

the kids with face painting<br />

and the chance to have your<br />

photo taken in a tractor.<br />

romneymarshwools.co.uk<br />

looK ForwArD: MAY<br />

rye Jazz Fest will be in full swing throughout May<br />

and August, serving the very best in jazz, blues, rnB,<br />

soul, Folk, roots, latin, Cuban and contemporary<br />

music in stunning and unique locations including<br />

st Mary’s Church in rye and Hever Castle. Artists<br />

appearing include the ‘Godfather’ of bossa<br />

nova and Brazilian music, sergio Mendes (left),<br />

British-born jazz giant Courtney Pine, and the<br />

legendary Multiple Grammy-winning American<br />

songwriter Jimmy webb. ryejazz.com<br />

wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

34


UNDER NEW FAMILY OWNERSHIP<br />

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CASH FOR GOLD<br />

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Ask us about our new<br />

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the Green together with delicious home-cooked food, real<br />

ales, and great wines in front of the open fire<br />

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Green, Ashford Road,<br />

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TN26 3LP, Kent<br />

Dogs<br />

welcome<br />

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Bookings on 01233 850503 or eMail:<br />

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ChequersOnTheGreenWT205.indd 1 20/02/<strong>2019</strong> 16:06<br />

O<br />

Grn<br />

Truhu Hasng n R<br />

Rye and District<br />

Country Show<br />

Saturday 17th August<br />

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For garden opening dates and locations<br />

visit www.stmichaelshospice.com or<br />

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01424 456396<br />

Horse Show, Dog Show, Donkey Show,<br />

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A great day out for all the family!<br />

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event in aid of<br />

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StMichaelsHospice<strong>WT206</strong>.indd 1 20/03/<strong>2019</strong> 14:34


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EPM-<strong>WT206</strong>.indd 1 20/03/<strong>2019</strong> 19:27


HERITAGE SPECIALISTS<br />

Editor’s<br />

Letter<br />

For the second time in very recent years, Maggie<br />

Alderson has taken the reins of <strong>Wealden</strong> <strong>Times</strong> to<br />

deliver your monthly offering of beautiful homes,<br />

ridiculously tasty food and seasonal <strong>supplement</strong>s whilst I take<br />

some time off on maternity leave. Thank you, Maggie!<br />

I’m pleased to be back and I’m looking forward to all that<br />

<strong>2019</strong> holds for <strong>Wealden</strong> <strong>Times</strong> and its sister magazine, Surrey<br />

Homes. Alongside our regular printed issues, there are a trio<br />

of fairs to add to your diary – the return of <strong>Wealden</strong> <strong>Times</strong><br />

Midsummer Fair, from 6-8 June at Hole Park estate, and<br />

<strong>Wealden</strong> <strong>Times</strong> Midwinter Fair, from 14-16 November at<br />

The Hop Farm in Paddock Wood, plus a brand new event:<br />

Surrey Homes Magazine’s Open House, from 10-12 October<br />

at Sandown Park in Surrey. We’re looking forward to welcoming<br />

a whole host of fair favourites alongside plenty of new faces.<br />

This month’s issue is packed with gorgeous interiors.<br />

A trip to Leeds Castle’s Battel Hall reveals an extensive<br />

renovation project for interior designer and stylist<br />

Francesca Rowan Plowden and Antonia Deeson takes<br />

a trip to Pett Level to meet art director Clare Clarkson<br />

and find out more about her stunning seaside home.<br />

Elsewhere, Juliet Bidwell creates a dinner party<br />

inspired by olde English dishes for St George’s Day,<br />

Kate Watts chooses vibrant suits for this month’s<br />

fashion fix and our <strong>Garden</strong> Supplement highlights<br />

all that’s needed for stylish outdoor spaces.<br />

Enjoy your <strong>Wealden</strong> <strong>Times</strong>!<br />

<strong>Wealden</strong> <strong>Times</strong> Team<br />

Editor ............................................................................................ Lucy Fleming<br />

Editorial Assistant ........................................................................Rebecca Cuffe<br />

Digital Editor ...................................................................................Emily Pavey<br />

Fashion Editor ................................................................................... Kate Watts<br />

Design .........................................................................................Powerful Pierre<br />

Design Director ..........................................................................Anthony Boxall<br />

Design Team .................................................................................... Freya Bruce<br />

Ryan Huggins<br />

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Executive Chairman ...................................................................... Julie Simpson<br />

Managing Director .............................................................. Vivien Cotterill-Lee<br />

Sales Manager ................................................................................... Jen Shearer<br />

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<strong>Wealden</strong> <strong>Times</strong> Events Team<br />

Sales Account Manager ...................................................................... Joy Adams<br />

Jude Brown<br />

Show Director ................................................................................. Flo Simpson<br />

Events Assistant .....................................................................................Ed Steele<br />

39 wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

Ashford&CranbrookRoofingWT204.indd 1 02/01/<strong>2019</strong> 10:00


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possibly lose – there are fewer people<br />

you have to explain the situation to, and<br />

you save yourself the aggravation and<br />

costs of instructing lawyers.<br />

However, like all DIY attempts based on<br />

information gleaned from the internet,<br />

you will need to weigh up the good<br />

and the bad. Almost half (40%) of all<br />

application forms are rejected due to<br />

mistakes. The process can take much<br />

longer than you anticipate and this in<br />

turn can add upset and tension to what is<br />

generally a pretty stressful time already.<br />

While it may feel much more amicable<br />

‘not getting the lawyers involved’ - and<br />

starting the divorce process online does<br />

indeed reduce initial legal costs - it<br />

does not completely remove the need<br />

for lawyers. Although you are at the end<br />

of your married relationship, a divorce<br />

is the beginning of a different kind of<br />

relationship with your spouse – which<br />

will have to continue for as long as it<br />

takes. Children and financial obligations<br />

are two major factors that can make<br />

things a lot more complicated. You and<br />

your spouse will have financial claims<br />

against the other which will need to be<br />

resolved with the court’s involvement.<br />

How much the court is involved depends<br />

on whether you are able to reach an<br />

agreement with your spouse, and<br />

often if agreement can be reached the<br />

court is required simply to approve the<br />

settlement.<br />

The best time to resolve your financial<br />

claims against each other is alongside<br />

the divorce proceedings, otherwise the<br />

risk is that the financial claims remain<br />

open and your ex-spouse comes back<br />

to you years later, after perhaps your<br />

financial circumstances have improved<br />

and theirs have declined, to seek<br />

financial support from you.<br />

Filing for divorce online doesn’t take<br />

away the necessity for narrative and<br />

explanation – even in the virtual world<br />

you are still required to support your<br />

grounds for separation.<br />

There are five facts in the UK used<br />

to support divorce: unreasonable<br />

behaviour; two-year separation;<br />

five-year separation; desertion and<br />

adultery. It can be argued that one of the<br />

most challenging aspects of a divorce<br />

is the justification – aside from the<br />

emotional drain, you need some level<br />

of legal knowledge. The most common<br />

reasons cited for divorce in the UK are<br />

unreasonable behaviour and adultery,<br />

and these two in particular require<br />

examples of the behaviours that led you<br />

to believe you cannot continue to be<br />

married to this person. Writing these<br />

explanations on your own could lead to<br />

mistakes that will elongate the process<br />

and some legal guidance could be<br />

welcome here.<br />

After considering both sides of the<br />

divorce coin, you have to ask yourself –<br />

is it worth accepting you need to make<br />

use of the experience of a professional,<br />

or do you want to take a chance on an<br />

online form? If you are confident in your<br />

basis for divorce and ability to articulate<br />

your reasons, the internet may be the<br />

way forward for you, but if there’s any<br />

doubt in your mind legal advice, at least<br />

in the form of a brief chat to clarify your<br />

position, is likely to be the safer option.<br />

We can also discuss the financial claims<br />

that you have against your spouse, and<br />

how best to resolve those.<br />

With a situation that can be as difficult<br />

and complex as disentangling two lives,<br />

it’s important to have all of the support<br />

and assistance you need – including<br />

knowing the most appropriate way to<br />

present the facts. At Cripps we have<br />

an experienced and dedicated team<br />

to advise you on all aspects of your<br />

separation.<br />

Claire Tollefson<br />

If you would like more information about<br />

family law contact Claire Tollefson on<br />

01892 506191, email<br />

claire.tollefson@crippspg.co.uk<br />

or visit www.cripps.co.uk<br />

www.cripps.co.uk @crippslaw This article gives examples and is intended for general guidance only


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Lenleys<strong>WT206</strong>.indd 1 11/03/<strong>2019</strong> 10:14<br />

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Light & Space<br />

When a seaside house long-coveted by art director Clare<br />

Clarkson came onto the market, she jumped at the chance<br />

to rework its interior to create an open-plan home, perfect<br />

for her large extended family<br />

wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

42


Words: Antonia Methuen Photographs: David Merewether Styling: Anna Richardson<br />

43 wealdentimes.co.uk


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Previous pages & above: In order to create a better and more<br />

open space for socialising Clare knocked down the walls of<br />

the old entrance hall and sitting room, and connected the<br />

conservatory with the old kitchen<br />

Art director Clare Clarkson fell in love with the village<br />

of Pett Level at first sight. So much so that she bought<br />

the wrong house, and simply waited for the right<br />

one to become available. Luckily for Clare she didn’t have to<br />

wait long, as the house that she had been coveting for some<br />

time eventually came on the market. “It was priced too high<br />

at the beginning,” says Clare, “as it needed so much work,<br />

so we had to play a waiting game. Luckily no-one else could<br />

see past the problems, but I knew exactly what to do.”<br />

Six years later Clare and her husband have refurbished<br />

and extended the house almost beyond recognition. The half<br />

timbered exterior has been painted a chic matt black, an old<br />

balcony has been transformed into a new guest bedroom and<br />

bathroom, the old kitchen has almost tripled in size with a<br />

new dining room and the entrance hall and sitting room <br />

45 wealdentimes.co.uk


The now spacious ground floor offers<br />

a variety of sitting areas. It is an<br />

incredibly clever mix of the classic and<br />

the contemporary, the rural and the<br />

urban, the open plan and the cosy nook.<br />

have all been opened up. In fact, the TV personality who<br />

formerly owned the house would be hard pressed to recognise<br />

anything apart from the home’s distinctive thatched roof.<br />

“My grandchildren all think the house is magical, like<br />

a gingerbread house, and in a way it is,” says Clare as she<br />

shows me around her garden. Children’s slides and an<br />

eco-Wendy house that looks like somewhere the Wombles<br />

would live, nestle between pretty specimen rose bushes<br />

and hardy perennial shrubs, all of which overlook the sea<br />

below. An impressive revolving summerhouse provides an<br />

external office space. I follow Clare down a few steps and<br />

find myself on the most fabulous look out terrace, nestled<br />

on the cliff edge. You can imagine sinking a few G&Ts here<br />

as the summer sun sets over the Channel – there is even a<br />

second summerhouse (complete with bed). “Just in case the<br />

trip back to the house becomes too much!” laughs Clare.<br />

The 1930s Arts & Crafts style house was originally built<br />

by architects Forbes & Tate. The practice designed a series<br />

of houses in the same vernacular dotted around the <br />

wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

46


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This page: The sitting room’s original wood panelling<br />

has been saved and re-used. “It’s all about using the same<br />

tones and colours in an area,” explains Clare. “You can<br />

mix a traditional wing back armchair, like the one I got<br />

from my mother, with a modular sofa and a piece of<br />

G-plan or midcentury modern furniture, you just have<br />

to keep the same palette to make it all hang together.”<br />

village, only adding to Pett Level’s sense of being a longlost<br />

idyll of English pastoral fantasy. With its now iconic<br />

shingle beach (as loved by David Bowie in the video of<br />

Ashes to Ashes) and Jurassic footprint, the landscape at Pett<br />

Level is picture postcard perfect; gently rolling hills dotted<br />

with grazing sheep fall gently into a valley that leads to<br />

the sea. One of the many landing points for the Dunkirk<br />

evacuation, this small village has since become somewhat of<br />

an architectural battle ground. A tale of two architectural<br />

trends. Go down to the shore and the houses have almost all<br />

(thanks in the large part to music manager Tom Watkins)<br />

become large contemporary glass boxes, all very Miami.<br />

However step back from the sea and nestled in and around<br />

the rolling landscape, set back from the beach and hidden<br />

by the trees, the houses all follow a very different visual <br />

49 wealdentimes.co.uk


“I am a bit of a collector,” says Clare. “I get quite a few things from my film and<br />

TV jobs and also from boot fairs. It’s not about being the most expensive, it’s about<br />

being the most interesting. I like weird things that most people overlook.”<br />

<br />

wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

50


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JPJoinery<strong>WT206</strong>.indd 1 13/03/<strong>2019</strong> 10:15


As with everything in this most magical<br />

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or midcentury modern furniture, you just have to keep<br />

the same palette to make it all hang together.”<br />

<br />

53 wealdentimes.co.uk


In the basement cinema room, comfy sofas and armchairs are stylishly arranged<br />

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<br />

wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

54


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Detailed structural surveys and building<br />

reports are available at your request.<br />

We work in England and the South of France.<br />

wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

56<br />

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Top & above left: A fully panelled staircase leads to a half landing, where a stained glass panel sits in a window. Clare was told that it was<br />

originally medieval and the architects had incorporated it into the 1930s scheme Above right: As you come upstairs Clare has used a wallpaper<br />

by local designer Lindsay Alker, called Battle Great Wood. A further upstairs guest room is decorated in a wallpaper from Cole & Son.<br />

It is Clare’s unique eye, both as an Art Director and as an<br />

interior designer which one can only applaud. Where many<br />

people couldn’t see how to make the house work for a large<br />

extended family, Clare, literally, thought outside the box.<br />

She looked at the house from the outside in, rather than<br />

getting too tied in to what layout was already there. “We<br />

brought the entire ground level up in order to connect the<br />

living areas to the kitchen. The whole place needed opening<br />

up and we needed to fix the flow. It works now for parties<br />

and for family life, everyone can come and go without falling<br />

over each other.” The spectacular conservatory is one of the<br />

many stand out areas of the house. Dominated by the large<br />

dining table (which one can tell has seen many a good dinner<br />

party!) there are pots of plants and objets dotted all over. A<br />

passion flower vine feeds through one of the windows. “It’s<br />

quite spectacular in the summer, when the vine is in flower,”<br />

says Clare, who has loved gardening since she was a child.<br />

“I am a bit of a collector,” says Clare. “I get quite a few<br />

things from my film and TV jobs and also from boot fairs.<br />

It’s not about being the most expensive, it’s about being the<br />

most interesting. I find amazing things around Hastings in<br />

the shops in George Street and the High Street. McCully<br />

and Crane in Rye is another favourite. I like weird things<br />

that most people overlook, like taxidermy – I think it’s <br />

57 wealdentimes.co.uk


A cosy guest room has a relaxed botanical feel with bold print wallpaper and floral patchwork quilt<br />

quite beautiful, but it’s not to everyone’s taste, I know.”<br />

Clare takes me through to the kitchen where she is making<br />

lunch. “The old kitchen was barely big enough to swing a<br />

cat, this works so much better, don’t you think? I can stand<br />

here and see pretty much all the main areas of the ground<br />

floor, so it’s nice, you don’t get cut off from everything.”<br />

The new extension, which now houses the extended kitchen<br />

and dining area, features a spacious pitched roof with<br />

rooflights, a large oriel window and a pair of French doors,<br />

all of which flood the room with light from every side. Yet<br />

more light comes in from the conservatory to the left.<br />

Back in the entrance hall, a pair of glazed double doors<br />

opens to the reception area. Built, like the rest of the house,<br />

on the diagonal, with no dead flat windows or walls, the living<br />

room offers various different nooks and crannies to explore.<br />

Painted in a soft eau de nil colour, with a generous wooden<br />

floor, you find a small desk area hidden away, next to a pair<br />

of offset French windows. The main seating area is created<br />

by a contemporary corner sofa. Several armchairs, all from<br />

different eras, sit around an original fireplace. An over-stuffed<br />

sofa invites you to sit in yet another area, next to which stands<br />

an easel with a still life – it all just seems to work. You feel<br />

the house can expand and contract seamlessly, never feeling<br />

too large yet offering many different cosy spaces, should you<br />

be on your own. However from the steady flow of friends<br />

and family who come down regularly from London, where<br />

Clare also lives, I don’t think there is much ‘alone time.’<br />

Over the garage, where there was once a balcony, Clare has<br />

created a guest suite, with pitched roof and large windows<br />

and further skylights creating a light and airy space. “I wanted<br />

a Scandi feel in this room. I got the curtains from a job,<br />

and they sort of dictated the rest of the room. The rattan<br />

bedhead was from eBay – I love it but my grandchildren<br />

seem to delight in picking bits off it!” The bedroom leads<br />

off a library area, packed with books. However the big<br />

surprise is what lies beneath. Follow the low level lights<br />

down a set of plushly carpeted stairs and you find yourself<br />

in a basement cinema room, worthy of LA. Comfy sofas<br />

and armchairs are stylishly arranged in front of the large<br />

screen that hides behind the velvet curtain. “It’s great, <br />

wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

58


The Oak Glasshouse Company<br />

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wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

60<br />

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This page: The master bedroom is painted in a seaside-perfect<br />

turquoise and accessorised with pink fabric blinds<br />

we watch so many films down here, it’s not something I<br />

would have ever put in myself, but now it’s here, I love it!”<br />

The upstairs of the house is equally as stylish as the ground<br />

floor. A fully panelled staircase leads to a half landing, where<br />

a stained glass panel sits in a window. Clare was told that it<br />

was originally medieval and the architects had incorporated<br />

it into the 1930s scheme. Very typical of everything in this<br />

house, even the staircase has a story! As you come upstairs<br />

Clare has used a wallpaper by local designer Lindsay Alker.<br />

Called Battle Great Wood, the block print of leaping<br />

stags feels almost Elizabethan and perfectly suits the Arts <br />

61 wealdentimes.co.uk


Left: Hidden behind a pair of mirrored doors lies<br />

a stunning marble tiled bathroom Below: In the<br />

grandchildren’s bedroom kitsch paintings are hung in<br />

groups on the walls and retro toys and objects style the<br />

furniture that Clare found in a Hastings junk shop<br />

and Crafts style of the house. A large oak mirror that Clare<br />

found locally nods to the wooden floor and the panelling.<br />

Hidden behind a pair of mirrored doors, that you could have<br />

been lulled into thinking was just a wardrobe, lies a stunning<br />

marble tiled bathroom, straight out of Hollywood. “It used<br />

to be a look out spot,” says Clare, “but with the long series of<br />

windows overlooking the Channel, I thought it would make<br />

the most amazing bathroom, so I raised the bath up onto a<br />

dais and covered it in marble, so now you can sit back and<br />

relax in the bath and see the sea.” The master bedroom which<br />

leads off the bathroom is painted in a seaside-perfect turquoise<br />

and accessorised with pink fabric blinds – again showing off<br />

the eclectic mix of Clare’s travels and interests. The room and<br />

bathroom definitely have the touch of Los Angeles about them,<br />

and Clare tells me the family lived in the city during the 1990s<br />

and the bedside tables are a keep-sake from that time. The<br />

upholstered bed, in the French style, is from Graham & Green<br />

and the bright blue lamps are from a vintage shop in Hastings.<br />

You can sense Clare’s TV and Film skills at work again as <br />

wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

62


KITCHENS<br />

FOR REAL COOKS<br />

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Beautiful bespoke shop in a gorgeous setting. Full with quirky<br />

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The Granary, Potten Farm, Main Road, Sellindge, Nr Ashford, TN25 6EQ<br />

HammertonsWT198.indd 6 29/06/2018 Hobbs&Hearts<strong>WT206</strong>.indd 10:33<br />

1 12/03/<strong>2019</strong> 15:12<br />

Corner House Antiques<br />

A wonderful shop in a medieval building in Lenham square,<br />

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wilkinson<br />

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Come and find that special something for your home or unique gift<br />

- Opening <strong>Times</strong> -<br />

monday to sunday: 10am - 5pm<br />

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Bredgar, Kent ME9 8HE | 01795 830000<br />

enquiries@wilkinson-ltd.com<br />

wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

64<br />

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This page: Over the garage Clare has created a guest suite. She<br />

got the curtains that dictated the scheme of the room from a<br />

job and found the rattan bedhead on eBay<br />

you enter what she calls the “grandchildren’s bedroom.” It<br />

is as though you have stepped into an Enid Blyton story;<br />

kitsch paintings are hung in groups on the walls, retro toys<br />

and objects style the furniture that she originally found in a<br />

Hastings junk shop. A patchwork quilt covers the bed and<br />

the same patchwork fabric hangs at the windows. A further<br />

upstairs guest room is decorated in a wallpaper from Cole<br />

& Son, that again nods to the Arts and Crafts vernacular<br />

of the house. In each room Clare has cleverly combined<br />

different styles and eras all put together with ease. “I was<br />

very lucky, an artist who once lived under my husband’s<br />

mother’s house died, and they were giving away his stuff as<br />

no-one wanted it, sadly. We managed to get hold of some<br />

really eclectic pieces, much of which you see in the house<br />

now. I have added to it over the years with other pieces but<br />

it’s always nice to inherit a good set of paintings early on.”<br />

As with everything in this most magical of houses it<br />

is Clare’s effortless sense of style that makes it so special.<br />

It is a house that is cherished, yet not over precious. It<br />

is a house that is homely yet without lacking elegance<br />

and it is, of the many houses one visits, a house that<br />

you would really rather love to own yourself!<br />

<br />

65 wealdentimes.co.uk


This page: A second summerhouse has<br />

sensational views out to sea<br />

Address Book:<br />

Cole & Son cole-and-son.com<br />

Graham & Green grahamandgreen.co.uk<br />

Lindsay Alker lindsayalker.com<br />

McCully and Crane Rye mccullyandcrane.com<br />

wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

66


No more draughty, rotten,<br />

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Our spacious, en-suite tents can<br />

sleep 6-8 people so are perfect for<br />

families and or groups of friends<br />

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enjoying the big outdoors.<br />

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07831 328938 • wheatfieldsglamping@gmail.com<br />

Using revolutionary 10mm thick<br />

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Call 01892 532273 for a<br />

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WheatfieldsLuxuryCamping<strong>WT206</strong>.indd 1 19/03/<strong>2019</strong> SashWindowHeritageWT187.indd 18:05<br />

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Private Escort<br />

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Our Private Care Service carers can come<br />

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help can form part of a tailored package<br />

of care that could help you stay in your<br />

own home for longer, rather than going<br />

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We can assist those who need help due<br />

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independently as possible, with comfort<br />

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67 wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

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6 04/02/2013 16:20


SALE<br />

The Tenterden Store is relocating. We don’t want to have<br />

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Visit us in Tenterden to discover a huge range of hand-made rugs and kelims in all styles and<br />

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1 2<br />

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print £42 White Black Grey whiteblackgrey.co.uk 5 Hanging nest chair £350 <strong>Garden</strong> Trading<br />

gardentrading.co.uk 6 Louis XVI chair €1,464 Oficina Inglesa oficinainglesa.com 7 Deck chair £85<br />

<strong>Garden</strong> Trading gardentrading.co.uk 8 Blue table lamp £690 Sweetpea & Willow sweetpeaandwillow.com<br />

9 Vintage travel trunk £175 Scaramanga scaramangashop.co.uk 10 Louis Vuitton c.1890 trunk<br />

£6,800 The Old Cinema theoldcinema.co.uk 11 Ivory sheepskin rug £80 Baa Stool baastool.co.uk


6th, 7th & 8th June <strong>2019</strong><br />

HOLE PARK Rolvenden TN17 4JB


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Homes & <strong>Garden</strong>s are close to our hearts here at<br />

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Watch the world go by with a cup of coffee or a<br />

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Don’t forget that your ticket to<br />

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family for the past four generations<br />

and is set over 200 acres of superb<br />

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gardens include long borders, filled<br />

with colourful herbaceous plants, and<br />

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picturesque Kentish Weald.<br />

For more info on Hole Park <strong>Garden</strong>s<br />

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Tickets on sale online wealdentimes.co.uk/events


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wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

76


Make history<br />

Part of the Leeds Castle estate, Battel Hall has been given a makeover<br />

by interior designer Francesca Rowan-Plowden in keeping with its 14th<br />

century origins – and its 1930s party heyday<br />

Words: Jennifer Stuart-Smith Photographs: David Merewether Styling: Holly Levett<br />

77 wealdentimes.co.uk


CONCEPTS Contemporary Dining Furniture<br />

Delta Round Extending Dining Table<br />

(120 - 160cm). £822.50<br />

KJD0537 RyeBayGuide2018:Layout 4 29/12/17 13:36 Page 33<br />

Tampa Dining Chairs (4 colours). £130.00 each<br />

Classic interior design for contemporary living.<br />

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ConceptsWT204.indd 1 22/01/<strong>2019</strong> CrabtreeDesignWT205.indd 11:36<br />

1 04/02/<strong>2019</strong> 14:16<br />

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Supply of:<br />

Windows, doors & conservatories<br />

wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

78<br />

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Previous page: The walls in the drawing room are painted in Bone by Farrow & Ball Above: The tiled floor is original<br />

Anyone with a penchant for the roaring Twenties is in<br />

for a treat at Battel Hall. Slip into the world of the<br />

Bright Young Things and imagine yourself as the<br />

most dazzling character from Evelyn Waugh. This really is a<br />

house that was meant for entertaining... and not in a hottub<br />

and minibar kind of way. Think country house style,<br />

whiskeys by the open fire and giddy games of hide-and-seek.<br />

It should come as no surprise then, to discover that the<br />

interior designer behind this remarkable building on the Leeds<br />

Castle Estate was inspired by its previous owner, the American<br />

heiress and high society hostess, Olive, Lady Baillie (her<br />

mother was Pauline Whitney, of the famous Whitney family).<br />

“Lady Baillie brought Leeds Castle back to its former<br />

glory while introducing a level of modern luxury,” says<br />

interior designer Francesca Rowan Plowden, who is behind<br />

the recent refurbishment. “She created a place of serenity<br />

and calm, yet also a place of celebration, parties and fun.”<br />

Visitors to the Castle – and Battel Hall – in Lady Baillie’s<br />

day included Charlie Chaplin, Errol Flynn, Douglas Fairbanks<br />

Snr, Barbara Hutton, Ian Fleming, James Stewart, Gertrude<br />

Lawrence and Edward VIII (who was still Prince of Wales<br />

at the time) and Mrs Simpson. Glittering company.<br />

It was with this in mind that Francesca approached<br />

the ambitious restoration and refurbishment of the 14th<br />

century hall house. “I wanted to create a sense of luxury<br />

but also a home away from home,” says Francesca. “I didn’t<br />

want it to be sterile and intimidating, like some hotels.”<br />

Francesca has done this by using rich colours and<br />

patterns, woollen throws, velvet cushions and sheepskins:<br />

“I’m a fan of big puddles on curtains too,” she says.<br />

By this she means an abundance of fabric, which pools<br />

around the foot of curtains where they meet the floor. It’s a<br />

luxurious touch that works a treat in keeping draughts at bay<br />

in such a historic building. Working fires in the downstairs<br />

rooms also work on both a practical and aesthetic level.<br />

It’s a far cry from the tired and dated building that <br />

79 wealdentimes.co.uk


Above: The kitchen is painted in Cactus by Neptune<br />

Left: Carved stone arrow-slit windows reveal Battel Hall’s<br />

centuries of history<br />

Francesca first visited: “The last major redecoration was<br />

carried out in the 1950s, with later updates in the 1980s,”<br />

says Francesca and it’s safe to assume that, decoratively<br />

speaking, there was not a lot to go on. Fortunately, much<br />

of the property’s original architectural details remain,<br />

including arrow-slit windows, intricately carved stone<br />

corbels, and a rare decorative laver basin just <strong>inside</strong> the<br />

front door. As blank canvases go, it’s pretty special.<br />

The magic of Battel Hall hits you as soon as you walk into<br />

its magnificent light-filled hallway. Abundant flowers top<br />

a sturdy sideboard, while a Persian rug adds homeliness to<br />

the rich red quarry tiles on the floor. Handsome portraits<br />

and a vintage telephone all add to the sense that you have<br />

walked into a real, if suspiciously tasteful, family home.<br />

Standing at the foot of the stairs, the first room<br />

that catches your eye is the book-lined drawing room.<br />

“I wanted this to have a gentleman’s club kind of<br />

feel,” says Francesca, “rather than the feminine Lady<br />

Baillie-style of some of the other rooms.”<br />

<br />

wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

80


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Left: The main entrance hall Below: The mural is a replica of<br />

the very rare painted altarpiece found during a restoration of<br />

Battel Hall in the 1860s. The original is in Leeds Castle chapel<br />

She has achieved this with strong colours and minimal<br />

pattern; red-painted walls and panels, and block<br />

colours on the velvet furniture and cushions. Pattern<br />

is restricted to the Persian rug and coffee table, while<br />

parquet flooring is the perfect 1920s/30s touch.<br />

Tucked around the corner is the ‘morning room’ or<br />

the de Gournay room, as it has become known thanks<br />

to the very special wallpaper made by the Londonbased<br />

company of that name. “I tried to incorporate<br />

Lady Baillie’s love of chinoiserie with beautiful,<br />

bespoke hand-painted wallpaper,” says Francesca.<br />

Decorating this room proved a particular challenge<br />

thanks to the building’s historic architecture: “One day<br />

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– which proved a challenge having commissioned the<br />

bespoke, made-to measure wallpaper,” she adds.<br />

The stone niches are now a delightful feature, set off by the<br />

pale-yellow wallpaper featuring blossom and birds, and <br />

83 wealdentimes.co.uk


Above: The first floor landing, with a window seat on the left. The<br />

lamps are from Rowan Plowden Design and the lampshades are from<br />

Oka Left: One of the building’s original architectural details, an<br />

intricately carved corbel in the dining room<br />

home to carefully curated curios. It’s a calm and welcoming room<br />

with a subdued light that would make it the ideal place to come<br />

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Those with entertaining in mind will also be thrilled<br />

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There’s more than a touch of ‘castle’ about this room –<br />

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before retiring to the comfort of the drawing room.<br />

A short passage leads from the dining room into a modern<br />

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kitchen tucked away in the room next door, should you <br />

wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

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As well as being exquisitely decorated,<br />

each bedroom has a different outlook,<br />

with views to the castle, across the garden<br />

and towards the North Downs<br />

<br />

87 wealdentimes.co.uk


Previous page: The Wisteria room with wallpaper by Lewis &<br />

Wood called Doves. The headboard is covered in Alhambra by<br />

Lewis & Wood This page: The bathroom – the en suite to the<br />

Wisteria room – features taps from Burlington<br />

want to bring your own staff... Checkerboard floor tiles,<br />

a display of copper pans and homely ceramic items all<br />

add character, while chinoiserie blinds keep things cosy.<br />

On the subject of cosy, one of the loveliest features<br />

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and their recesses offer the perfect place to loiter and<br />

enjoy the view, read a book – or engage in scintillating<br />

secret conversations if the party is in full swing.<br />

If the window seats are all taken, the upstairs landing<br />

features several more magnificent places to sit, while behind<br />

closed doors are the hall’s blissful bedrooms and en suites.<br />

Francesca Rowan Plowden took the design of the<br />

bedrooms very seriously indeed: “When I do up a house,<br />

I sleep in every bedroom,” she says. That way, she can<br />

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and fabrics from Colefax & Fowler, Blithfield and Lewis<br />

& Wood, as well as smaller companies such as Lindsay<br />

Alker and Susie Hetherington Textiles, Francesca has <br />

wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

88


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90<br />

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“When I do up a house, I sleep in every bedroom”<br />

<br />

91 wealdentimes.co.uk


Previous: The Larkspur bedroom. The headboard is<br />

covered with Rococo by Lewis & Wood. The painted<br />

blue chest is from Ardingly Antiques Fair This page,<br />

above: The Peony bedroom. This headboard is by Rowan<br />

Plowden Design, upholstered in Oak Leaves by Blithfield<br />

Left: Francesca found the painting at Ardingly<br />

given each bedroom suite its own personality and style.<br />

Wisteria, Myrtle, Hellebore, Peony and Larkspur, as<br />

they are called are beautifully individual and yet equally<br />

appealing. Does Francesca have a favourite suite? “I<br />

would probably have to say the Wisteria room because of<br />

its twin-aspect and natural light, the crazy fabric on the<br />

headboard and the fact that it has the most nods to Lady<br />

Baillie. That said, I also love the Peony bedroom, with its<br />

dark blue walls and dark pink patterned headboard.”<br />

It really is impossible to choose between them. As<br />

well as being exquisitely decorated and furnished, each<br />

room has a very different outlook, with views to the<br />

castle, across the garden and towards the North Downs.<br />

They also all have luxurious, beautiful bathrooms,<br />

continuing a theme introduced by Lady Baillie.<br />

“Lady Baillie was quite radical when she restored<br />

the castle, putting in ‘modern’ bathrooms<br />

<br />

wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

92


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Top: Arched stone windows and puddled curtains in the Hellebore<br />

bedroom Above: The carved stone fireplace Left: A door in the<br />

Hellebore bedroom’s bathroom leads to a secret passage through to<br />

the Peony bedroom<br />

<br />

95 wealdentimes.co.uk


This page: The curtains in the Myrtle bedroom<br />

are Zarafshan by Lewis & Wood Left: The<br />

armchair is covered in a vintage fabric<br />

in the Art Deco style,” says Francesca.<br />

Each of the bathrooms and shower rooms at<br />

Battel Hall features expanses of marble, as well<br />

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metalwork. Smart toiletries dot the surfaces.<br />

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The Hellebore bedroom features an enormous stone<br />

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The restoration of Battel Hall has taken more than<br />

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and plastic but they need not have worried.<br />

<br />

wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

96


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After extensive restoration work using the best vernacular<br />

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wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

102


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wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

0224 BA <strong>Wealden</strong> <strong>Times</strong> Half Page Ad AW.indd 1 13/02/<strong>2019</strong> 11:29<br />

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104


The whitby hotel<br />

Kit first rose to fame for the wonderfully<br />

vibrant interiors she creates for the Firmdale<br />

Group of luxury hotels she owns with her<br />

husband Tim Kemp. This room is on the top<br />

floor of their newest opening, The Whitby<br />

Hotel in New York. “We didn’t want to make<br />

a penthouse full of opulence with gold bath<br />

taps, nor did we want one in a spectrum of<br />

taupe.” The prevailing colour scheme is blue<br />

and white with a magnificently foxed mirror<br />

and – in a very Kit Kemp touch – the arms of<br />

the alabaster and brass chandelier have been<br />

wrapped in twine.<br />

Photo: Simon Brown<br />

MYTHICAL LAND<br />

Kit created this wallpaper for interior design company Andrew<br />

Martin, in collaboration with Hastings-based mural painter<br />

Melissa White. It was based on the original which Kit had<br />

commissioned Melissa to paint for a room in The Whitby<br />

Hotel. “Melissa and I had always thought it was such a shame<br />

that no one else but hotel guests would be able to enjoy her<br />

subtle painting of the scene we called Mythical Land.”<br />

Photo: Melissa White


Friendly folk<br />

Magnificent headboards are<br />

one of Kit’s signature features,<br />

which grew from decorating<br />

the bedrooms for the ten hotels<br />

in the Firmdale stable. The<br />

headboards draw the eye to the<br />

bed, providing a focal point<br />

for the whole room. This one<br />

is upholstered in one of her<br />

designs for Andrew Martin,<br />

‘Friendly Folk’. In a clever play<br />

of positive/negative, Kit has<br />

paired the orange-on-white<br />

print with the white-on-orange<br />

of her ‘Wychwood’ design. The<br />

chest of drawers to the left is<br />

covered in ‘Over the Moon’.<br />

Photo: Dominic Blackmore<br />

CARIBBEAN DREAMS<br />

In the bedroom area of the Turnell & Gigon<br />

Caribbean Suite, another of Kit’s fabulous<br />

headboards and the cushions are upholstered<br />

in Scumacher’s richly embroidered ‘Under the<br />

Sea’ fabric. The walls are covered with ‘Sari<br />

Sea’ by Raoul Textiles in a bespoke colourway.<br />

Design Thread by<br />

Kit Kemp (Hardie<br />

Grant £30)<br />

hardiegrant.com<br />

Photo: Simon Brown


spring sale<br />

10% off<br />

SofasAndStuff<strong>WT206</strong>.indd 1 04/03/<strong>2019</strong> 10:40<br />

107 wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

EnsorInteriorDesign<strong>WT206</strong>.indd 1 15/03/<strong>2019</strong> 10:22


01580 713778<br />

www.everndeninteriors.co.uk<br />

info@everndeninteriors.co.uk<br />

Stone Street • Cranbrook • TN17 3HF<br />

EverndenInteriors<strong>WT206</strong>.indd 1 12/03/<strong>2019</strong> OohHowLovely<strong>WT206</strong>.indd 10:34<br />

1 18/03/<strong>2019</strong> 14:19<br />

NEW<br />

MADE TO ORDER<br />

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108<br />

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1<br />

2<br />

3<br />

5<br />

Fresh<br />

prints<br />

Spice up your interiors with Kit Kemp style<br />

printed fabrics and wallpapers<br />

4<br />

8<br />

9<br />

10<br />

6<br />

7<br />

13<br />

11<br />

12<br />

1 Geometric wallpaper £125/m Jane Churchill designs.colefax.com 2 Block print stripe wallpaper £91/10m Farrow & Ball farrow-ball.com<br />

3 Palmeras linen €109/m Mindthegap mindtheg.com 4 Wall mural £195/10sqm Woodchip & Magnolia woodchipandmagnolia.co.uk<br />

5 Bellona fabric £89/m Colefax and Fowler designs.colefax.com 6 Wren fabric in ochre £66 St Judes stjudesfabrics.co.uk 7 Wall fabric<br />

£165/m and sofa fabric £190/m both Mister Smith Interiors mistersmith.co.uk 8 Black Bird linen €109/m Mindthegap mindtheg.com<br />

9 Kit Kemp cushion £105 Fine Cell Work finecellwork.co.uk 10 Riverside linen €119/m Mindthegap mindtheg.com 11 Rain Dance<br />

by Mulberry Home wallpaper £98/10m fabric £169/m Mister Smith Interiors mistersmith.co.uk 12 Mythical Creatures by Kit Kemp<br />

£515/m Chelsea Textiles chelseatextiles.com 13 Rivington wallpaper £99/10m Woodchip & Magnolia woodchipandmagnolia.co.uk<br />

109 wealdentimes.co.uk


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hello@respireliving.com<br />

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1<br />

2<br />

3<br />

Taking sides<br />

4<br />

When it comes to side tables you can go bright and eye catching,<br />

simple and classic or completely out of the box. Time to pick a side.<br />

5<br />

6<br />

7<br />

8<br />

9<br />

10<br />

1 Blue grey ceramic £175<br />

Oliver Bonas oliverbonas.com<br />

2 Queen of Bohemia £495 Lime Lace<br />

limelace.co.uk 3 Brass drinks trolley £325<br />

Loaf loaf.com 4 Vintage gold mirrored £128.95 Melody Maison<br />

melodymaison.co.uk 5 Bornholm marble £319 BoConcept boconcept.com<br />

6 Ivory skull £179 Amara amara.com 7 Purple shield €830 Boca do Lobo<br />

bocadolobo.com 8 Fornasetti hot air balloons £900 Amara amara.com 9 Lalit £185<br />

Lenleys lenleys.co.uk 10 Antique trays £249 Respire Living respireliving.com<br />

111 wealdentimes.co.uk


Sideto<br />

side<br />

Okay, you’ve got your tables, now time to fill them...<br />

2<br />

3<br />

1<br />

3<br />

4<br />

5<br />

2<br />

1<br />

4<br />

1 Mad Hatter teapot £38<br />

Creative Tops creative-tops.com<br />

2 Succulent in concrete pot<br />

£25 M&S marksandspencer.com<br />

3 Orange decanter £28 Oliver<br />

Bonas oliverbonas.com<br />

4 Origami Elephant £15<br />

George Home asda.com<br />

1 H&M Home textured pot<br />

£8.99 The Bentall Centre<br />

bentallcentre.co.uk 2 Weeping<br />

plum vase £45 Shimu<br />

shimu.co.uk 3 Lene Bjerre table<br />

lamp £320 Sweetpea & Willow<br />

sweetpeaandwillow.com<br />

4 Baobab collection candle<br />

£270 Amara amara.com<br />

5 Blue ceramic lady vase<br />

£24 Gisela Graham London<br />

giselagraham.co.uk<br />

1<br />

2<br />

3<br />

4<br />

6<br />

5<br />

1 Wooden head sculpture £58 Abode Living<br />

abodeliving.co.uk 2 Orange bubble vase £110<br />

Kelly Hoppen kellyhoppen.com 3 Green glass jar<br />

£30 Sweetpea & Willow sweetpeaandwillow.com<br />

4 Torso sculpture £149 Artisanti artisanti.com<br />

5 Jungle bowl £53 (set of four) Amara amara.com<br />

6 Circles sculpture £115 Amara amara.com<br />

wealdentimes.co.uk


Traditional and Contemporary English Hand Made Furniture,<br />

Upholstery, Lighting, Accessories and Gifts<br />

108-110 High Street, Tenterden TN30 6HT. 01580 764481<br />

www.tenterdenhouseinteriors.co.uk tenterdenhouseinteriors@hotmail.com


Setting the Seam<br />

Kate Watts picks sharp suiting<br />

in bold colourways


Photographs: David Merewether<br />

Styling: Kate Watts<br />

Make Up: Alexandra Bates<br />

Model: Jenna Forsdyke, Fresh Agents


cordeliajames.com<br />

Hawkhurst - Rye - Lewes<br />

CordeliaJames<strong>WT206</strong>.indd 1 11/03/<strong>2019</strong> JackieDedmanWT205.indd 10:28<br />

1 12/02/<strong>2019</strong> 14:43<br />

T: 01959 564477<br />

W: www.clementinebridal.com<br />

E: enquiries@clementinebridal.com<br />

The Archway, 7-8 The Green,<br />

Westerham, Kent, TN16 1AS<br />

wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

116<br />

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Previous page left: Oversized blazer £140, culottes £120 Studio B; loafers £110, Golden Boot; necklace<br />

£225, Simon Harrison Previous page right: Blazer £265, trousers £125, GANT; shirt £56, Marie<br />

& Lola; sandals £105, Golden Boot; earrings £59, necklace £49, Ted Baker This page: Blazer £119,<br />

trousers £79, Mint Velvet; sandals £85, Number 44; necklace £495, Simon Harrison; socks stylist’s own


Who’s Wearing What<br />

boutique<br />

The independent boutique<br />

in the heart of St Leonards-on-Sea<br />

Easy<br />

Living<br />

Swattenden Lane | Cranbrook | TN17 3PS<br />

01580 713189<br />

www.charityfarmcountrystore.co.uk<br />

Standout timeless clothing<br />

to flatter and feel good in<br />

‘STUNNING’<br />

NEW SPRING SUMMER<br />

COLLECTION IN STORE<br />

V<br />

CHIC<br />

DRESS AGENCY<br />

CharityFarm<strong>WT206</strong>.indd 1 05/03/<strong>2019</strong> 12:54<br />

www.vchic.fashion<br />

Who’s Wearing What boutique<br />

34 London Road, St Leonards-on-Sea, TN37 6AN<br />

01424 272925 Open 7 days a week<br />

facebook.com/whoswearingwhatboutique<br />

@whoswearingwhatboutique<br />

www.whoswearingwhat-boutique.co.uk<br />

10:00 - 17:00<br />

Open 6 days a week<br />

01580 712720<br />

v.chic.lizzie@gmail.com<br />

Albert House<br />

Stone Street<br />

Cranbrook<br />

TN17 3HG<br />

wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

118<br />

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Blazer £119, trousers £79, roll neck, £35, suede boots £169, Mint Velvet; bag £495 Studio B;<br />

ring £195, Simon Harrison; Oil on canvas by Wilson Bassett, View from a Paris Window dated<br />

1948, £900, armchair £120, Sivyer’s Bexhill Antiques Centre<br />

119 wealdentimes.co.uk


Left: Trainers £240, Golden<br />

Boot; blazer £119, Mint Velvet;<br />

bag £395, Studio B; pleated skirt<br />

£59, Marie & Lola; earrings £59,<br />

Ted Baker; t-shirt stylist’s own<br />

Below: Cowboy boots £299,<br />

Golden Boot; selection of vintage<br />

jars and vases from £5, Sivyer’s<br />

Bexhill Antiques Centre<br />

Address Book:<br />

Alexandra Bates: alexiebates.wixsite.com/alexandrabeautymua,<br />

@alexandrab.eautymua, 07828 419309<br />

A special thank you to Sivyer’s Bexhill Antiques Centre for<br />

allowing us to shoot amongst their many treasures. Sivyer’s<br />

Bexhill Antiques Centre: 01424 217640<br />

Fresh Agents: freshagents.co.uk<br />

GANT: gant.co.uk<br />

Marie & Lola: marieandlola.com, 07779 275816,<br />

hello@marieandlola.com<br />

Mint Velvet: mintvelvet.co.uk<br />

Number 44: Oxted - number44oxted.co.uk, 01883 713000,<br />

number44oxted@gmail.com<br />

Simon Harrison: simonharrison.com<br />

Studio B: studiobfashion.com, bethany@studiobfashion.com<br />

Ted Baker: tedbaker.com<br />

Golden Boot: thegoldenboot.co.uk, 01622 752349


Come<br />

44<br />

and See<br />

Adini’s Spring<br />

Collection at<br />

Come and see<br />

Oscar nominated<br />

Bafta winning<br />

Shuna at her shop<br />

in Heathfield<br />

Market<br />

Men’s and women’s<br />

vintage clothing<br />

and accessories<br />

44 High Street<br />

Charing, Kent,<br />

TN27 0HX<br />

Open<br />

Tues-Fri 10.30-5pm<br />

Sats 10.30-3.30pm<br />

Tuesday mornings and by appointment<br />

01435 883394 or 07831 258582<br />

shuna<br />

¹ @btinternet.com<br />

1920s–1960s items always wanted. Also Vintage<br />

Chinese embroidered clothes, Ossie Clark, Biba.<br />

County Clothes<br />

Quality clothing and a personal service<br />

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1 14/03/<strong>2019</strong> 12:33<br />

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FUN IN THE SUN<br />

Are you ready for the sunshine? Find short sleeve shirts from £65<br />

Kent Surrey East Sussex<br />

County Clothes<br />

Quality clothing and a personal service<br />

Kent Surrey East Sussex<br />

121 wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

CountyClothes<strong>WT206</strong>.indd 1 11/03/<strong>2019</strong> 10:51


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Frédéric Malle<br />

Body Butter,<br />

£115-150<br />

for 200ml<br />

Goutal Paris<br />

Italian Hand<br />

Balm, £26<br />

for 40ml<br />

Beauty<br />

Heathcote &<br />

Ivory Neroli &<br />

Lime Leaves,<br />

from £5-10<br />

Make it last<br />

Perfume’s heavenly waft can be all too fleeting -<br />

Josephine Fairley advises how to make it linger longer<br />

Hermès Eau<br />

de Citron Noir<br />

Moisturising<br />

Balm, £45<br />

for 200ml<br />

I’m often asked, in my role as co-founder of The Perfume<br />

Society, ‘What’s the best way to make fragrance last on<br />

my skin?’ And the answer, quite simply, is to layer on<br />

matching body products. On well-moisturised skin, you’ll find<br />

your fragrance is time-released through the day – which is why<br />

fragrance experts often talk about the importance of ‘layering’.<br />

And the good news is, layering is massively back in fashion.<br />

Just a few years back, perfume companies all seemed to be<br />

radically discontinuing their perfume-matching body products,<br />

but lately, there’s been a complete reversal of that trend and some<br />

truly exquisite bath and body products are now being launched.<br />

For the most opulent effect, start with a bath treat (oils<br />

are brilliant because they veil skin in light oils as you emerge<br />

from the scented waters), then apply a body oil and butter,<br />

then layer fragrance over the top. This also massively ups<br />

your own pleasure quotient, because you get to wallow<br />

in your chosen fragrance throughout the process.<br />

So this month, as our body skin reaches peak dryness after<br />

months living in centrally heated environments, just as we start<br />

to think about removing layers of clothing, seems the perfect<br />

time to share some of my favourite discoveries.<br />

Heathcote & Ivory Neroli & Lime Leaves, from £5-10. Let<br />

me begin with this total steal, my favourite Heathcote &<br />

Ivory launch to date, a zingily zesty, fresh Cologne-style<br />

scent that is a wonderful wake-up call for the senses.<br />

Within the collection there are some really fun Bathing<br />

Flowers (£10) that look like paper roses, dissolving<br />

in the bath to scent it (and you) with notes of neroli,<br />

lime leaves, white flowers and subtle musks.<br />

Follow, perhaps, with luscious Softening Body Cream and<br />

finish with a zhoosh of the Eau de Toilette. And if you don’t<br />

feel spring-like after this, I really can’t help you.<br />

Frédéric Malle Body Butter, £115-150 for 200ml (price depends<br />

on fragrance). I softened you up (literally) with that superaffordable<br />

option, above, before ricocheting straight to the<br />

other, ultra-luxe end of the price spectrum. But this is one of<br />

those instances where you really do get what you pay for…<br />

It’s fair to say that sometimes,<br />

fragrance-matching bodycare<br />

has been disappointing, far<br />

from a true representation of<br />

the fragrance we know and love,<br />

but in their sleek black pots,<br />

Frédéric Malle’s smell exactly like<br />

the original perfume creations.<br />

This holds true whether you<br />

choose perfumer Dominique<br />

Ropion’s tuberose-heavy Carnal<br />

Flower, or his modern classic Portrait<br />

of a Lady, Edward Flechier’s almost<br />

<br />

E. Coudray Iris<br />

Rose Perfumed<br />

Body Cream,<br />

£38 for 250ml<br />

123 wealdentimes.co.uk


photorealistic Une Rose, or Musc Ravageur, created by the nose<br />

Maurice Roucel, a scent so outrageously sexy that my otherwise<br />

liberal husband won’t allow me out of the house wearing it.<br />

These are all utterly luscious, truly buttery confections,<br />

seriously skin-nourishing – and a little goes an astonishingly<br />

long way; indeed, you can wear these body butters instead of,<br />

rather than as well as, the accompanying fragrance – and at this<br />

price, probably just as well. (There are also Body Milks, Body<br />

Washes, Body & Hair Oil – pretty much any type of luxury<br />

your heart desires, within the range, although not everything is<br />

available in every scent.)<br />

Chanel No.5 The Body Cream, £65 for 150g. While everyone<br />

else was dropping their bodycare, Chanel have continued to<br />

offer a wide range of treats from top to toe. Available in several<br />

fragrances (check out the chanel.com website for the full rundown),<br />

the body creams are voluptuously rich, in beautifully<br />

hefty, Chanel-emblazoned jars. Lighter textures are also<br />

available and I’ve a particular soft spot for Chanel soaps, which<br />

is another great starting point for layering.<br />

Jo Malone<br />

London Orange<br />

Blossom Body<br />

Crème, £54<br />

for 175ml<br />

Hermès Eau de Citron Noir<br />

Moisturising Balm, £45 for 200ml.<br />

Best keep this citrusy treasure<br />

under lock and key, because<br />

Hermès’s minimally-packaged,<br />

complexion-soothing treat (which<br />

can be used on hands, face and<br />

body) also does double duty as an<br />

aftershave balm.<br />

Jo Malone London Orange<br />

Blossom Body Crème, £54 for<br />

175ml. Jo Malone London fragrances<br />

are designed to be layered – but not in the traditional way.<br />

Instead the brand encourages applying combinations of<br />

fragrances to create something that’s different again.<br />

This particular hefty glass jar of sweet-scented, white floral<br />

heavenliness has pride of place on my bedside and I slather<br />

my limbs with its moisturising formula night after night – but<br />

you could follow their Fragrance Combining suggestions and<br />

layer it with, perhaps, the classic Lime Basil & Mandarin,<br />

or, for something more exotic, Dark Amber & Ginger Lily.<br />

Jo Malone London offers a superb line-up of layerables, from<br />

hair fragrances to bath oils and even shampoo.<br />

Goutal Paris Italian Hand Balm, £26 for 40ml. Now<br />

that the late founder of the perfume house’s daughter<br />

Camille is at the helm, this most quintessentially French<br />

brand has had a name-change to Goutal Paris.<br />

Although there isn’t a huge range of bodycare on offer<br />

in the UK (do check out what’s on offer in the lovely<br />

store at 14 rue Castiglione, just off the rue de Rivoli<br />

next time you are in Paris), I do want to point you in<br />

the direction of the gorgeous new hand creams.<br />

The ‘Italian’ fragrance (there is also <strong>Garden</strong> and Oriental)<br />

is wonderful smoothed onto wrists before spritzing Eau<br />

d’Hadrien, one of the all-time stars in the pantheon of<br />

Cologne classics.<br />

Floral Street Neon<br />

Rose Body Cream,<br />

£22 for 200ml. Great<br />

name, great fragrances:<br />

inspired by Covent<br />

<strong>Garden</strong>’s flower market (the original, not the sprawling<br />

modern location in Battersea), Floral Street offer a portfolio<br />

of appealingly affordable scents, some of which now can be<br />

enjoyed as Body Wash (£18 for 200ml) and Body Cream.<br />

There are four ‘neo-florals’ (as in, not your granny’s<br />

floral scents…), in the bodycare collection and I<br />

particularly like this gorgeous fusion of jasmine, apple<br />

blossom, bergamot, angelica and peach nectar.<br />

I promise you’ll almost hear your skin slurping up the blend<br />

of shea butter, sweet almond and argan, as you smooth it in.<br />

I recommend some playtime at the brand’s store on Covent<br />

<strong>Garden</strong>’s King Street.<br />

E. Coudray Iris Rose Perfumed Body Cream, £38 for 250ml<br />

(escentual.com). This vintage French fragrance house<br />

is pure boudoir chic. It’s almost a crime to apply this<br />

cream unless you’re wearing a silk peignoir, while sipping<br />

a glass of something sparkling. It’s super-nourishing<br />

(hazelnut, sweet almond and jojoba oils feature in the<br />

blend), and the scent is pure ‘Mummy’s handbag.’<br />

There is also a Body Oil (£55 for 100ml) in this<br />

fragrance and a gorgeously bottled Eau de Toilette<br />

to spritz as your final, feminine scent gesture.<br />

And if your favourite fragrance doesn’t have accompanying<br />

body care? I’m an advocate for some experimentation. You<br />

can mix-and-match perfumes and bodycare, though it helps<br />

to stay within the same fragrance family – florals with florals,<br />

Orientals with Orientals, etc. – to avoid scent clash.<br />

Not confident enough to do that? Then reach for an<br />

unscented body cream or butter as the ‘base’ on which to layer<br />

a favourite fragrance. Try Clinique Deep Comfort Body Butter,<br />

£26 for 200ml (like everything they make, it’s fragrance-free)<br />

– or if you’re on a budget, I don’t really think you can beat<br />

Aveeno Daily Moisturising Lotion, £7.69 for 300ml, a nongreasy<br />

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wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

124


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CreativeYogaRetreat<strong>WT206</strong>.indd 1 05/03/<strong>2019</strong> WilliamCharlesWT200.indd 11:13<br />

1 10/09/2018 12:13<br />

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125 wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

SteveCarmoWT140.indd 1 18/09/2013 YvonneFernandoWT205.indd 14:50<br />

2 13/02/<strong>2019</strong> 11:33


My stress incontinence<br />

has disappeared and my<br />

sex life is back to what it<br />

was before children<br />

- Lauren, 36<br />

1 in 5 women suffer from<br />

bladder problems<br />

81% improvement in<br />

sexual gratification<br />

*Clinical Study HM Monteprincipe Hospital, Madrid, Spain. Proprietary Syneron Consumer Survey.<br />

75% suffer from vaginal<br />

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94% improvement in<br />

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100% reported satisfaction with treatment<br />

Call us on<br />

Scan this code to<br />

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www.bellavou.co.uk/intimate-health


Forward<br />

Thinking<br />

The latest non-surgical aesthetics and<br />

health news from across the South East<br />

Med-Jet for Mesotherapy<br />

at Health & Aesthetics<br />

Main image: istockphoto.com/Deagreez<br />

Godalming’s Health & Aesthetics has the new<br />

Med-Jet device which can deliver Mesotherapy<br />

without the need for traditional injections.<br />

Med-Jet uses a microscopic jet of pressurised CO2, seven<br />

times finer than the absolute finest needle, to deliver<br />

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effective alternative to needles. The jet pierces the skin<br />

and the dose is dispersed into the desired layer of tissue,<br />

but because no needle is used, there is less trauma to<br />

the skin, and less stress and pain for the patient.<br />

Med-Jet can also be used to deliver Botox to areas<br />

which are simply too sensitive for needles to be used<br />

comfortably. Health & Aesthetics are using Med-<br />

Jet to deliver Botox to the hands and feet, where it’s<br />

used to prevent excess sweating – and where even<br />

microscopic needles can cause excessive discomfort.<br />

Another key benefit is that the delivery of the<br />

treatment using Med-Jet allows for easier dispersion of<br />

the chosen product, rather than ‘pooling’ around the<br />

needle. This can lead to better results for the patient.<br />

Dr Rekha Tailor, Health & Aesthetics’ Medical<br />

Director, said: “The Med-Jet device represents a real<br />

advance in treatments which could previously only be<br />

administered by needles. Even though the needles we use<br />

are microscopic, many people still have a fear of them and<br />

when used for treatments such as Meso therapy can cause<br />

severe discomfort. This can be strong enough to prevent<br />

them from seeking out treatments which could make a<br />

real difference to how they feel about themselves.”<br />

healthandaesthetics.co.uk<br />

<br />

127 wealdentimes.co.uk


Intimate Feminine<br />

Wellness at Bella Vou<br />

As a result of childbirth, and the natural<br />

aging process, experiencing looseness,<br />

dryness, and other symptoms in your<br />

vaginal area is common, the side effects of<br />

which can be diminished physical sensation<br />

during intercourse and urinary incontinence.<br />

Stress incontinence (releasing small amounts<br />

of urine upon coughing, sneezing, laughing<br />

or exercising) and urge incontinence (strong<br />

need to urinate, but can’t get to the toilet in<br />

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As the CO2RE Intima system does not<br />

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including full enjoyment of intimacy a week<br />

after treatment. Bella Vou’s team will create a<br />

customised treatment plan for patients based<br />

on each particular condition and continue<br />

treatment until full results are achieved.<br />

What the patients say<br />

Lauren M, 42, Kent - I have suffered stress incontinence since<br />

having my children and thought there was nothing that could<br />

be done without surgery. I was wrong! The treatment is painless<br />

and quick and I was made to feel relaxed from the initial<br />

consultation right through the procedures. The treatment is effective<br />

with immediate results that still keep improving weeks later.<br />

Naomi, 36, Kent – Super shocked after the first treatment!<br />

This treatment has changed my life, it was easier than<br />

having a smear. It’s given me more confidence in all<br />

areas of my life, going exercising is no longer a worry<br />

and my partner and I are enjoying the benefits too.<br />

Sandrine, 48, Kent – As a mother of five and a Pilates instructor<br />

whose main focus has always been on strengthening pelvic floor,<br />

I had still experienced issues with dryness and pain probably<br />

due to perimenopause. Since having the treatment these have<br />

been resolved; not only am I tighter in that area but I’ve also<br />

noticed that I can run for longer distances without needing<br />

to go to the toilet. My sex life is great, better than before. Age<br />

or having children shouldn’t stop you from enjoying life.<br />

bellavou.co.uk/intimate-health<br />

<br />

wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

128


HBMedicalWT202.indd 1 21/11/2018 09:53<br />

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129 wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

StonerockDentalPracticeWT194.indd 1 16/03/2018 13:00


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Stress<br />

Cervical Screening<br />

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Embarrassment makes women avoid smear tests,<br />

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women and those over 64 don’t get invited by the NHS at all.<br />

So Dr Sophie Shotter, Illuminate Clinic’s founder, wanted<br />

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to keep ourselves healthy. A friend of mine, Laura, had a<br />

hysterectomy at age 30 and I want to do all I can to avoid<br />

anyone else having to go through that. I also know 18 women<br />

personally who have had abnormal smear tests. It’s shocking<br />

that uptake of smear tests is at an all-time low. Many women<br />

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body we can’t examine for ourselves. We already promote<br />

women’s health and well-being through our bioidentical<br />

hormone replacement therapy services at the clinic, and this<br />

felt like a natural add-on to help our patients feel reassured.”<br />

Dr Sophie is offering her patients quicker results and tests<br />

whenever required. The clinic will also offer HPV tests and<br />

vaccinations, to help prevent certain cervical cancers caused<br />

by the infections. Most HPV infections do not lead to cancer,<br />

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and conveniently.<br />

illuminateskinclinic.co.uk<br />

www.harleystreetcounsellingandtraining.com<br />

info@harleystreetcounsellingandtraining.com<br />

* https://www.nhs.uk/news/cancer/one-three-women-dont-attend-cervical-screening-because-embarrassment/<br />

wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

130<br />

HarleyStreetCounsellingTrainingWT199.indd 1 16/08/2018 17:16


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JustHeaven<strong>WT206</strong>.indd 1 13/03/<strong>2019</strong> 10:08<br />

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131 wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

DrChristineWT204.indd 1 22/01/<strong>2019</strong> 12:31


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Wellbeing<br />

A Year of Wellness<br />

Hormones control everything from how much sleep we get to<br />

how happy we feel – Eminé Rushton explores how we can balance them<br />

to create healthy equilibrium<br />

<strong>April</strong>: Finding your balance<br />

Without diving too deep into<br />

the biochemistry behind<br />

our body’s mechanisms, it’s<br />

safe to say that, for most women, rarely<br />

a month passes without us feeling the<br />

impact of our hormones.<br />

I have friends who suffer extreme PMT,<br />

others who struggle to regulate serotonin<br />

levels and feel continually foggy and sad<br />

and yet others with disturbed sleep. Then,<br />

later in life, there are all the challenges<br />

that comes with the menopause. From<br />

our skin to our sleep, our moods to our<br />

energy levels, hormones rule.<br />

Naturally, when we are living good,<br />

healthy, calm lives, our endocrine system<br />

is able to produce all the hormones we<br />

need, in the right quantities. But in<br />

today’s fast-paced world, where we work<br />

longer hours, sleep less, switch off rarely<br />

and eat less natural, unprocessed food,<br />

our endocrine systems are unable to do<br />

the crucial work that they need to do.<br />

To balance hormones, the simplest<br />

changes have the biggest impact. A<br />

balanced diet with plenty of healthy fats,<br />

oils, protein and complex carbohydrates,<br />

is key. Studies have also shown<br />

that consuming healthy fat at every<br />

meal triggers the release of the ‘satiety<br />

hormones’ that help you feel full and<br />

satisfied (rather than empty and still<br />

craving sugar) – think avocado, olive oil,<br />

nuts, seeds and oily fish.<br />

High stress levels are perhaps the<br />

biggest impactor upon our health.<br />

Cortisol, the ‘stress hormone’, has a<br />

big knock-on effect on oestrogen and<br />

progesterone production. You need a<br />

good level of progesterone to balance out<br />

the effects of oestrogen – and because<br />

cortisol and progesterone are made from<br />

the same mother hormone pregnenolone,<br />

when you are extremely stressed (so<br />

producing a lot of cortisol) your body<br />

sacrifices its progesterone production.<br />

These higher levels of oestrogen in<br />

the body cause a raft of very familiar<br />

symptoms – PMS, bloating, breast<br />

tenderness, heavy/painful periods – but<br />

if oestrogen levels remain elevated over<br />

a long period of time, they also put<br />

women at an increased risk of fibroids,<br />

endometriosis and breast/ovarian cancer.<br />

There is also a tricky vicious cycle<br />

in regard to sleep. When we are<br />

menstruating, pregnant or post-partum,<br />

or in menopause, our hormone levels<br />

are more likely to be imbalanced (with<br />

oestrogen spiking or falling), which<br />

makes us more prone to interrupted<br />

sleep. And, interrupted sleep also causes<br />

our hormones to imbalance further.<br />

By doing all that we can to establish<br />

a good sleep routine – getting into bed<br />

at the same time each night and rising<br />

at the same time each morning – we<br />

stand a better chance of supporting our<br />

hormonal production to click back into a<br />

healthy groove.<br />

Early lights out,<br />

screens off, hot<br />

baths and plenty<br />

of time away<br />

from work<br />

and tech,<br />

every evening,<br />

is vital. And we<br />

need to incorporate<br />

ample stress relief – yoga, walking, time<br />

in nature, and time away from screens –<br />

into our everyday lives.<br />

And plenty of self-care! A recent<br />

review of multiple studies found that,<br />

on average, massage therapy not only<br />

reduced cortisol levels by an average of<br />

31%, but also increased levels of the<br />

mood-boosting hormone serotonin<br />

by 28% and dopamine by 31% – a<br />

wonderful reason to book in for a<br />

treatment, or to warm some oil and<br />

massage your own feet, hands, arms, legs<br />

and torso, with firm, soothing strokes.<br />

Given the seriousness of certain<br />

conditions associated with chronic<br />

hormonal imbalance I would urge all of<br />

us to put our hormonal health at the very<br />

tops of our lists. I’ve also found books<br />

on the subject – from Henrietta Norton’s<br />

Take Control of Your Endometriosis,<br />

Christiane Northrup’s Women’s Bodies<br />

Women’s Wisdom, and Lucy H Pearce’s<br />

Moon Time – extremely helpful in<br />

deepening my understanding of our<br />

bodies, cycles and needs.<br />

“ In today’s fast-paced world, where we work longer hours, switch<br />

off rarely and eat less natural and unprocessed food, our endocrine<br />

systems are unable to do the crucial work that they need to do.”<br />

Eminé Rushton is Wellbeing Director-at-Large at Psychologies magazine, and co-founder<br />

of the conscious living blog, The Balance Plan, balanceplan.co.uk<br />

133 wealdentimes.co.uk


Wellbeing<br />

Natural wisdom<br />

Kelly Spinks and Wendy Lane are the founders of Meadow<br />

Skincare. They handcraft organic, waterless skincare blended<br />

in microbatches for active freshness using only vegan, nut-free,<br />

100% plant-derived ingredients<br />

What one piece of seasonal<br />

wisdom helps you in spring?<br />

Kelly: Keep hydrated. It’s easy to<br />

forget to drink enough because<br />

it’s still fresh out, but I feel so<br />

much more energised after a<br />

couple of glasses of water.<br />

What one self-care ritual do you<br />

never skimp on? We never skimp<br />

on removing our makeup and<br />

cleansing our skin every night. We<br />

know what a difference a good<br />

cleansing routine makes to your skin<br />

and we also want to make sure that<br />

the balms and oils we follow with<br />

are applied to super clean skin so<br />

we receive their maximum benefits.<br />

Share one book that taught you<br />

something amazing about life – and<br />

made you better at living it?<br />

Kelly: I’m an avid reader. I’m a<br />

qualified psychotherapist and the<br />

book that sticks with me from my<br />

training is Momma and the Meaning<br />

of Life by Irvin D. Yalom. This is a<br />

great book about human relationships<br />

and our search for happiness.<br />

What always brings a smile to your<br />

face? Our children. Between us we’ve got<br />

four kids who all get along brilliantly.<br />

They are always together and love putting<br />

on talent shows and plays for us. They<br />

drive us crazy at times, but always<br />

make us smile and laugh every day.<br />

What is the best treatment<br />

you’ve had locally?<br />

Wendy: I see Jackie Reader, a<br />

homeopath, at Solar Health<br />

Clinic in Seal for my general<br />

wellbeing. I’ve always struggled<br />

with my sinuses and she<br />

really helps me with this.<br />

Kelly: I make sure I book myself<br />

and my husband in for a lavender<br />

massage every summer in the<br />

lavender fields at Castle Farm in<br />

Shoreham. The lavender in our<br />

products comes from the farm and<br />

the massages are just beautiful!<br />

meadowskincare.co.uk<br />

Do you know Juno?<br />

Brighton-based Juno Skincare is a beautiful 100% natural<br />

skincare and wellbeing range, created by yoga teacher<br />

Julie Johansen, whose sustainability and zero waste<br />

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Health and beauty tips<br />

Discover a wealth of wellbeing advice<br />

wealdentimes.co.uk/wellbeing<br />

WIN!<br />

This month<br />

Eminé is trying<br />

a Daily Walk<br />

Even when I am up against deadlines, I<br />

cannot stress the importance of getting out<br />

for a spring stroll. It doesn’t matter how<br />

many things need to be done, I’ve learned<br />

that once I take the time to fill up my lungs,<br />

stretch my legs and oxygenate my brain,<br />

the work then comes together far more<br />

efficiently. I love the Rye Harbour Nature<br />

Reserve and we often take weekend trips<br />

down to the sea with the children.


New Prostate<br />

Treatment.<br />

Now available at Nuffield Health<br />

Tunbridge Wells Hospital.<br />

Consultant Urological Surgeon, Mr John Donohue from the Nuffield Health Tunbridge Wells Hospital<br />

explains the new Rezum Steam Therapy treatment:<br />

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Consultant<br />

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Food<br />

Green & pleasant<br />

With St George’s Day on the 23rd of this month, Juliet Bidwell has created<br />

a menu inspired by olde English dishes, using native and seasonal ingredients,<br />

with a modern twist – what could be lovelier?<br />

Photographs: David Merewether Styling: Holly Levett Food: Juliet Bidwell<br />

Halibut with wild garlic mayonnaise<br />

Serves 8 Prep time: 25 minutes. Cooking time: 15 minutes.<br />

In Tudor times, by law, fish had to be eaten instead of meat<br />

on certain days for religious reasons. Wild garlic is native to<br />

Europe and grows wild in English woodland, making it an<br />

excellent forage food. It is also known as ramsons, from the<br />

Saxon word hramsa. It has been used in English cuisine for a<br />

thousand years.<br />

• 1.4kg halibut, cut into<br />

portions<br />

• 160g breadcrumbs<br />

• 2 lemons, zested<br />

• 2 tsp rosemary,<br />

finely chopped<br />

• 2 tbsp chives,<br />

finely chopped<br />

• 2 tbsp parsley,<br />

finely chopped<br />

• 4 tbsp olive oil<br />

• salt & pepper to taste<br />

Wild garlic mayonnaise<br />

• 200g wild garlic, washed<br />

• 2 tbsp mayonnaise<br />

• 2 tbsp crème fraîche<br />

• ½ lemon, juiced<br />

• salt & pepper to taste<br />

1Preheat oven 190˚C.<br />

Combine the<br />

breadcrumbs with the lemon<br />

zest, rosemary, chives and<br />

parsley. Add the olive oil and<br />

season with salt and pepper,<br />

stir till the breadcrumbs<br />

are evenly coated in oil,<br />

and taste for seasoning.<br />

2Place the halibut portions<br />

skin side down on a<br />

baking tray lined with<br />

parchment paper. Pat the<br />

breadcrumbs evenly onto<br />

the halibut and bake in a<br />

hot oven for 7-10 minutes<br />

till just firm to the touch.<br />

Remove from the oven and<br />

leave to rest for 5 minutes<br />

before serving with the<br />

wild garlic mayonnaise.<br />

For the garlic mayonnaise<br />

3Blanch the wild garlic<br />

in boiling salted water<br />

until wilted, drain and<br />

when cool, squeeze to<br />

remove the excess water.<br />

4Put the wild garlic<br />

and mayonnaise into<br />

a food processor and blitz<br />

until smooth. Remove to a<br />

bowl and stir in the crème<br />

fraîche and add lemon juice,<br />

salt and pepper to taste.<br />

Juliet’s Catering 01797 270347 julietscatering.co.uk Instagram @juliets_catering<br />

wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

136


Food<br />

Pigeon breasts with orange,<br />

watercress & walnut salad<br />

Serves 8 Prep time: 25 minutes. Cooking time: 26 minutes.<br />

Pigeon have been eaten in England for centuries.<br />

Dovecotes were popular on estates as a living pantry and<br />

a source of meat for unexpected guests. Watercress has<br />

been used for medicinal purposes for centuries to treat<br />

blood disorders and as a remedy for scurvy from as early<br />

as 1636. Oranges arrived in England in 1289 and from<br />

the 17th century they were cultivated in England.<br />

• 8 pigeon breasts<br />

• 1tbsp olive oil<br />

• 200g watercress, washed<br />

• 4 oranges<br />

• 100g walnut halves, toasted<br />

• salt & pepper<br />

Orange & redcurrant dressing<br />

• 200ml orange juice<br />

• 2tbsp redcurrant jelly<br />

• 3tbsp balsamic vinegar<br />

• 150ml walnut oil<br />

• 2tsp Dijon mustard<br />

• salt & pepper to taste<br />

1For the salad, prepare<br />

the oranges by using<br />

a serrated knife. Carefully<br />

remove the peel and the<br />

outer white pith, and<br />

cut the segments out.<br />

2Season the pigeon<br />

breasts with salt &<br />

pepper. Pan-fry the breasts<br />

in olive oil over a high<br />

heat, turning after a couple<br />

of minutes, and when<br />

cooked, leave to rest for 10<br />

minutes before carving.<br />

3To serve, assemble<br />

the watercress and<br />

orange, and place the<br />

pigeon on the salad and<br />

spoon over the dressing<br />

and scatter the walnuts.<br />

For the orange &<br />

redcurrant dressing<br />

4To make the dressing,<br />

reduce the orange juice<br />

in a saucepan to 100ml.<br />

When reduced, add the<br />

redcurrant jelly, stir till<br />

melted then remove from<br />

the heat. Add the balsamic<br />

vinegar and leave to cool.<br />

Whisk the walnut oil into<br />

the mustard till combined.<br />

Slowly whisk the orange<br />

mixture into the oil. Season<br />

with salt and pepper.<br />

<br />

137 wealdentimes.co.uk


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Larkins-Alehouse<strong>WT206</strong>.indd 1 20/03/<strong>2019</strong> KentishHare<strong>WT206</strong>.indd 19:17<br />

1 05/03/<strong>2019</strong> 16:59<br />

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138<br />

FizzOnFoot<strong>WT206</strong>.indd 1 20/03/<strong>2019</strong> 18:56


Spring vegetable & goat’s cheese pie<br />

Serves 8 Prep time: 20 minutes. Cooking time:1 hour 30 minutes.<br />

Earliest references to pies, go back to the Middle Ages, when<br />

they were a popular part of any banquet or feast. Vegetables<br />

were a common food for the poorer people although 75-80%<br />

of the diet was protein.<br />

• 1.6kg leeks, washed,<br />

sliced ½cm thick<br />

• 400g small white turnips,<br />

peeled, cut into 2cm cubes<br />

• 400g banana shallots,<br />

peeled, sliced into<br />

2cm rings<br />

• 600g asparagus, cut<br />

into 2cm lengths<br />

• 120g baby leaf<br />

spinach, washed<br />

• 6tbsp olive oil<br />

• 80g butter<br />

• 4tbsp crème fraîche<br />

• 1litre vegetable stock<br />

• 200g soft goat cheese,<br />

cut into cubes<br />

• 4tsp tarragon,<br />

finely chopped<br />

• 8 sprigs of thyme<br />

• 8 sprigs of rosemary<br />

• 320g puff pastry,<br />

ready rolled<br />

• 1 egg, lightly whisked<br />

• salt & pepper to taste<br />

1Preheat oven 180˚C.<br />

Sauté the leeks in half the<br />

olive oil and half the butter<br />

until soft, then remove from<br />

the pan and set aside in a<br />

bowl. Add the remaining oil<br />

and butter to the pan. Add<br />

the turnips and shallots and<br />

cook until golden brown.<br />

Then add the stock, thyme<br />

and rosemary sprigs and cook<br />

till the turnips are tender.<br />

Remove the turnips from the<br />

stock and add to the leeks.<br />

Keep the stock.<br />

2Meanwhile, blanch the<br />

asparagus until just<br />

tender, drain and add to<br />

the other vegetables along<br />

with the spinach, tarragon,<br />

crème fraîche and goat’s<br />

cheese. Gently mix together<br />

and place in your pie dishes<br />

with a little stock if needed.<br />

the pastry to fit<br />

3Cut your pie dishes and<br />

brush the rim of the dishes<br />

with the beaten egg. Place<br />

the pastry on and crimp<br />

the edges, and cut two slits<br />

in the top of the lid so<br />

the steam can escape and<br />

brush the pastry with egg.<br />

4Place the dishes on a<br />

baking tray and cook<br />

for 30-40 minutes till the<br />

pastry is golden brown<br />

and piping hot.<br />

<br />

139 wealdentimes.co.uk


Lemon & lime posset with rhubarb & ginger<br />

Serves 8 Prep time: 36 minutes. Cooking time: 30 minutes.<br />

Rhubarb arrived in Europe from Asia in the 14th century.<br />

Originally it was used for medicinal purposes, but started to be<br />

used in cookery when sugar became more abundant and cheaper<br />

in the 18th century. Ginger was imported, from much earlier,<br />

also for medicinal purposes. A posset was originally a hot drink<br />

made of milk curdled with spiced wine, often used as a remedy<br />

for colds. In the 16th century the drink evolved into a cream,<br />

sugar and citrus-based confection, similar to syllabub.<br />

ramekins. Allow to cool, and<br />

then place in the fridge.<br />

For the compote<br />

2Place the sugar and<br />

water in a saucepan on a<br />

low heat to melt the sugar.<br />

Once the sugar is completely<br />

dissolved, increase the heat<br />

and bring to the boil, and<br />

boil for five minutes.<br />

3Place the rhubarb and<br />

stem ginger in an ovenproof<br />

dish, pour on the sugar<br />

syrup and cook in the oven<br />

for 15 minutes at 170˚C or<br />

until the rhubarb is tender.<br />

Cool before serving.<br />

• 800ml double cream<br />

• 200g caster sugar<br />

• 2 limes, zest & juice<br />

• 1 lemon, zest & juice<br />

Rhubarb & ginger compote<br />

• 400g rhubarb, washed &<br />

cut into 5cm batons<br />

• 8 stem ginger pieces, finely<br />

sliced<br />

• 400g caster sugar<br />

• 400ml water<br />

1Put the cream and sugar<br />

in a saucepan and bring<br />

to the boil slowly. Boil for<br />

three minutes and remove<br />

from the heat. Whisk in the<br />

lemon and lime juice and<br />

zest and pour into glasses or<br />

Contact Juliet at Juliet’s Catering for weddings and events<br />

01797 270347 / julietscatering.co.uk / Instagram @juliets_catering<br />

Fabulous food<br />

More recipes to make your mouth water<br />

wealdentimes.co.uk/recipes<br />

wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

140


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IconConservatoryRoofs<strong>WT206</strong>.indd 1 19/03/<strong>2019</strong> 15:38


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IghthamMote<strong>WT206</strong>.indd 1 18/03/<strong>2019</strong> 12:26<br />

2


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Contents<br />

32<br />

4 AN EDIBLE PARADISE<br />

Jo Arnell’s guide to tasty<br />

garden goodies<br />

10 POINTS OF INTEREST<br />

Our pick of garden<br />

centres with unique twists<br />

15 INTO THE WOODS<br />

Rebecca Cuffe edits<br />

garden furniture made<br />

using naturally glorious<br />

materials<br />

19<br />

19 FERN TIMES<br />

Sue Whigham explores<br />

the history behind<br />

ferns<br />

24 ASK THE EXPERTS<br />

We talk to a collection of<br />

garden professionals about<br />

inspiration, trees, and<br />

plants<br />

31 HERE COMES THE<br />

SUN<br />

Fun products for<br />

entertaining in fine<br />

weather<br />

32 SAVE THE WORLD<br />

Products to help make<br />

your garden more<br />

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31<br />

10<br />

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3 wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

Katsura<strong>Garden</strong>s<strong>WT206</strong>.indd 1 12/03/<strong>2019</strong> 16:52


Sponsored by<br />

An edible paradise<br />

Jo Arnell tells us how to make a productive garden beautiful with deliciously attractive plants<br />

There are a couple of boring<br />

old phrases that hover, Jiminy<br />

Cricket-like, in my ear when<br />

I’m plotting out my vegetable garden:<br />

‘cut your coat according to your<br />

cloth’ is one, and, ‘don’t bite off more<br />

than you can chew’ is the other.<br />

By the beginning of every June,<br />

when I’m up to my neck and nearly<br />

choking, I realise that I should have<br />

paid attention. There is sense in not<br />

overreaching, in pacing yourself and<br />

generally living within your means,<br />

but the problem is that I can never<br />

find much joy in that approach.<br />

To me, a garden, especially a<br />

productive one, should be gloriously<br />

immersive. If your outdoor space<br />

(or even your window box) is a<br />

gorgeous place, brimming over with<br />

beauty and promise, you’ll feel that<br />

quiet surge of joy that will make<br />

the (sometimes overwhelming) hard<br />

work and effort worthwhile.<br />

Veg patch or flower border?<br />

A cottage garden traditionally<br />

combined vegetables, herbs and<br />

flowers. Somewhere along the lines<br />

they were separated and the vegetables<br />

were consigned to the boring back<br />

of beyond, hidden at the bottom of<br />

gardens, or done away with altogether.<br />

Where vegetables are still in evidence,<br />

they are often a bit lacklustre, sitting<br />

in dutiful rows, catching the sun,<br />

but not many admiring glances.<br />

Don’t get me wrong, I do find<br />

a well-organised vegetable plot to<br />

be a thing of beauty in itself and<br />

appreciate that growing in rows makes<br />

it easy to hoe, feed and maintain the<br />

WT <strong>Garden</strong> Supplement<br />

4


Sponsored by<br />

crops, but somehow I can’t help but<br />

feel it all needs jollying up a bit.<br />

One of the ways to do this is to grow<br />

flowers among the vegetables, to have<br />

less of a workaday veg patch and more<br />

of an alluring edible garden. Even if you<br />

do have a dedicated vegetable garden,<br />

you can grow some flowers among them<br />

in the form of companion plants – some<br />

flowers are edible too and will have a<br />

dual role as pollinators, attracting in<br />

beneficial insects. They are beautifiers<br />

and will act as a lure, not just for the<br />

insects but for you and your visitor,<br />

making you want to visit the plot.<br />

Vegetables to grow in the flower borders<br />

Ideally you want crops that have a<br />

fairly long period of interest, to avoid<br />

them looking depleted too quickly.<br />

They will need a sunny spot with good<br />

soil and not too much competition<br />

from other greedy plants.<br />

<br />

5 wealdentimes.co.uk


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Grown this way veg are less prone<br />

to disease and attack by pests, will<br />

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wider environment. It is the unnatural<br />

monocultures (picture the dust bowl<br />

prairies, or endless acres of just one crop)<br />

that are unhealthy and prone to huge<br />

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that become reliant on ever-increasing<br />

amounts of chemical fertilisers and<br />

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No time or space?<br />

There are lots of ways of having an<br />

edible garden and you don’t have to<br />

aim for self sufficiency – just a small<br />

container full of homegrown tomatoes<br />

might be enough this year, but while<br />

you’re growing those, why not aim<br />

for a bit of salad to go with them?<br />

One cucumber plant will keep you<br />

in cucumbers for the season, while<br />

salad leaves pop up and are ready to<br />

harvest in just a few short weeks.<br />

The plant breeders and garden<br />

centres offer dwarf, ‘patio’ versions of<br />

many vegetables and these will happily<br />

provide mini crops in smaller spaces.<br />

Some, like stubby Chantenay carrots<br />

are actually better off in containers,<br />

where they will grow straight and true,<br />

away from the pesky carrot fly that<br />

lurks at ground level, its larvae waiting<br />

to bore holes into tasty carrot roots.<br />

Herbs<br />

Herbs are such good value plants. Pretty<br />

to look at, fragrant flavour enhancers in<br />

cooking and drinks. They are especially<br />

useful to grow in containers and most<br />

will sit happily – and more or less<br />

permanently – on the window sill,<br />

positively thriving in a dry situation<br />

and even enjoying regular haircuts.<br />

If you are fed up with the pots of<br />

herbs that you buy at the supermarket<br />

dying almost as soon as you get them<br />

home, here is a life-saving tip: the <br />

Clockwise from top left: Use netting to protect crops from pests like the Cabbage<br />

White butterfly; Vegetables grown in traditional rows; Potato ‘Pink Fir Apple’ is<br />

a main crop variety, but eaten as a new potato; Sunflowers can be grown as a cut<br />

flower crop or to entice pollinators to your patch; Dahlias appreciate the same rich<br />

soil as vegetables<br />

WT <strong>Garden</strong> Supplement<br />

6


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Was Your Property Built Before 1900?<br />

Do you have a lost well? An experienced water<br />

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Pipes and leaks are also<br />

possible to be found.<br />

call John Baker<br />

on 01322 525975<br />

johnh2obaker.co.uk<br />

Contact Jo 01233 861149 hornbrookmanor.co.uk<br />

Kibblewhite WT half page ad Feb'14 (185 x 130) V3_Kibblewhite WT half page ad CMYK (185 x 130) 07/02/2014 10:58 Page 1<br />

HornbrookManor<strong>WT206</strong>.indd 1 11/03/<strong>2019</strong> JohnBakerH2oWaterDiviner<strong>WT206</strong>.indd 12:58<br />

1 19/03/<strong>2019</strong> 10:25<br />

Established in 1963, Kibblewhite <strong>Garden</strong>s remain at the forefront of<br />

landscape contractors in the Kent & East Sussex area. The company<br />

has flourished on recommendations from its clients who value the<br />

attention to detail that David Kibblewhite provides and the consistently<br />

high standard of workmanship from his experienced staff.<br />

Quality garden design & landscaping since 1963<br />

Call: 01580 850394 Or Visit: www.kibblewhitegardens.co.uk<br />

7 wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

KibblewhiteWT162.indd KibblewhiteWT204.indd 1 07/07/2015 02/01/<strong>2019</strong> 15:06 17:05


Creating Beautiful <strong>Garden</strong>s<br />

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For all your design, construction and maintenance requirements, contact:<br />

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Above: Nasturtiums - pretty edible<br />

reason that they are dying, when you<br />

pull them out and look closely, is that<br />

there’s not just one plant in the pot,<br />

but often up to thirty, all crammed<br />

up against one another. Separate these<br />

little plants, grow them on in their<br />

own containers and you will have<br />

enough to last you (and possibly your<br />

neighbours) the whole summer…<br />

You don’t have to wear a hair shirt<br />

to grow vegetables (other gardening<br />

outfits are available), it really can<br />

be a pleasurable experience. If your<br />

plot looks inviting, you might even<br />

be more inclined to go out there.<br />

Let’s pacify our inner Jiminy and<br />

hijack William Morris’s wisdom about<br />

beauty and usefulness (‘Have nothing in<br />

your house that you do not know to be<br />

useful, or believe to be beautiful’) and<br />

enjoy the process of growing, harvesting<br />

and eating something fabulous.<br />

Contact Jo for details of her<br />

gardening courses 01233 861149<br />

hornbrookmanor.co.uk<br />

Edible beauties<br />

There is still plenty of time to grow a plot full of beautiful vegetables<br />

this year. Here are some of my favourites, chosen for flavour and ease<br />

of growing as much as their looks.<br />

Artichoke ‘Violetta di Chioggia’<br />

– almost too decorative to eat,<br />

artichokes can happily be grown at<br />

the back of the flower border. This<br />

one has stunning purple buds.<br />

Courgette ‘Parador’ – will give you<br />

a sunshine yellow crop to harvest<br />

all summer long. Keep picking<br />

them, in fact don’t even turn your<br />

back for a moment, or you will end<br />

up with a yellow submarine…<br />

Cauliflower ‘Romanesco’ –<br />

technically this is a broccoli, but let’s<br />

not split curds. Despite the impressive<br />

looks it’s much easier to grow than<br />

cauliflower and tastes good too,<br />

elegantly spiralling from plot to plate.<br />

Borlotti bean – climbing or<br />

dwarf – these truly magic beans<br />

can be eaten young as whole<br />

pods, or left to mature on the<br />

plant to harvest as actual beans.<br />

Turk’s Turban – this squash will squat<br />

handsomely amid sprawling tendrils;<br />

leave to ripen like a gleaming jewel in<br />

the early autumn garden. Pumpkins<br />

and squash also store really well,<br />

making them a great late season crop.<br />

Lettuce ‘Lollo Rosso’ – this is<br />

a loose leaved variety with frilly<br />

dark red leaves. Loose leaved<br />

lettuces are slower to bolt (go to<br />

seed) than hearting types. Mix<br />

them in with a green loose leaf<br />

type for a colourful salad bowl.<br />

9 wealdentimes.co.uk


Points of interest<br />

Looking for a horticultural day out with a difference?<br />

Explore WT’s pick of glorious gardens, garden centres<br />

and nurseries, each offering something a little unique<br />

<strong>Garden</strong> Style<br />

Run by garden designer and plantsman<br />

Tony Howard and interior designer<br />

Sebastian Haywood, Guestling’s Harborough<br />

Nurseries is a haven for covetable garden<br />

style. The nursery holds an extensive<br />

selection of hand-picked trees, shrubs,<br />

perennials and annuals alongside more<br />

unusual plants and vegetables, whilst<br />

the shop, styled by Sebastian, showcases<br />

unusual vintage items alongside pots, tools<br />

and garden accessories. 01424 814220<br />

Scientific Research<br />

RHS <strong>Garden</strong> Wisley, near Woking,<br />

is the flagship garden of the Royal<br />

Horticultural Society, and regarded by<br />

many as one of the greatest gardens in<br />

the world. Attracting around one million<br />

visitors each year, the garden covers an<br />

impressive 240 acres incorporating a<br />

stunning Glasshouse, Exotic <strong>Garden</strong>,<br />

Rock <strong>Garden</strong>, Conifer Lawn and<br />

Jubilee Arboretum. Visitors can take<br />

inspiration from constantly evolving<br />

planting schemes and stock up in<br />

The Wisley Plant Centre, which is<br />

the largest stockist of hardy plants in<br />

the country. As part of the RHS £160<br />

million investment programme, the<br />

historic Arts and Crafts-style Laboratory,<br />

at the heart of the garden, is undergoing<br />

a tranformation to bring the public<br />

face-to-face with Wisley’s scientists and<br />

research facilities, enabling visitors to<br />

learn more about horticultual science<br />

and its impact on the world around us.<br />

Visit the garden in September for Wisley<br />

Flower Show (3rd-8th) to see spectacular<br />

displays and shop specialist nurseries<br />

and garden trade stands, or browse<br />

online at rhs.org.uk/gardens/wisley for an<br />

up-to-date listing of courses, events and<br />

workshops available throughout the year.<br />

<br />

Main image: RHS / Georgi Mabee<br />

WT <strong>Garden</strong> Supplement<br />

10


Creating beautiful gardens that are an<br />

escape. <strong>Garden</strong> Design, consultation<br />

and planting plans<br />

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Gorgeous garden<br />

Nestled behind tall hedges, Merriments<br />

beautiful 4-acre RHS Partner <strong>Garden</strong> is<br />

a must-visit for garden lovers. Vibrant<br />

colour-themed borders evolve through<br />

the seasons from spring pastels to the<br />

fiery autumn hues. Visitors can take<br />

inspiration from both formal and wild<br />

plantings, all set on a gently sloping,<br />

south facing site. Many of the plants on<br />

show in the garden are grown in the on<br />

site Nursery and are available to buy in<br />

the Plant Centre. Merriments also has a<br />

table service licensed restaurant serving<br />

freshly prepared, seasonal meals, largely<br />

made from local ingredients, plus a<br />

shop offering a wide range of gardening<br />

essentials, gifts and cards. The <strong>Garden</strong><br />

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October <strong>2019</strong> and four-legged friends<br />

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Picturesque lavender fields<br />

With a career working in the fine fragrance industry<br />

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credentials by growing it in Surrey. But without a farm<br />

to cultivate the flowers, Brendan looked to a local<br />

environmental charity for help. By sponsoring the charity<br />

to plant the lavender and leasing a field near Banstead,<br />

Brendan was able to get his project off the ground.<br />

Brendan bought the lavender and over the years he and<br />

his wife Lorna have grown their business from strength<br />

to strength, adding a Plant Nursery and Gift Shop by<br />

transforming a dilapidated plant nursery in Epsom. The<br />

farm will be open to visitors throughout the summer from<br />

June, whilst the nursery and gift shop (which incorporates<br />

12 acres of lavender, fruit trees and glasshouses) is open all<br />

year round. mayfieldlavender.com<br />

WT <strong>Garden</strong> Supplement<br />

12


BAGHAM BARN ANTIQUES<br />

Introducing the exciting range of Fiji and Montana garden furniture at Bagham<br />

Barn. Built to last a lifetime, award winning design at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.<br />

Give your home a new look<br />

from the county’s leading<br />

collection of decorative<br />

antiques and interiors.<br />

Make your home and garden<br />

come alive at Bagham Barn<br />

with our varied range of<br />

indoor and outdoor sculptures,<br />

eye-catching centre pieces,<br />

Exquisite furniture, Art Deco<br />

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Homemade treats at the<br />

Wonderland Tea Room.<br />

Free Parking<br />

Open 10am to 5pm<br />

Open Good Friday, Easter<br />

Sunday & Monday<br />

Bagham Barn Antiques, Bagham Lane, Bagham Cross, Canterbury, Kent, CT4 8DU<br />

T: (01227) 732522 W: www.baghambarnantiques.com


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Kent <strong>Garden</strong> Show<br />

& NAFAS Regional Flower Show<br />

Sat 25th, Sun 26th & Mon 27th May<br />

Gates Open 9.30am - 5pm (last admission 4pm)<br />

MonarchOakWT147.indd 1 26/07/2018 SymondsSalvageWT147.indd 12:30<br />

1 17/04/2014 10:24<br />

Featuring over 300 exhibitors with a wide variety of goods.<br />

Floral marquees with stunning fl oral displays including<br />

medal winners from Chelsea. There is a food hall,<br />

craft pavilion, brass band & children’s rides.<br />

<strong>Garden</strong> furniture, water features, garden sheds and<br />

buildings, tools, sculptures, & much more.<br />

Jacqueline Aviolet will be in attendance all weekend to<br />

give answers to your gardening questions.<br />

Tickets available now.<br />

Archit<br />

Tickets<br />

available at<br />

the gate & online<br />

Prices: Adults £8.00,<br />

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Children up to<br />

age 16: Free<br />

Sorry no dogs<br />

01795 474660<br />

www.kentgardenshow.com<br />

The Kent Showground, Detling ME14 3JF<br />

WT <strong>Garden</strong> Supplement<br />

14<br />

GodintonHouse<strong>WT206</strong>.indd 1 18/03/<strong>2019</strong> <strong>Garden</strong>Show<strong>WT206</strong>.indd 10:50<br />

1 07/03/<strong>2019</strong> 10:48


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15 wealdentimes.co.uk


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WT <strong>Garden</strong> Supplement<br />

16


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17 wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

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18<br />

PashleyManor<strong>WT206</strong>.indd 1 15/03/<strong>2019</strong> MABrownSonsLtd<strong>WT206</strong>.indd 15:49<br />

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Fronds of Woodwardia<br />

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Fern times<br />

Sue Whigham marvels at these most ancient of plants, which were around before<br />

the dinosaurs and still have a lot to offer gardeners now<br />

You always learn something from being out in the<br />

garden and this morning I heard from someone<br />

who knows that one of the questions on a recent<br />

University Challenge was ‘What does pteridomania mean?’<br />

I didn’t discover whether the students knew the answer<br />

or not as this conversation coincided with a sparrowhawk<br />

homing in at huge speed on the myriad small birds waiting<br />

their turn for our bird table. So much excitement.<br />

Anyway, yes, fern fever or pteridomania was rife in<br />

Victorian times taking over the obsession for roses in<br />

the earlier part of the nineteenth century to the extent<br />

that men, women and children would risk life and<br />

limb, sometimes with fatal consequences, trying to<br />

reach and dig up native ferns growing in ravines, above<br />

fast flowing rivers and other rather dangerous sites.<br />

Some of them went out into the countryside armed with<br />

fern trowels especially designed for the job. I did notice one for<br />

sale on eBay this morning, for the princely sum of £120.00.<br />

This ‘fever’ coincided with the craze for greenhouses<br />

and all manner of garden rooms in Victorian gardens<br />

as well as special fern houses where they could show off<br />

their collections and improve on their social cred.<br />

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19 wealdentimes.co.uk


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the Wardian case by one Dr Nathaniel Ward. He<br />

realised that ferns grew well in nearly sealed containers<br />

and thus every house that possibly could, had ferns<br />

growing indoors in either a fern case or terrarium.<br />

Not only that, Victorian houses and public buildings<br />

were often embellished with ironwork incorporating fern<br />

imagery. Ferns decorated every possible object in a Victorian<br />

house including wallpaper, tablecloths and curtains. The<br />

craze even extended to ferns being carved onto coffins.<br />

Ferns are an ancient family of plants. Work done on<br />

early fern fossils has established that they pre-date the<br />

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older than the dinosaurs and any land animals and thrived<br />

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plants evolved. They are a member of a group of vascular<br />

plants that do not flower or set seed but reproduce via<br />

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One of the most exotic-looking ferns growing in the UK<br />

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unigemmata, AGM can reach 1.5 metres and the croziers<br />

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“Ferns thrived on Earth for 200 million<br />

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on the tips of its fronds which arch over and take root.<br />

The reason for the name ‘chain fern’ is that their<br />

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I had a good look at the fronds of the woodwardia<br />

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frond. That one is growing in a very sheltered position<br />

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Woodwardia fimbriata is another giant chain fern<br />

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Evergreen ferns can be good in shaded, perhaps dreary<br />

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Cobweb<strong>Garden</strong>Works<strong>WT206</strong>.indd 1 20/03/<strong>2019</strong> 18:45<br />

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Left and below: There are<br />

many thousands of ferns to<br />

discover<br />

looks amazing in<br />

a pot. Native to<br />

Chile, it apparently<br />

lines the sides of the roads there.<br />

There are so many thousands of ferns to discover, mostly<br />

with unpronounceable Latin names but don’t be put off as<br />

their common names are much more manageable. Take the<br />

tatting fern, Athyrium filix-femina ‘Frizelliae’, whose fronds<br />

resemble lace tatting. This is hardy and deciduous and so<br />

very decorative. Each leaflet looks like a little ruffled fan.<br />

These ‘Lady Ferns’ were amongst the many ferns that<br />

were so popular with the Victorians when there were<br />

hundreds of named forms. This one was named after<br />

a Mrs Frizell who discovered it in Ireland in 1857.<br />

Another named form was found by a Victorian student<br />

called James Cosh who apparently stepped on the plant as<br />

he jumped over a wall. The leaves break from the stem at an<br />

angle forming a V shape and thus the plant was named after<br />

Queen Victoria. Hence Athyrium filix-femina ‘Victoriae’.<br />

There are ferns for every situation, even the driest patches<br />

under trees. Try aspleniums, polypodiums and polystichums<br />

in dry shade but give them a good start by incorporating leaf<br />

mould, bone meal and plenty of organic matter. Keep them<br />

well watered until they take off and you should be fine.<br />

The native Asplenium scolopendrium seems to be lining<br />

ditches and shady stream banks whenever I’ve seen it, but it<br />

seems to be a survivor and can cope with drier conditions.<br />

The little asplenium that clothes walls in great profusion,<br />

particularly in old stone walls in the West Country, is now<br />

known as Asplenium ceterach or more simply, the rustybacked<br />

fern, and was used in its guise as a spleenwort to treat<br />

diseases of the spleen. You know these ferns are survivors as<br />

in hot weather the leaves wither and you lose sight of them,<br />

but as soon as the rain comes, they spring to life again.<br />

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Help and advice<br />

For all your gardening needs<br />

wealdentimes.co.uk/gardens<br />

23 wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

PetalsForPlants<strong>WT206</strong>.indd 1 07/03/<strong>2019</strong> 09:58


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Ask the Experts<br />

Just what is it that inspires a garden designer, how can trees be incorporated into a<br />

planting scheme and how can you bring a little of the indoors, outdoors? WT finds out<br />

Stephen Moody from Frogheath Landscapes chats inspiration and design<br />

What are you currently working on? We’re working on<br />

some interesting projects with challenging ground levels and<br />

access issues. At our base in Burwash Weald our apprentices<br />

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Nursery visits are essential at this time of year as we<br />

prepare for the Spring planting season. Hardy trees,<br />

shrubs and perennials are usually planted in the autumn<br />

but this time of year we are finishing many gardens with<br />

plantings of slightly less hardy plants that require warmer<br />

and less damp conditions to establish before next winter.<br />

Where do you find your inspiration? Our main inspiration<br />

has to be the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty that we<br />

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RHS Flower Shows are also a great source of new<br />

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Do you have any plant loves or hates? I don’t really<br />

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people do with plants. For example, the much maligned<br />

X Cupressocyparis leylandii; this magnificent, large,<br />

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magnificent as a hedge around a small suburban garden.<br />

Do you have a signature look or plant? At Frogheath<br />

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WT <strong>Garden</strong> Supplement<br />

24


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use. They are what we call ‘good doers’, for instance<br />

flowering reliably over a long period or keeping a<br />

neat, evergreen shape. These are particularly useful<br />

in small gardens where space is premium and plants<br />

have to work hard to earn a place. Examples of these<br />

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Where’s your must-visit local garden/nursery and why?<br />

English Woodlands in Heathfield are a wonderful source<br />

of trees and shrubs. They are also very helpful in sourcing<br />

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Millbrook’s <strong>April</strong> talk is entitled: Go Potty<br />

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Tickets cost £7.50 and include refreshments.<br />

millbrookgc.co.uk<br />

<br />

25 wealdentimes.co.uk


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<strong>Garden</strong>scape<strong>WT206</strong>.indd 1 04/03/<strong>2019</strong> KateBallWT194.indd 12:54<br />

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WT <strong>Garden</strong> Supplement<br />

26<br />

McGeachy<strong>Garden</strong>DesignWT196.indd 1 21/05/2018 10:06


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The team at Practicality Brown discuss how<br />

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When choosing trees, it is worth considering just<br />

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27 wealdentimes.co.uk


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HarrietBarker<strong>Garden</strong>Design<strong>WT206</strong>.indd 1 20/03/<strong>2019</strong> 12:36<br />

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<strong>Garden</strong>proud<strong>WT206</strong>.indd 1 06/03/<strong>2019</strong> 10:21<br />

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UrbanGrowPodWT204.indd 1 21/01/<strong>2019</strong> 10:13


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15<br />

1 Rio hammock £188 Amara amara.com 2 Copper rim fire pit £42.99 Von Haus vonhaus.com 3 Global Gathering collection including mango bowls £36<br />

outdoor rug £30 and coasters £14.50 Talking Tables talkingtables.co.uk 4 Olive spoons (set of two) <strong>Garden</strong> Trading gardentrading.co.uk 5 Pink children’s<br />

tent £780 Raj Tent Club rajtentclub.com 6 Table runner £24 Talking Tables talkingtables.co.uk 7 Balinese parasol £250 Raj Tent Club rajtentclub.com<br />

8 Dreamcatcher £19 Boutique Camping boutiquecamping.com 9 Optoma home cinema projector £2,499.99 Currys currys.co.uk 10 Southsea deckchair<br />

£149.99 Dobbies dobbies.com 11 LED festoon lights £36.99, wooden lanterns £39.99, and micro fairy lights £12.99 Lights4fun lights4fun.co.uk<br />

12 Two piece chiminea with grill and pizza stone £74.99 Not on the High Street notonthehighstreet.com 13 Yellow outdoor armchair £1,317 Ligne<br />

Roset ligne-roset.com 14 Showerproof cushion £10 John Lewis johnlewis.com 15 Sport hot tub package £6,995 Urban Cedar urbancedarhottubs.co.uk<br />

31 wealdentimes.co.uk


Sav<br />

Buy local<br />

2<br />

3<br />

Feed the birds<br />

1<br />

the w<br />

th a<br />

orl<br />

fe<br />

f w<br />

S<br />

Save the world<br />

Make your garden more environmentally friendly with a few simple changes<br />

5<br />

6<br />

d<br />

4<br />

Look our for recycled products<br />

Start composting<br />

8<br />

Grow your own<br />

7<br />

9<br />

Solar power anything!<br />

10<br />

13<br />

11<br />

Save the bees<br />

a e the bees<br />

Explore eco-friendly materials<br />

1 Hand-made macrame plant hanger £22.50 Denys & Fielding denysandfielding.co.uk 2 White string lights £12<br />

B&Q diy.com 3 Bird Feeder £15 <strong>Garden</strong> Trading<br />

gardentrading.co.uk 4 Solar succulent jar £7.99 Dobbies dobbies.com<br />

5 Compost bucket £35 <strong>Garden</strong> Trading<br />

gardentrading.co.uk 6 Recycled plastic swing chair £259 Ian Snow iansnow.com<br />

7 Recycled stepping stone £10.99 Waitrose waitrosegarden.com 8 Sloe gin gift set £52 Plants 4 Presents plants4presents.co.uk<br />

9 Rose gold solar lightbulb £4.99 Dobbies dobbies.com 10 Solar bluebells £34.99 (2 pack) The Glow Company<br />

glow.co.uk 11 Patrick Norguet WPC Bamboo outdoor sofa with table £3,230 Chaplins<br />

chaplins.co.uk 12 Bee hive<br />

£30 National Trust shop.nationaltrust.org.uk 13 Wind spinner with solar ball £49.99 The Glow Company<br />

glow.co.uk<br />

12<br />

WT <strong>Garden</strong> Supplement<br />

32


Wheels Around<br />

the Weald<br />

Sunday 12 th May 9:00am<br />

Choose from 20, 40 and 80 mile routes<br />

Hospice in the Weald, Pembury TN2 4TA<br />

Sign up now at<br />

hospiceintheweald.org.uk<br />

or call Ewan<br />

on 01892 820533<br />

/hospiceintheweald @hospiceweald @hospiceweald Registered Charity No. 280276<br />

Welcome to to Heronden Veterinary Practice, Practice,<br />

the the only only independent Veterinary Practice Practice in in Tenterden, owned owned<br />

and and run run by a by local a local family family with with help help from from an amazing an amazing team. team.<br />

HITW-W206.indd 1 19/03/<strong>2019</strong> 14:39<br />

No No matter your<br />

shape or or size...<br />

.... .... We’ll We’ll love love you you at at Heronden Vets! Vets!<br />

ABOUT US US<br />

We We are are a NEW a NEW AND AND INDEPENDENT<br />

Veterinary Practice providing an an<br />

empathetic service service to the to the local local<br />

community<br />

WHERE WE WE ARE ARE<br />

Pickhill Pickhill Business Centre,<br />

Smallhythe Road, Road, Tenterden TN30 TN30 7LZ 7LZ<br />

CONTACT US US<br />

01580 763303<br />

info@herondenvets.co.uk<br />

www.herondenvets.co.uk<br />

145 wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

HerondenVeterinaryWT195.indd 1 24/04/2018 11:32


INSIDE is where<br />

the magic happens<br />

We believe every child is extraordinary.<br />

We inspire our children to exceed<br />

their expectations by opening<br />

their eyes and minds to the<br />

limitless possibilities<br />

We value individuality<br />

‘Truly<br />

Stunning<br />

art..sets the<br />

benchmark. ’<br />

Good Schools<br />

Open Morning<br />

Friday 10th May<br />

We instil self-belief<br />

105<br />

scholarships<br />

in 3 years<br />

Over 50 clubs<br />

and activities<br />

Developing confidence<br />

through outdoor<br />

learning challenges<br />

Sparking<br />

imagination<br />

with immersive<br />

lessons<br />

We look to delight<br />

dulwichprepcranbrook.org


FREWEN<br />

COLLEGE<br />

Bespoke design & build treehouses, playhouses<br />

and elevated platforms.<br />

Commercial & International commissions welcomed<br />

The Dyslexia School<br />

Since 1910<br />

Winner<br />

of the BDA’s<br />

‘Best dyslexia<br />

friendly school’<br />

Tel: 01403 262219<br />

www.cheekymonkeytreehouses.co.uk<br />

CheekyMonkeyS40.indd 1 25/01/2018 15:42<br />

Prep<br />

School<br />

Senior<br />

• •<br />

School<br />

Sixth<br />

Form<br />

A unique day & boarding school for girls and boys<br />

aged 7-19 with Dyslexia, Dyspraxia & Dyscalculia<br />

Come and see how Frewen College<br />

can help your child at our<br />

BE WISE<br />

WHEN YOU ADVERTISE<br />

OPEN<br />

DAYS<br />

on Thursday 25 <strong>April</strong> 9.30 - 12 noon<br />

& Saturday 11 May 10.00 - 12.30<br />

“I feel like Frewen has given<br />

me back my child.”<br />

Year 6 parent<br />

To register, please call Annabel on:<br />

01797 252494 or email:office@frewencollege.co.uk<br />

Everyone wants to get what they paid for. <strong>Wealden</strong> <strong>Times</strong> is independently<br />

verified by ABC, because we want our advertisers to know they’re getting the<br />

exposure they’ve been promised.<br />

ABC. See it. Believe it. Trust it.<br />

Daily mini bus service from: Battle & Bexhill, Tunbridge<br />

Wells, Hastings, Wadhurst, Hawkhurst & Ashford.<br />

Frewen College, Northiam, East Sussex, TN31 6NL<br />

www.frewencollege.co.uk<br />

www.abc.org.uk<br />

2018_be wise when you advertise_full A4.indd 2 08/11/2018 11:31:31<br />

147 wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

ABC.indd 1 12/12/2018 FrewenCollege<strong>WT206</strong>.indd 17:15<br />

1 20/03/<strong>2019</strong> 14:31


Blackland Farm<br />

Outdoor Activity Centre<br />

Kayaking<br />

Canoeing<br />

Bungee trampolining<br />

Rock climbing<br />

Archery<br />

Crate challenge<br />

Zip wire<br />

Abseiling<br />

Aeroball...<br />

...and many more!<br />

Visit, Explore<br />

& Discover<br />

‘A great place to<br />

grow’ for boys<br />

and girls aged<br />

2 to 11 years<br />

Come and join us for<br />

fun-filled activity days.<br />

Why not have your<br />

birthday party here too?<br />

01342 810493<br />

blackland@girlguiding.org.uk<br />

www.blacklandfarm.org.uk<br />

Blackland Farm<br />

Spring Grove School, Harville Road, Wye TN25 5EZ<br />

Sutton Valence School<br />

BlacklandFarmWT201.indd 1 11/10/2018 SpringGroveSchool<strong>WT206</strong>.indd 15:52<br />

1 12/03/<strong>2019</strong> 10:46<br />

svs.org.uk<br />

Open<br />

Mornings<br />

Prep School<br />

Friday 17th May <strong>2019</strong><br />

Senior School<br />

Saturday 18th May <strong>2019</strong><br />

Book online now<br />

wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

148<br />

SuttonValence<strong>WT206</strong>.indd 1 12/03/<strong>2019</strong> 11:42


Education<br />

istockphoto.com / davidf<br />

Skills thrills<br />

Skills<br />

for learning are a better basis<br />

for education than fact cramming<br />

says Hilary Wilce<br />

Children go to school to learn. But learn what? Schools<br />

have been grappling with this question ever since<br />

they were invented and life in the 21st century is<br />

adding yet more complications to an already tangled tale.<br />

Obviously, children need to be taught stuff – reading and<br />

writing, English grammar and literature, biology, physics<br />

and chemistry, history and geography, technology, modern<br />

languages. They also need to be taught about art and music<br />

and drama. And, of course about themselves as human beings,<br />

by learning about wellbeing and human psychology.<br />

But children also need to be helped to<br />

acquire skills. All the facts in the world<br />

are useless unless you also know how to<br />

research, question, evaluate, collaborate,<br />

and problem solve. So schools need<br />

to teach facts and skills through all<br />

the subjects on their timetables.<br />

That’s a big ask in itself, but schools<br />

are also now expected to address the ills<br />

of society. They must teach children about avoiding obesity and<br />

self-harm. About not carrying a knife and spotting fake news,<br />

handling their screen time and taking care of their mental health.<br />

It’s easy to see that it’s impossible for schools to teach<br />

everything and how we choose to cut the curriculum<br />

cloth will always prompt arguments. Traditionalists want<br />

children to come out of schools knowing tons of hard<br />

facts. They are advocates of a ‘knowledge-rich’ curriculum,<br />

emphasizing memory, instruction and practice.<br />

But in today’s internet age, does it make sense to use<br />

valuable classroom time teaching the kinds of facts and<br />

figures that children can look up on their smart phone in<br />

“In today’s internet age, does<br />

it make sense to use classroom<br />

time teaching facts and figures<br />

children can look up on their<br />

smart phone in a trice?”<br />

a trice? Wouldn’t it be better to spend more time teaching<br />

them how to do research on the internet, what sources<br />

they can trust and how to spot fakery and bias?<br />

The so-called ‘skills-led curriculum’ does exactly that,<br />

encouraging children to actively discover what they need to know,<br />

to work collaboratively to learn it and to reflect afterwards on what<br />

they have learned. In this skills-led approach, what children learn<br />

is not considered nearly as important as how they learn it. Because,<br />

so the thinking goes, if they have learned how to learn about one<br />

thing, they can use all those same skills to learn about another.<br />

A while back, a lot of money<br />

was put into training teachers to<br />

deliver lessons based on engagement,<br />

collaboration and reflection, and this<br />

approach has led to plenty of active<br />

and interesting classroom education.<br />

But it has also led to a sorry<br />

amount of content-light lessons<br />

in which pupils faff about making<br />

posters or playing games. Now, though, the curriculum<br />

pendulum, having gone quite far one way, is swinging back<br />

towards more teacher-led lessons with lots of factual content.<br />

Of course, the elusive sweet spot will always be somewhere<br />

in the middle. Obviously, it’s good for children to have<br />

core literacy and numeracy, to understand the sweep of<br />

human development and to have a good grasp of science<br />

and technology. But it’s no good if they have simply been<br />

fed these things in order to regurgitate them in exams.<br />

It’s just as important that they leave school knowing<br />

how to apply knowledge, make connections, evaluate<br />

information, and find out things for themselves.<br />

149 wealdentimes.co.uk


Encouraging children<br />

to reach for the stars<br />

since 1874<br />

Join us for our Summer Open Morning and<br />

Annual Art Exhibition on Friday 10th May<br />

01580 753555 / registrar@marlboroughhouseschool.co.uk<br />

MARLBOROUGH<br />

HOUSE<br />

SCHOOL<br />

Valuing self and others<br />

Boys and Girls, Nursery-13 years. Day and Flexi Boarding<br />

Hawkhurst, Cranbrook, Kent TN18 4PY marlboroughhouseschool.co.uk


TO BOOK A PLACE, PLEASE<br />

CONTACT THE ADMISSIONS OFFICE<br />

T: 01233 739 030<br />

REGISTRAR@ASHFORDSCHOOL.CO.UK<br />

OPEN DAYS<br />

MONDAY 29 APRIL<br />

TUESDAY 14 MAY<br />

ASHFORDSCHOOL.CO.UK


BEECHWOOD<br />

SCHOOL<br />

INDEPENDENT CO-EDUCATIONAL PREP & SENIOR SCHOOL<br />

learning to be unique, not perfect<br />

Join us for our OPEN MORNING, Thursday 7 May <strong>2019</strong> : 9.30am- 12pm<br />

12 Pembury Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN2 3QD T: 01892 532747 E: registrar@beechwood.org.uk www.beechwood.org.uk<br />

BeechwoodSacredHeart<strong>WT206</strong>.indd 1 20/03/<strong>2019</strong> 16:43<br />

wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

152<br />

ICHFLtd<strong>WT206</strong>.indd 1 11/03/<strong>2019</strong> 10:50


EntireAffair<strong>WT206</strong>.indd 1 19/03/<strong>2019</strong> 12:21<br />

#nationaltrust<br />

Spring at Smallhythe Place<br />

Explore a new exhibition in the house<br />

celebrating the Museum’s 90th<br />

anniversary or stroll through the colourful<br />

spring gardens. Catch a family show in<br />

The Barn Theatre on 12th <strong>April</strong> with<br />

'Snow White, Rose Red, Bear Brown' and<br />

weave your way through a nature trail<br />

over the Easter weekend. It's the perfect<br />

time to explore.<br />

Call 01580 762334 for details<br />

nationaltrust.org. uk/smallhythe-place<br />

© National Trust <strong>2019</strong>. The National Trust is an independent<br />

registered charity, number 205846. Photography © National<br />

Trust Images\Rosie Gaston.<br />

Art<br />

Sundays 7 Apr – 13 Oct<br />

Farleys House & Gallery<br />

Muddles Green, Chiddingly,<br />

Lewes, Sussex BN8 6HW<br />

Lee miller in colour<br />

The Lee Miller Archives presents<br />

a brand new exhibition celebrating<br />

colour photography rarely seen<br />

from the collections. An icon<br />

of 20th Century photography,<br />

Lee Miller is renowned for<br />

her striking black and white<br />

surrealist imagery and fearless war<br />

reportage. However, now for the<br />

first time, through this exhibition,<br />

her extraordinary mastery of<br />

colour can be witnessed.<br />

farleyshouseandgallery.co.uk<br />

Easter<br />

What’s On in <strong>April</strong><br />

Sat 6 – Mon 22 Apr<br />

Kent Life, Lock Lane, Sandling,<br />

Maidstone, Kent ME14 3AU<br />

Spring into easter<br />

Meet the cute baby lambs, goat<br />

kids, and piglets which are often<br />

born around springtime, have a<br />

go at bottle feeding the lambs<br />

and kids, hop on a fun farm<br />

ride, get creative and decorate<br />

the perfect Easter gift in the<br />

Paint-a-Pot studio and enjoy<br />

Easter Shows in the Big Top, a<br />

bouncy castle and cuddle corner.<br />

kentlife.org.uk<br />

Sun 14 – Wed 17 &<br />

Sun 21-Wed 24 Apr<br />

Chiddingstone Castle, Hill<br />

Hoath Road, Chiddingstone,<br />

Edenbridge, Kent TN8 7AD<br />

Easter bunny hunt<br />

Grab a £2 clue sheet to find<br />

all the Easter bunnies hidden<br />

around the historical castle’s 35<br />

acres of informal grounds.<br />

chiddingstonecastle.org.uk<br />

Fri 19 – Mon 22 Apr<br />

Various locations<br />

Cadbury Easter<br />

Egg Hunt with<br />

National trust<br />

The Easter bunny has been<br />

up to mischief hiding clues<br />

throughout National Trust<br />

locations across the Weald. Crack<br />

the clues for some Easter fun and<br />

delicious prizes at sites including<br />

Ightham Mote, Sissinghurst<br />

Castle <strong>Garden</strong>, Scotney Castle,<br />

Knole, Smallhythe Place,<br />

Bodiam Castle and Batemans.<br />

easter.cadbury.co.uk<br />

Sun 6 – Mon 22 Apr<br />

Port Lympne, Aldington Road,<br />

Lympne, Hythe CT21 4LR<br />

Wild Easter Adventures<br />

Book online up to midnight the<br />

day before your Easter visit to Port<br />

Lympne to save 20% on a family<br />

day out with Kent’s only giraffes,<br />

hundreds of free roaming animals,<br />

and some life size time-travelling<br />

dinosaurs. Plus on Good Friday<br />

there will be a delicious BBQ on<br />

offer at the Port Lympne Hotel’s<br />

Iceburg Terrace and an Easter<br />

Sunday lunch or dinner at just<br />

£25 per person for two courses<br />

and £30 for three courses.<br />

aspinallfoundation.org<br />

Charity<br />

Wed 24 Apr<br />

Hush Heath Wine Estate,<br />

Five Oak Lane, Staplehurst,<br />

Tonbridge, Kent TN12 0HT<br />

Flowers, Fizz & Fun<br />

Join the <strong>Garden</strong>ing for Disabled<br />

Trust at Hush Heath for a<br />

fabulous Plant Fair and open<br />

garden. Meet plant and garden<br />

specialists, enjoy some free tastings<br />

of Hush Heath’s award-winning<br />

pink fizz, and explore the restored<br />

and landscaped private garden of<br />

Mr & Mrs Balfour-Lynn.<br />

gardeningfordisabledtrust.org.uk<br />

Sun 28 Apr<br />

Five Acre Wood School,<br />

Boughton Lane, Maidstone,<br />

Kent ME15 9QF<br />

Sainsbury’s Stores<br />

sponsored cycle<br />

Take to the roads for a sponsored<br />

bike ride of 25 or 50 miles in<br />

support of Heart of Kent Hospice.<br />

Sainsbury’s will generously provide<br />

refreshments along the route<br />

which will start at Sainsbury’s<br />

on Loose Road in Maidstone.<br />

Entry: £15 per cyclist<br />

hokh.org<br />

wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

SmallhythePlace<strong>WT206</strong>.indd 1 19/03/<strong>2019</strong> 18:23


CHD-<strong>WT206</strong>.indd 1 15/03/<strong>2019</strong> 10:16<br />

OrchardTheatre<strong>WT206</strong>.indd 1 13/03/<strong>2019</strong> 16:44<br />

EASTER<br />

FAMILY<br />

FUN<br />

sun & mon<br />

21 st & 22 nd<br />

april<br />

All<br />

Inclusive<br />

ticket!<br />

Media partner<br />

funfair!<br />

ONLINE DISCOUNTS<br />

live music<br />

street<br />

entertainment<br />

thedockyard.co.uk<br />

ENTERTAINMENT MADE IN


Penshurst VINTAGE<br />

& Antiques Fair<br />

Penshurst Village Hall TN11 8BP<br />

20 th , 21 st , 22 nd <strong>April</strong><br />

Trade entry Saturday 9.30am<br />

Public 10.30am–5pm<br />

Entrance £2.00<br />

Come and find decorative antiques, French<br />

brocante & vintage items for the home & garden.<br />

Enjoy delicious cakes and tea by Betsy’s Bake.<br />

PenshurstAntiquesFair<strong>WT206</strong>.indd 1 20/03/<strong>2019</strong> 10:21<br />

Visit kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/events to book<br />

What’s On in <strong>April</strong><br />

Sun 28 Apr<br />

Horsmonden, Tonbridge<br />

TN12 8HT<br />

CYCLE HORSMONDEN<br />

A bike ride for Walking with<br />

the Wounded. Cycle 25, 50 or<br />

75 miles through the beautiful<br />

Kent countryside. WWTW funds<br />

the re-training and re-education<br />

of servicemen and women,<br />

both veterans and those leaving<br />

The Armed Forces today.<br />

register.primoevents.com/ps/<br />

event/cyclehorsmonden<strong>2019</strong> /<br />

walkingwiththewounded.org.uk<br />

Children & Families<br />

Sat 6 – Mon 22 Apr<br />

Kent & East Sussex Railway,<br />

Tenterden Town Station,<br />

Station Road, Tenterden,<br />

Kent, TN30 6HE<br />

LEGO® ‘Civilisations’<br />

An innovative and entertaining<br />

LEGO touring show with 40<br />

stunning LEGO models including<br />

life-size human figures from a<br />

range of civilisations throughout<br />

history. This exhibition<br />

is a real treat for LEGO fans<br />

young and old, whilst also being<br />

educational and informative.<br />

kesr.org.uk<br />

Sat 13 Apr<br />

Leeds Castle, Maidstone,<br />

Kent ME17 1PL<br />

Adventure Golf & New<br />

Playground Official<br />

Opening with Ben Cajee<br />

Children’s TV presenter Ben Cajee<br />

from CBeebies will open the<br />

Knights’ Stronghold Playground<br />

and a brand new adventure golf<br />

course at Leeds Castle, as part of<br />

the 900th anniversary celebrations.<br />

leeds-castle.com<br />

Fri 19 Apr<br />

Betteshanger Sustainable Parks<br />

Almond House, Betteshanger<br />

Road, Deal, Kent CT14 0EN<br />

Family Forest Skills Day<br />

Make Easter crafts, light a<br />

campfire, toast marshmallows,<br />

spend time building woodland<br />

dens, hunt for bugs and ultimately<br />

bring the family together at a<br />

special forest skills day with<br />

Really Wild Wooders.<br />

Entry: First child £10, additional<br />

siblings £8, adult £5<br />

betteshangerparks.co.uk<br />

Sun 21 – Mon 22 Apr<br />

The Historic Dockyard<br />

Chattham, Main Gate Road,<br />

Chatham, Kent ME4 4UY<br />

Festival of Steam<br />

& Transport<br />

Steam trains, a free funfair, food<br />

stalls, steam punks and live music<br />

– there is much fun to be had<br />

at this family friendly festival.<br />

thedockyard.co.uk<br />

Music<br />

Sat 13 <strong>April</strong> 7.30pm<br />

St. Dunstan’s Church,<br />

Cranbrook, Kent TN17 3HA<br />

Cranbrook<br />

Choral Society:<br />

MOZART, HAYDN, HUMMEL<br />

Works by three giants of<br />

the world of classical music<br />

sung by Cranbrook’s fine<br />

choir and accompanied by<br />

the Cranbrook Sinfonia.<br />

Entry: £15 (£7.50 students)<br />

cranbrookchoral.org.uk.<br />

Fri 19 – Sat 21 Apr &<br />

Fri 17 – Sun 19 May<br />

Green Farm, Duck Lane<br />

Shadoxhurst, Kent TN26 1LT<br />

Singing with<br />

Nightingales<br />

A night time walk and concert<br />

by wild nightingales. Each event<br />

will feature a campfire gathering<br />

in the delightful setting of<br />

Fairyland, featuring songs and<br />

folk music from Sam Lee and<br />

his guests, story-telling, wildlife<br />

lore and a home cooked feast,<br />

followed by a silent walk to a<br />

location favoured by birds.<br />

singingwithnightingales.com<br />

Spring<br />

Mon 8 – Fri 12 Apr<br />

Godinton House & <strong>Garden</strong>s,<br />

Godinton Lane, Ashford,<br />

Kent TN23 3BP<br />

Spring week<br />

Set within the fabulous 13 acres<br />

155 wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

KentWildlifeTrust<strong>WT206</strong>.indd 1 13/03/<strong>2019</strong> 10:37


What’s On in <strong>April</strong><br />

of stunning gardens surrounding<br />

the historic house of Godinton,<br />

this week of family fun will have a<br />

traditional treasure hunt, children’s<br />

crafts, garden games and ecoart<br />

and outdoor fun with Lorna<br />

Wyrill from Onodrim Woods and<br />

Debbie Reynolds from the Kentish<br />

Stour Countryside Partnership.<br />

godintonhouse.co.uk<br />

Wed 10 – Fri 12, Wed 17 – Thu<br />

18 & Wed 24 – Fri 26 <strong>April</strong><br />

Brogdale Collections<br />

Hanami Picnics<br />

Celebrate the traditional Japanese<br />

festival of the cherry blossom,<br />

with over 4,000 fruit tree varieties<br />

and all sorts of Japanese themed<br />

delights. Explore the Japanese<br />

culture exhibition, sample Japanese<br />

food, have a go at origami and<br />

calligraphy and try on a kimono.<br />

Entry: Adult £11.50, child £2.50<br />

brogdalecollections.org<br />

Wed 24 – 30 Apr<br />

Hever Castle, Hever Road,<br />

Hever, Edenbridge TN8 7NG<br />

Tulip Celebrations<br />

The third Tulip Celebrations<br />

event as part of the Tulip Festival<br />

at Hever Castle & <strong>Garden</strong>s will<br />

feature 21,000 tulips in bloom<br />

in the stunning grounds of the<br />

childhood home of Anne Boleyn.<br />

Enjoy a self-guided tulip trail<br />

throughout the grounds or if you<br />

would like a more immersive tour<br />

of the tulips, there will be free<br />

tours with Hever Castle’s Head<br />

<strong>Garden</strong>er at 11:30am each day.<br />

hevercastle.co.uk<br />

Wellbeing<br />

Sat 13 Apr 10am-12.30pm<br />

Charing Surgery, Charing,<br />

Surgery Close, 1, Charing,<br />

Ashford, Kent TN27 0AW<br />

NLP & Health<br />

Understand more about the<br />

mind body connection and how<br />

your thoughts and emotions<br />

can affect your health and<br />

wellbeing. Valuable insights<br />

and NLP demonstration.<br />

Entry: £45<br />

01233 878474 /<br />

yvonnefernandonlp.co.uk<br />

wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

Sun 14 Apr 1pm-4.30pm<br />

Clewards, Market Place,<br />

Charing, Kent TN27 0LR<br />

Introduction to<br />

Creative Journaling<br />

NLP Master Practitioner and Life<br />

Coach, Yvonne Fernando helps<br />

you to learn creative journaling<br />

and creative visualisation<br />

techniques (no artistic skills<br />

required). Perfect to explore<br />

feelings, understand yourself<br />

better and make positive change.<br />

Includes snack/relaxation session.<br />

Entry: £85<br />

01233 878474 /<br />

yvonnefernandonlp.co.uk<br />

Workshops<br />

Tuesday 30 <strong>April</strong> 10.30-4pm<br />

Godinton House, Godinton<br />

Lane, Ashford, Kent TN23 3BP<br />

CERAMIC SCULPTURE<br />

WORKSHOP FOR<br />

ALL ABILITIES<br />

Fun, friendly and deeply<br />

informative sculpture workshop<br />

for all at beautiful Godinton<br />

House. Subject:- Green Man/<br />

Mother Nature/Free choice.<br />

Entry: £65<br />

book brendaburgess@<br />

brendaburgessarts.co.uk /<br />

brendaburgessarts.co.uk<br />

Listings are correct at time of<br />

going to press but may be subject<br />

to change. Readers are advised to<br />

check with venues before making<br />

arrangements. We can list your<br />

event in the next issue of <strong>Wealden</strong><br />

<strong>Times</strong> for only £15+VAT! Please<br />

supply up to 150 words that<br />

should include date, time, venue,<br />

and any entry price to whatson@<br />

wealdentimes.co.uk or send with<br />

payment (cheques payable to<br />

Priceless Media Ltd.) to What’s On,<br />

<strong>Wealden</strong> <strong>Times</strong>, Kettle Chambers,<br />

21 Stone Street, Cranbrook, Kent<br />

TN17 3HF. <strong>Wealden</strong> <strong>Times</strong> reserves<br />

the right to edit text to fit space<br />

allocated. If you would like your<br />

event listing to be accompanied by<br />

a full colour reproduction (42.5<br />

x 62.5mm) of a poster or other<br />

pictorial image, the total charge<br />

will be £95+VAT. Deadline for the<br />

May issue is 12 <strong>April</strong> <strong>2019</strong>.<br />

156<br />

Frankie’s Guys<br />

Fri 3 May 7.30pm<br />

One Night of Adele<br />

Sat 4 May 7.30pm<br />

Dear Zoo<br />

Mon 5 & Tue 6 May<br />

An Evening with Mark Billingham<br />

Wed 8 May 7.30pm<br />

Book online:<br />

whiterocktheatre.org.uk<br />

Ticket Office: 01424 462288<br />

White Rock, Hastings TN34 1JX<br />

WhiteRockTheatre<br />

@The_White_Rock<br />

@white_rock_theatre<br />

WhiteRockTheatre<strong>WT206</strong>-V.indd 1 20/03/<strong>2019</strong> 12:47


BOOK NOW<br />

LIMITED<br />

AVAILABILITY<br />

‘World Class Concerts<br />

In Unique Settings’<br />

Presenting two series of exceptional concerts over the May bank holiday weekends<br />

St Mary’s Church, Rye & Hever Castle, Kent<br />

St Mary’s Church Rye, Sussex<br />

Sergio Mendes<br />

Brazilian Music Legend<br />

Friday 3 May<br />

He has defined Brazilian<br />

music for audiences around<br />

the world and came to<br />

stardom with his iconic<br />

band Brasil ’66.<br />

Madeleine Peyroux<br />

American Jazz Singer<br />

Saturday 4 May<br />

Eight albums later and 22<br />

years since her debut album<br />

‘Dreamlands’ Madeleine<br />

continues to challenge the<br />

confines of jazz.<br />

Jimmy Webb<br />

American Songwriter<br />

Sunday 5 May<br />

The songwriting legend<br />

behind the Glen Campbell<br />

hits “Witchita Lineman”, “By<br />

The Time I Get To Phoenix”,<br />

“Galveston” and many more.<br />

Hever Castle, Kent<br />

Courtney Pine<br />

British Jazz Legend<br />

Saturday 25 May<br />

Black notes from the<br />

deep sees Courtney Pine<br />

returning to the tenor<br />

saxophone for the first<br />

time in a decade.<br />

Miloš Karadaglić<br />

Classical Guitarist<br />

Sunday 26 May<br />

You can expect a wonderful<br />

programme of Spanish<br />

classics, cool Latin, Bach<br />

chaconnes & Beatles<br />

arrangements.<br />

Mica Paris<br />

Sings Ella Fitzgerald<br />

Monday 27 May<br />

Mica performs a special<br />

concert celebrating the<br />

music and songs of<br />

Ella Fitzgerald, the<br />

First Lady of Song.<br />

BOOK TICKETS ONLINE GO TO WWW.RYEJAZZ.COM


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The supply & replacement of<br />

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components/appliances, door<br />

renovation & polishing, bedroom<br />

doors & bespoke cabinets.<br />

Please call<br />

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Serving London & the South-East since 1984<br />

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Call 07932 022635<br />

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Open: Wednesday - Saturday<br />

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KitchenDoctorWT145.indd 1 28/01/2014 MrKellyWT205.indd 10:12<br />

1 19/02/<strong>2019</strong> CranbrookIronWT177.indd 15:39<br />

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The Auctioneer's Next Sale Will Be On<br />

Wednesday 15th May <strong>2019</strong><br />

Commencing at 12.30pm | Viewing 10.00am - 12.30pm<br />

The Auction Rooms, Argyle Road, Sevenoaks, Kent, TN13 1HJ<br />

Tel: 01732 456731 Web: www.ibbettmosely.co.uk<br />

125 High St, Sevenoaks, Kent TN13 1UT<br />

Registered in England No. 0C341637 Regulated by RICS Registered at the Sevenoaks office as Ibbett Mosely Surveyors LLP<br />

DavidHallWT108.indd 1 14/01/2011 IbbettMosely<strong>WT206</strong>.indd 15:27<br />

1 06/03/<strong>2019</strong> 17:07<br />

clare langdon<br />

I N T E R I O R S<br />

CYCLE<br />

secondary Primary logo logo & pattern<br />

HORSMONDEN<br />

EmmaHazelwoodInteriors<strong>WT206</strong>1/8.indd 1 20/03/<strong>2019</strong> 12:36<br />

SUNDAY 28 APRIL <strong>2019</strong>clare langdon clare langdon clare langdon<br />

https://register.primoevents.com/ps/event/cyclehorsmonden<strong>2019</strong><br />

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Primary logo<br />

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I N T E R I O R S<br />

clare langdon<br />

secondary logo & pattern<br />

clare langdon<br />

Made to measure curtains, I N T E Rblinds I O R Sand soft furnishings<br />

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clare langdon<br />

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clare langdon<br />

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Association House, St David’s Bridge,<br />

Poster A4.indd 1 22/11/2018 15:13:37<br />

Association<br />

Cranbrook,<br />

House,<br />

Kent,<br />

St David’s<br />

TN17 3HL<br />

Bridge,<br />

wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

158<br />

Cranbrook, Kent, TN17 3HL<br />

CycleHorsmonden<strong>WT206</strong>.indd 1 18/03/<strong>2019</strong> ClareLangdonWT200.indd 10:47<br />

1 12/09/2018 17:10<br />

C = 20<br />

C = 0<br />

M = 15<br />

M = 5


Competition<br />

Win a £500 BoConcept<br />

voucher<br />

BoConcept designs and produces a range of contemporary<br />

Danish design furniture and accessories for the living room,<br />

dining room, bedroom, home-office and outdoors. Their world<br />

famous international designers work closely together to create<br />

a coordinated look across a collection of furniture and home<br />

accessories designed to suit a large variety of moods while also<br />

expressing current trends.<br />

Whether you need some advice furnishing your entire home or<br />

would like some inspiration as to which sofa will work in your<br />

living room, BoConcept’s team of highly experienced interior<br />

designers are ready to help you create a unique home that matches<br />

your personal style. As part of BoConcept’s free interior design<br />

service their design team will advise you in-store, or come to your<br />

home, take measurements of your space, listen to your needs,<br />

suggest fabrics and finishes and produce full 3D renderings<br />

showing you how your space could look.<br />

How to enter: For your chance to win a<br />

£500 BoConcept voucher just answer the following<br />

question: How many finishes are available for<br />

sofas, dining chairs and bed headboards? Enter<br />

your answer with your contact details in the online<br />

form at wealdentimes.co.uk/competition by 30<br />

<strong>April</strong> <strong>2019</strong>. There is no cash alternative and<br />

the prize must be taken by 31 May 2020. You<br />

must be over the age of 18 to enter. Voucher<br />

redeemable in-store at BoConcept Canterbury<br />

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In-store you’ll find everything from designer sofas and armchairs<br />

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headboards, as well as a variety of sizes and options across wall<br />

cabinets, wardrobes, dining and coffee tables, the combinations are<br />

almost endless. You will be spoilt for choice.<br />

Congratulations to Lindsay Marks who wins our February competition for a spa day for two and over £100 of spa products<br />

159 wealdentimes.co.uk


Jane Howard’s<br />

Fables from<br />

the Farm<br />

It’s proper spring and Jane and the<br />

bees are getting busy (and buzzy)<br />

Early <strong>April</strong> brings moments of warmer weather and<br />

the chance to cast jumpers aside and step out in just<br />

a T-shirt. Bliss, but this is no time for getting out<br />

the deckchairs and lemonade, it’s time to look at the bees.<br />

I last peeked <strong>inside</strong> in October when I made sure they<br />

had plenty of stores for the winter. And then after closing<br />

them up for the last time I wrapped their wooden hives<br />

with flappy plastic bags to frighten off woodpeckers<br />

who are wont to drill their way in and eat the honey.<br />

For the same reason I fitted tiny metal guards across<br />

the entrances to stop mice moving into what must<br />

be delightfully warm and cosy winter quarters. Then<br />

it’s time to let the bees seal up all the cracks from the<br />

<strong>inside</strong>, which they do by collecting tree resin and sap<br />

and mixing it together into a gloopy concoction called<br />

propolis and literally sticking everything together.<br />

I can’t help thinking it’s only a matter of time before – move<br />

over spinach, quinoa and blueberries –<br />

propolis becomes the next ‘super’ thing.<br />

Apart from being bee glue, it’s a good<br />

antiseptic, used by the ancient Egyptians<br />

as part of the mummification process and<br />

taken out to battlefields to treat wounded<br />

soldiers as recently as the Boer War.<br />

So with antibiotic resistance becoming<br />

an ever more pressing issue, it may yet<br />

make an important comeback. And<br />

that’s not all – the great violin maker Stradivarius favoured<br />

it over everything else to varnish his priceless instruments<br />

and many musicians still agree there is nothing better.<br />

But come that sunny <strong>April</strong> day, when it’s time to crack<br />

open the hives and see what’s been going on <strong>inside</strong>, I’m always<br />

full of dread and excitement in equal measure. Every year a<br />

significant number of bees don’t make it through the winter.<br />

The British Beekeepers Association monitors the number<br />

of winter losses, region by region, and despite best efforts<br />

losses were at about 23% in the South in 2017, 17% last<br />

year was better and we won’t know about <strong>2019</strong> till we’ve all<br />

looked, recorded and sent off our forms later this year.<br />

But as ever hopes are high that not only will all five<br />

of our hives have made it, but that the queen will be<br />

laying lots of eggs to build up<br />

“It’s only a matter of<br />

time before – move over<br />

quinoa and blueberries<br />

– propolis becomes the<br />

next ‘super’ thing.”<br />

numbers for the season ahead.<br />

Honey bees survive by having about<br />

50,000 worker bees in the summer<br />

that are frantically busy collecting<br />

nectar from flowering plants and trees<br />

to turn it into stored honey. Numbers<br />

then drop in late autumn to about<br />

10,000 who survive by eating the<br />

stored honey. And all these bees come<br />

from just one queen who, all being well, will by now be laying<br />

frantically in a bid to get those numbers up – do the maths and<br />

you can see from February to June she has her work cut out.<br />

Urban bees often have a much easier time of it than their<br />

country cousins. With so many parks, gardens, patios and bits<br />

of wasteland, city bees don’t have to go far to find their flowers<br />

and there is of course the most wonderful variety when they<br />

get there. Greater London Honey recently won Best in Show at<br />

The National Honey Show – the honey equivalent of Crufts.<br />

By comparison, their country cousins often only have acres<br />

of monoculture like oilseed rape to forage upon. But luckily<br />

the Coopers Farm girls (all worker bees are girls, but let’s not<br />

go down that road) have the equivalent of a handy deli round<br />

the corner in the shape of our wild flower meadow. We planted<br />

about fifty bee-friendly species six years ago and now it’s a joy,<br />

for us, the birds, the bees and who knows…we could just give<br />

the City boys a run for their money in the tasty honey stakes.<br />

Follow Jane Howard – and the farm – on Instagram @coopersfarm<br />

wealdentimes.co.uk<br />

160


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