wealden-times-wt209-july-2019-summer-supplement-inside

PRICELESS

JuLy 2019

Wealden Times

The lifestyle magazine for Kent & Sussex

SUMMER Supplement inside

Inspirational Interiors • Fabulous Fashion • Delicious Dishes

Designed to stand the test of time

The difference is in the detail

Please call for a brochure or visit our showrooms

Unit 9, Chart Farm, Seal Chart

Sevenoaks, Kent TN15 0ES

Tel: 01732 762682

81 Calverley Road

Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN1 2UY

Tel: 01892 520730

www.rencraft.co.uk

01580 291221 jminteriorsuk.uk

Please call to arrange an appointment at our Biddenden showroom

MINTERIORS

JFine hand crafted kitchens and bespoke furniture

UK distributor of Decking, Cladding

& Flooring Products by Thermory ®

UK Distributor

of OOD Houses

www.roundwood.com

OAK FRAMED BUILDINGS

QUALITY DECKING

& CLADDING

OAK & WALNUT

FLOORING

HOME & GARDEN

FEATURES

OOD HOUSES

Tel: 01435 867 072

Round Wood | Newick Lane | Mayfield | East Sussex | TN20 6RG

DOES YOUR LAND HAVE

DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL?

We are actively looking for land for

residential development all over

the South East.

Based in Kent, family run Jarvis

Homes is one of the oldest known

house builders in the country and

has unrivalled experience in creating

the highest quality homes using

traditional methods.

We have a great track record of

successful planning applications that

maximise land values.

Plots of any size will be considered,

from half an acre to over 100 acres!

land@jarvishomes.com

01580 761300

www.jarvishomes.com

JarvisNewHomesWT209.indd 1 12/06/2019 11:22

5 High Street, Cranbrook, Kent TN17 3EB

01580 715144

Email: kld@kingsfords.net www.kingsfords-solicitors.com

We offer an excellent, swift and friendly service.

Conveyancing - Wills & Estates - Commercial Law -

Matrimonial Law - Prenuptial Agreements - Litigation -

Employment Law - Family Law - French Property

Conveyancing Services from £550.00+VAT

Wills from £220.00+VAT / Mirror Wills from £350.00+VAT

Lasting Power Of Attorney (LPA's) from £250.00+VAT

(Initial fixed-fee appointments also available at our Cranbrook offices)

Litigation Solicitor from £200.00+VAT

Matrimonial Solicitor from £150.00+VAT

We will always try and match any quotation

Kingsfords Solicitors Limited registered office address 2 Elwick Road, Ashford, Kent TN23 1PD

Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority 621466

wealdentimes.co.uk

KingsfordSolicitorsWT208.indd 1 07/05/2019 11:00

Contents

July 2019

SPLASH OUT

Maggie Alderson finds

homes for water lovers

105

112

SCENTS OF SUMMER

The latest perfumes to love

from Josephine Fairley

130

TIME FOR A CHANGE

Considering downsizing? Here’s

what you need to think about...

NOTEBOOK

A collection of the best

events coming up soon

FAIRGROUND ATTRACTION

The St. Leonards Bath House

transformed with neon, a bowling

alley and industrial style

GET THE LOOK

Pieces to help imitate the

Bath House’s look

A FINE VINTAGE

A tour of Squerryes, a magnificent

17th Century estate

GET THE LOOK

Our guide to adding some

Squerryes style to your home

FAIR STYLE

Kate Watts’ street style finds from

Wealden Times Midsummer Fair

109

110

112

119

124

WILD AT HEART

Wild Nutrition’s Henrietta

Norton shares summer health

and beauty tips

SUMMER FITNESS

FUN WITH OR

WITHOUT KIDS!

Sarah Maxwell’s tips to make

exercise fun and manageable

BAKED TO PERFECTION

Mouthwatering

sourdough recipes

WATER RETENTION

IN POTS

Tips for potted plants

from Sue Whigham

MAD ABOUT THE BEES

Jo Arnel tells us why she thinks

bees are the bees knees!

Published by Priceless Media Ltd. Kettle Chambers, 21 Stone Street,

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

the advertisers & contributors are not necessarily those of Priceless Media Ltd.

133

134

139

140

SCHOOL’S OUT FOR SUMMER

Hilary Wilce spells out the

advantages if the lengthy summer

holiday ceased to exist

WHAT’S ON

All the best events this July

COMPETITION

Win a two-night stay, with breakfast,

at Molly Dishwasher in Sussex

FABLES FROM THE FARM

Jane Howard explains the breeding

cycle of the Coopers Farm herd

SUMMER

SUPPLEMENT

28 pages of pools,

events, cocktails,

staycations and

summer fun

After page 94

Perfect pools & pool rooms

● Family festivals & events ● Heavenly cocktails & canapés

Celebrating 15 years of

sporting partnerships

Partners

for life

We look after your wealth so you

can nurture your passions.

Call us to learn how we can help

build the future you want to see:

020 7600 1660

www.jmfinn.com

JM Finn are proud to

be supporting grass

roots cricket in Kent.

info@jmfinn.com

www.jmfinn.com

The value of investments and the income from

them can go down as well as up and investors

may not get back the amount originally invested.

JM Finn and JM Finn & Co are trading names of J.M. Finn & Co. Ltd which is registered in England with number 05772581. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

CELEBRATE SUMMER AT CONNINGBROOK LAKES

WITH OUR SUMMER BUNDLE, WORTH UP TO £5,000*

SET AMONGST 31 ACRES OF LAKES, COUNTRY PARK

AND NATURE RESERVE IN ASHFORD, KENT

• Find out how we can help you get the keys to your new home, with incentives tailored to suit you*

• Explore our beautiful collection of 2, 3 & 4 bedroom homes. New show home now open!

PRICES FROM £299,000

CONNINGBROOKLAKES.COM | 01233 216099

MARKETING SUITE & SHOWHOMES OPEN DAILY: 10AM - 5PM

WILLESBOROUGH ROAD, ASHFORD, KENT TN24 9QX

*Incentives available for a limited time only on selected plots. Please speak to a member of the sales team for more information. All information correct at time of print. Photography is indicative only.

King’s Meadow

will transform your life

Something rather unique is being created in Kent and it could

be the start of an altogether better way of living for you.

King’s Meadow is a stunning new residential park exclusively for over 45s in a

tranquil and picturesque location. Whether you’re looking to release equity from

your existing home or enjoy an alternative lifestyle that’s only a 40-minute train

commute from London, take a closer look at what’s happening at King’s Meadow.

Visit our Show Home Open Weekend

at King’s Meadow

Friday 12th - Sunday 14th July

For full details go to

serenityparks.co.uk/show-home-open-weekend/

King’s Meadow Residential Park, Romney Street, Sevenoaks TN15 6XW

Call us free on 0800 644 4499

Email info@serenityparks.co.uk

serenityparks.co.uk

Straight talking,

no bull.

Selling your home is a big decision − don’t settle for less.

We’re here to provide clear and considered advice, personalised to you.

3a Stone Street, Cranbrook, TN17 3HF

01580 714888 | www.cjpc.co.uk

Orlestone Oak

Tailor-made Oak Joinery and Oak Flooring

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SOLID OAK fLOORING

PRE-fINISHED & DISTRESSED fLOORS

NEW SHOWROOM DISPLAYS

OAK STAIRCASES & WINDOWS

OAK DOORS AND PORCHES

OAK DECKING & BEAMS

www.orlestoneoak.co.uk 01233 732179

SHOWROOm Open mOnday tO FRiday 9am-5pm, SatuRday 9am-12pm

OrlestoneOakWT167.indd 1 02/12/2015 11:42

Urban Grow Pod

Eco Friendly - Locally Designed & Made - Complete Service

At times we all need a place to think, a space for ideas

to flourish, for minds to rest and dreams to grow.

Do you need more room ? We can

help you maximise your garden with

8m2 to 30m2 garden rooms.

- Free site survey

- Foundation & Electric options

- Highest specification for all year use

- Outstanding value per m2

- Under floor heated with touch control

- Customisable design with upgrades

- Thick eco Sheep’s wool insulation

- Low maintenance + 5yrs guarantee

Visit our website for more information.

Prices from £10,795 inc Vat.

urbangrowpod.com

01892 315 123

wealdentimes.co.uk

UrbanGrowPodWT207.indd 1 23/04/2019 10:30

CHURCH VIEW | TENTERDEN

STUNNING

NEW HOMES

Award-winning 3, 4 and 5 bed family homes

surrounded by beautiful green open spaces

and excellent local amenities just 400 metres

from Tenterden’s boutique High Street.

Church View offers an enviable lifestyle that

features the very best of town and country living.

PRICES START FROM £510,000

THE WEALD

FOUR BEDROOM SEMI-DETACHED

THE WEALD SHOW HOME NOW OPEN

OPEN DAILY 10AM - 5PM

Great Incentives Available | Help to Buy Available

Please speak to our sales team for further information.

Visit dandara.com

or call 01580 854076 for full details

Church View Sales & Marketing Suite, Recreation Ground Road, Tenterden, TN30 6RA

discover

Specification may vary subject to house type and build stage. Full details available on request. Price and details correct at time of going to print. Image shown is the The Weald show home.

‘Our Focus Determines Your Reality’

HARPERS AND HURLINGHAM

RURAL SANDHURST £1,295,000

16TH CENTURY GRADE II LISTED

FARMHOUSE • Four receptions • Kitchen • Cellar

with natural light • Five bedrooms (two ensuite)

• Two bathrooms • Garden approx. 2.6 acres •

Swimming pool • Pool house • EPC: n/a

Cranbrook School Catchment Area

RURAL SMARDEN £1,195,000

QUINTESSENTIAL KENTISH COUNTRY

HOME • Four receptions • Kitchen/breakfast room

• Utility room • Five bedrooms (two ensuite) •

Delightful gardens • Swimming pool • Pool house •

Outbuildings • Garaging • EPC: n/a

Rural yet not isolated location

CRANBROOK £995,000

STRIKING EDWARDIAN FAMILY HOME

• Sitting room • Kitchen/dining/family room •

Four double bedrooms (one ensuite) • Two family

bathrooms • Garaging • Enclosed garden • Edge of

town location • EPC: E

Cranbrook School Catchment Area

RURAL BIDDENDEN £849,000

WING OF GRADE II LISTED TUDOR

MANSION HOUSE • Two reception rooms •

Kitchen/breakfast room • Utility room • Four

bedrooms (one ensuite) • Garden and courtyard

garden • Summer house • Garaging • EPC: n/a

Cranbrook School Catchment Area

Sales & Lettings Team

Harpers&Hurlingham

The Cornerhouse, Stone Street, Cranbrook

01580 715400

www.harpersandhurlingham.com

LONDON OFFICE: KENSINGTON 020 7938 2311

Jane Emilie Chez Cathy Sara Debbie Clare Debbie S Caroline Dianne Caroline J

MAXIMISE THE VALUE

OF YOUR LAND

Have you got a large

garden or plot of land?

We are experts at working

with owners to maximise

the full value of their land

Industry leading experts

We take care of the planning permission!

The risk-free way to maximise your land

Zero cost to you!

Planning laws are changing

Act now before its too late!

What our clients say…

"The team had a huge amount of

knowledge and every step was handled

in a professional manner. Their excellent

relationship with the local planning

department helped achieve a fantastic

result for us. We would have no

hesitation in recommending them to

anyone who wants to achieve planning".

Amanda and Robert Petch

June 2016

"The cost involved to try and

get planning on our land

were just not feasible for us.

Working with Country House

meant we didn’t have to risk

our money as they took care

of everything"

Mr C Partridge (Loose, Kent)

September 2016

For a free appraisal call 0843 557 4080

www.maximisemyland.co.uk

sales@countryhousehomes.co.uk

“Guy and team at CHH did a fantastic

job securing planning permission on

our rear garden plot. Although a fairly

problematic application (which took

over 18 months), they kept us informed

throughout the entire process.

I would certainly use them again”

David J (Oxted, Surrey)

January 2017

PLOT OR NOT?

If you think your land or property has development potential,

why not give us a call without obligation and in confidence.

WE ARE ALWAYS ON THE LOOKOUT FOR LAND AND PROPERTY WITH DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL

Many of our clients retain our services and, in the majority of

cases, pay our fees saving property owners significant costs.

Commercial buildings for residential conversion, former public houses, redundant

buildings for redevelopment, buildings for conversion or replacement, houses

for improvement, large sites on the edge of town, barn conversions, large

gardens in residential areas and major regeneration projects.

Contact Stephen Donnelly on

07739 514350 or 01892 579937

website: sjd-projects.com

email: steve@sjd-projects.com

For regular updates, visit us at

twitter.com/projects

Kent & Sussex

kentsussex@humberts.com

01580 230281

humberts.com

MOVING YOU SINCE 1842

How would you like to wake up to this view?

Introducing Home Farm,

an exclusive collection of

bespoke homes situated in

the picturesque village of

Bidborough with stunning

panoramic views of the Weald.

Call us today for

more information

Tenterden FOR SALE £215,000

This lovely top floor two bedroom apartment boasts light,

spacious rooms with views over the recreational ground.

Situated in the heart of Tenterden, tucked just down Oaks Road,

Elmfield Court provides the perfect location with the benefit of

a garage. EPC Rating C

Bethersden FOR SALE £715,000

A stunning Grade II listed 4 bedroom barn conversion situated

close to the beautiful village of Bethersden with gorgeous

gardens extending to just under an acre, this stunning 18th

Century barn has been sympathetically converted into a 4

bedroom, 2 bathroom family home. EPC exempt

Canterbury FOR SALE £380,000

A charming & characterful 3 bedroom end terrace cottage

set close to the City Centre. Extensively refurbished recently

to an exceptionally high standard to now offer stylish &

contemporary period living. EPC Rating D

Heaverham FOR SALE £650,000

A charming semi-detached cottage, in a sought-after rural

location with stunning views, presented to an exceptional

standard with period features throughout. EPC Rating D

Halstead FOR SALE £450,000

A beautiful attached Grade II Listed cottage believed to date

back to the 18th Century with three bedrooms, courtyard

garden, Great British Kitchens’ kitchen and recently renovated

bathroom. EPC exempt

Tunbridge Wells SOLD STC £325,000

A fantastic 2 bedroom semi-detached home in a popular

location in Rusthall which has been recently renovated

throughout by the current owners with a south-west facing

garden and off road parking. EPC rating D

William Bankes,

Regional Manager,

Kent and Sussex,

07810 715892

Stuart Hutchinson,

Assistant Regional

Manager,

Chichester,

07395 790035

Martin Jordan,

Assistant Regional

Manager,

Canterbury,

07796 338345

Emma Tighe,

Property Consultant,

Tenterden,

07395 790033

Glynn Amos,

Property Consultant,

Sevenoaks,

07734 555545

Lizzie Jordan,

Property Consultant,

Canterbury,

07891 654996

Leila Himm,

Base Camp Team,

01732 741212

Tracey Jackson,

Base Camp Team,

01732 741212

ND WANTED

VELOPMENT POTENTIAL?

Specialists in obtaining

• Planning Specialists Permission in obtaining for development

• Proven Planning track Permission record & for large development resources

• Proven • We take track on record hassle & and large expense

resources

• We take on hassle and expense

LAND WANTED

and pay top prices

DEVELOPMENT and pay LAND top prices WANTED

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t: 020 7947 5501 e: info@nfcooper.co.uk

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78, Pall Mall, London, SW1Y 5ES

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sibleypares.co.uk

NFCCooperWT209.indd 1 07/06/2019 EnvirotechWT209.indd 16:44

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LAND WANTED

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neighbours

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Fishers Paddock

RESIN BOUND

An exclusive development of nine

Specialists in obtaining

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homes.

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Multiple ownership?

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ready to

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Pall

For

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without obligation, contact:

Find your new

Westerhill Home

in Coxheath

A very special development of 3, 4 and 5 bedroom homes

in the heart of the popular, rural village of Coxheath, Kent.

Help to Buy and Easy Move available

Find out more by visiting our show home

Open daily 10am - 5pm

Call 01622 244054 for further details

Internal image of Linden Meadows

show home.

Or visit our website

www.westerhillhomes.co.uk

01622 244054

maidstone@connells.co.uk

www.westerhillhomes.co.uk

LAST ONE REMAINING...

COX HOUSE

ConnellsWT209.indd 1 12/06/2019 14:26

8 LUXURY 4 AND 5 BEDROOM FAMILY HOMES SET IN THE RURAL

VILLAGE OF SHADOXHURST CLOSE TO ASHFORD

SHADOXHURST • KENT • TN26 1LD

Specifications - Cox House

l 4 Bedrooms, 2 with en-suite

l Bespoke Roma kitchens with Neff

appliances

l Under-floor heating

l Log burner

l High speed internet access

l Electric garage doors

l Electric car power supply

l Fully landscaped front and back

gardens

l Patio and external lighting

l Full 10 Year NHBC Warranty

www.jarvishomes.com

Email: sales@jarvishomes.com

Call: 01233 421055

23 wealdentimes.co.uk

JarvisNewHomesWT209b.indd 1 12/06/2019 11:26

House

Month

of the

£POA

Splash Out

Maggie Alderson picks beautiful homes with water features

The Cliff House

The dream: With its deep gables,

romantic verandah and varied

accommodation, this would be a

dream home in any setting, but sitting

atop the actual white cliffs of Dover,

with unrestricted views across the

Channel to France from practically

every window, the Cliff House is in

a league of its own. As if that weren’t

enough, it has its very own crenellated

lighthouse… Along with the main

house there is an annexe, plus two

further cottages (appealingly called

Dolphin’s Leap and Baby Dolphin), all

light, airy and freshly decorated, with

lovely wooden floors throughout.

Where: Just outside the pretty

coastal village of St Margaret’s

Bay, five miles from Dover.

Setting: Surrounded by National

Trust land on three sides – and

the sea on the other.

Beds: 5 in the main house (six more in

the various annexes) Baths: 5 (plus four)

Special features: The sitting room is

particularly appealing with a vaulted,

beamed roof and windows on three sides.

Pleasing details: The kitchen is

very cool with white tongue and

groove and marble worktops.

Outside: 11.5 acres of lawn, woodland

and paddocks, plus a pool.

Time to town: Just over an hour

to St Pancras from Dover.

Agent: Knight Frank

01892 772942 knightfrank.co.uk

wealdentimes.co.uk

France Hill

£2,250,000

The dream: This 20th Century house

has cool charm and loads of space.

Floor to ceiling glazed walls in the

dining/family room make the most

of the amazing views south over the

Downs, with balconies along the front

providing the same from first floor.

Where: In the South Downs, ten minutes

from Alfriston, 11 miles from Lewes and

fifteen minutes to the coast at Seaford and

the lovely beach at Cuckmere Haven.

Setting: A spectacular hillside position

with views out over the Downs.

Beds: 6 Baths: 4

Special features: A two-bedroom

annexe to the rear would make a

perfect granny flat or holiday let.

Pleasing details: A claw-foot

bath in the master bedroom.

Outside: Wonderful gardens with a

pond, an established potager and a

stone ruin folly feature and a pool.

Time to town: About 1.5 hours from

Polegate, ten minutes drive away.

Agent: Savills Haywards Heath

01444 446000 savills.com

Buxford Mill

£1,400,000

The dream: A Grade II listed former

corner mill, dating from the 17th

Century, has been extended and added

to over the centuries creating a spacious

house of great character. Four square

from the front in lovely old red brick,

to the side and rear are the charm of

the original mill race and pond, with

wooden bridges across to the lawns.

Where: Great Chart, two miles from Ashford

Beds: 6 Baths: 5

Special features: The kitchen/breakfast

room opens into a vaulted orangery

currently used as a dining room.

Pleasing details: The sound of

the waterfall in the garden.

Outside: Lovely grounds of around

on acre, with the mill stream, waterfall

and pond, plus a swimming pool.

Time to town: From Ashford,

under 40 minutes to St Pancras.

Agent: Fine & Country, Tenterden

01580 766388 fineandcountry.com

25 wealdentimes.co.uk

Wellbeing retreat

in the luxury of

your home

Whether for sports, therapy,

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Notebook

What to do and see near you this month

JAM on the Marsh

Be amazed by Jon

Foreman’s large-scale,

daily-changing beach art

on the sands at Dymchurch

(above), join the critically

acclaimed King’s Singers,

hear Canterbury Cathedral

Girls’ Choir joined by the

Chapel Choir of Selwyn

College (Cambridge),

watch Changeling Theatre’s

racy ‘Nell Gwynn’ under

the copper beech tree

in New Romney, luxuriate

in orchestral music by

Tchaikovsky, Sibelius, Finzi

and Paul Mealor with the

London Mozart Players, or

hear Bach as you never have

before with Art of MOOG’s

Bach on Synths. JAM on the

Marsh returns from Thursday

4 to Sunday 14 July.

Children are welcome

free at all events, and

JAM has created

some especially

for them, like

Children’s Sunday,

full of storytelling,

clowning, nature

sculptures and

steam trains.

jamconcert.org

The First

Kentish Whisky

Anno Distillers has teamed up

with Westerham Brewery to

create the first whisky ever to be

produced in Kent. This limitededition

Kentish single malt was

sealed into an oak cask in

2015 and stays true to its roots

in the Garden of England, as

it uses local water and English

barley malt in the mash. It is

now available in collectors box

sets at annodistillers.co.uk

Money

Matters

Burfields House Wealth

Management is holding a

financial management seminar

on Monday 8 July, at Giacomo’s

restaurant in Sevenoaks, including

a traditional Italian lunch and an

opportunity to meet the advisers in

person. burfieldshousewm.co.uk

31 wealdentimes.co.uk

News

Classic cars

Sunday 28 July sees The

Bearsted Classic Car

Show and Retro Vintage

return to Bearsted Green.

Admission is only 50p or

free when you buy a £1

programme and this raises

funds for Kent, Surrey &

Sussex Air Ambulance

which celebrates its 30th

anniversary this year, and is

reliant on public donations.

For further information,

please contact Philip

Hill on 07580 093985

Antiques

Road Show

The Antiques Roadshow team will be

coming to Battle Abbey on Tuesday

9 July. This free, family day out is

an opportunity to go behind the

scenes of one of the BBC’s most

popular programmes, and even

be part of it. Experts will be on

hand to help visitors discover the

hidden history and value of their

antiques. Entry to the show is free,

everyone is welcome, and no tickets

or pre-registration is required.

The Roadshow opens at 9.30am

and last entry is 5pm bbc.co.uk

Cranbrook

Farm Shop

& Nursery

This month marks 20 years

since the Driver family first

started running Hartley Dyke

Farm Shop, and to celebrate,

they are changing their name

to ‘Cranbrook Farm Shop

and Nursery’. Stocking all the

best of locally sourced food,

the Farm Shop also keeps a

keen eye on the environment,

using paper, biodegradable

or jute bags and coffee cups.

cranbrookfarmshop.co.uk

The Kent County Show

The Kent County Show’s 90th show celebrates

the best of the county’s farming, countryside,

and rural communities from Friday 5 to Sunday 7

July. The show is set to amaze with showjumping,

livestock competitions, vintage vehicles, floral

displays and food and shopping areas. You can

also catch performances from the Salvation Army

Band, a flypast from the ‘Spirit of Kent’ Spitfire

and the main ring attraction, the International

Dzhigitovka Show. kentshowground.co.uk

wealdentimes.co.uk

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33 wealdentimes.co.uk

PennardVetsWT209.indd 1 18/06/2019 14:11

Grandparents - do you know your rights?

Lora Grogan is part of the Family Team at Buss Murton Law LLP. Here she

talks about the rights grandparents have to protect their relationship with their

grandchildren following the parents’ separation.

Most grandparents have a

special relationship with their

grandchildren and increasingly,

often play a crucial role in

childcare. It’s hardly surprising

then that when parents separate,

it can be hugely distressing and

disrupting for all concerned, if

grandparents find themselves on

opposite sides of an imaginary

battle line. One set may even

find themselves completely

excluded from the children’s

lives by the parent with care.

Whilst it is widely known that

children have a right to a

relationship with both parents,

often members of the extended

family, such as grandparents, can

be overlooked, even though they

have a crucial and valuable role

to play in the children’s lives.

So, what happens when

grandparents are prevented by

one of the parents from seeing

their grandchildren? In my

experience, many grandparents

are completely unaware that

it is open to them to seek the

Court’s assistance to ensure

that they can continue to

have a relationship with their

grandchildren. Courts often

really value the role which

grandparents can play, not

least because they can provide

children with sanctuary

from battling parents.

However, before resorting to

a court application, my advice

would be to try to resolve any

problems by agreement, either

by sitting down with the parents

to discuss a way forward or a

little more formally by using

mediation or collaborative law.

Therefore, if any grandparents

out there are struggling

to remain part of their

grandchildren’s lives following

a separation or divorce, please

don’t give up - help is available.

Buss Murton Law LLP offers

a free 30 minute initial

family consultation to allow

you to meet us and to discuss

your options. To make an

appointment in our East

Grinstead, Tunbridge Wells,

Cranbrook or Dartford Office

please contact our team

secretary Khaila Reid on

T: 01892 502 335 or

E: kreid@bussmurton.co.uk

and quote ‘Wealden Times’.

Please get in touch with our Family team who will be happy to help.

Melanie den Brinker Margaret Evans Lora Grogan Amanda Jardine-Viner

Julie Taylor

Kristy Underwood

www.bussmurton.co.uk T: 01892 510 222

TUNBRIDGE WELLS | CRANBROOK | EAST GRINSTEAD | DARTFORD

Buss Murton Law LLP is a Limited Liability Partnership No. OC345994 and is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

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ake a look inside dramatically different homes this

issue. Imagine being able to chalk up the ultimate

strike, just a bowling ball’s throw from the sofa in the

comfort of your own personal bowling alley... or strolling

past oil paintings of your ancestors en route to the

kitchen for your morning coffee... Maggie Alderson speaks

to the owners of two uniquely memorable houses.

Kate Watts tracks down some very stylish visitors to last

month’s Wealden Times Midsummer Fair (Fair Style page 96)

and we get crafty with Ilgin Beaton as she makes unadulterated

sourdough loaves (Baked to Perfection page 120).

Our brand new, and very glorious Summer Supplement

celebrates outdoor living at its best with information on local

events, the ultimate destinations for a staycation, irresistible

pools and quick-to-prep recipes to enjoy with friends.

Follow Sue Whigham and Jo Arnell’s guides to keeping

your garden and its residents hydrated, happy and healthy

throughout the warmer months and check out Jo Fairley’s

scent picks from the wealth of new fragrance launches.

If you fancy escaping it all for a couple of nights,

check out our competition to win a stay in an

idyllic shepherd’s hut in the Sussex countryside –

turn to page 139 for details of how to enter.

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LenleysWT209.indd 1 11/06/2019 11:56

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Distribution of Wealden Times published in Cranbrook for Kent & Sussex.

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39 wealdentimes.co.uk

WhiteheadMoncktonWT209.indd 1 14/06/2019 11:58

PEFC/16-33-795

Fairground

attraction

Words & styling: Maggie Alderson

Photographs: David Merewether

When Laurie and Sol bought a derelict

listed building in St Leonards they’d

never done a renovation before, but

with boundless resourcefulness they

have created an unforgettable

family home

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41 wealdentimes.co.uk

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Previous pages: A huge neon ‘Carnival’ sign by

Chris Bracey hangs over The Bath House’s double

doors Top: The cocktail bar is an old carpenter’s

bench, sourced on eBay Left: Lengths of reclaimed

wood, laid out in a parquet style, make a creative

backdrop to shelving in the kitchen

All the houses that feature in this

magazine have required leaps of faith

from the owners – whether it was

taking on a renovation project, being bold with

colour, or choosing which bespoke kitchen

designer to hire. But The Bath House is in a

league of its own. Something like jumping off

the top of The Shard without a parachute.

But the moment you throw open the redsequinned

double doors from the hall into

the main living area, stand at the top

43 wealdentimes.co.uk

Above: A fairground coconut shy sign is mounted above the kitchen sink, and a painted metal spiral staircase leads up to an office space

of semi-circular steps that just demand a Ginger Rogers

entrance and take in the sheer scale of the place – and the

fact that it has a full-size bowling alley in the sitting room

– you understand that its owners were up to the task.

Laurie and Sol Parker are clearly not afraid to

make a statement. Or take on a challenge.

The first thing that might have put off the less bold, is

that the building had never been a home before, in its 150

years plus history. It started out as a purpose-built Turkish

bath – ‘the most luxurious in England’, according to the

advertisement from an 1864 newspaper, that Laurie Parker

has had enlarged and framed in one of the bathrooms. But its

policy to have a ladies’ day (as also stated in the ad) proved too

scandalous for the bourgeoisie of Victorian St Leonards and it

didn’t last very long in that incarnation.

Sold to a local girls’ school, they added a whole new wooden

vaulted structure at the back to house a swimming pool.

In the 1920s, the pool was boarded over and the space

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VisionExpressWT209.indd 1 13/06/2019 10:15

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45 wealdentimes.co.uk

TownsBathroomsWT208a.indd 1 09/05/2019 11:07

SilKS BESpoKE FUrNiTUrE

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wealdentimes.co.uk

EnsorInteriorDesignWT209.indd 1 14/06/2019 14:49

Top: The kitchen Above: Bespoke industrial steel

light switches and plug points are embossed with

the words The Bath House Left: A fairground bird

illuminates one side of the open plan living space

became first a spiritualist church and then,

after the local parish church was bombed in

WW2, a Church of England one, where many

marriages, christenings and funerals took place.

A couple who got married there in the

1950s, now in their nineties, have knocked

on the door since Laurie and Sol have been in

residence. (Oh, to have seen their faces…)

The Bath House’s last pre-Parker family role

was as a glass factory, making the specialist vessels

for laboratories. By the time Laurie and Sol first

viewed the place in 2013, the factory was long

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But even getting to that viewing was a

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extraordinary that they kept going, considering

they had visited Hastings only once, when they

started on their marathon Bath House journey.

“We came down from London

47 wealdentimes.co.uk

This page: The living space is filled with original finds, such as this

vintage shuffleboard table Top & Above: The dodgems sign was

bought from a shop in Hastings Old Town. “My first ever job was on a

fairground and my life’s ambition aged 10 was to work on the dodgems –

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and walked the dogs on beautiful Camber Sands. We saw the

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“It was a nightmare even to see it. The agents told us ‘we’re

not showing it, we’re sick of time wasters’. In the end, we

contacted the agent’s head office in London and then we

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“The bowling alley used to be in Soho House,” says Laurie. “Sol heard they were getting

rid of it and asked if he could buy it and they told him, if he took it out, he could have it.

We didn’t even know if it would fit in the space, but it slotted in to the millimetre.”

were told ‘we’ve lost the keys’ or the person we’d

made the appointment with ‘wasn’t there’.

“Even once we’d made an offer we had to

have an interview with the owner – he wanted

to know what we were going to do with it as

it had been his father’s glass factory.”

Those hurdles would have been enough

to put less determined buyers off – and it

turned out to have been just the start.

“We bought it in 2013 and started renovating

51 wealdentimes.co.uk

Above: A mezzanine provides an office space and seating

area above the kitchen Left: One of the children’s bedrooms

after a year. The entire building was completely

derelict and the main space was very dark and

dingy. There were even plants growing through

the walls, and old machines from the abandoned

glass factory had been left all over the place.

“We were determined to preserve as much of the

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we wanted to keep it open plan and not carve it up

into bedroom pods, so we had to build up to get

three bedrooms to accommodate the three boys.

“It’s Grade II listed, so the conditions were very, very

strict. We hadn’t done any renovation before, but we’d

watched Grand Designs and thought it was easy…We

were wonderfully naïve and horrifically underestimated

everything. We had to deal with conservation and

building control totally contradicting each other – and

we were still living in London while we did it.”

Despite all that, two years later it was done –

and the result is a simply glorious three-bedroom

family home, with all the features a modern family

could desire, including a fluid social/kitchen/

dining space and a bespoke screening room.

And a bowling alley of course, as you do.

“It used to be in Soho House,” says Laurie. “Sol

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buy it and they told him, if he took it out, he could

have it. We didn’t even know if it would fit in

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“We bought it in 2013 and started renovating after a year. It was derelict

and the main space was dark and dingy, plants were growing through the

walls and machines from the abandoned factory were all over the place.”

the space, but luckily it slotted in to the millimetre.”

And it looks like it’s always been there, with lockers

containing different-sized bowling shoes and old cinema

seats to sit on to put them on completing the scene. The

fairground attraction effect of the bowling lane’s clown face

is set off by other items around the space, including a huge

neon sign saying ‘Carnival’ – by the late neon artist and

designer Chris Bracey, who owned Gods Own Junkyard

in London – over the double doors and a basketball hoop

arcade game. “Sol gave that to me one Christmas,” says

Laurie, “because I used to play netball at county level.”

It’s impossible not to have a go on it – or in my

case, about 500, because it’s so addictive – and

then it seems the most natural thing in the world

55 wealdentimes.co.uk

Above & previous page: Laurie and Sol added the new upper floor to give them a master

bedroom with its own bathroom

to shuffle over to the vintage shuffleboard table and have a few games of that.

Shuffleboard is an old pub game, like a miniature version of curling,

where you slide pucks along a sanded wood surface and try and reach

the highest score level, while knocking off your opponent’s puck.

Photographer, David Merewether was much better at it than me, but that didn’t put

me off trying and we had to tear ourselves away from these distractions and remind

ourselves we were there to do a job. After a very short while at The Bath House it is easy to

understand how apt that carnival sign is. It would be hard to imagine a better party house.

Adding to the convivial mood is the dining table which forms the entrance to the

kitchen area – it seats a casual 14 people. “It’s built from off-cuts from Champagne

barrels,” says Laurie. “A carpenter made it for us for £800.” Whilst the whole –

huge and amply cupboarded – kitchen was made from old pallet boards.

Continuing the inventive scheme, the cocktail bar is an old carpenter’s bench and a row

of vintage gym lockers makes a brilliant pantry, with genres of food items filed in each

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Above Laurie sourced the copper bath in the Turkish-bath inspired guest bathroom directly from the makers in Morocco

one. Like many of the one-off items in The Bath House, both

of these came from eBay. “Sol is eBay’s best friend,” says Laurie.

But while eBay may be Sol’s go-to site, Laurie is the queen

of Google – and the amazing suppliers she has found on

there had me giving her (entirely unsolicited) career advice

that she should start a business as The Resourceress. She

can find anything, at a brilliant price and, more often than

not, locally – the couple bought their Arne Jacobsen chairs

from the traders in Hastings Old Town and a selection of

light fittings from 20th Century Filth in St Leonards.

The fish-scale style copper splashback behind the kitchen

sink was the result of a search for local panel beaters. The

poured concrete worktops were brought into being after she

found a YouTube video of how to do it and showed their

builders. “I convinced them they could do it,” she says.

All over the house is the fabulous result of another of

Laurie’s searches – bespoke industrial (not ‘industrial

style’, the real thing) steel light switches and plug

points embossed with the words The Bath House.

“The space needed industrial light switches. The

repro ones are rubbish and vintage are very expensive,

so I did a Google search and sourced a foundry

in Hove which could make them all for us.”

Another of Laurie’s searches resulted in the knock-out

copper boat bath in the wonderful Turkish bath-inspired

en-suite bathroom off the guest bedroom. Laurie had

decided she wanted this style to be a feature in the room

– according to her decorating philosophy of starting with

one eye-catching item and letting the rest of the room

treatment follow – but they’re eye wateringly expensive.

But not one to take that as a cue to settle for something

less thrilling, Laurie tracked down the company that

makes them in Morocco and ordered one direct…

£6,000 cheaper. Actually, she ordered two; there’s

another one upstairs in the master bedroom. “We had

to be resourceful,” she says with impressive modesty.

The combined impact of one feature piece and Laurie’s

inventiveness carries on in the boys’ bedroom, across the

hall, in the original bath house part of the building. This

is set up as a triple-decker bunk room, in the American

style, with enough space for seven excited children. Laurie

sketched it and the builders, Grant and Tom, made it.

The fourth door in the hall – there is also a chic black

and white bathroom, featuring an Art Deco basin, which

Sol bought from builders renovating a flat in Mayfair,

for a princely £20 – opens onto a stairwell with flights

up and down. This features a wonderful circus light

bought from their friend Samantha Bruce of the brilliant

vintage resource In House Junkie (whose house was

featured in Wealden Times June 2018), another source

of many of the great original pieces in the house.

Down the steps is another brilliant light feature in the

form of a rotating ‘now showing’ cinema light, in front

of the ‘box office’ for the adjoining screening room. This

has a giant built-in modular sofa, big enough to take the

same seven kids who will later be romping around upstairs

in the bunkroom and large amounts of popcorn.

Next to that is a basement laundry room like

59 wealdentimes.co.uk

THE BEAUTIFUL EVERYDAY

Above: A backlit crucifix provides a stunning focal point in the guest

bedroom and alludes to The Bath House’s former use as a church

something out of Das Boot, painted battleship grey to

encourage the association, and at the end of that – just

in case this wasn’t already the dream home for boys – a

secret tunnel, which pops up in the kitchen…

Though perfect for a tribe of boys the house may

be, their educational needs are forcing Sol and Laurie

to move everyday life to a new house back up towards

Sevenoaks, where Sol’s two older boys are at school.

For now, the future of the amazing Bath House for the

Parker family remains open. They might make it available

as a special rental, or if the offer is right adept negotiator

Sol (he’s an agent for major musicians) says he might sell.

After all the work they’ve done, it must be a tough choice.

Head back up from the basement to the top of the stairs

and you arrive at the new upper floor, which Laurie and

Sol added to give them a master bedroom with its own

bathroom – cleverly tucked behind a wall panel the bed

sits in front of – and a dressing room on the landing.

With a sea view out of a porthole-style window, next to the

boat bath, this room has a very maritime feel – enhanced by a

vintage life belt from Saltdean Lido they bought in Greenwich

Market long before The Bath House entered their lives. It looks

as though it has been bought exactly for that spot – a happy

serendipity that seems to have played out in the whole house.

“We sourced as much as we could locally and by the time it

was finished, we couldn’t remember what we had, but when we

got it all out, it all fitted and the colours just went together.”

Which makes you think that if you put enough effort

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Receiving grant of probate

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Tenth anniversary of Wealden Times Midsummer Fair

We can’t believe that 10 years have

gone by since our first Fair at Brick

House Farm in High Halden in

2009. Since then, we’ve grown

from one marquee and a few outside stands to a

tented village and it’s wonderful that so many of

our original visitors still come back to join us.

Despite rain showers on Friday and high winds on

Saturday, our tenth anniversary was a fantastic affair.

Thousands of you joined us for three great days of

shopping, eating and socialising with friends, family

and the extended family of Wealden Times readers.

Over 250 exhibitors showcased an amazing array of

products for home and garden, plus fashion, gifts

and food and there was a mouthwatering collection

of street food vendors serving breakfast, coffee,

lunch, afternoon tea, with locally produced wines

and gin for those wanting something with a kick!

“Thousands of you joined

us for three great days

of shopping, eating and

socialising with friends, family

and the extended family of

Wealden Times readers’’

We were delighted to welcome brand-new show

sponsor Burfields House Wealth Management.

The Burfields House team were joined on their

stand by two charities very close to their hearts:

The Tongole Foundation – supporting local

communities in Malawi – and Ocean Sole, a social

enterprise based in Kenya working on beaches

all over the world to collect discarded flip-flops

and make them into unique pieces of art.

NFU Mutual Ashford, Tenterden and Whitfield

hosted and sponsored three days of talks in

their Home and Garden Hub. Advice, tips and

inspiration on a wide range of topics from growing

veg to creating the perfect table for an alfresco

supper were just some of the subjects discussed.

Our regular charities, Kent, Surrey & Sussex Air

Ambulance Trust, Canterbury Oast Trust and Demelza

House Childrens’ Hospice, were joined by Jarvis

Homes’ fundraising Shop and Drop service – all

donations from grateful visitors with heavy bags went

to Crash to help homeless and hospice charities

with building projects. Thank you to

everyone for giving so generously!

Finally, a big thank you to everyone who made

the three days such a success and we look forward to

seeing you all again in November for our Midwinter

Fair at the Hop Farm in Paddock Wood on 14, 15 &

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NFU Mutual Financial Advisers advise on NFU Mutual products and selected products from specialist providers.

†Source: Research via Unbiased

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Our NFU Mutual Agents Select are appointed Investments representatives Limited (No 8049488). of The A member National of the Farmers NFU Mutual Union Group Mutual of Companies. Insurance Registered Society Limited in England. (No. Registered 111982). Office: Registered Tiddington in England. Road, Stratford-upon-Avon, Registered Office: Warwickshire Tiddington CV37 Road, 7BJ.

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A fine vintage

Claire and Henry Warde take us inside

Squerryes, the splendid historic home of

the award-winning Kent sparkling wine

wealdentimes.co.uk

Words: Maggie Alderson

Photographs: David Merewether

Styling: Holly Levett

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Previous pages & left: The drawing room was

beautifully decorated by Henry’s mother Anthea with

decorative wallpaper she commissioned specially.

French windows take you out into the formal back

garden Below: The second entrance hall

All houses have a vibe – but not many

have one you can bottle. Squerryes,

however, is not only the splendid 17th

century country seat of the Warde family (eight

generations and counting), but also the name

on the bottles of award-winning sparkling wine

that is now produced on the 2,500 acre estate.

The family motto is also on the bottle –

appropriately, because Licet esse beatis translates as

‘Permitted to be joyful’. “We have been creating joy

for 300 years,” says Henry Warde, sitting at the table

in the family kitchen. “Now we are bottling it.”

And joy it is most certainly bringing to those who

drink it, being awarded no less than a Platinum

rating in wine bible Decanter magazine’s 2019

World Wine Awards, for the 2014 vintage.

The house deserves the same rating. Even

before you turn into the drive (with classic estate

railing fences) the glorious countryside just outside

Westerham has Jerusalem playing loudly in your head.

As you pull up in front of the house the prospect

opens up to reveal a perfect Mr Darcey lake,

73 wealdentimes.co.uk

“My father was in the army so I moved constantly as a child and I didn’t

understand having an emotional connection with bricks and mortar,” says Claire.

“But the day we moved in here, I was 100 per cent committed – I wanted to

understand the estate, take it on, be part of it. We want to do it all together.”

wealdentimes.co.uk

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This page: Contemporary built-in

furniture hold a portion of Squerryes’

books in the library

the first visual beat in a vista over parkland and countryside,

with a domed white folly perched on a nearby hillside.

Turn your head left towards the house and you see a glorious

symmetrical frontage from the Stuart era (1681), although it

looks more like the style we identify as Queen Anne. Built from

narrow red bricks, with a pillared and porticoed front door, it has

two storeys with three sash windows on each side, then another

layer with six mansard windows and a triangular gable with a

roundel window and splendid chimney stacks. It makes you sigh.

This urge stays with you, once you step into the huge entrance

hall with a black and white marble chequerboard floor – and

large portraits of Henry’s rels, male and female, all around and

classical busts over each porticoed doorway into adjoining rooms.

It’s just the kind of space where you want to be holding

a flute of cold sparkling white, while chatting to interesting

people – which is exactly what you get to do if you join

up to a Squerryes membership package, which involves

no joining fee, just a commitment to buy one case (12

bottles) a year. Hardly a hardship (especially as you get

15 per cent off, so really it would be rude not to).

Membership brings invitations to all kinds of jolly

events at the house – which is not open to the public

– including a summer garden party with 299 fellow

bubbly-lovers, which sounds particularly appealing.

But with a house to study and photograph, we stuck to

coffee, in the lovely light, high-ceilinged kitchen, looking

over the formal garden at the back of the house. A kitchen

which looks and feels like it has always been there, but was

actually a fairly recent conversion by Claire and Henry.

They moved into the house six years ago, when Henry took

on the commitment of running the estate and his parents

moved out to a farmhouse on the land. At that point, while

totally understanding the responsibility to preserve a house

like this for future generations – one of the bedrooms has

listed wallpaper – Claire and Henry decided to make some

thoughtful changes to adapt its old bones to

77 wealdentimes.co.uk

This page: The formal dining room’s chairs feature the wolf head that is in

the family crest Top right: A portrait of Charlotte Warde, mother of The

Admiral – 4th generation at Squerryes Court – by John Opie

modern family life with their four children, aged from six to 11.

Claire explains: “In 1947, in order to be able to keep the house going,

Henry’s grandparents pulled down two wings. The original kitchen had been

in one of them, so they created a small kitchen and dining room in this

space. We knocked it through and converted it into a family kitchen with

a table in it, but we wanted it to look as though it had always been there.”

Which, with its classic kitchen cabinetry, painted in Farrow & Ball’s Oval

Room Blue it certainly does – helped along by Claire’s clever harvesting of

varied objects from other parts of the house and pressing them back into

use. The row of lovely, mismatched white glass light shades hanging in a row

were found all over the house. “We just washed them and rehung them.”

The splendid blue and white vases – which look like they might

wealdentimes.co.uk

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This page: Henry and Claire knocked through a small kitchen

and dining room to create a family kitchen. The lights above the

dining table were found throughout the house by Claire

be rather precious – were languishing in obscurity in

the cellar, but Claire has no anxiety about having fine

objects in a part of the house with heavy family traffic.

“If someone throws a ball and breaks them all at

least they’ve been seen. We are going to live here.”

Their other big change was to create a second

entrance hall on the same side of the house (the

north) as the kitchen, with a more domestic

feeling than the formal main one, more conducive

to everyday family comings and goings.

They put in a similar floor and a column to echo

the ones in the grand hall, but Claire had fun with

wallpaper in the rooms coming off: a map of the world

in the loo and large pink flamingos in her office.

“And we took out the servants’ bells,” she

says, another statement of the more modern

way they wish to live in this historic house –

while completely respecting its heritage.

Although Claire admits that before she lived in

Squerryes, she hadn’t ever experienced a sense of

passionate devotion to a house. In fact, on her first

visit there she had felt quite differently about it.

“I met Henry when I was invited through a friend

of a friend as a spare girl for a house

81 wealdentimes.co.uk

“We have rehung all

the pictures,” says Claire,

“to show the story of

the family to visitors.”

party here. In those days you had to

shower in the attic and I remember

thinking, ‘there is no way I am ever

going to live somewhere like this…’

“My father was in the army so

I moved constantly as a child and I

didn’t understand having an emotional

connection with bricks and mortar.

But the day we moved in here I was

100 per cent committed – I wanted to

understand the estate, take it on, be part

of it. We want to do it all together.”

And while Claire may not

have understood loving a house

before, being shown round it by

her, it is clear how much she does

now – and it’s easy to see why.

Passing back through the main hall,

brings you to the formal (south) side

of the ground floor, which includes the

drawing room, beautifully decorated

in the cosy/grand classic English

country house style, by Henry’s late

mother Anthea – making her mark

on the house, just as Claire is doing.

It has exactly the combination of

glorious chintz, decorative wallpaper –

which Anthea commissioned specially

– and some very serious pieces of

carved and gilded furniture, that you

see in stately homes like Chatsworth.

Lovely French windows take you out

into the formal back garden, which was

also designed by Anthea, taking out a

Victorian arrangement and putting it

back to a more formal design she found

on old plans, with clipped box parterres

and avenues of pleached lime trees.

The next room along is the formal

dining room with a splendid set of

dining chairs, featuring the wolf head

that is in the family crest – and which,

once again, Claire emphasises they use,

rather than just have for display. There

are some splendid paintings in this room,

including portraits by George Romney

and John Opie, of Henry’s ancestors.

“We have rehung all the pictures,”

says Claire, “to show the story of the

family to visitors.” One in here is of the

Warde who bought the house in 1731

and another of his wife

wealdentimes.co.uk

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This page: Beautifully carved and gilded furniture sits alongside ornately framed

artwork throughout Squerryes Court

who died before they could move into

it – but not before she had commissioned

two splendid tapestries, which hang in

the bedroom over the dining room.

The bedroom opposite has the exquisite

chinoiserie wallpaper, which they are

not allowed to touch (and nor would

you want to). These rooms have not

been refurbished or refurnished in any

way and to my eye, the worn carpets,

alongside treasures like the tapestries

and wallpaper, have a patinated charm

that is unique to lovely old houses.

This is only heightened and improved

by the shift on the other side (back to the

north again) of the very large landing –

which sits over the grand entrance hall

and makes an excellent venue for the three

girls to practice their dancing, Claire says.

Here, where the family bedrooms are,

is a second staircase, leading down to

the new entrance hall, where they have

replaced a wall with a glass balustrade,

so light now pours into the upper floor

from both ends of the house. It really is

a lovely effect. No wonder English

85 wealdentimes.co.uk

This page: Two splendid tapestries, which hang in the bedroom

over the dining room, were commissioned by the wife of John

Warde, who bought the house in 1731

Heritage gave all the plans the official stamp of approval.

It’s the same spirit of progress shown by Henry’s

father 13 years ago, when he dug up the fields of

wheat he’d cultivated for nearly 40 years and planted

chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier grapes, the

classic combination used to make Champagne.

What inspired him to do it was the great interest shown

by a French Champagne house in buying their land. “It’s a

chalk terroir perfect for growing champagne grapes,” says

Henry. “Part of the same geological area as Champagne.

We negotiated for five months, but in the end we didn’t

make a deal and we decided to do it ourselves.

“We knew from the due diligence that the French had

done that we had the capability to produce a world class

product here. There is increasing recognition of how

big English sparkling wine is going to be globally. In 40

to 50 years it will overtake Champagne. The Romans

grew vines here and there is the tradition of orchards –

this is certainly land that is great for growing fruit.

“We take quality really seriously, that is the

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Left: Beautiful views over the lake to the west

of Squerryes. The family motto immortalised in

stained glass Below: The formal back garden was

formal design she found on old plans

beating heart of the brand, with the

family name and history is on it.”

To have a taste of all that in a very

appealing setting, you can now go to the

Squerryes Winery, which is a kind of food

and wine hub in the tradition of Californian

wineries – where Henry and Claire have

been to visit on a fact-finding mission.

Just outside Westerham, this is a cluster of

appealing buildings that includes an (unrelated)

craft brewery and the excellent Flint Oak Farm

Shop, alongside the purpose-built Squerryes

tasting room, seafood restaurant and private

dining room, looking out over a field of vines.

Beautifully designed with a lot of timber,

wallpaper made from the plans Anthea used

for the garden and chic banquettes, this is

sure to become a major venue in the locale

and beyond, with its excellent links up to

London and across Kent and Surrey.

For Claire and Henry it is part of the slow rise

they want to take their wine on, building its history

year on year, just as his ancestors have at the house.

“We are going slower out of the blocks,” he

says, “because we want it to build and last. We

planted on faith and only launched after 10

years, when the bottles were ready to release.

“Eight generations of the family

have lived at Squerryes and I want the

next eight to live here too.”

89 wealdentimes.co.uk

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