Surrey Homes | SH112 | May 2024 | Love Your Home Supplement inside

PRICELESS 

MAY 2024 

112 

MAY 2024 

LOVE YOUR HOME SUPPLEMENT inside 

Inspirational Interiors • Fabulous Fashion • Delicious Dishes

DESIGNS ROOTED IN 

NATURE 

GUILDFORD 89 WOODBRIDGE ROAD, GUILDFORD GU1 4QD | 01483 565027 

KINGSTON FENWICK, 2ND FLOOR, WOOD STREET, KINGSTON UPON THAMES KT1 1TX | 020 8546 6050 

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Explore our latest Scandinavian designs, drawing from our unique Danish roots, with a 

focus on organic forms and materials inspired by nature. We can help you make the most of 

your space with our free interior design service. You’ll receive a consultation in-store or at 

home. For more information or to schedule an appointment, please call or visit us in-store. 

BOCONCEPT.COM 

12/02/2024 15:39

BESPOKE KITCHEN DESIGN 

DESIGN • SUPPLY • MANAGE • INSTALL

Come and visit our showroom: 

Bancroft Road, Reigate, Surrey, RH2 7RP 

01293 826620 

www.rdokitchenstudio.co.uk 

rdokitchenstudio

Contemporary, reliable 

and expertly crafted 

swimming pools 

POOL CONSTRUCTION | MAINTENANCE | SPA | LANDSCAPING 

Simplicity and expert finishings have been our unbeatable combination for 

over 40 years. Based in Surrey, we are a family run business that is committed 

to providing a premier service on both private and commercial projects. 

www.lagoonpoolsltd.co.uk 01932 569 569 info@lagoonpoolsltd.co.uk 

LagoonPools-FullPage-SurreyHomes-April.indd 1 12/04/2023 16:59 

LagoonPoolsWT252.indd 1 18/04/2023 10:50

Contents 

May 2024 

26 

84 

48 

12 

19 

23 

26 

43 

48 

61 

HOUSE OF THE MONTH 

Dream homes on the market 

NOTEBOOK 

Upcoming events for your diary 

THE MUST LIST 

Keep up-to-date with the latest 

must-see and must-have goodies 

CUSTODIANS OF HISTORY 

A beautiful country estate 

adapted for modern family living 

GET THE LOOK 

Make a grand statement with 

luxe fabrics and antique furniture 

TWO BECOME ONE 

A sixteenth century house revamp 

GET THE LOOK 

Let character features shine out 

with a neutral colour palette 

and one-of-a-kind finds 

81 

82 

84 

88 

90 

91 

FASHION FAVOURITES 

Channel laid-back feminine 

with Patchouli Fair 

BACK TO BOHO 

Rebecca Cuffe edits 70s 

inspired clothes and accessories 

PRINT FEED 

Delicious seasonal dishes given 

The Print House treatment 

WHY SO SENSITIVE? 

Josephine Fairley finds soothing 

products for demanding skin 

PERFECTLY PEACHY 

Sarah Maxwell explains how 

to achieve a killer derrière 

NOURISH TO FLOURISH 

Charlotte Lau discusses the 

nutritional benefits of asparagus 

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

Cranbrook, Kent TN17 3HF | Call 01580 714705 | Email info@priceless-group.com 

Visit priceless-group.com Copyright © 2024 Priceless Media Ltd. The views of the 

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

93 

97 

101 

102 

106 

CREAM OF THE CROP 

Jen Stuart-Smith tracks down 

some local plant heroes at RHS 

Chelsea Flower Show 2024 

MIX IT UP 

Jo Arnell celebrates natural hues 

SPEAKING SENSE 

Mike Piercy learns some 

lessons from language 

FESTIVAL WHAT’S ON? 

Fun-filled dates for your diary... 

FABLES FROM THE FARM 

Jane Howard’s latest from 

Coopers Farm 

LOVE YOUR 

HOME 

SUPPLEMENT 

18 pages of 

trend-led 

room revamps. 

After page 62. 

Love Your Home 

7

garden design, construction & maintenance

From the 

Editor 

Character abounds in this issue’s interior 

shoots – from a grand 10-bedroom country 

estate to a beam-filled sixteenth century 

house tucked away down a peaceful Kentish lane. 

If you’re wanting to revitalise your home, with 

plans to give it a bit of a freshen up, then turn to 

our Love Your Home Supplement for plenty of 

design ideas, trend-led visuals and expert tips. 

In our food section, bustling hotel and restaurant, 

The Print House, has developed this month’s 

recipes, with chef Martin Elliot adding his creative 

flair to scallops, pork belly and lemon meringue. 

Plus, nutritionist Charlotte Lau takes a look at 

the health benefits of new season asparagus. 

Josephine Fairley certainly piqued my interest with 

her product recommendations for sensitive skin in our 

beauty section. When it comes to skincare knowledge, 

she’s unbeatable, and I’m sure the brands she’s highlighted 

will soothe reactive complexions across the Weald. 

It’s all about vibrancy outside for Jo Arnell as she 

takes a step back from structure to analyse the truly 

joyful elements of the garden – colours! 

And Blooming Green’s Jen Stuart- 

Smith tracks down some local nurseries 

who’ll be making an appearance at this 

year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show. 

Finally, fill your diary with our edit of 

some fantastic festivals taking place over the 

next few months across the South East. 

BECKIE REED 

FOREST FLOOR TO CANOPY 

A SOLO EXHIBITION 

OPENS 11 MAY 2024 

Enjoy your Priceless Magazine 

Priceless Team 

EditorLucy Fleming 

Supplements & Features EditorRebecca Cuffe 

Sub Editor & Features Writer Emily Pavey 

Design & Production DirectorAnthony Boxall 

Sales ManagersLisa Gordon-Hughes 

Maria Hurley 

Senior Account ManagerSarah Norwood 

Senior Account Manager Andrew Boughton 

Wealden Times Show Director Flo Simpson 

Events Manager Liz Miles 

Events Sales Director Jude Brown 

Financial ControllerStephen Hunt 

Accounts Sarah Davies 

Nicola O’Leary 

Social Media ManagerCharlotte Lau 

Managing DirectorVivien Cotterill-Lee 

Executive ChairmanJulie Simpson 

Contact the gallery for further details 

McALLISTER THOMAS 

117 High Street 

Godalming 

Surrey GU7 1AQ 

01483 860591 

www.mcallisterthomasfineart.co.uk 

priceless-magazines.com 

9 

2021-11-mcallister-thomas-beckie-reed.indd 1 12/04/2024 09:53

MANY 

CLEARANCE 

MODELS ON 

DISPLAY 

Tel: 01420 590510 

www.distinctivelightinguk.com 

SHOWROOM OPENING HOURS 

9am - 5pm: Monday - Friday. 

9am - 1pm: Saturday 

Elstead House, Mill Lane, Alton, Hampshire GU34 2QJ 

Surrey Homes - FP- May Edition.indd 1 15/04/2024 10:35:32

istockphoto.com/ Maria Voronovich 

Find us here! 

Call 01580 714705 to find your nearest distributor of 

Surrey Homes or to get free copies delivered for £30 a year. 

12,000 copies of Surrey Homes are printed 

every month. We are available in 

the following outlets and are the 

only local magazine available at key 

commuter stations. If you have any 

questions about our distribution please 

contact Vivien Cotterill-Lee 

vivien.cotterill-lee@priceless-group.com 

Ashtead 

• Patrick Gardner 

Bagshott 

• Cubbitt Antiques 

• Howlands 

Estate Agents 

• Longacres Nursery 

Banstead 

• King of Cotton 

Betchworth 

• Buckland Deli 

• The Community 

Shop 

Bookham 


Buckland 

• Buckland Nurseries 

Garden Centre 

Camberley 

• Romans 

Caterham 

• Shard Solutions 

Cheam 

• Cook 

Chelsham 

• Knights Garden 

Centre 

Chobham 

• Melita 

• Pasha 

Claygate 

• Trew Art 

Cobham 

• Cobham Furniture 

• Fego Café 

• Oh So Coco 

Cranleigh 

• Curchods Prime 

• Notcutts 

• Roger Coupe 

Dorking 

• Dorking Travel 


• Princess Alice 

Hospice 

• Sainsbury’s 

Epsom 

• Mayfield Lavender 

Nursery & Shop 


Esher 

• Sandown Park 

Racecourse 

Farnham 

• Cook 

• ME Estate Agents 


• Waterstones 

Felbridge 

• Doves Barn Nursery 

Godalming 

• Cook 


• Sarah Louise Dix 


Godstone 

• Knights Garden 

Centre 

Guildford 

• BoConcept 

• Elm Nursery 

Farm Shop 

• High Clandon 

Estate Vineyard 

• Neptune 

Haslemere 

• Lythe Hill 

Hotel & Spa 

• Tesco Superstore 

Knaphill 


Leatherhead 


• Robert Leech 

& Partners 

Lingfield 


Lyne 

• The Farm Shop Lyne 

Milford 

• Secretts 

Old Oxted 

• Fish Plaice & Grill 

Oxted 

• Cook 

• Jackson-Stops & Staff 

• Limpsfield Stores 

• Morrisons 


Oxshott 

• The Bear 

Redhill 

• Priory Farm 

Reigate 

• Buckland Nurseries 

Garden Centre 

• County Clothes 


• RDO Kitchens 

Ripley 

• Ripley Nurseries 

Farm Shop 

• The Talbot 

Surbiton 


Walton on 

Thames 



Warlingham 

• Botley Hill 

Farmhouse 

• Rayners Estate 

Agents 

West Byfleet 

• Roman Tiles 

Weybridge 

• Tesco Extra 

Woldingham 

• Fine & Country 

TRAIN 

STATIONS 

• Dorking 

• East Grinstead 

• Epsom 

• Esher 

• Guildford 

• Haslemere 

• Kingston 

• Redhill 

• Richmond 

• Surbiton 

• Weybridge 

• Wimbledon 

• Woking 

11 

TAILORED HOME 

INSURANCE RIGHT 

DOWN TO THE 

FINEST DETAIL 

For high-value properties and contents, including 

valuables, fine art and collections, choose 

NFU Mutual Bespoke Home Insurance. 

To discuss your high-value 

home insurance, contact 

Max Flaherty, Bespoke 

Account Manager at 

NFU Mutual Cobham 

01932 865 667 

Cobham_agency@nfumutual.co.uk 

5 High Street, Cobham, KT11 3DH 

The National Farmers Union Mutual Insurance Society Limited 

(No. 111982). Registered in England. Registered Office: 

Tiddington Road, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire 

CV37 7BJ. Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority 

and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the 

Prudential Regulation Authority. A member of the Association 

of British Insurers. 

priceless-magazines.com

House 

Month 

of the 

£10,000,000 

Godalming 

We pick out some of our favourite 

homes on the market 

The dream: A chance to acquire 

a unique and important country 

estate just 35 miles from London. 

Where: Within the Green Belt, 

4 miles south of Godalming, 

and classified as an Area of 

Great Landscape Value, whilst 

the surrounding Surrey Hills 

is a designated AONB. 

Setting: Old Enton occupies 

an elevated and wonderfully 

tranquil location surrounded 

by an attractive variety of open 

and wooded countryside. 

Beds: 7 Baths: 5 

Special features: There are two 

separate, 2-bedroom cottages within 

the estate, whilst the period barn 

is a leisure or party space with 

further guest accommodation. 

Pleasing details: Dating from the 

18th century, Old Enton displays 

the classic Georgian characteristics 

and proportions with its red brick 

elevations, pedimented porch, 

and square paned sash windows. 

Outside: This 90-acre estate includes 

ancient woodland, two lakes, fenced 

paddocks, a swimming pool, tennis 

court and period outbuildings 

with garaging for 6 cars. 

Time to town: Close to Guildford 

(10 miles) with its wide range of 

shops, restaurants, and trains to 

London Waterloo in 36 mins. 

Gatwick and Heathrow airports 

are less than an hour away. 

Agents: Savills 

0207 4998644 

savills.co.uk 


Haslemere 

£1,875,000 

The dream: This grand Victorian coach 

house has been sympathetically extended 

and stylishly refurbished, with a beautifully 

mature garden and swimming pool. 

Where: A mile or so north-west of the 

picturesque town of Haslemere, with easy access 

to the A3 and Haslemere’s mainline station. 

Setting: This stunning, detached family home 

sits in ¾ acre of peace and tranquillity. 


Special features: Modern bathrooms; 

wood burning stoves; parquet flooring; 

tastefully decorated throughout. 

Pleasing details: Full of character and 

charm, with many original features including 

fireplaces, coach house doors, round 

windows, beams and vaulted ceilings. 

Outside: Immaculate, well-tended, 

mature garden with swimming pool, 

treehouse and BBQ shed. 

Time to town: A few minutes from Haslemere 

and the mainline station, which connects 

to London Waterloo in 55 minutes. 

Agents: House Partnership 01483 266700 

housepartnership.co.uk 

Reigate 

£1,150,000 

The dream: A detached Grade II 

listed ‘chocolate box’ family home, 

in an idyllic rural setting. 

Where: 2 miles south of Reigate, 

7 miles north of Gatwick. 

Setting: Peaceful countryside setting 

but close to the popular, bustling town 

of Reigate with its fabulous selection of 

restaurants and independent retailers. 


Special features: Magnificent roaring open 

fire in the timber beamed living room. 

Pleasing details: Generous master 

bedroom with inglenook fireplace. 

Outside: Spacious gravel drive to the 

front with delightful mature garden to 

the rear, that includes a pond, patio and 

an outbuilding converted into a gym. 

Time to town: Commuting from Reigate 

station takes around 40 minutes into London 

Bridge or Victoria, whilst Redhill (3 miles 

away) is 31 mins to London Bridge. 

Agents: Robert Leech 01737 246246 

robertleech.com 

13 


N E W 3 B E D R O O M 

S H O W H O M E N O W O P E N 

2, 3, 4 & 5 BEDROOM HOMES 

FROM £450,000 MOVE IN NOW 

BOOK YOUR VISIT TODAY 

01483 944 011 | sales@leighwoodfields.co.uk 

Leighwood Fields, Alfold Road, Cranleigh, Surrey GU6 8WQ 

Prices correct at time of going to press and subject to availability. Photography is indicative only. 

50201_Berkeley_LeighwoodFields_SurreyHomesMayAd_AW.indd 1 28/03/2024 12:59

Birchgrove Leatherhead 

Christ Church 

Apartments 

Luxury assisted living retirement apartments 

Enjoy 

more. 

At Birchgrove, we invite you to 

embrace the beauty of later life – 

and enjoy more of what you love. 

Enjoy more time with loved ones 

and more freedom to live life 

as you please. 

Leading 

the way 

in retirement 

rental living 

Enjoy a home more thoughtfully designed to make living 

in later life easier, featuring waist-height appliances and 

step-free en suites. Be part of a vibrant social community 

with more to do in exceptional facilities like a Restaurant, 

Club Room, Wellness Suite and Bar. Experience the peace of 

mind a more secure new home with on-site 24hr concierge 

brings. And leave any property maintenance worries behind. 

Say goodbye to all that home ownership hassle 

and hello to an inclusive rental option. 

Ready to make yourself at home? 020 3929 5599 

www.birchgrove.life 

Locations in Surrey, Kent & London: 

Banstead | Chiswick | Ewell | Godalming | Hampton 

Leatherhead | Mill Hill | Sidcup | Woking

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE 

Retirement living 

in Leatherhead 

Birchgrove, the award-winning 

retirement living specialist 

is delighted to announce 

the arrival of its latest 

retirement community, giving those 

who live in and around Leatherhead, 

Surrey, an accommodation option 

specifically for people in later life. 

Christ Church Apartments, located on 

the site of the former Christ Church 

United Reformed Church, is undergoing 

a total transformation. When complete, 

the accommodation will offer 62 

spacious and modern apartments housed 

within three buildings surrounded by 

beautiful trees. With sustainability at its 

heart, the architecture is striking, with 

capped gables and a grand entrance 

façade, mirroring the site’s history 

and neighbourhood’s character. 

Christ Church Apartments will offer a 

choice of elegant, light-filled one- and 

two-bedroom self-contained apartments, 

future-designed to make living in later 

life easier and more enjoyable. We 

believe the kind of home you want to 

show off to your friends a little will be 

the kind of home you’ll love living in. 

Downsizing can offer a fresh start in later 

life – and the benefits may astound you. 

However, moving from a large family 

home to something easier to manage, 

triggers some powerful emotions and raises 

a good many questions. The practical side 

of our brain tells us the earlier we do it, 

the better we are – physically, socially, 

and financially. Yet, understandably, it’s 

not a task anyone undertakes lightly. 

Our extensive communal facilities 

include an onsite restaurant, club 

room, licensed bar, wellness suite and 

much more. There are also beautiful, 

landscaped gardens, perfect for relaxing 

with family and friends, and active spaces 

like the multi-use bowling green and 

gardens with raised planters for growing 

vegetables. It’s a welcoming place, 

open to all and designed to encourage 

community and continuity in the heart 

of this wonderful neighbourhood. 

Birchgrove retirement apartments 

are offered solely for rent on an 

assured tenancy basis. This provides 

security of tenure but without the 

hassle of home ownership. 

The UK is fast becoming a rental 

market – especially for retirees. Renting 

in retirement is becoming more and 

more popular because it offers all the 

benefits of independent living without 

any of the stress of owning a house. 

The rent offered by Birchgrove is 

inclusive and makes it easier to manage 

your finances. The inclusive rent covers 

all the large-ticket expenses like energy 

costs – electricity, heating and water – 

and many of the rising incidental costs 

that go along with owning your own 

home e.g. housekeeping, buildings 

insurance, security, broadband, 

window cleaning and many more. 

There are no lengthy contracts or 

confusing small print. Nor additional 

service charges or exit fees. You simply pay 

the inclusive rent and a one-off joining fee. 

To find out more about Christ Church 

Apartments you can get in touch with the 

team on 020 3929 5599 or visit 

www.birchgrove.life Or, if you 

prefer, they’d be just as happy to 

visit you at your own home.

KAOS Landscape AD AW 2024 _KAOS OS A4 Ad 2022 03/04/2024 10:49 Page 1 

Kingston OpenStudios 

11-12,18-19 & 25-26 May 2024 Open 11am-5pm 

Visit artists,makers and designers in their studios across Kingston andTeddington 

@kaoskingston 

www.kingstonartistsopenstudios.co.uk 

Surrey Sculpture Society 

SCULPTURE EXHIBITION 

AT CLAREMONT 

LANDSCAPE GARDEN 

OVER 80 

sculptures 

displayed 

around the 

SERPENTINE 

LAKE 

8 TH JUNE - 14 TH JULY (10am - 5pm) 

Discover inspirational art 

by renowned & emerging sculptors 

All sculptures will be for sale. Entry prices & further information: 

www.nationaltrust.org.uk/claremont 

www.surreysculpture.org.uk 

@surreysculpturesociety 


18

Notebook 

Focal Point 

Take note! We’ve rounded up the best 

of what to see and do near you 

Castle 

crescendo! 

Leeds Castle Concert always makes for a fabulous event and 

this year it returns on Saturday 13th July with a packed 

programme of live music, Spitfire flypasts and fireworks within 

the magical and historic grounds of Leeds Castle. 

The world-renowned Royal Philharmonic Orchestra will once 

again take to the stage, this year with a distinct nod 

to ABBA mania as the concert references the 50th 

anniversary of the iconic group’s Eurovision win. 

This year’s showstopping lineup will also include West 

End star of ‘Tina The Musical’ Elesha Paul Moses 

plus Lara Martins from ‘Phantom of the Opera’. 

What’s more there’s a reader offer, so make sure 

you use the code WEALD when booking 

your ticket for a 10% discount. Early bird 

discounts are also available, book online 

today at leedscastleconcert.co.uk 

Craft In Focus presents the 

Contemporary Craft Fair at the lovely 

Hever Castle from 16th to 19th May 

featuring 140 exhibitors showcasing 

a diverse range of contemporary 

craft and art. Held amidst Hever 

Castle’s beautiful gardens you can 

enjoy live music, food and drink 

alongside the event. Craft In Focus 

selects from the finest makers from 

around the UK, offering a unique 

opportunity to appreciate and 

purchase original, high-quality crafts. 

Live demonstrations and familyfriendly 

attractions are sure to 

enrich the experience. Discounted 

tickets are available until 10th 

May with code CRAFT24. 

craftinfocus.com 

UP YOUR 

STREET 

Kingston Open Studios will 

see artists exhibiting work in their 

homes and studios on 11/12th, 18/19th 

and 25/26th May, from 11am to 5pm 

each day. This is a perfect opportunity 

to meet local artists, see their work and 

discover the techniques, passions and 

inspirations behind the scenes. Some 

exhibitors will be giving workshops 

or demonstrating their techniques. A 

highlight this year is the inaugural 

Kingston Young Artists competition. 

Shortlisted artists’ work will be 

exhibited at FUSEBOX during 

Kingston Open Studios. For details of 

the trail map, check out the catalogue 

at kingstonartistsopenstudios.co.uk

HISTORICAL HIDDEN GEM 

Tucked away down a side street behind ancient walls, Tonbridge Castle could 

easily be missed. But venture just a few steps from Tonbridge High Street 

and you’ll instantly be transported into a medieval world. Immerse yourself 

in the sights and sounds of history and explore the gatehouse, great hall and 

basement. And don’t miss the panoramic views from the top! The castle is 

open daily for tours and with its central location you can extend your outing 

with a stroll around the town and enjoy the local shops, pubs, restaurants 

and parks, all in a riverside setting. This is also a bumper year for events. 

Don’t miss the return of the popular Food and Drink Festival on Saturday 

25th and Sunday 26th May (see What’s On Festivals Special at the back of 

the magazine) and Artisan Market on Sunday 26th May. tonbridgecastle.org 

New Leaf 

McAllister Thomas Fine Art in 

Godalming are thrilled to be 

staging Beckie Reed’s second solo 

exhibition Forest Floor to Canopy 

featuring 15 new paintings 

beautifully expressing her love 

of woodland and treescapes. The 

Private View will be from 11am 

on Saturday 11th May. To register, 

call 01483 860591 or email 

info@mcallisterthomasfineart.co.uk. 

Find out more at 

mcallisterthomasfineart.co.uk 

Millennium Market 

There has been a market in Faversham for 

over 1,000 years and the town is celebrating 

this astonishing fact by holding a one-off 

Millennium Market on Sunday 26th May from 

10am until 4pm. Expect entertainment from 

across the eras including hands-on activities, 

dressing up; live music; birds of prey; local food 

and drink; historical displays and, of course, a 

fabulous Faversham market. favershammarket.org 


DON’T PANIC! 

The nation’s favourite 

sitcom returns to the EM Forster 

Theatre in Tonbridge in the highly 

acclaimed stage production, Dad’s Army 

Radio Show. Two actors, two microphones, 

over twenty-five characters and lots of sound 

effects! Three episodes of Perry and Croft’s classic 

BBC comedy – adapted for radio for the very first 

time – are hilariously and lovingly enacted on 

stage by two master performers. Complete with 

vintage music and all your favourite characters 

and catchphrases, you will be transported 

right back to Walmington. Book tickets 

for Thursday 6th June at 01732 

304241 or emftheatre.com 

istockphoto.com/ Oksana Nazarova / Evgeniia Siiankovskaia / Mikhail Seleznev

LUXURY FITNESS, DANCE AND TENNIS RETREATS 

DISCOVER CHÂTEAU LOU CASTEOU 

Set in the beautiful French Cote d’Azur countryside, minutes from the sea. These Luxurious Retreats provides the perfect balance of gourmet 

meals, pampered luxury, energetic fitness classes, Latin dance sessions and outdoor activities including coastal treks, tennis, boxercise, 

aqua-gym, circuit training, yoga, sea kayaking and beach workouts, to help guests improve their fitness level or kick start a regime. 

Retreats include 5 days of luxury accommodation in the chateau in en‐suite bedrooms with sea or mountain views. 

Delicious, nutritious gourmet meals served with elegant 3 course dinners. Enjoy a quality open bar, excellent provencal wines, evening parties and entertainment. 

Please contact Morag.McLarenBaxter@yahoo.co.uk or 07990 573287 with questions and for reservations. www.loucasteou.com 

ART FAIR 

17-19 MAY 2024 

Fri 4pm-8.30pm, Sat & Sun 10am-5pm 

landmarkartscentre.org 

Ferry Road, Teddington, TW11 9NN 020 8977 7558 

Admission: £5, Concessions £4, U16s & LAC Friends FREE 

landmarkartfairs landmarkspringandautumnartfairs landmarkarts 

Image: Marcia Hughes Registered Charity No: 1047080 

21 



Discover the value 

of luxury with Posh Pawn 

Embrace the spirit of renewal this 

Spring with Posh Pawn, your 

trusted destination for luxury 

assets. As the season comes into 

bloom, Posh Pawn Guildford invites you 

to explore a treasure trove of preloved 

luxury goods, or unlock the value of your 

assets with a short-term loan this Spring. 

As part of the esteemed Prestige 

Pawnbrokers family serving Surrey, London 

and the home counties, and made increasingly 

popular by the hit TV Show ‘Posh Pawn’; 

it has established itself as the ultimate 

destination for individuals seeking to sell, loan 

against, exchange or purchase preloved luxury 

items. With years of industry experience, Posh 

Pawn has become synonymous with trust, 

reliability, and exceptional customer service. 

This legacy of excellence is reflected in every 

aspect of Posh Pawn’s operations including 

their Surrey, Guildford and Weybridge stores. 

LOAN AGAINST OR SELL 

LUXURY ASSETS 

Posh Pawn are proud to offer a flexible 

pawnbroking service, allowing you to 

leverage your luxury assets to secure a 

short-term loan, providing you with the 

immediate funds you need while retaining 

ownership of your prized possessions. 

Having a Spring clean and looking to 

part with your possessions for good? Posh 

Pawn offers a seamless and confidential 

selling experience. Their team of experts 

possesses an in-depth understanding of 

the luxury market, enabling them to assess 

and appraise your items with precision. 

Whether you have a designer handbag, 

a luxury watch, fine jewellery, cars, art, 

wine, or any other high-end item, Posh 

Pawn Guildford provide competitive 

offers that are hard to match elsewhere – 

offering clients instant access to cash. 

REVIVE YOUR WARDROBE 

WITH LUXURY THIS SPRING 

A treasure trove of preloved luxury goods 

can be found across each of the Posh 

Pawn stores and online, from pastelhued 

designer bags, timeless accessories 

in your favourite Spring colour palette 

and unique investment pieces – how 

could you say no? At Posh Pawn you’ll 

find luxury brands including Chanel, 

Rolex and Cartier at a fraction of their 

original retail prices! Each item undergoes 

rigorous authentication and quality checks, 

ensuring that you get genuine luxury 

without compromise – unable to visit in 

store? No problem! You can shop online 

at www.shopprestige.com. Whether you’re 

looking for an investment piece to add to 

your collection or statement accessory to 

elevate your style, Posh Pawn has it all. 

So why not take a trip to Posh Pawn 

today! 8 UK locations including: 

GUILDFORD - 01483 964019 

164-166 High Street, Guildford GU1 3HW 

guildford@prestigepawnbrokers.co.uk 

WEYBRIDGE - 01932 859880 

109 Queens Rd, Weybridge KT13 9UJ 

weybridge@prestigepawnbrokers.co.uk 

www.prestigepawnbrokers.co.uk 

www.shopprestige.com

istockphoto.com/ Jessica Zaccaria 

PO.P’s new collection is a must for kids’ 

summer outdoor explorations! There are 

lots of practical pieces, like zip-off waterrepellant 

trousers, educational tees and 

this vest with lots of pockets for storing 

natural finds. £35 at polarnopyret.co.uk 

must 

The 

From must-sees to must-buys and 

must-dos, don’t miss this month’s 

round up of what to buy, see, do, 

and generally get excited about! 

Kit Kemp’s latest collection for 

Annie Selke is as bright and 

pattern-packed as ever. Inspired 

by the New Forest, it’s just the 

colour-kick we’re needing to wake 

up our homes for summer. kitkemp.com 

For spring bank holiday, Bluewater shopping 

centre is holding a Scrumptious Food Festival 

from May 25-27. Expect celebrity chefs including 

Rosemary Shrager, street food from the likes of 

Whitstable Oyster Trading Company, and plenty 

of artisan foods to taste and shop. bluewater.co.uk 

As the sun begins 

to put its hat on, 

we’re heading into 

Sun Awareness Week and 

getting stocked up on sun 

protection. Green People’s 

line of organic SPF products 

is a great go-to for any 

skin type. They’ve got 

facial cream, age defying 

moisturiser, sun creams 

for sports, for kids, for tan 

boosting – basically whatever 

you’re after, they will likely 

have a solution. This is their 

scent-free facial sun cream 

which we love for how gentle 

it is on sensitive skin. £27.50 

at greenpeople.co.uk 

May is national walking month, and what 

better motivation to get on your feet and 

out walking than wine? Fizz on Foot’s 

wine tasting tours of East Sussex take you 

on wonderful country walks and then 

also guide you round one of Sussex’s various lovely 

vineyards. They include perks such as wine tastings, 

pub lunches, wildlife watching, meeting wine makers 

and local village tours. All in all a jolly day out that 

will get you moving. Win win! fizzonfoot.com 

As we wander about during walking month we need 

the right footwear. And (perfect timing!) ballet shoes 

remain a must-have for your summer ‘24 wardrobe. 

We’ve got our eyes on this ‘Carla’ pair from Blue Velvet 

in a beige leather. £159.99 bluevelvetshoes.com 

Throughout May and June, 

Belgravia Gallery in Cranleigh, 

Surrey, will be opening their 

showhouse for appointments. It’s a 

chance to view unique and diverse 

art in a relaxed home environment to 

help you envisage how it may look 

in situ. Expect new works by Charlie 

Mackesy, John Illsley (Dire Straits), 

Jan Coutts, Dion Salvador Lloyd 

and other emerging and established 

names. Home visits can also be 

arranged. belgraviagallery.com 

23 

May 16 to 18 is 

Doughnut Week! So 

take the excuse to 

tuck into something 

sweet. We’re loving 

Crosstown’s handcrafted 

fresh creations which 

come in all sorts of fun 

flavours, including vegan 

options. They deliver anywhere 

in the UK and you can choose 

your own box of 6 from £26.28. 

crosstown.co.uk 


Surrey’s Premier Builder 

Upfold Construction has been established since 2009 

and is a domestic builder providing services throughout 

Surrey, Sussex & Hampshire. 

Located in Cranleigh we are perfectly placed to offer a 

total building service to those clients seeking a local, 

professional and reliable builder. We carry out all aspects 

of building from extensions, renovations to a complete 

home refurbishment allowing us to provide a package of 

design, planning, building & finishing. 

We are members of The Chartered Institute of Building 

which guarantees our committment to quality of product, 

services and integrity of conduct. 

For more information, please contact us on: 01483 600335 

Email: info@upfoldconstruction.co.uk or www.upfoldconstruction.co.uk

Custodians of History 

Words: Damien Pestell 

Photographs: David Merewether 

Inspired by her family home’s centuries of history, and her lifelong interest in property, 

Claire Whisker has drawn on the skills she has learned during the ups and downs of her 

seven-year-long house renovation to create a successful new business venture 

From a young age I’ve always lived 

in older houses. The home I grew 

up in was an old farmhouse which 

had been around for the best part of 

500 years. It had a bit of a life of its own 

and would creak and groan with the 

seasons. We also had black and white 

photos of the previous owners who ran 

it as a farm and worked the land. When 

I grew up and bought my own home, 

it was always the older ones that caught 

my eye and captured my imagination. 

So it was lovely to meet Claire Whisker, 

a barrister turned entrepreneur who 

shares my fondness for older homes 

and the stories they have to tell. 

During our time together Claire 

spoke of her lifelong journey with 


26

property, the incredible family home 

she’s lovingly restored and an exciting 

new business venture which supports 

homebuyers. Sitting down with Claire 

I detect a slight accent as we begin to 

talk, which I discretely try to pinpoint 

before she tells me, “I’m from Northern 

Ireland but I grew up in Australia.” 

Claire who now lives in a small village 

just outside of Faversham with her 

husband Jonny and two girls was born 

in Northern Ireland, but her family 

This page: The rich 

red dining room is 

the perfect place to host 

Christmas gatherings and is still 

complete with its original butler bell 

secreted away under the table 

27 


C 

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Y 

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Dates 2024 

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Open (9:30am Trade) 10:30 - 4:00pm. Entry tickets available on the door. 

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Here at Smartrange, we pride ourselves on 

preserving the Aga cooker, restoring and refurbishing 

them into the now and beyond. Offering a truly 

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converting your Aga from gas, oil and electric.. 

For those that are looking for a more energy 

efficient, eco-friendly and flexible way of cooking 

yet still want to continue the tradition of owning an 

Aga, converting to electric is the option for you. 

Call us today to discuss your Aga upgrade. 

Servicing | Repairs | Refurbishments | Conversions | Removals 

@smartrange_aga @smartrangeaga www.smartrange.co.uk 


28

This page: Claire and Jonny have been careful 

to find the right balance between traditional 

and contemporary furnishings throughout the 

house. In the kitchen, one of the oldest rooms 

in the house, Claire and Jonny have deliberately 

kept the fridges under counter to maintain the old 

fashioned look. A beamed nook area has become 

their girls’ living room, complete with a woodburner 

relocated when she was young, a move 

instigated by her father, who is a bit of 

an inspiration for Claire. “My parents are 

amazing, they moved us so that we could 

have a better life and also enjoy more 

sailing in the sun,” she says. And it was 

Perth on the west coast of Australia where 

Claire’s interest in property first began, 

“My dad started a number of property 

companies there and my sister and I 

would tag along at the weekend for his 

site visits. I think from those early days I 

have property running through my veins.” 

Growing up, Claire went on to study 

law at university before packing her 

bags for the UK and the bright lights of 

London. Once there, she quickly settled 

into her new life. Initially working in 

29 


Above: Over the course of their seven year renovation, 

Claire and Jonny were careful to preserve as many of the 

original features of the house as possible, as is evident here 

in the entrance hall Left: The downstairs cloakroom 

law before switching to the dynamic world of startups. “I 

was a barrister for a number of years but I joined a startup in 

the early 2000s which got me more interested in the business 

side of things.” Working for the startup was a great move for 

Claire and it became a stepping stone for starting a business 

of her own in 2011. “It was a short let business called Veeve. 

We thought people would rent their home out for a bit of 

extra money.” The business grew rapidly and opened offices 

in Paris as well as Los Angeles. But in 2018, Claire decided it 

was time to step down and she sold her stake in the company 

to start a new chapter and a family with husband Jonny. 

A few years prior, during the market peak of 2014, 

Claire and Jonny had started looking for a place together in 

London. But the market was tough for buyers and forced 

them to take a different approach. “Prices in the London 

property market were so high at the time and the market was 

really competitive. We were gazumped twice in the space of 

a couple of months, so decided to see what we could find 

an hour further out,” she remembers. Their widened search 

soon opened their eyes to a different way of life. “We never 

actually planned on leaving London. But we just fell in love!” 

The home they fell for was a 10 bedroom former country 

estate in a small village in Kent. They quickly had an offer 

accepted and were days away from completion when they 

got a call. “We were about to complete when we received 


30

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32

This page: A portrait-lined corridor off the panelled entrance hall leads through to the dining 

and drawing rooms, with a staircase that winds up to the family bedrooms 

a message saying the deal was off. We were 

so upset.” However, not wanting to walk 

away, Claire made a final attempt to secure 

the house. “I wrote a letter offering a 

higher price and, hey presto, we were back 

on! I still don’t know what happened.” 

The sale went through and, although 

joyful at getting their new home, they felt 

let down by the process. “It was incredibly 

stressful. We couldn’t speak to anyone and 

we didn’t know what was happening.” 

During lockdown Claire and Jonny 

found out about buying agents and 

realised that they could help make the 

system fairer. “If you are selling your 

home, you have an estate agent on your 

side to help you achieve the highest price 

and get the deal over the line, but 

33 


Top & above left: Claire and Jonny decided to keep the bead-laden chandelier in the formal drawing room that was inherited from 

Sole Street’s previous owner. It’s complemented by voluminous gold curtains which add a regal glow to this beautifully proportioned 

room Above right: Over the other side of the house lies a smaller, snug sitting room which is bathed in afternoon light 

there is no one to represent the interests 

of the buyer. If we’d had an agent with a 

direct line to the other agent we would 

have saved so much time and money.” 

Claire and Jonny’s situation was also 

compounded by post contract issues 

which, if they’d known about, may 

have stopped the purchase. “It was an 

absolute minefield. We’d taken on a 

period property, with all of the issues 

this typically comes with, including old 

wiring, a septic tank, a roof greatly in need 

of repair, as well as a large parcel of land 

(the property sits in almost 30 acres) and 

a sitting tenant. We probably shouldn’t 

have bought it, but we just didn’t know 

what we were letting ourselves in for.” 

With time they worked through the 

issues and formed a great relationship 

with the existing tenant, who lives with 

her family in a characterful flat above 

one of the stable blocks, and continues 

to run a successful livery there. 

In 2023, the couple used their 

experience to create First in the Door, 

a property advisory platform aimed at 

helping other buyers, ensuring they don’t 

have the same negative experience as 

they did. Claire explains, “We connect 

homebuyers with buying agents who 

represent and assist them through the 

whole buying process, from providing 

access to private and off-market sales, to 

negotiating purchase terms, liaising with 

all third parties and helping manage the 

entire process through to completion. 

priceless-magazines.com 34

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35 


We have agents across the country including Kent, Sussex, 

London and the Cotswolds.” 

Back to the house and when tackling the renovation their 

focus was on how to best do it justice. Claire remembers, 

“The previous owner had converted it into four flats, so we 

spent time bringing it back into a single home and generally 

updating it.” Another challenge was bringing the different 

ages of the home together. “It’s got origins in the 1500s but 

with Georgian and Victorian extensions. So it’s a real mix.” 

Claire and Jonny renovated the house in stages across a seven 

year period, patiently modernising whilst bringing it back into 

a single home. “We’ve tried to keep it all connected to create 

some flow, so have opted for similar paint colours throughout. 

Our decorator Paul Evans has been amazing – he comes to stay 

with us for 2-4 weeks at a time and gets a lot done.” It was also 

important for them to respect the rich history of the house. 

Clockwise from above left: A piece by artist Sabina Pieper 

hangs on the ascent up to the landing in the section of the 

house that contains the guest bedrooms; a lovely slipper bath 

awaits guest use; cosy bedrooms with soft carpets offer a 

warm welcome in this lower-ceilinged part of the house 

37 


Top & right: One of the couple’s daughter’s 

rooms has views out over the garden through 

generous bay windows. Claire found the 

beautiful oval mirror, that looks like it was 

made to measure above the fireplace, in 

Ralph’s at The Mall Antiques in Faversham 

Below: A cosy seating area in one of the guest 

bedrooms in the other side of the house 

“We’ve kept it in the country house style 

and tried to remain true to its origins.” 

The result is a wonderful family 

home equipped for modern life but 

full of character. And while it still has 

its quirks the family has fully embraced 

them into their way of life. “We’re a 

family of four, so we don’t need all 

this space but we really love hosting 

people. So the house contracts and 

expands depending on who’s staying.” 

Walking around there are signs of 

the history of the home everywhere 

you look, but it’s the most recent 

incarnation as a country estate that 

really stands out. It’s a time Claire has 

been able to learn much about thanks to 

extraordinary connections that she made 

through some of the previous owners. 

“I got to know two of the people who 

used to live here quite well. Arthur was 

the son of the owners of the house and 

Ivy was the housekeeper. She lived in 

the cottage next door and was there for 

70 years.” A handful of times Claire had 

Ivy and Arthur round to the house for 

afternoon tea, where they shared their 


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This page: The main bedroom and en suite. 

In the capacious bathroom the bath is raised 

on a platform below a twinkling chandelier. 

The wall colours are Sulking Room Pink 

and Setting Plaster by Farrow & Ball 

unique perspectives. “I asked Arthur 

about the different rooms in the house 

but he said Ivy would know better 

than him because he didn’t go into the 

servants’ areas like the kitchen.” And 

for Ivy it was a shock just being a guest 

alongside Arthur. Claire explained, “We 

were sitting in the drawing room and 

Ivy couldn’t believe she was there as a 

guest with Arthur and his daughter Cary. 

She had waited on his family her whole 

life and those barriers were still there.” 

Arthur and Ivy both died around 

the same time a few years ago but 

Claire’s lasting feeling is one of privilege. 

“I was just so lucky to spend that 

time with them both,” she says. 

Back in the present day and in the 

dining room Claire demonstrates the 

foot operated butler bell which still 

works today. Positioned under the 

dining table it shows just how much life 

has changed. The system is a source of 

much amusement for Claire’s two girls 

who enjoy playing in here. She jokes, 

“There’s a butler bell in all the rooms 

but sadly the butler never comes.” The 

room is also a great place to host guests. 

“It’s perfect for Christmas dinners as you 

can fit 16-17 people around the table.” 

Entering the kitchen – which was 

completely renovated by Burnhill 

Kitchens – you can see further evidence 

of the house as it would have been, with 

the servants’ area still boxed out behind a 

curtain. This being one of the oldest (and 

coldest) rooms in the house, Claire and 

Jonny have tried to honour it by bringing 

in more light through glazed doors and 

have deliberately kept the fridges under 

counter to maintain the old fashioned 

look. “Naos Floors did a brilliant job of 

warming up this north-facing room with 

underfloor heating and big flagstone 

tiles,” she explains. In the corner of the 

room a beamed nook area has become the 

girls’ living room. “It was a big cupboard 

before which we opened out and fitted 

with a woodburner. They love it,” 

Accessed via the kitchen is also the 

41 


Top: The Victorian greenhouse has been restored and now provides the perfect summer dining space Image © Kim at Kent Life Photography kentlifephotography.co.uk 

original cellar and perhaps the world’s 

most precarious pantry. Positioned as 

it is around the open stairwell. On the 

way down the stairs Claire points out 

a note on the wall. Written by her dad 

it reads, ‘Cleaning schedule: 1st clean 

1587, 2nd clean 2018’. “He’s so funny,” 

Claire smiles. Down the steps and a maze 

of dimly lit rooms stretches out under 

the house which are spooky enough 

before Claire tells me that supposedly 

prisoners of war were held down here 

during the Napoleonic wars... 

Moving swiftly back upstairs we head 

outside the house where there was plenty 

more for Jonny and Claire to do. 

“In lockdown we did a lot of work in 

the garden. It was incredibly overgrown. 

We cleared a couple of acres of laurel 

and brambles and thinned out trees 

to let the light in.” The clearing work 

included the discovery and restoration 

of an old Victorian greenhouse. “We 

found someone to refurbish it and it 

all still works and the windows open. 

We use it as a sort of outdoor dining 

space. It has a vine growing through it 

that’s about 130 years old and it still 

produces the most fabulous grapes. Our 

gardener is going to make wine this 

summer and give us a couple of bottles.” 

Near the house there is also a concreted 

area that was once a pool. “There was 

a swimming pool put in, but when 

World War II broke out they turned 

it into a bunker. Arthur remembers 

hiding down there as a teenager with his 

nanny and watching the Spitfires raging 

overhead.” Past the girls’ treehouse and 

there’s another piece of history on the 

lawns. “There was a grass tennis court 

here where Virginia Wade used to play 

because she was friendly with the family.” 

It was a joy to meet Claire and discover 

more about her life and journey with 

property. In Jonny and Claire, the house 

has found the perfect owners. A couple 

who have not only lovingly brought 

the house back to life, but also the ideal 

custodians for the wealth of stories that 

it holds. The real value of a home, after 

all, lies not within the physical bricks and 

mortar but the people who reside within 

it. Anyway, aren’t we all just custodians 

of the homes we live in, adding our own 

stories to the rich timeline of their lives? 

Address Book: 

To explore area and buying guides 

and find out how Claire and her 

team can connect you with the 

right buying agent through 

First in the Door, see firstinthedoor.com 

Burnhill Kitchens burnhillkitchens.co.uk 

Lindsay Woolley of Fabrics in 

Canterbury fabricsincanterburyltd.com 

Ralph Lane at The Mall Antiques, 

47b The Mall, Faversham ME13 8LP. 

Naos Floors naosfloors.com 

Nicol Warnock Curtains 

07521 294986 

Paul Evans (decorator) 07506 646942 


Get the 

LOOK 

1 Proper Good Paint Graces Green eggshell £65/2.5l CaPietra capietra.com 2 Framed round wall art – Kingfisher 

Bee Eater Black and Pink Flamingo £150 each Where Saints Go wheresaintsgo.co.uk 3 Beth Webb Sumter candle 

chandelier £2,317 Arteriors arteriorshome.com 4 Weight of a Thousand Feathers by Sabrina Pieper £1,400 The Wey 

Gallery theweygallery.com 5 Burley solid shutters POA Thomas Sanderson thomas-sanderson.co.uk 6 Twilight decanter 

£110 Dartington Crystal dartington.co.uk 7 Fenghuang table lamp jade £395 OKA oka.com 8 Kingham cherry demi 

lune side table £399 The Cotswold Company cotswoldco.com 9 John Sankey Bloomsburry Grand sofa POA Cobham 

Furniture cobhamfurniture.co.uk 10 Raw cotton herringbone warehouse floor £82.95/m 2 Ted Todd tedtodd.co.uk 

47 43 


Wealden Times 

Midsummer 

Fa i r 

Book your 

tickets today 

wealdentimesfair.co.uk 

wealdentimes-fair.co.uk 

Why I love 

Wealden Times 

Midsummer Fair 

Loyal reader Jo tells us why she’s such a fan of the Fair. 

For me the Midsummer Fair feels like a garden party but with shops! 

And not just the same old shops – these are independent retailers, 

who have put their heart and soul into designing, making, and 

sourcing unique products that you won’t find anywhere else. 

Set in the beautiful grounds of Hole Park, as soon as I see the 

marquees festooned in bunting, I get excited about what I might 

soon discover. But above all, it’s a day out that I really look 

forward to – precious time with my daughter and often as not, a 

chance to catch up with some of my best friends too. This year we will definitely 

make time to wander around the glorious gardens of Hole Park itself, it is after all 

included in the ticket price, so we really should. 

The best coffee 

First things first we’ll grab ourselves 

a delicious coffee at the Coffee 

Stop sponsored by Evelyn Partners 

and then turn either left to the 

Blue Marquee or right to the Red 

Marquee. Sometimes, if we’ve had a 

lazy start, we skip past the crowds at 

the beginning and get our coffee from 

one of the street food vendors at the 

bottom and then start our shopping 

in Yellow or Green. We’ll catch the 

other marquees later in our circuit! 

Foodie gifts & 

treats 

We always enjoy 

the Artisanal Food 

Avenue. It’s where I 

stock up on curry sauces, 

coffee beans, and condiments. I’m also a 

sucker for a sample, especially the gins, 

the rums, and the damson liquors! But 

what’s really nice is buying food with 

provenance, straight from the people 

who’ve made it. I always think that it 

tastes better when you do. 

6-8th June 2024, Hole Park, Rolvenden, Kent, TN17 4JB

Lunch in the sunshine 

We pause our shopping for a moment, 

grab a table or a hay bale in the catering 

area and sit and enjoy a fresh salad, 

maybe some Indonesian curry, and 

almost certainly a glass of Pimm’s. The 

Midsummer Fair stewards in pink are 

always busy running around clearing tables 

or finding chairs for those who need one, 

so we always find a nice spot. 

Local school choirs 

My friend’s daughter is singing 

with her school choir, so we’ll 

pop back a bit later to listen to 

them. We might have cake too. 

Quote 

EARLY24 * 

for £1 off each ticket 

Garden ware & plants 

I usually leave the Midsummer Fair 

inspired to live a little more alfresco. 

They have everything from 

shepherd’s huts to squirrel’s nuts. 

Bird feeders, flowers, and 

funky deck chairs too. Those 

magnificent ancient olive 

trees are back – they were 

a real hit last year – plus 

the latest outdoor furniture 

and so much more. 

Summer fashion 

With our holidays ahead of us, 

this is the best time to update my 

summer wardrobe – there’s always 

something I find that I know I’m 

going to love wearing when we’re 

away. It’s also so nice shopping 

with mates, mums, and daughters 

– we always seem to egg each other 

on to get this top or that dress. I 

love it. 

Book your timed ticket now at wealdentimes-fair.co.uk

Quote 

EARLY24 * 

for £1 off each ticket 

220+ 

hand-picked 

independent 

retailers 

We’ve hand-picked lots of fabulous new 

designers, creators, and makers for this year’s fair 

– here are just a few to whet your appetite. 

Homes & Interiors 

Mae Homeware 

Mae Homeware & 

Fowle Hall Flowers 

are a mother daughter 

duo, selling luxury faux 

flower creations and 

lovely homeware. 

Sofas & Stuff 

Sofas & Stuff create bespoke 

sofas, chairs and beds, offering 

customers a high level of 

choice and individual creativity, 

all handmade to order. 

Forsham Oak 

Shepherd’s Hut 

Whether you’re glamping 

in the garden or need 

an extra room for 

friends or family, speak 

to Forsham Oak about 

the joys and benefits 

of a Shepherd’s Hut. 

The Spongeware 

Company 

Samantha Lindsay’s 

exquisite, and highly 

collectable Spongeware 

placemats and coasters 

will enhance an elegant 

dining room or a rustic 

country kitchen. 

Book your 

tickets today 

wealdentimesfair.co.uk 

Kate Please 

Kate Please’s range of gifts, tableware, and prints are all 

inspired by the countryside. Whilst the Chilcottuk.com 

range for home or hound, draws inspiration from their 

farm, set high in the beautiful Brecon Beacons. 

Vintage 

Upholstery 

Rebecca Wright at 

Vintage Upholstery 

brings old furniture back 

to life, with a flourish. 

Her newly upholstered 

chairs, reborn in vintage 

fabrics, will inspire you 

to update some of your 

favourite pieces from 

home. Give her a project 

– she’s really rather good! 

Sponsored by

Fashion 

We love how By Kala x (pictured below) use 

vibrant African prints across both clothing and 

home furnishings ranges. And how 

Edit-One Dresses incorporate artisan 

techniques of smocking, embroidery, and cutwork 

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Two 

become 

one 

Words: Jo Arnell 


When Emma Spencer moved into her 

sixteenth century home, its unusual 

layout was a dead giveaway that it had 

originally been two separate cottages. 

With a complete interior remodel, 

Emma has respectfully updated this 

characterful building, adjusting its 

layout to bring in an abundance of 

light and create a new sense of space 


48

49 


Previous pages & this page: Right in the centre of the 

house, the spacious dining area has been painted white with 

exposed oak beams, a large dining table, original brick floor 

and a huge inglenook fireplace, complete with disco ball 

Listed properties, protected and preserved – as they 

should be – by planning laws, can make updating 

complicated and time consuming, building 

consent has to be applied for and changes can be hard 

to make. Remarkably Emma Spencer’s sixteenth century 

house in Iden Green is not listed, which has meant that 

she’s been able to remodel the interior and make much 

better use of the spaces, respectfully bringing it up to 

date, without compromising the building’s integrity. 

Keen to make a practical home for her family, Emma 

set to work redesigning the layout, removing walls and 

improving the interior flow. A daunting prospect you 

might think, but Emma relished the project. It helps that 

she has her own interiors business, Emma Spencer Design, 

and that she had a clear vision of what was needed. 

“It was someone’s second home when I bought it and 

had a really quirky layout,” explains Emma. “It was two 

cottages at one point, but that was a long time ago. 

So there were still two staircases, which compromised 

the rooms upstairs. The kitchen was originally three 

rooms with just a narrow corridor out to the garden.” 

She started by opening up the whole of the interior, to 

let in much needed light and create an airier feel. 

“I use a great builder, and as I do this for a living, 

it wasn’t hard to reimagine the spaces.” Emma 

positions herself between an architect and a builder 

– an area that would benefit from a title – perhaps 

a structural interior designer, because she does 

more than a room layout and decorating job. 

“Interior design is not just about putting a colour on 

a wall. My job is the step before that – and it’s good 


to get involved at an early stage, so that decisions can 

be made with the end result in mind.” Frustratingly 

this is often not the case, as clients tend to see the 

two processes as separate, rather than as a part of the 

whole. “Architects will be focusing on a different side 

of the project, and might not be prioritising the aspects 

that become key once you are living in the space.” 

Emma had firm ideas about the style of her own 

interior too and was quick to move on from the house’s 

existing country aesthetic. “I wanted to strip it from the 

farmhouse look,” she says. “The kitchen was old wooden 

units that were nice, but dated. I wanted it lighter and 

brighter, so the chintzy curtains all came down.” 

A key factor in keeping things calm and uncluttered is 

the very useful utility room tucked behind the kitchen that 

“had to be tanked because we’re on a slope.” The slope of 

the land means that the kitchen is much lower than the rest 

of the house, but is an important area and needed careful 

thought. “We put in a new staircase down to the kitchen 

and approached the room in two sections,” Emma explains. 

“The base units went in first. The worktop is Corian and 

it’s nice in here at night too, as it’s lit under the cabinets. I 

like things to feel streamlined. You can add in colour with 

accessories – details like plug sockets are really important. 

You can install a more reasonably priced kitchen, but 

include more expensive taps and sink and accessories.” 

The kitchen now has a sleek, pared-back Scandi feel, 

but nevertheless it has a warm atmosphere and the 

resin floor has underfloor heating. The slope has 

 

This page: Steps from the dining room lead through a snug 

and into a guest suite and office area. Emma sourced the 

leather and wood chair from Duck & Dog in Cranbrook 

51 


This page: A cosy single guest bedroom 

doubles up as a work space. The orange 

table lamp is by Artemide 

meant that the house is effectively 

on two levels, making the layout 

interesting and characterful and 

effectively creating two separate 

living spaces. “It’s south facing and 

there’s a lovely pool just outside, 

so it’s a nice entertaining space.” 

We head up to the spacious dining 

area situated in the middle of the 

house. Painted white with exposed oak 

beams, the large dining table, original 

brick floor and a huge inglenook 

fireplace make this room feel warm 

and bright. “The floor’s very practical, 

I really like it,” she says, “and would 

definitely put it into another house.” 

These features have immense character 

and help to make this central section 

into the heart of the house. “We 

have lovely candlelit dinner parties 

in here,” says Emma “and we’re right 

next to a pub, too. The footpath next 

to the house leads to the communal 

orchard and to the woods. You can 

walk up to Benenden through there.” 

The other rooms and the stairs 

to the top floor lead off from here. 

Through one door there’s a very useful 

office and downstairs cloakroom, 

and at the other end, another door 

opens into the sitting room. There are 

elevated views out across the orchard 

from in here, because it is effectively 

on the first floor. There’s a double 

aspect and the walls were originally 

painted white, so it was very bright. 

Although Emma is keen on light and 

airy spaces, she felt that a sitting room 

needed to have a more cosy atmosphere 

and painted it dark grey/green. 

“The kitchen is sunny and light and 

contrasts well with the sitting room. 

I love this dark colour now too – it’s 

Squid Ink by Paint & Paper Library. 

We installed the fireplace and put in 

the shelves to make it cosy. I changed 

the lighting in here too – it’s all side 

lights because of the ceilings.” As with 

many vernacular houses, the ceilings 

are low, but this is a bonus if you’re 

creating a snug, tucked away feel. 


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WrayCommonS64A.indd 1 28/01/2020 12:25

This page: The sitting room is painted in Squid Ink by Paint & Paper 

Library. Emma installed a woodburner and a wall of shelving to make it 

cosy and changed the lighting to side lights because of the ceiling height 

We head upstairs past a quirky chandelier, which on closer 

inspection turns out to be made entirely from magnifying 

glasses, and into the main bedroom. Emma explains how the 

layout has changed up here, from an awkward arrangement 

of rooms, accessed via the two original staircases, to an open 

and airy combination of useful spaces. “You had to walk 

through the main bedroom to get to a second bedroom. 

When we took out the staircase we changed the layout of 

the upstairs so that the children had separate entrances 

 


54

SUSSEX 

HERITAGE 

TRUST 

AWARDS 

THE FARMHOUSE / NEW BUILD 

PHOTOGRAPH: TARRY + PERRY 

HAMPSHIRE / SURREY / SUSSEX 

NEW BUILDS · EXTENSIONS · REFURBISHMENTS · GEORGEANDJAMES.CO.UK/SURREY-HOMES · 01730 887287

This page, clockwise from bottom left: The magnifying 

terracotta tones add a warmth to the white walls of the 

rest of the house. The sleek, pared-back look comes courtesy 

to their bedrooms and the main bedroom now has 

a spacious en suite – and a walk in dressing room.” 

The en suite is a good size with plenty of space for a 

free-standing slipper bath, which, together with the 

dressing room, adds a touch of opulence. 

“I embrace the old, but like to make it more 

contemporary too – to keep a building’s heart and 

character, embrace the features that were here, but 

freshen it up.” The overall design in here is simple and 

stylish, the pared-back colour scheme accessorised with 

hints of peachy pink fuzz (apparently the Pantone colour 

of 2024) in the luxurious linen and finishing details. 

Maximising useful space is a key part of any 

redesign, as is streamlining any added storage. 

Emma had planned to make an en suite for son 

Joe’s room, but – and we can guess what most boys 

might prefer – instead it’s a den and gaming room. 

“While we were doing it I had cupboards 

built into the wall,” Emma explains. “You need 

to have wardrobes, but they can be bulky – it’s 

much better when they can be fitted.” 

Incorporating storage, reorganising the flow of the 


glass chandelier is an old design by Habitat; the durable brick flooring is very forgiving and, alongside the bare wood beams, its deep 

dining room; steps lead down from the hallway into the kitchen; the slope of the land means that the kitchen is much lower than the 

of Corian worktops and gloss white cabinetry. Lighting under the cabinets means that it’s a great evening entertaining space, too 

rooms to suit family life needs to 

be thought about at the beginning 

of the process, as retrofitting can 

end up being either impossible, or 

expensive. Emma is an expert at 

visualising the structural changes that 

can transform a home. She emphasises 

that, wherever possible, she likes to be 

involved at the start of a project, so 

that costly mistakes can be avoided. 

“I knew at the very beginning what 

I wanted to do here and then I knew 

what I could add to it – a piecemeal 

approach is not the way, you can end 

up undoing things, or living with 

compromise or errors. I like to be 

involved at the start, collaborating 

with the architects on the masterplan. 

If you start by having a clear idea of 

the whole thing then, whether it gets 

built in stages or not, everything is 

thought about. A scheme ideally needs 

to start from the right point so that it’s 

cohesive and it’s all one,” she pauses. 

“Flow. Everything should look fully 

planned, not separate. It’s about the 

materials, the things you can see, the 

details – don’t skimp on the details.” 

Emma explains that the detailing 

of windows, doors, external and 

internal structural features should be 

integral to the project, not separate 

to the masterplan. “The architect 

may not be involved with much 

of the detail or know where to 

look for the best taps, what mood 

the colours make, how to use and 

maximise the space. That’s my job. 

“It’s also important to set up good 

communications with everyone 

involved in the build. Meetings with 

trades have to happen. You need to 

know where to put things, need to 

think about where the bins are going 

to go, the washing, the paraphernalia 

of living has to be managed. You 

need storage for garden furniture, 

for the barbecue. It’s about lifestyle 

design – and then storage to keep 

the house tidy. I use all the space 

I can – the study, utility, dressing 

room and all the smaller areas.” 

Back downstairs, past the 

magnificent magnifying chandelier, 

we head outside to the studio, 

an architect designed building, 

which turned out to be a useful 

place for the family to live in. 

“We did the studio first so that we 

had somewhere to live while we were 

doing some of the structural work in 

the house,” she says. This building has 

proved to be a useful investment too, 

rented out for a while on Airbnb. It 

has now become Emma’s light-filled 

office and studio. Inside the decor 

57 


“I like things to feel 

streamlined. You can add in 

colour with accessories – details 

like plug sockets are really 

important. You can install a 

more reasonably priced kitchen, 

but include more expensive 

taps and sink and accessories.” 

is mainly white, but colourful mood boards and 

samples of paint and fabric are spread on walls and 

the table; evidence of Emma’s busy design practice. 

There is even a comfortable sunny deck outside at 

the back, overlooking the garden and the adjacent 

communal orchard – “It’s a lovely place to sit 

and the sun sets over there,” she gestures towards 

the trees to her right. The atmosphere out here is 

relaxed, almost Mediterranean when you look across 

to the pool, but the neighbouring oast house, apple 

orchard and the fresh green of the landscape beyond 

makes it charmingly and unmistakably English. 

It takes a clear vision, determination and a 

sense of place to transform a heritage property. 

Left: A very useful utility room is accessed 

to the rear of the kitchen 


58

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59 


This page: 

The main 

bedroom now 

has a spacious 

en suite and 

a walk-in 

dressing room. 

“I embrace the 

old, but like to 

make it more 

contemporary 

too – to keep a 

building’s heart 

and character, 

embrace the 

features that 

were here, but 

freshen it up.” 

Emma has managed to protect the 

character of this house, and respected 

its integrity, while making the spaces 

fit our modern way of life. She has 

skilfully applied her knowledge of 

design – and design for living and 

brought a harmonious combination 

of style and functionality into this 

beautifully updated home. As this 

project comes to a close I, for one, 

will be looking forward to seeing what 

Emma seeks out for her next challenge. 

Address Book: 

To speak to Emma about a home or 

garden design project, visit the ESD 

website at emmaspencer.design or find her 

on Instagram @emmaspencer.design 


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61 


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62

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64 

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65 


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67 


Cobham-Furniture.indd 1 12/01/2024 22:50

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69 



A spathroom sauna 

This beautiful bathroom complete with an in-built steam cabin, was designed 

around the dream of bringing the sauna home. Ripples Tunbridge Wells’ client 

for this project also wanted to be able to look out of the window whilst using 

their home spa, so the layout was carefully considered. They opted for chrome 

brassware (to complement the cool tones used on the tiles and vanity unit) and 

a slate-effect tile in a porcelain finish was chosen for a low-maintenance easierto-clean 

alternative to real slate – ideal for a busy room used by the whole family. 

The end result is a truly spa-like bathroom that offers proper pampering luxury. 

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LOUD 

Luxuries 

The spa at home is a dream we have all dreamed 

in recent times, and while we love a quiet luxury 

moment, we also quite enjoy showstopping fantasy 

features that give Barbie-dream-house-spa vibes 

A hydrotherapy indoor pool and spa 

This indoor pool and spa was created by Tanby 

Pools in Surrey for a modern mansion. It is deck 

level on two sides, and features a large wall of 

marble with three slot flumes for hydrotherapy, to 

soothe the soul with relaxing sounds. A spa was 

added to the design for further hydrotherapy and 

wellness, with gentle lighting in both the spa and 

the pool hall adding to the relaxing ambience. An 

Oase slatted cover helps economical running costs 

and also looks very slick indeed as it disappears 

behind the entry steps into the floor pit below. 

You’ll also notice that the positioning of the 

spa allows for views of both the pool and the 

landscaped gardens which can be seen through 

large glass walls. tanbypools.co.uk 

An outdoor hot tub 

A luxurious Hikki Bohemen outdoor wood-fired hot tub bath is perfect 

for those who like a ‘back-to-nature’ style spa experience. It has an elegant 

simplicity to it which makes it dependable, durable and low-maintenance. 

Simply fill the tub with water, fire up the wood stove and off you go – a wow 

moment that is also super down-to-earth. These are available for a reduced 

price of £3,914.95 at Bushgear in Faversham, where you’ll also find lots of 

complementary gear like pizza ovens, fire pits and Japanese grills. bushgear.co.uk 


70

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The ‘Curved Comfort’ trend continues 

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A free-flowing sofa creates an intimate and 

inviting atmosphere, perfect for relaxation. 

BoConcept offers curated collections like 

the Bergamo, Salamanca, Bolzano, and 

Modena sofas, each incorporating sculpted 

curves to optimise space and add a touch 

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Expose side 

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The Bolzano collection epitomises this shift 

with its elegant, streamlined design and 

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enhanced by cosy textures like Lazio Beige 

bouclé. The collection’s stand out feature is 

its curved front panel, offering a 360-degree 

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1 


2 

A Celebration of 

STRIPES 

Add some linear love to your interior 

scheme for a bit of interest and character 

that is always classy and classic 

4 

3 

5 

6 

8 

7 

12 

13 

9 

10 

11 

14 

17 

15 

16 

1 Benette side table £565 Sweetpea & Willow sweetpeaandwillow.com 2 Pink & orange printed shade £99 houseof houseof.com 3 Palm 

Springs gunmetal chair with Coral & Cream cushions £350 Raj Tent Club rajtentclubshop.com 4 Vase Of Clementines print from £9 

Violets Print House violetsprinthouse.com 5 Marty vase £39 Cult Furniture cultfurniture.com 6 Bronte footstool £550 Huutt huutt.com 

7 Candy cane stripe napkins £35 (pair) Casa by JJ casabyjj.com 8 Candy stripe mug £19.50 Basalt & Dune basaltdune.co.uk 9 X frame 

stool in ticking stripe field £1,440 The Roost theroost.com 10 Marco side chair in Woven Ribbon by Kit Kemp £845 Gabriella James 

Chairmakers gabriellajames.co.uk 11 Blue stripe candle holder £15 Joe Browns joebrowns.co.uk 12 Liberatzin tourmaline velvet cushion 

£80 The Curious Department thecuriousdepartment.com 13 I Can Boogie cushion £25 Dunelm dunelm.com 14 Classic bolster cushion 

£75 Colours Of Arley coloursofarley.com 15 Card candle shade £12 Nicholas Engert Interiors nicholasengert.co.uk 16 Aldeburgh 4 seater 

sofa in Cloth 22 Bayadere Seal £6,757 Sofas & Stuff sofasandstuff.com 17 Wide stripe runner £22 Walton & Co waltonshop.co.uk 

73 



Magic castle 

reflection 

poster £13.77 

Poster Store 

posterstore.co.uk 

Orion 4 light black 

spherical chandelier 

£149 Cotterell & Co 

cotterellandco.com 

Osmond bookshelf £6,095 

Arteriors arteriorshome.com 

Mango wood 

chess & draughts 

£85 Nkuku 

nkuku.com 

W6016 Library spot bar 2Light £1,025 

Besselink & Jones besselink.com 

Owl wool blanket £120 

JJTextile jjtextile.co.uk 

Constable cuddler 

from £2,269 Lenleys 

lenleys.co.uk 

Rabbit bookend 

£39 (set of 2) 

Marquis & Dawe 

marquisanddawe.co.uk 

Walnut Pick Me 

Up table £142 

Black By Design 

black-by-design.co.uk 

Wooden floral 

book rest £44.10 

Aksa Home Decor 

aksahomedecor.com 

Get the 

Library 

Look 

From cosy nooks with a soft space 

to sit to full-on ladder-required 

libraries, bookishness is IN 

Como wall system bookcase £1,401.65 

BoConcept boconcept.com 

Giraffe table lamp £174 

Lenleys lenleys.co.uk 

The Library ceramic 

scented candle £58 

Chase and Wonder 

chaseandwonder.com 

Mango wood bookstand £18 

Habitat habitat.co.uk 

Framed vintage book 

cover art print £49 

Beach House Art 

beachhouseart.co.uk 

Step stool by Majid 

Furniture £350 

Handmade in Britain 

handmadeinbritain.co.uk 

Living George 

monkey floor 

lamp with shade 

£64 ScS scs.co.uk 

Hémicycle Conversation 

seat £5,350 Ligne Roset 

ligne-roset.com 

Phileas 

cordless lamp 

with 16cm 

Empire shade 

in emerald silk 

£122 Pooky 

pooky.com 


74

A curated selection 

of antique & 

vintage pieces 

•Championing 

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•As seen in 

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The Times 

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07811 281851 

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75 


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76


Rare Indian 

antique tiled 

Damachaya 

£1,395 

Arch antique 

Indian temple 

doors £1,250 

Blue glass-blown 

sphere lamp 

from £99 

Designer Dreams 

Tracy’s Dining Room 

Tracy Thomson, director at Trading Boundaries envisions a kitchen/ dining 

room filled with international flavour in a delectibly rich colour palette 

I love cooking and my favourite room is the kitchen with a very comfortable 

eating area where guests can relax and chat to me while I’m preparing supper. As 

the buyer for Trading Boundaries since 1996 I’ve been sourcing wonderful furniture 

from Europe and South East Asia, but mainly India which has become my ‘home 

from home’ from which I draw a lot of inspiration. I love an eclectic look that 

brings in colour, texture and design without being cluttered. One of our key skills 

is finding the right accent piece for clients’ homes, so I love this remit! I like to use 

architectural pieces as art, so a fabulous pair of Indian doors on one wall would set 

the scene and the colour tone. The focal point has to be the table, and I’ve chosen a 

live edge, solid oak dining table hand made in Italy with a tactile finish and simple 

design that allows the beauty of the grain to really shine through. 

Occasional chairs are a must, and a great way to bring in some rich colour. For 

storage I love pieces that are full of carving, and that use the character that takes me 

back to Rajasthan, and a beautiful old tiled Damachaya cabinet is perfect. Hand 

blown glass adds texture, so this features in my choice of lighting. Finishing 

touches always include vibrant tableware, cushions and candles with fragrances 

that evoke balmy Indian evenings. Before you know it, you’ve got a cosy and 

relaxing room that guests don’t really want to leave. 

All items shown from Trading Boundaries tradingboundaries.com 

Leather and 

acacia wood 

dining chair 

£375 

Antique 

carved 

elephant 

£165 

Desi patterned 

blue velvet chair 

£645 

Embroidered stonewash 

cushions from £23.50 

Solid Oak Master Table 

(various sizes and finishes 

available) From £2,095 

Organic Desi 

Rose candle 

£18.50 

Vibrant ceramic 

dish from £35 

77


Indigo natural dyed keepsake 

photo frame £32.20 

Casa by JJ casabyjj.com 

Ballina pendant light in 

brass and bevelled glass 

£260 Pooky pooky.com 

Designer Dreams 

Melanie’s Living Room 

Kibibi candle 

stick £40 Nkuku 

nkuku.com 

Adeline 4 door 

display cabinet £799 

Furniture Outlet 

furnitureoutletstores.co.uk 

Avisa coral sculpture 

£69 Sweetpea & Willow 

sweetpeaandwillow.com 

Melanie Tomlinson, director & lead designer of Berkshire interior design and 

interior architecture studio, Melanie Tomlinson Design, shares her dreams of a 

multifunctional living space that balances creativity and functionality. 

For my dream living room, I would opt for a cohesive palette with subtle pops of 

colour, layering textures with plush rugs, tactile upholstery and rich fabrics for 

interest and a sense of luxury. I think creating ‘conversation areas’ with cosy seating 

arrangements is a great way to encourage interaction and optimise functionality 

in a living room. I would select pieces with clean lines and sculptural forms, 

combining modern elegance with timeless sophistication. I always embrace the 

principle of balance, so I would arrange these furniture pieces in a symmetrical 

layout to promote visual proportion. 

For lighting, I’d enhance the space with a blend of ambient, task and accent 

lighting, highlighting architectural features and functionality. If there’s potential 

for natural light, I’d incorporate that too, to enhance openness and connect the 

room with the outdoors. Accessories must be chosen thoughtfully. We should all 

add our own personal touches and curated items to our homes, to reflect our 

unique styles and personalities. But this is once again all about balance. Declutter 

with purpose, ensuring every object serves a function or adds aesthetic value, and 

incorporate storage solutions that seamlessly blend into the design, for lasting 

uncluttered calm. I love to strike a harmonious balance between minimalism and 

opulence, displaying cherished mementoes and artwork as focal points. 

To find out how MT Design can transform your space, as they have for the homes 

in the surrounding images, email studio@melanietomlinsondesign.com or call 

07909 795669 melanietomlinsondesign.com 

Orla snuggler sofa from 

£1,615 Huutt huutt.com 

Laura Ashley Tate 

table lamp with 

shade £75 (twin 

pack) där lighting 

darlighting.co.uk 

Navy Provence Rug from £55 

Weaver Green weavergreen.com 

Westbury 3 seater sofa 

in Light Beige £2,699 

Bridgman bridgman.co.uk 

78

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80

Fashion 

favourites 

Patchouli Fair’s Dresses 

For summer styling with bountiful boho flavour, we adore Patchouli Fair’s dress shop. Dressed up or down, 

they are comfy and flattering with the kind of features we love to see in a dress – we’re talking elasticated 

busts and bodices to flatter all shapes and sizes, fun sleeves, soft colourful fabrics, hand block-printing, even 

POCKETS! Add one of these to your wardrobe for a go-to dress that will have you feeling confident again 

and again for all your summer plans. This one is the Azalea dress in magenta and is just £59. You can find 

yours at our Wealden Times Midsummer Fair at stand number O06 or online at patchoulifair.co.uk 


Lion graphic tee £30 

Oliver Bonas oliverbonas.com 

Ivory floral maxi skirt 

£45 Lipsy next.co.uk/lipsy 

Lunella moon & star 

drop earrings £155 

Koukla London 

koukla-london.com 

Mini link 

sun anklet 

£175 ChloBo 

chlobo.co.uk 

Aquarius zodiac 

coin pendant £21 

Betty & Biddy 

bettyandbiddy.com 

Round sunglasses £29.50 Oliver 

Bonas oliverbonas.com 

Luna tan leather 

sandles £139.99 

Blue Velvet 

bluevelvetshoes.com 

Blue Print Quilted 

Waistcoat £38 Lipsy 

next.co.uk/lipsy 

Set sail 

earrings £10 

Hooples 

hooples.co.uk 

Back to 

Boho 

With a swoosh of seventies style, flowing fabrics, 

joyful prints and natural textures, boho is 

dancing back into our wardrobes 

Sun huggie hoops 

£25 Estella Bartlett 

estellabartlett.com 

Silver daisy goldwork 

patch £80 Hand & Lock 

handembroideryshop.com 

istockphoto.com/ gpointstudio 

Moroccan decorative heart 

babouche slippers £48 

Bohemia bohemiadesign.co.uk 

Judies denim clogs £85 Dune 

London dunelondon.com 

Lapis gemstone drop hoops £39 

Estella Bartlett estellabartlett.com 

“be happy” enamel 

pin badge £7.50 

enamelhappy 

enamelhappy.co.uk 

Blue forget-me-not 

floral ring £28 

Fable England 

fableengland.com 

Crown chakra 

bracelet £70 

Warrior Addict 

warrioraddict.com 

Gold woven bead hoop 

earrings £20 A Short Story 

ashortstory.co.uk 

Free Fallin’ suede 

bag £65 Joe Browns 

joebrowns.co.uk 

Melissa 

bamboo bag 

£239.99 

Blue Velvet 

bluevelvetshoes.com 

Katy Freeway suede western boots 

£65 Joe Browns joebrowns.co.uk 

Ivy foil 

maxi dress 

£98 Fatface 

fatface.com 

Dena dress in Fruit 

Punch £395 Pink 

House Mustique 

pinkhousemustique.com 


82

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83 



Print 

Feed 

Martin Elliot, Head Chef at The Print House in Tenterden, guides 

us through the creation of three seasonally inspired dishes that 

make the most of local produce from across the South East 


Pork belly with apple 

purée, Tenderstem broccoli 

& dauphinoise potatoes 

Serves 6-8 Prep time: 15 minutes 

Cooking time: 2 hours 

• 2kg pork belly (bones removed, skin on) 

• 4 Bramley apples 

• 1 pack Tenderstem 

• 8 King Edward or Maris 

Piper potatoes, peeled 

• salt & pepper 

• caster sugar 

• 1 bottle cider 

• 1 tbsp fresh thyme 

• 200ml double cream 

1. Place the pork belly in a roasting tray 

and cover with the cider, season with salt 

and pepper and cover with tin foil. 

Roast in the oven for 2 hours at 150°C. 

2. For the dauphinoise potatoes, 

thinly slice the peeled potatoes, place 

in a mixing bowl and season with salt 

and pepper, add the thyme and mix 

well. Pour over the double cream. 

3. Line a roasting tray with baking paper and 

pour the potato mix in. Level it out and cover 

with more baking paper and then tin foil. 

Roast for about 1 hour at 180°C. To check 

that the potatoes are cooked place a knife in 

the middle and, if soft, they are done. Remove 

the foil and brown off the top for 10 mins. 

4. For the apple purée, peel the apple and 

chop into chunks and place in a saucepan 

with a little sugar and a bit of water. Cook 

until soft and then blend until smooth. 

5. Cook the Tenderstem to your 

taste in boiling salted water. 

To serve: Place the apple purée in a line down 

the plate and add the dauphinoise to one side. 

Put the Tenderstem in front and place the pork 

belly on top and serve. You can make some 

crackling out of the cooked pork belly skin. 

85 


Pan fried king scallops 

with minted pea purée 

& crispy Parma ham 

Serves 2 Prep time: 15 minutes 

Cooking time: around 15 minutes 

• 6 king scallops – 

leave the roe on 

• 30g frozen peas 

• 5g fresh mint 

• salt & pepper 

• 4 slices Parma ham 

• pea shoots 

1. Lay the Parma ham on a baking 

tray and place another tray on top. 

Put in the oven to become crispy 

for about 10 minutes at 180°C. 

2. For the pea puree, place the 

frozen peas in a pan of boiling 

water for 2 minutes and then 

drain. Put the peas in food blender 

with the mint and season with salt 

and pepper to taste. Purée until 

smooth – you may need to add a 

little water to help this happen. 

To Serve: Heat a pan on the hob 

until it is just smoking. Add the 

3 scallops and season with salt 

and pepper and leave to cook 

for 3 minutes, and then turn 

over and leave for 3 minutes on 

the other side. Remove from 

the pan and put to one side. 

Place the pea purée down the 

centre of the serving plate and 

arrange the scallops on top of the 

purée, then add the Parma ham 

crisps in between the scallops, 

dress with pea shoots and serve.

Lemon meringue 

gâteau 

Serves 6-8 Prep time: 15 minutes 

Freezing time: at least 4 hours 

• ¼ pint double cream 

• 400g carton Greek yoghurt 

• 170g icing sugar, sifted 

• finely grated rind of 3 lemons 

• 115g ready-made meringue 

nests, crushed 

• 6 tbsp lemon curd 

1. Pour the cream into a large 

bowl and add the yoghurt, icing 

sugar and lemon rid. Whisk 

until mixture forms soft peaks. 

2. Fold in the crushed meringue 

and the lemon curd and stir 

through the mixture just 

enough to marble it through. 

3. Spoon the mixture into a 

prepared tin (see chef’s tip below) 

and cover. Put in the freezer to 

set for at least 4 hours, or for 

best results leave overnight. 

To serve: Remove from the freezer 

and allow to stand for 2-3 minutes 

before cutting. Return any left 

over to the freezer immediately 

making sure it is well covered. 

Serve with raspberry 

coulis on the side. 

Chef’s tip: I use paper loaf tin 

liners in a loaf tin or you could 

use non-stick baking paper 

and, of course, you could do a 

circular one in a cake tin but 

make sure it is a spring clip type. 

This amount will be sufficient 

for a 7inch tin or 2 loaf tins. 

Find out more about booking 

a meal or stay at The Print 

House, and keep up to date 

with their full programme of 

weekly and seasonal events at 

theprinthousetenterden.com

Why so 

sensitive? 

Josephine Fairley explores 

reactive skin and how 

our product-packed 

skincare regimes could 

be part of the problem 

istockphoto.com/ anneleven 

Once upon a time, I wrote a whole 

book about sensitive skin. 200 

odd pages. But in truth (maybe 

don’t tell the publishers), the skin wisdom 

in that book can be distilled into the 

amount of space that this magazine gives 

over to me each month. So, here goes. 

Now, I know of what I write, because since 

childhood I’ve had touchy skin – exacerbated 

in adult years by having to try myriad products 

for a living. Red, inflamed, itchy, sore, flaky – 

you name it. But over the years, I’ve learned 

to deal with it and rarely have 

a flare-up on my face, now. 

The reality is that our 

beauty regimes have, in many 

cases, become too harsh and 

complicated for our complexions, which 

haven’t evolved to be assaulted by acids, 

peels, scrubs, microdermabrasion, etc. 

They’ve rebelled (understandably), and the 

result is reactive skin. As many as 40% of 

women who apply to become testers for our 

Beauty Bible Awards, when we run them, 

self-identified as having sensitive skin. 

So it’s no wonder, really, that ‘barrier 

function’ is such a buzzword, in the beauty 

media. As skin wizard Dr. Barbara Sturhnam 

observes, “The strategy to treat sensitive 

skin should be based around protection of 

your barriers, while hydrating and calming 


Beauty 

the skin.” We need to take care of all 

the layers of our skin – which keep out 

irritants and keep moisture in – rather 

than constantly strip them away in a 

constant and often multi-pronged quest 

for brightness, ‘glow’ and radiance. 

But before my product suggestions 

(and I’ll come on to some favourites for 

sensitive skin), first I’d like to share some 

of the lifestyle shifts that can help skin to 

‘chill’ out – whether you have occasional 

flare-ups and reactions to products, or 

even more entrenched skin conditions 

such as psoriasis, eczema and acne... 

Never use very hot water on 

sensitive skin. Use cool or tepid 

for washing face and hands and 

warm for showering/bathing. 

Don’t chop and change products. 

There’s a fad for ‘self-prescribing’ what 

your skin needs on a daily basis – this 

or that ‘wonder serum’ – but skin craves 

consistency. Buy gentle products; use 

them up. Let your skin relax into a 

proper regime, rather than never knowing 

what you’re going to throw at it next. 

Stress can cause a ‘perfect storm’ with 

skin. This is definitely something I’ve 

identified (through my own symptom 

tracking, see below); I’ll be fine with a 

product, and then, bang! Something 

sends me off-kilter emotionally, and I’ll 

have a reaction to a product I’ve been 

fine with, up till that point. Staying 

mentally balanced – perhaps through 

yoga, or an app like Calm.com (my 

go-to each morning) not only makes me 

emotionally less reactive and volatile, 

but does the same for my skin, too. (I 

know we live in a weird and troublesome 

world, and suffer all sorts of individual 

pressures, but this is useful wisdom for life 

management, not just skin challenges.) 

Stick to a routine and keep it simple. 

Sounds boring? Not as boring as flaky, 

touchy skin, I reckon. Introduce products 

one at a time, if you are buying things 

you’ve never used before, and see how skin 

responds. And fun as it is to ‘play’ with 

skincare, less is more when it comes to 

soothing skin. A great cleanser (a balm, 

a milk, an oil – but not a wash or foam, 

which contain drying detergents). Serum, 

if you use it, but make sure it doesn’t 

have retinoids or any acids. A good sunprotective 

day moisturiser, certainly at 

this time of year. Eye gel or lightweight 

eye cream. At night, after cleansing, 

facial oil and/or cream. Yup. That’s it. 

Rebuild your barrier function. Avoid 

scrubs, exfoliating toners, fruit acid/AHAbased 

products, alcohol-based products, 

strong perfumes and soaps. Ditch anything 

that makes you tingle, immediately. If you 

want to use a mask, much as we all like 

the idea of ‘brightening’ skin, products 

which trumpet their ‘glow-getting’ action 

generally feature ingredients that strip 

off the top layers of skin, which yours 

needs for protection. Instead, layer on 

moisturising, barrier-building ingredients, 

squalene and squalane, hyaluoronic 

acid, omega essential fatty acids, 

ceramides, wheatgerm and glycerine. 

The reality is that our 

beauty regimes have, in 

many cases, become too 

harsh and complicated 

for our complexions, 

which haven’t evolved 

to be assaulted by 

acids, peels, scrubs, 

microdermabrasion, etc 

Avoid exposure to passive smoke. It 

will inflame skin, just as it irritates the 

rest of your body. I’m not just talking 

cigarettes, but open fires as well. 

Switch to household products which 

avoid harsh chemicals. This may help 

alleviate allergies, too; towels and face 

cloths touch our faces, and in some cases, 

that can be enough to cause a reaction, 

so look for ‘non-biological’ formulas. 

My Beauty Bible colleague Sarah’s 

decades-long eczema disappeared when 

she started using Ecover and Bio-D. 

Keep a symptom/lifestyle diary. It can 

be hard to figure out what’s working 

(though I’ve a hunch all of these tips will 

help). So, take brief notes of what you 

do, in lifestyle terms (and that includes 

food), to deal with your sensitive skin each 

day – and see if you can spot patterns. 

There are certain ranges and products 

which I point people in the direction 

of, meanwhile, who are experiencing 

short- or long-term sensitivity. A brilliant 

choice is the Simple range, which is 

fragrance-free and hypoallergenic and 

covers every product category imaginable 

and is as gentle on the wallet as it is on 

the face. Two favourite new finds in the 

range, one for drier skins and one for the 

less dehydrated, are Simple Repairing 

Rich Cream and Simple Restorative 

Cream, £9.99 each for 50ml, both 

specifically designed for barrier repair. 

Good old Clarins offer a specific range 

for sensitive skin; I particularly like the 

redness-reducing Clarins Calm-Essentiel 

Soothing Emulsion, £42 for 50ml, 

and Clarins Calm-Essentiel Soothing 

Repairing Balm, £34 for 30ml, a nongreasy 

but very nourishing balm that 

can be used on any areas of sensitive, 

irritated skin on face and body; it’s also 

great around the nose when you’ve 

had a cold, and constant blowing has 

caused flaking and painful dryness. 

Another just-launched barrier-boosting 

product that I’m enjoying is the brightlypackaged 

(and again, pocket-friendly) 

BYOMA Barrier+ Treatment, £16.99 for 

50ml – rich and buttery but not heavy, 

with a ‘barrier lipid complex’, avocado 

oil and squalene for lasting hydration. 

French pharmacy brands which are 

most worth checking out by anyone with 

a reactive complexion include Avène 

(who’ve notched up multiple winners in 

our Beauty Bible Awards, over the years) 

– their Tolerance Control Soothing 

Skin Recovery Cream, £21 for 40ml, is a 

classic. La Roche-Posay offer a wide range 

for sensitive skins under the Toleriane 

banner, including Toleriane Rosaliac AR 

SPF30, £26 for 30ml, albeit a mouthful, 

is one of the best daily SPFs for touchy 

skin. (I like Avène’s lightweight sunscreen 

option, too, Antirougeurs Day Soothing 

Emulsion SPF30, £20.50 for 30ml.) 

And at the other end of the spectrum? 

If you want to go properly posh, there’s 

the beautifully packaged (of course) 

CHANEL La Solution 10 de Chanel, 

£67 for 30ml, with soothing white tea, 

among other calming inclusions, on their 

unusually short – just 10 ingredient – list. 

In other words? Gently does it. 

Visit beautybible.com for more of Jo’s 

product reviews and beauty tips. 

89 


Health 

Perfectly peachy 

Sarah Maxwell shares her expert tips for a perky posterior 

istockphoto.com/Orest Lyzhechka 

In the 1980s, small bottoms were all 

the rage, as seen in photos and videos 

of women wearing shiny thong 

leotards. The song, ‘Total Eclipse of 

the Heart’ gave rise to many variations, 

‘Total Eclipse of the Ar*e’ being belted 

out by my colleagues whenever I stood 

up. Such fond memories of those days. 

Then came Kim Kardashian and a full 

trunk became de rigueur. The popularity 

of Brazilian bum lifts, implants and 

padded knickers has exploded. 

Focusing on achieving a toned 

and sculpted posterior goes beyond 

appearance alone, however. It offers 

numerous benefits that contribute 

to your overall health, strength, 

performance and everyday movement. 

Here are a few reasons why giving special 

attention to your derriere is important... 

1. Improved Posture. A firm bottom 

helps to stabilise your pelvis and 

align your spine, promoting better 

posture. Weak glutes (the muscles in 

your bottom) can lead to imbalances 

in the lower body, causing issues 

such as knee pain, hip discomfort 

and lower back strain. Toning your 

bottom can alleviate back pain 

and reduce the risk of injury. 

2. Better Performance. A welldeveloped 

bottom provides a solid 

foundation for various physical 

activities, such as running, jumping and 

lifting. It improves your power, agility 

and overall athletic performance. 

3. Increased Strength and Stability. 

Strong glutes contribute to overall 

lower body strength. They assist in 

squats, lunges and deadlifts, enabling 

you to lift weights and build muscle. 

4. Improved Daily Function. 

Strong glutes are crucial in everyday 

activities like walking, climbing 

stairs and bending over. 

A strengthening routine: 

Glute Bridges. Lie on your back 

with your knees bent and feet flat 

on the floor. Lift your hips off the 

ground, squeezing your glutes at the 

top. Hold in this position for about 

one second and then lower back 

down without resting completely. 

Clams – 20-30 each leg. Begin by 

laying on your side on an exercise mat 

while keeping your body straight and 

resting your head on one arm while the 

other goes on your hip. Next, bend both 

knees to a 90-degree angle with your 

feet aligned with your body. Lift one of 

your knees while keeping your feet glued 

together until your knee is perpendicular 

to the floor, then bring it slowly back 

down. Repeat about ten times, then 

work on the other side. When you start 

doing clams, you may find that you can’t 

feel it on your bottom. This is often 

because bottoms are notoriously lazy 

and recruit other muscle friends to take 

over. Concentrate on where you should 

be feeling it, and you will find that with 

consistent practice, you will start to feel 

it after a few repetitions. Placing your 

hand on the side you are working on 

can help you focus and progress quickly. 

Forward Leaning Lunge – 12-20. You 

can engage your glutes more effectively 

by leaning slightly forward with your 

upper body weight over your mid-thigh. 

Take a deep breath in and breathe out as 

you take a big step forward with one leg 

and lower your body until the knee of 

your back leg almost touches the floor. 

At the same time, allow your torso 

to tilt forward 15 to 20 degrees. 

Breathe out as you push yourself back up 

and step back into the starting position. 

Repeat with your opposite leg. 

Step Ups – 12-20 each leg. Find 

yourself a 12-inch platform 

(approximately) – this can be an 

aerobic step with risers added, 

a step up box at the gym, or 

even a tall stair or stepping 

up 2 lower steps at home. 

Step up onto the box 

with the right leg, 

bringing the left up to 

meet it. Step off the box 

with the right leg, the 

left foot following it (this 

counts as 1 repetition). 

Kneeling Leg Raise 

– 20-30 each leg. 

With a mat underneath, get onto 

your hands and knees. Tuck your left 

knee to your chest and straighten it 

behind you. With your knee straight, 

lift your leg toward the ceiling as high 

as possible, then bring it back into 

your chest. Perform three sets of 10, 

and then switch to the right leg. 

Do a good warm up before 

starting this routine. When you’ve 

completed it, do some long stretches, 

holding for 20-30 seconds. 

Try this routine three times per week 

for 6-8 weeks to see a difference (have 

at least 24 hours between 

each session and build 

up the amount 

of repetitions 

gradually). 

Doing this 

routine regularly, 

and with good 

form, can help 

you develop a 

strong, firm 

and shapely 

bottom, 

creating 

that 

perfect 

peach. 

Sarah 

Maxwell is a multiaward 

winning Lifestyle 

Wellbeing and Fitness coach. You 

can find her at sarahmaxwell.com. 

Get in touch via email at 

sarahmaxwell@mail.com 

and on social 

@sarahmaxlife 


istockphoto.com, miwa_in_oz , Magone, chokja, Elena Tsvetkova, Drazen Zigic, Agustin Vai / PippiLongstocking / ValentynVolkov 

Nourish to Flourish 

Nutrition & Lifestyle Coach Charlotte Lau 

explores the benefits of incorporating 

another healthy ingredient into our 

diets. This month it’s asparagus 

British asparagus season kicks off at the end of 

April and you’ll find it in farm shops and local 

supermarkets in abundance… the season usually 

only lasts around 8 weeks, so be sure to make the most 

of it! My children love to go asparagus picking every 

year, there is something so satisfying about hearing 

the snap when you pick one and walking up and 

down the dusty rows to choose the perfect size. 

Asparagus comes in a variety of colours – green, purple 

and white – and is one of the first crops of spring. It 

is a versatile ingredient and can be used in salads, stirfries, 

pastas or – my personal favourite – simply steamed 

and dipped in boiled eggs with a pinch of salt. 

This seasonal favourite is low in calories but is nutrient 

dense. It’s an excellent source of vitamin K, folate, 

copper, selenium, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin 

C, and vitamin E. As well as being a good source of 

dietary fibre, it is also rich in manganese, phosphorus, 

vitamin B3, potassium, choline, vitamin A, zinc, 

iron, protein, vitamin B6 and pantothenic acid. 

Just like other green vegetables, it’s high in 

antioxidants, such as glutathione, as well as various 

flavonoids and polyphenols. Antioxidants prevent the 

accumulation of harmful free radicals and may reduce 

your risk of chronic disease, so enjoy asparagus while 

you can, alongside other fruits and vegetables. 

Seasonal roast asparagus 

Serves 2 

• 2 bunches of British asparagus 

• 1 clove of garlic 

• salt and pepper 

• juice of half a lemon 

• drizzle of olive oil 

• Parmesan cheese 

1. Snap the woody ends off the asparagus and drizzle 

with olive oil, toss with salt, pepper and crushed garlic. 

2. Roast in a hot oven at 220°C (430°F) for 7-10 

minutes, depending on the thickness of the spears. 

3. Squeeze over the lemon juice while hot, as it absorbs 

some of the flavour, then just give it a quick toss. 

4. Pile onto a serving plate and grate 

the Parmesan over the top! 

This is utterly delicious served 

with spring roast chicken 

or pan-fried salmon. 

Charlotte runs Plume Nutrition, where she offers support and advice 

for weight management, controlling cravings, sleeplessness, stress 

and increasing energy levels. Find out more at plumenutrition.com 

91 


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92

C 

of 

ream 

crop 

the 

Garden 

Jen Stuart-Smith highlights the celebrated South 

East nurseries who’ll be appearing at this month’s 

RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024, from 21-25 May 

istockphoto.com/BethAmber 

There can be few garden shows 

that cause as much excitement 

as the RHS Chelsea Flower 

Show. Founded in 1913 and known 

as the Great Spring Show, since then 

the event has given rise to a gardening 

technique – the ‘Chelsea chop’ – a 

week-long floral extravaganza known 

as ‘Chelsea in Bloom’ and has become 

the place for celebrities to mingle with 

gardening greats, the Royal family – and 

those of us who are lucky enough to 

attend. If you haven’t been, it’s definitely 

worth going, even only the once. That 

said, if you can’t face the crowds or 

the cost of a ticket, it really does make 

brilliant TV viewing. At least from your 

sofa you don’t have to stand on tiptoe 

or elbow your way through the crowds 

to see the incredible show gardens. 

Of course, the show gardens are the 

biggest draw but the Chelsea Flower 

Show also offers fantastic shopping 

opportunities, access to specialist 

growers and plant breeders, as well as 

fancy food stalls and Champagne bars. 

When it comes to people-watching, 

it doesn’t get much better... If you’re 

lucky, you may catch one of your 

favourite TV presenters, talking to 

camera – just don’t be tempted to 

photo-bomb! As well as celebrities and 

gardening royalty, you may also spot some 

familiar local faces, as our fair counties of 

Kent, Sussex and Surrey contribute a huge 

amount of talent to the show each year. 

So, who is going to be there this year? 

Kent 

If you’re on the lookout for plants, there 

are several Kent nurseries at Chelsea 

this year. Former gold-medal winners 

Brookfield Plants will be displaying 

their impressive collection of hostas and 

hemerocallis while Swallowfields Nursery 

offer a gorgeous selection of ‘cottagegarden’ 

plants including a wide range 

of salvia and species pelargoniums. 

The No Name Nursery, brainchild 

of Steve Edney and Louise Dowle, 

is unlikely to disappoint... with its 

sustainable approach, impressive 

reputation and connection to the famous 

Salutation Gardens in Sandwich. 

Following on in the environmentally 

friendly vein, those of you looking to 

re-wild your grassy areas should pop 

in and see Kent Wildflower Seeds 

in the Great Pavilion. As the name 

would suggest, the company – set up 

by the Denne family – specialises in 

wildflower and native seed mixes. 

C 

East Sussex 

Big kids – or those who simply want 

a bit of peace and quiet indoors – 

might want to check out Blue Forest 

treehouses. The company, based in 

Wadhurst, design and build bespoke, 

luxury treehouses with sustainability 

at the heart of their designs. From 

castles to garden accommodation 

– anything is possible, a chance to 

let your imagination run wild. 

Also from Wadhurst are the 

wonderfully exotic Plantbase, owned 

by Graham Blunt. A bit elusive online, 

this nursery is worth tracking down 

for its alpines, Australasian, South 

African and South American plants, 

amongst many exciting others. 

After traipsing round the show, 

you may well need to take the 

weight off with a stop at the Daybed 

Company. Just don’t get too comfy! 

This small family company, based in 

Pett, between Hastings and Rye, is a 

relatively new kid on the block – but 

if the beds are as comfortable as they 

are stylish, they could be on to a 

winner. Designed to work inside or 

out, the turned Iroko wood 

will turn silvery over time, if 

you opt for the latter. 

 

93 


Surrey 

Garden designers from Surrey, involved 

in this year’s show, include Helen 

Olney, from Godalming, who has 

designed the Burma Skincare Initiative 

Spirit of Partnership Garden. The 

‘Sanctuary Garden’ design tells the story 

of a global dermatological partnership 

which supports Burmese healthcare 

workers treating adults and children 

with skin conditions. All of the plants 

in this garden are found in Myanmar 

Burma Skincare Initiative 

but will grow happily here in the UK. 

Matthew Childs, from Reigate, 

is returning to Chelsea 10 years 

after his debut and has designed 

this year’s Terrence Higgins Trust 

Bridge to 2030 Garden – to mark 

the progress of the Trust, from the 

fear and misinformation of the 1980s 

through to today, and its mission 

to end new HIV cases by 2030. 

Those on the hunt for specialist 

growers are in for a treat at the 

Ottershaw Cacti stand – just don’t 

stand too close – or head on over to the 

luscious leaves of Sienna Hostas who 

can be found in the Great Pavillion. 

West Sussex 

Based on a farm in Steyning, the Caley 

Brothers – who are in fact sisters, 

Jodie and Lorraine – have created a 

fascinating business focusing on edible 

and medicinal mushrooms. As well as 

farming and selling their crop they also 

sell kits so that you can grow your own 

mushrooms at home, from Lion’s Mane 

to oyster mushrooms of every colour. 

They also run workshops, so if you want 

to learn more about this wonderful, 

edible crop, these are the people. 

Also at the show is The Little 

Botanical, specialising in house 

plants and accessories with a strong 

sustainable ethos; British-grown, quality 

plants in peat-free soil. Their mission, 

apparently, is to inspire people to 

make plants a part of their everyday 

lives, and what better place to be! 

Miles Japanese Maples, from 

Pulborough, will be in the Grand 

Pavilion, tempting those of us who love 

• Automation and installation 

• Entry phones and access control 

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94

autumn colours, to plan ahead – or simply 

channel our love of Japanese-style gardens. 

Chelsea in Bloom 

As if the show doesn’t offer enough of 

a mind-blowing experience, it’s worth 

exploring the streets of Chelsea before 

or after the show, to enjoy Chelsea 

in Bloom – a local floral festival and 

competition, planned to coincide 

with the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. 

Just a short walk away is the 

Fulham Road showroom of Catchpole 

& Rye, the Pluckley-based luxury 

bathroom company who, for the first 

time, will be filling their windows 

with seasonal Kentish flowers. 

So, if this hasn’t whet your appetite, 

it’s hard to know what will! Whether 

you decide to visit, or to enjoy the 

event from the comfort of your living 

room, RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024 

is unlikely to disappoint. In fact, I’d 

bet my bottom dollar that in the days 

after the show, we’ll see a dramatic 

increase in wheelbarrow repairs, 

sharpening of tools and trips to the 

garden centre! It’s the Chelsea effect. 

Find out more... 

Brookfield Plants 

brookfieldplants.co.uk 

Swallowfields Nursery 

swallowfieldsnursery.com 

The No Name Nursery 

thenonamenursery.co.uk 

Kent Wildflower Seeds 

kentwildflowerseeds.co.uk 

Blue Forest blueforest.com 

The Daybed Company 

thedaybedcompany.co.uk 

Helen Olney helenolney.com 

Ottershaw Cacti 

Burma Skincare Initiative 

burmaskincare.org 

Matthew Childs Design 

matthewchildsdesign.co.uk 

Terrence Higgins Trust tht.org.uk 

Ottershaw Cacti ottershawcacti.com 

Sienna Hostas siennahosta.co.uk 

Caley Brothers caleybrothers.co.uk 

The Little Botanical 

thelittlebotanical.com 

Miles Japanese Maples 

milesjapanesemaples.co.uk 

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95 


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Garden 

I 

spend a lot of my time adding 

structure to gardens – trees, shrubs, 

evergreens and architectural foliage 

plants. We need these to give our borders 

cohesion and good overall shape, to act 

as backdrops and frames for the seasonal 

plants as they come and go. Structure 

is sensible and important, but without 

colour there’s not much joy – it can seem 

like an empty stage waiting for the action. 

It could be a floaty, soothing blend of 

harmonious pastels or a riotous clash of 

the most vibrant and cheerful hues – taste 

is personal and often idiosyncratic, but 

whatever side of the colour wheel you 

roll on, adding a splash (or a flood) of 

colour will instantly bring a garden to life. 

Some effects of colour – 

and colour schemes 

Pale colours recede and make things seem 

larger or further away. Strong colours are 

dominant and rush towards us. You can 

use this to create illusions with space or 

to play with perspective – make an area 

seem bigger by using paler plants in the 

background and brights and darks closer 

in. Dense, dark colours are sombre, but 

can provide an anchor point, and make 

excellent backdrops for other plants. 

Pale colours will lift a shady area (as will 

glossy foliage – it is reflective). Fiery reds 

and oranges create excitement, whereas 

pastel colours are calming. The quality of 

light changes during the day too – whites, 

pale creams, mauves and blues shine out 

at dawn and dusk and are ‘washed out’ 

in strong light, whereas bright colours 

look best in full sun and fade into the 

background as the sun goes down. 

It’s easy to forget that green is a colour 

too. In the garden it becomes a calming 

neutral background, because there’s 

so much of it around, but its effects 

are felt nevertheless. Green falls in the 

middle of the spectrum and is restful 

to look at – it is the colour of nature 

and immediately makes us more relaxed 

(this is why so many hospital walls 

are painted in soft greens and blues). 

Whether it’s the darkest shade of holly 

through acid lime, chartreuse, glaucous, 

almost blue to pale and silvery, green 

remains a tranquil foil, harmonising 

with other shades of green and providing 

a buffer between patches of colour. 

Harmonies are created by using 

similar colours – pale pastel shades 

of mauve, blue and pink blend well 

Dahlia ‘Nicholas’ 

Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’ 

Ranunculous grown in a pot 

together and look lovely in semi-shade 

or the dappled light under trees. Cottage 

garden perennials like Nepeta (catmint), 

Geranium ‘Johnsons Blue’, or the 

longer flowering, but less interesting to 

pollinators, G. ‘Rozanne’ look romantic 

under roses. Sunny borders may need 

to be brighter to stand up to harsh 

sunlight. Geranium ‘Ann Folkhard’ has 

magenta flowers with a dark central ‘eye’, 

Geum like the sun (but also damp soil) 

and are available in cheerful shades of 

orange and yellow – my favourite (at 

the moment`) is G. ‘Totally Tangerine’, 

which seems to manage and even clump 

up unusually well in free draining 

conditions. For a splash of vibrant red 

you can’t do much better than tall and 

architectural Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’, which 

enlivens both exotic and cottage schemes. 

Fabulous Foliage 

The range of flower colours available 

to us is mind-blowing, but flowers are 

fleeting and can’t be used to carry a 

scheme through every month of the year. 

Foliage can offer nearly as much variety 

in terms of colour – and for a much 

longer period. Leafy plants can have the 

added advantage of good shape and form 

too. Foliage can still be a part of colour 

schemes – picking up the colours and 

Mix it 

up 

Jo Arnell 

celebrates the joys 

of myriad colours 

in the garden 

Pink cosmos 

enhancing their effect, or even to carry 

the scheme once the flowers have finished. 

A leaf can often have as much colour as 

a flower, and is far longer lasting. Large 

leaves and architectural foliage will also 

bring structure and unity to the border. 

Cotinus coggygria (the ‘smoke’ bush – so 

called because its flowery plumes look 

puffs of smoke) is a large shrub grown 

mainly for its leaves. The best known 

varieties are ‘Royal Purple’ which has 

deep plum coloured foliage, or ‘Grace’ 

whose leaves are more translucent 

and ethereal. Plant Cotinus in a sunny 

position at the back, or as a specimen 

– the sunshine will make the vibrant 

red of the autumn colour stronger. 

Berberis is smaller leaved and spiny, 

with orange flowers in spring, but 

offers similar deep red/bronze and 

the deciduous varieties will be fiery in 

autumn. It’s a big group – a Berberis 

could be a huge back of the border 

monster, a diminutive dwarf like B. 

‘Nana’, or even columnar – B. ‘Helmond 

Pillar, ‘Orange’ or ‘Golden Rocket’. 

Try the exotic looking Melianthus 

major, with glaucous, serrated leaves 

(it will be cut down by the frosts as it 

is slightly tender, but perks up again 

in the spring). Euphorbia ‘Wulfenii’ 

also has glaucous blue/green leaves, 

97 


ut these are evergreen and it has 

the added advantage of handsome 

lime coloured bracts in spring. 

A useful, if diminutive, group of plants 

that seem to grow in any situation, 

including tricky dry shade, are the 

Heucheras. There is a striking, almost 

black variety called ‘Obsidian’, several 

cultivars come in opulent maroon shades, 

but there are lighter colours too, and for 

a splash of orange, try H. ‘Marmalade.’ 

An Annual Blast 

You can’t beat annuals for a long and 

colourful season. Their short, but actionpacked 

lives are focused on flowering. 

Annuals only have one short year in 

which to complete their life-cycle. If you 

can thwart them in their life’s purpose 

by continually dead heading, they will 

keep trucking along, flowering until the 

frosts. Floriferous and reliable annuals 

include Cosmos – usually in shades of 

white and pink, but some orange and 

yellow varieties too, – Antirrhinums 

that bring a rainbow of spires, and 

Tithonias and Zinnias that sing out, 

acid bright in the sunshine. For the 

shadier parts of the garden, use scented 

and muted tones of Nicotiana, or low 

growing Impatiens (busy lizzies) 

Colourful Containers 

Annuals and tender bedding plants in 

pots will bring instant colour and impact 

to key areas – terraces and paving are 

the immediate thought, but you can 

even put pots into gaps in the borders, 

or places where the interest is flagging. 

The great thing about bedding plants 

is that they flower for a long period. 

Remember to look after them – water 

containers daily in warm weather and 

if you planted them up in late spring 

for a summer long show, the multipurpose 

compost only has enough 

food in it for 6 weeks, so after that 

they will need a weekly feed of liquid 

seaweed, or a high potash fertiliser. 

Pelargonium are a good old stalwart, 

but there’s a multitude of container plants 

on sale right now at the garden centres – 

choose your colour scheme, but also think 

about shape. Depending on the size of 

the container (and in summer try to use 

larger containers as they won’t dry out as 

quickly), you will need a tall central plant 

– an Antirrhinum majus, a tall tobacco 

plant or spire of some kind will work well, 

Mauve foxgloves 

Pastel tulips 

Alchemilla and Geranium 

‘Johnsons Blue’ 

then mid height and with a contrasting 

flower shape – large flowered like a 

Petunia or Zinnia and then something 

to spill over the edges – Nemesia, Diascia 

or Lobelia, even ivy. The phrase used in 

container gardening circles (I’m guessing 

there are such things) is ‘thriller, filler, 

spiller’ to remind us of the types of 

plants that make good shapes in a pot. 

Seasonal Colour 

The quality of light changes through the 

year – furthest away and weaker in the 

winter, blazingly close in the summer. 

The seasonal light of the sun will affect 

the colour palette of plants too. Pale 

winter light favours silhouettes and husky 

shapes. Most of the late winter and early 

spring flowers are white, yellow or cream 

to signal more strongly to pollinators in 

low light. Spring is all new and green, 

interspersed with fresh blues, yellows 

and froths of pink. As the light gets 

stronger and the sun rises higher in the 

sky, the colours strengthen – to attract 

in sun-loving butterflies and bees. 

Our cottage garden favourites – 

geraniums, lupins, delphiniums and geum 

will have finished flowering by July and 

can also have quite straggly foliage by that 

time too. Keep the June blooms coming 

by being ruthless – cut them all back 

A raised bed in late summer 

– right down to the ground as soon as 

they’ve finished flowering and by the end 

of August they will be back with a repeat 

show of flowers and tidy new leaves. 

During late summer and early autumn 

the palette changes again as the light 

softens and sinks lower in the sky. 

Bring in Heleniums and Rudbeckias in 

russet, gold and mellow orange, the 

deep blue of Echinops and brighter hue 

of Ceratostigmas, Salvias in a myriad of 

colours and the dusky pinks and mauves 

of Asters. The flowers of Sedum spectabile 

are a magnet for butterflies and bees and 

are a great addition to the front of the 

border, providing long lasting colour right 

through the autumn too, as the nectarpacked 

flowers fade into attractive seed 

heads in shades of russet and bronze. 

Every season brings in a range of 

different colour choices – I once gave each 

month a colour (but we know that way 

madness lies). In the end it will always 

be down to personal preference – the 

important thing is to enjoy the colours 

of your garden, calm harmony or riotous 

assembly – it’s entirely up to you. 

Join Jo for a gardening class at her 

garden in Woodchurch. Call 07923 

969634 or see hornbrookmanor.co.uk. 


98

BEFORE 

Is Moss a Growing Problem? 

Yes, is the answer on a roof, and the problem is growing exponentially. 

AFTER 

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with more than 20 years experience in 

exterior hard service cleaning. 

BEFORE 

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01420 479746 | info@mossmaster.co.uk 

www.mossmaster.co.uk

Thursday 16th May 

Open Morning 

Scan to book a visit 

Private Tours Available 

Independent Coeducational Day School | Aged 2 -13 

Horsham, Sussex 

admissions@pennthorpe.com 

01403 822391 

www.pennthorpe.com 

Don’t miss our next 

Education Supplement 

Find it in the 

June 2024 issue 

of Surrey Homes 



100

Education 

Speaking 

Sense 

Mike Piercy, education consultant and former Head 

of The New Beacon, turns language pupil 

istockphoto.com/ Vladislav Zolotov 

A 

favourite word: smellfungus. A favourite 

book: The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary 

(two weighty tomes). A favourite pursuit: 

looking up a word, getting distracted by other, 

hitherto unknown words and fascinated by them. 

That’s how I found smellfungus – I love language. 

Last year I tried to learn Italian – tried being the operative 

word. My Venetian tutor, Pietro, arrived for my first lesson 

(late), immediately spouting a burble of words exceeding the 

Italian speed limit. As per protocol he taught in the target 

language. His willing student was often clearly baffled, trying 

to ignore Pietro’s barely concealed, impatient, sometimes 

exasperated expression. In the third lesson he gave me a 

printed handout, though it quickly became apparent he 

had not looked at it prior to the lesson. The fourth lesson, 

my bewilderment growing, I spoke in English asking 

him to explain the grammar and we began to make some 

progress. Having taught for many years and witnessed many 

others’ teaching, this was a lesson in how not to do it. 

The experience did, however, give me a far more empathic 

understanding of how challenging it can be for pupils to learn 

another language (and, for some, our own language). As a nation 

we are perhaps a little lazy in learning other languages as we 

expect English to be understood across the nations and globe. 

That aside, the process of learning a language is an important 

one for students. A modern language is compulsory for schools 

at Key Stage 3 (11-14) but not at KS4, with overall numbers 

taking a modern language GCSE declining over recent years. 

French is traditionally the predominant modern language 

taught in schools. Globally, Spanish is more widely spoken 

and some schools have in recent years introduced Mandarin. 

Latin and Greek, the classics, are now somewhat fringe 

yet they have enormous value in lending understanding to 

modern language. A reader of this magazine recently wrote 

to me about a project which sees Esperanto spreading 

across schools in Africa. Music, referenced last month, 

has a language of its own and in recent years coding has 

grown like wildfire becoming another modern language. 

Students outgrow their uniforms. The school curriculum has 

outgrown the day with important additions: personal, social, 

health education, design technology and computer science to 

name but three. There are only so many hours in a school day, 

however, and something has to be squeezed. The humanities 

sometimes pay the price, as do languages – some might 

question the need when software packages do the translation 

for you; yet that isn’t the point. Learning another language is 

an important academic discipline. Sentence construction, the 

acquisition of grammar, can only improve the correct use of 

our own language, never mind the wider, cultural benefits. 

Aged ten I had an inspirational French teacher. He would 

drag us from a dusty, dull classroom to the sports field 

where he taught us The Marseillaise. He told the history 

of the anthem which enthused us to bellow all the louder 

– we lived the music and words, learning the translation 

and grammar along the way. Then I think of the pitiful 

Pietro. It was humbling for the teacher to become pupil, 

struggling over grammar and vocabulary – I felt for him in 

that respect. He did, however, give a fine lesson in how not 

to teach, ill-prepared, impatient, lacking in vim and vigour. 

I salute those who teach languages in our schools, 

adopting strategies and multimedia to enhance learning – 

so much easier today – and encourage our young people 

to persist with language learning. How do we differ 

from other species? Imagination, reasoning, emotion 

and the nuance of language – now there’s a debate! 

Smellfungus: a grumbler, a fault-finder. 

Contact Mike with your education-related 

queries at mikepiercy@hotmail.com 

101 


SUMMER SEASON 

AT HEVER 

SHYNEFEST 

TONBRIDGE 

CASTLE FOOD 

& DRINK 

What’s On 

Festivals 

Special 

MAY 

Tues 7 – Sat 18 May 

Various locations 

SURREY HILLS 

INTERNATIONAL 

MUSIC FESTIVAL 

A real treat for classical music 

lovers and all in the stunning 

Surrey countryside! This fabulous 

festival promises magnificent 

performances by inspirational 

world-class musicians. Dame 

Sarah Connolly will sing a very 

special programme of Bach and 

Handel arias with leading early 

music ensemble, the English 

Concert (Sat 18 May) at Holy 

Trinity Guildford; the gorgeous 

Mendelssohn Octet will perform 

with leading chamber players (Sat 

11 May) at RHS Wisley; Sharon 

Kam and the award-winning 

Sitkovetsky Trio will play the 

Mozart Clarinet Quintet (Thurs 

9 May) plus a spectacular concert 

for two pianos including Festival 

Artistic Director Wu Qian and 

featuring the winning entry 

in the 2024 Young Composer 

competition (Thurs 16 May). 

shimf.co.uk 

Sun 19 May 11am-4pm 

St Mary Magdalene Church, 

Ruckinge TN26 2NU 

FLOWER FESTIVAL 

‘THE JOY OF MUSIC’ 

This little country church will be 

alive with flowers from garden 

and hedgerow, celebrating the 

joy that music brings to all our 

lives. Children from the school 

and local Scouts and Guides will 

take part, together with the art 

group from Canterbury Oast 

Trust, a local charity that supports 

adults with learning disabilities. 

All ages, all experiences, and 

all adding their wonderful 

flowery touch. Refreshments 

will be available all day. 

Entry: Free Contact: 

Margaret 07748 006249 

Sat 25 May – Mon 2 Sep 

Hever Castle, Hever Road, 

Hever, Edenbridge TN8 7NG 

FESTIVAL THEATRE 

AT HEVER CASTLE 

SUMMER SEASON 

In a splendid celebration of their 

new home, complete with an 

exceptional roof that’s perfect for 

stargazing, The Festival Theatre at 

Hever Castle have programmed an 

array of star-studded events this 

year including loads of returning 

festival favourites, and many 

new artists and events dotted 

amongst the programme. The 

opening week boasts a diverse 

mix, from jazz and opera to 

musical performances, family fun 

and comedy. The Ronnie Scott’s 

Club are featuring highly with 

three different Ronnie’s groups 

including The Jazz Dynamos 

re-imagining songs from the 70s 

& 80s. Nestled in the enchanting, 

award-winning gardens of Hever 

Castle, festival spots (including 

The Loggia, Main Lawn and 

Two Sisters’ Theatre) promise 

many magical moments. 

Contact: 07379 488 477 

(M-F 10am-2pm) 

heverfestival.co.uk 

Sat 25 – Sun 26 May 

Tonbridge Castle, Castle 

St, Tonbridge TN9 1BG 

TONBRIDGE FOOD AND 

DRINK FESTIVAL 

Fire up your taste buds at this 

year’s fabulous Tonbridge Food 

& Drink Festival in the town’s 

beautiful castle grounds close to 

the banks of the picturesque River 

Medway. Try, taste and buy from 

more than 60 stallholders selling a 

delicious range of food and drink 

produced in and around Kent and 

from across the globe. Discover 

tasty cheeses, breads, cakes, sweet 

treats such as fudge and chocolate 

brownies, locally roasted coffee, 

and other food-related stalls. 

In its eighth year, these foodie 

spectaculars are organised by the 

team behind the award-winning 

Tonbridge Farmers Market so 

you know you’re in for a treat. 

facebook.com/Tonbridge 

FoodandDrinkFestival 

JUNE 

31st May & 1 June 

Merrist Wood College, 

Holly Lane, Worplesdon, 

Guildford GU3 3PE 

SHYNEFEST 

ShyneFest has become a regular 

feature on the Surrey music 

scene and this year there will be 

a great array of fun activities for 

the whole family to get involved 

with, including varied food and 

drink outlets and festival stalls. 

If you fancy joining in the fun 

across the entire two-day festival, 

camping and glamping on site 

is available along with fixed 

bathroom facilities in nearby 

blocks, breakfast catering and 

free parking. It’s the perfect 

way to spend the end of the 

istockphoto.com/ Jan Zabrodsky & RolfSt & Biletskiy_Evgeniy 


istockphoto.com/ Elena Emchuk & Nattakorn Maneerat & grahedphotography & happy8790 & Mila Bond 

half term break and have fun 

with a like-minded, fun seeking 

community of festival go-ers 

whilst enjoying all that the 

event has to offer, including 

some great live music such as 

headline act, Dodgy, who will be 

playing on the Saturday night. 

shynefest.uk 

Sat 22 June – Sun 7 July 


across Sevenoaks 

SEVENOAKS 

SUMMER FESTIVAL 

The festival kicks off with 

entertainment for all the family 

at the Festival Fair with a mix 

of music stages, children’s 

entertainment, walkabout and 

street theatre throughout the 

day in Bligh’s Meadow and The 

Shambles, as well as puppet 

shows in Stag Theatre’s Footlights 

Bar. On the following Saturday 

29 June, Colourscape may be 

enjoyed on the Vine Gardens, 

where a children’s event, Painting 

for Fun, will also be held. The 

Festival continues until Sunday 

7 July with the Finale Concert 

in Pamoja Hall, featuring Snake 

Davis and his ‘Classic Sax Solos’. 

The other sixty events include 

Gilbert & Sullivan’s Mikado 

at Stag Theatre; an open air 

production of Shakespeare’s As 

You Like It at White Rock Inn; 

Liz Grand and her one-woman 

drama Where Is Mrs Christie? 

about the disappearance of Agatha 

Christie in 1926, in Sevenoaks 

School’s Sackville Theatre; The 

LP Swing Orchestra with Joe 

Stilgoe at Stag Theatre; and 

A3A Americana for the Third 

Age in the Footlights Bar. 

sevenoaksfestival.org.uk 

Sat 29 & Sun 30 June launch 

then throughout July 


around Ashford 

ASHFORD FOOD AND 


The festival will launch with 

ASHFOOD! – a two-day 

celebration of local food and drink 

businesses at Elwick Place. Other 

activities include the return of 

Wine Garden of England with 

Boys Hall and Kent Vineyards at 

Revelation, and Curious Brewery 

hosting a two-day beer festival. 

There really is something for 

everyone this year from The Great 

Ashford Sandwich Competition 

and teddy bears picnic, to 

pizza making, wine tasting and 

some fabulous competitions. 

loveashford.com 

JULY ONWARDS 

Fri 26 July, Weds 31 

July & Thurs 8 Aug 

Sandown Park, Portsmouth 

Road, Esher, Surrey 

KT10 9AJ UK 

THE JOCKEY CLUB LIVE 

AT SANDOWN PARK 

Get ready for an incredible 

season of live music at Sandown 

Park Racecourse this summer! 

A day at the races promises to 

be more exhilarating than ever 

before, combining a nail-biting 

evening of racing followed by full 

headline performances from the 

UK’s biggest music artists. The 

line-up this year includes Pete 

Tong’s Ibiza Classics returning 

with a brand-new set for 2024 on 

Friday 26th July; music legends 

Madness on Wednesday 31st July; 

and the beloved pop band McFly 

on Thursday 8th August. To top 

it off, Sandown Park Racecourse 

features award-winning restaurants 

that cater for all tastes, from fine 

dining through to delicious bistro 

food. Tickets are on sale now with 

prices and hospitality packages 

available to suit all budgets. 

thejockeyclublive.co.uk 

Thurs 15 – Sun 18 August 

Hole Park, TN17 4JA 

THE WILDERNESS 

GATHERING AT HOLE PARK 

If you love the outdoors and fancy 

learning more about knot tying, 

willow weaving, pewter casting 

and traditional arrow making, 

then this is the festival for you. 

It’s a unique event encompassing 

crafts and bushcraft skills for all 

the family, trade stands, food, 

drink and entertainment. There 

will be workshops, demonstrations 

and activities including wood 

carving, basketry, canoeing and 

axe throwing. There will also 

be many bushcraft activities 

specifically tailored for children. 

So get the kids outdoors in the 

fresh air and have some fun 

while you’re at it! Day tickets 

are available on the gate from 

16th August and weekend tickets 

in advance on the website. 

wildernessgathering.co.uk 

Sat 28 Sept – Sun 6 Oct 

Turner Contemporary, 

Margate CT9 1HG 

THE MARGATE 

BOOKIE LITFEST 

This gem of a festival gets bigger 

and better every year and promises 

creative writing workshops, talks 

and walks and a host of big 

name authors – all in marvellous 

Margate. Don’t miss out. Sign up 

online to get your ticket news. 

margatebookie.com 

Sun 23 Oct 

Brooklands Museum, 

Brooklands Drive, Weybridge, 

Surrey KT13 0SL 

LONDON BUS MUSEUM 

TRANSPORTFEST 

Jump on board for a fun day of 

heritage bus trips, rarely seen early 

vehicles, live music, collectors’ 

market and children’s attractions 

at the ever-popular Brooklands. 

Alongside a huge collection of 

buses you’ll see taxis, military and 

emergency vehicles plus all the 

usual displays including aircraft. 

londonbusmuseum.com 

THE WILDERNESS GATHERING 

AT HOLE PARK 

THE JOCKEY 

CLUB LIVE 

ASHFORD FOOD & 


103 


Surrey Hills International 

Music Festival - 2024 

IN AID OF 

/ 

7 May Guided Walk and Lunchtime Talk 

West Horsley Place SOLD OUT 

9 May Sitkovetsky Trio with Sharon Kam and Friends 

The Menuhin Hall, Stoke d’Abernon 

11 May An enchanted evening - Chamber 

Music at Wisley 

RHS Hilltop at RHS Garden Wisley 

13 May Guided Walk & Lunchtime 

Young Artists’ Concert 

St Michael’s Church, Betchworth 

16 May Piano Extravaganza: a spectacular 

evening of music for two pianos 

The Menuhin Hall, Stoke d’Abernon 

18 May Dame Sarah Connolly with The 

English Concert and Harry Bicket 

Holy Trinity Church, Guildford 

Tickets now on sale at 

tickets.shimf.co.uk 

Registered Charity No. 1171264 

/ 

, 

FRI 31ST MAY - SAT 1ST JUNE 

MERRIST WOOD COLLEGE, GUILDFORD, SURREY. GU3 3PE 

FRIDAY 

SATURDAY 

’ 

FAUX FIGHTERS THE MARLEY EXPERIENCE 

FOO FIGHTERS TRIBUTE 

BOB MARLEY TRIBUTE 

COUNTERFEIT KYLIE SORTED FOR CHEESE & FIZZ 

KYLIE MINOGUE TRIBUTE 

FEEB & THE QUEEN PIXIE MCCANN PARAMANZA 

THE PRE-NUPS JOE KELLINOS MIRACLE MEDICINE SHOW 

THE COLOUR BLIND MONKS EMILY HALLETT THE DIVAS 

DOUBTING THOMAS THE TRUE DECEIVERS FAIRIE 

THE MISSING PAGES PETER HOBBS SUGAR DARLING 

PLUS SILENT DISCO 3 STAGES CAMPING 

GLAMPING KIDS ACTIVITIES 

LOCAL AUTHORS BARS & FOOD COURT FESTIVAL STALLS 

COMEDIANS ANIMAL ENCOUNTERS AND MORE... 

SHYNEFEST.UK 

1 

6 

1 4 

15TH-18TH august 2024 

THE ORIGINAL FESTIVAL OF BUSHCRAFT AND MUSIC 

Bushcraft ◆ Primitive Skills ◆ Blacksmithing 

Basket Weaving ◆ Ancient Crafts ◆ Tracking 

Bone Carving ◆ Woodcraft ◆ Leatherwork 

Archery ◆ Axe Throwing ◆ Bow Making 

Canoeing ◆ Music ◆ Family Activities 

book NOW: wildernessgathering.co.uk 


3161-Hever-in-Bloom-Campaign-90x130mm-AW.indd 1 08/04/2024 16:17 

104

FLETCHING GARDEN TRAIL 

ASHBURNHAM ENGLISH 

SONG AWARDS FINAL 

HOSPICES 

OF HOPE 

istockphoto.com/ jacoblund & Furtseff & evgenyatamanenko & lolostock 

What’s On 

this Season 

FAIRS 

Thur 6, Fri 7 & Sat 8 

June 9am-5pm 

Hole Park, Benenden Road, 

Rolvenden, Kent TN17 4JB 

WEALDEN TIMES 

MIDSUMMER FAIR 

Come and join us to welcome 

the joyful summer season. You’ll 

find all your favourite exhibitors 

plus a wide selection of exciting 

new stands who’ll be selling 

gorgeous fashion, sustainable 

products, art and crafts, home 

and gardenware, beauty and so 

much more (we haven’t even 

started on the food and drink!). 

Your ticket also includes access 

to the wonderful Hole Park 

Gardens, which is always stunning 

at this time of year. We look 

forward to welcoming you. 


GARDENS 

Thur 16 May 1.30-4pm 

Reuthes, The Lost Gardens of 

Sevenoaks, Sevenoaks Road, 

Seal Chart TN15 0HB 

HOSPICES OF HOPE 

PRESENTS THE TALKING 

GARDENS OF KENT 

Founder of Hospices of Hope, 

Graham Perolls, invites you 

to accompany him on one of 

a series of exclusive tours and 

talks in three unique gardens in 

West Kent. Join Graham and 

Reuthe’s owner, Claire Price, in 

exploring the magical 11-acre 

rare species woodland that hosts 

one of the country’s best selection 

of specialist rhododendrons, 

azaleas, camellias and conifers. 

Finish your adventure with 

refreshments! Proceeds will 

benefit Hospices of Hope’s vital 

work supporting hospice care 

in South and East Europe. 

Tickets: £25 

hospicesofhope.co.uk 

Sat 6th July 10am-4pm 

Reading Street, Broadstairs, 

Kent CT10 3AZ 

READING STREET VILLAGE 

OPEN GARDENS 

This is Reading Street’s fifth open 

garden event. Gardens range from 

a small cottage garden to an award 

winning wildlife one, a Dragon 

garden with surprises for the little 

ones plus Taddy’s Allotments. All 

gardens are within 5 to 10 minutes 

walk from St Andrew’s Church. 

There will be plant and produce 

sales, as well as refreshments 

and lunches available in the 

Community Hall and a fabulous 

cake stall. Tickets are available 

from various points in the village. 

Entry: £5 (accompanied 

children free) 

Contact: offstand@btinternet.com 

Sun 30 June 

Fletching, East Sussex TN22 3SP 

FLETCHING GARDEN TRAIL 

The Garden Trail guarantees 

fun for all, including children’s 

activities, a raffle and a popular 

plant and seed sale. Some of the 

gardens have featured in national 

publications so it promises to be 

a visual treat. The Garden Café 

will be situated on the Village Rec, 

serving delicious light lunches, 

refreshments and homemade cakes 

throughout the day, all set in an 

idyllic location. Tickets should be 

purchased on the day from the 

school playground (contactless 

card machine available). Included 

in your entry fee is a brochure 

which includes a map to help 

you navigate your way from 

exquisite garden to garden. 

Entry: £10 (children free) 

MUSIC 

Thur 16 May 7pm 

(doors open 6.30pm) 

Ashburnham Place, 

Battle, TN33 9NF 

ASHBURNHAM ENGLISH 

SONG AWARDS FINAL 

We’re so thrilled to hear about 

this year’s final. Eight immensely 

talented singers and their pianists 

will compete for prizes worth 

over £5000, to be awarded at 

the end of the evening. This 

is a wonderful opportunity to 

hear these exciting young artists 

perform settings of some of our 

greatest poetry by composers 

from the British Isles and Ireland. 

The Judges include Dame 

Felicity Lott and – for one prize 

– the audience! Tickets include 

a programme and an interval 

drink and are available online 

and from Rother Books on Battle 

High Street. On the door tickets 

are cash only please. This is an 

accessible event with free parking. 

Entry: £25 

ashburnhamenglishsongawards. 

co.uk / eventbrite.co.uk 

Listings are correct at time of going 

to press but may be subject to change. 

Readers are advised to check with venues 

before making arrangements. We can list 

your event in the next issue of Wealden 

Times for only £75+VAT. Please supply 

up to 200 words that should include date, 

time, venue, contact for enquiries and any 

entry price to whatson@priceless-group. 

com or send with payment (cheques 

payable to Priceless Media Ltd.) to What’s 

On, Priceless Media, Kettle Chambers, 

21 Stone Street, Cranbrook, Kent 

TN17 3HF. Priceless Media reserves the 

right to edit text to fit space allocated. 

Deadline for the next issue is 7th May. 

105 


Jane Howard explains how 

agricultural shows came 

to be and just how much 

preparation is needed 

in order to compete 

The Heathfield Show at the end 

of May will be the first outing for 

the Coopers Farm team, in a busy 

summer that ends up with the Edenbridge and 

Oxted show on August bank holiday. It’s the time 

of year when jams and preserves get competitive, 

beer tents are buzzing, ferrets race furiously and farmers 

show and parade some of the country’s finest livestock. 

Agricultural shows are part of our rural heritage and 

date back to the 18th century when they played an 

important educational role. At that time, as a result of 

the Industrial Revolution, the population of Britain 

boomed and farming had to change swiftly to keep the 

nation fed. A network of county agricultural societies 

promoted new scientific methods of stock breeding and 

crop management, but not enough farmers took any 

notice. So the idea of the agricultural 

show was born, where all the advances 

would be displayed and explained, 

the superiority of the new methods 

demonstrated and – to encourage good 

practice – prizes would be awarded for 

the best stock and produce. The shows 

were high-minded and serious. If people 

wanted fun, they could go to the circus. 

These days for the many visitors 

who flock to the shows each year they 

are absolutely about having fun, but 

it’s also a great chance to get up close 

to all our farm animals and learn more about them. 

Showing cattle is a bit like competing at Crufts. 

In the first instance there are the individual breed 

classes with categories for young and mature bulls, 

and cows and heifers (females that haven’t yet had a 

calf) resulting in a male and female champion for each 

breed. These breed champions then compete with 

each other to get the supreme champion of the show, 

but to get there – indeed even to turn up – means 

a great deal of hard work, started months before. 

Around Christmas I start picking out the potential 

Showing cattle is a 

bit like competing at 

Crufts... to get there 

– indeed even to turn 

up – means a great 

deal of hard work, 

started months before 

contenders for the Coopers team. What am I looking 

for? The easiest explanation is a topline (backbone) 

that is parallel to the bottom line (belly) and plenty 

of width. Think about a box of After Eights with 

a leg in each corner and you won’t be far out. 

By about March the training begins, but your average 

cow sees no reason to put on a halter and be walked 

round on the end of a rope, why would they? It always 

helps if there are cattle in the team who 

have been round the circuit the year 

before to lend a relaxed 'been there, 

done that' vibe to proceedings. Even 

so, first steps are always unpredictable. 

Having tied them up to get used to 

the halter you then have to untie them 

and encourage forward movement. 

At this point one of two things can 

happen. Some set off round the yard 

rodeo style, bucking and bronking with 

yours truly holding on to the end of 

the rope, trying to calm things down. 

These are the easy ones as they soon settle down. 

Far trickier are those that take the “nah, no thank 

you” approach and refuse to budge. Much harder to 

do anything about half a ton of uncooperative beef! 

But somehow we always seem to get them there, 

though it must be said, like children there are 

always the little angels that rise to the occasion 

and behave impeccably... and those that don’t. 

So here’s hoping this year's lot will oblige 

and it will be a sunny, easy, enjoyable show 

season. Love to meet some of you there. 


THAMES 

DESIGN & BUILD 

Call us on 

020 8398 9252 

ARE YOU CONSIDERING AN EXTENSION, LOFT 

CONVERSION, OUTBUILDING, OR ANY OTHER 

ALTERATION OR ADDITION TO YOUR PROPERTY? 

Thames Design and Build provides architectural design 

and/or construction services to clients across Surrey, 

with over 80% of our projects being Surrey based. 

We offer: 

• A free consultation to discuss your ideas and 

advise you on the possibilities and permissions 

• A fixed quote for all stages of architectural work 

• A fixed quote for your build – we are equally happy to 

provide a build quote in respect of your existing designs 

We have a large portfolio of clients within Surrey, 

so whatever your plans are, we should be able to 

show you a comparable completed project. 

Please email us at info@thamesdesignandbuild.com 

or visit the website www.thamesdesignandbuild.com 

Ditton Garages, Southville Road, Thames Ditton, KT7 0UL

Surrey Homes | SH112 | May 2024 | Love Your Home Supplement inside

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