Tried & Tested – Monat
Restore & Renew Your Hair with Monat Hero Ingredients across the Monat Hydrating Collection Are: REJUVENIQE® A blend of 13+ Natural Plant and Essential Oils rich in omega fatty acids, antioxidants and nutrients highly compatible with skin and hair. CAPIXYL™ Effective emollient blend helps safeguard the scalp, strengthen hair and support natural growth for improved thickness over time. PROCATALINE™ Featuring Pea Extract, this high-tech blend supports healthy, younger-looking hair by shielding against UV damage and environmental stressors. CRODASORB™ A powerful ingredient to shield against sun’s damaging UV rays, preserving hair’s natural pigmentation and keeping strands protected and strong. RENEW SHAMPOO £30 Gentle hydrating cleanser penetrates and moisturises the scalp effectively. Restores lost moisture and boosts natural hair growth by improving follicle strength to inhibit shedding and thinning. Salt and sulphate-free and safe to use on coloured and/or chemically treated hair. RESTORE LEAVE-IN CONDITIONER £35 Helps restore essential nutrients to the scalp, boosting natural hair growth and improving follicle strength to reduce hair thinning. Leaves fragile hair fortified, whilst taming frizz and flyaways for a flawless finish. Safe to use on coloured and/or chemically treated hair. Monat is a vegan and cruelty free brand delivering high performance results with luxury formulas. Free from nasties including parabens, SLS/SLES, silicones, mineral oil, phthalates and harmful fragrances. For more information and to buy online visit monatglobal.com Tried & Tested Review : A brilliant new product, but please read the instructions carefully as it says to leave the shampoo (not conditioner) on for 2 or 3 minutes. It really restored my hair to a far better condition than any previous shampoo. It smells beautiful, full of good, healthy ingredients. Gives a good shine, and leaves your hair feeling squeaky clean. I found this an excellent product, and was complimented by the conditioner. JP. 00
Stowe Gardens
One of Capability Brown’s earliest works, Stowe Gardens in Buckinghamshire was looking at its best when Brian Spencer visited it during a recent autumn break. The gardens of Grade 1 listed Stowe House are the idyllic setting for Stowe School. The public school sits at the top of rising ground overlooking grounds that are, as the master gardener Capability Brown probably said, now looking at their best, having matured over three centuries. Our visit coincided with the sturdy beeches being decked in colours ranging from varying shades of yellow to brightest orange; their fallen leaves made patterns on the still waters of ornamental ponds dug by the hands of eighteenth century navvies. The original estate was built by Sir George Gifford (1498-1557) whose wealth was based on wool. Very early in the fortunes of Stowe, the place became a popular venue for visits of the great and the good. This interest prompted later owners to expand the garden, making it an ideal retreat for politicians looking for somewhere to meet and plot with their confrères, and maybe meet up with their lady friends on the odd occasion. Throughout the years the different owners all seem to have been able to extend the work of their predecessors, bringing in the top architects and garden designers of their day. Throughout the 1700s the house and its grounds were a hive of activity, starting with architects of their day, such as Charles Bridgeman and then Sir John Vanbrugh, designer of Blenheim Palace. He worked on Stowe for six years until his sudden death in 1726 and was followed by James Gibbs whose speciality was the English Baroque style – a feature that shows itself in both the house and the garden’s stone-work. Most gardeners will agree that gardens take time to develop. In the case of Stowe, the time lapse was decades, almost running into centuries. Most of the work on Stowe Gardens took place in the mid-1700s. It was during this time that the young Lancelot Brown who had moved to Buckinghamshire as a free-lance garden designer, came to the notice of Lord Cobham at Stowe. He became head gardener, working closely with James Gibbs the architect responsible for the house and William Kent who had already laid out features such as the Elysian Fields, Temple of Ancient Virtue and also the Temple of English Worthies. It was while Brown was developing Stowe’s gardens that he developed the style which was to give him the nickname ‘Capability’. Continuing Kent’s work, he laid out the garden making it look as natural as possible, in what became known as the Serpentine, or English style. As can be seen at Stowe, the central features are inter-linked winding, or ‘serpentine’ lakes joined by bridges and cascades; all this is surrounded by follies, encircling carriage drives and clumps of trees. All of his work has now grown to maturity, confirming Brown’s opinion of the garden’s ‘capability’. It was during Capability Brown’s tenure at Stowe that his ideas and skills came to the notice of the fashionable elite of the country and so in 1751 he left Lord Cobham’s employment at Stowe, to spend the rest of his working life advising the owners of great estates of the ‘capabilities’ of their properties. At the zenith of its popularity, Stowe became the ideal meeting place where politicians came to unwind and discuss strategies with their fellow MPs. Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger rented the estate at one time, making it an early version of Chequers the grace and favour residence of future prime ministers. Like many grand houses and their estates, Stowe has passed its usefulness as a place where the great and good of society could use their wealth. Due to escalating maintenance costs, Stowe had to be found other uses. The result was that the house became a public school and the gardens given over to the care of the National Trust. While the house and the school’s sports facilities are not open to the public, visitors can stroll round the gardens and parkland on any day of the year. Like visitors from earlier times, the entrance to the 750 acre estate and its 40 listed historic monuments and temples is past the imposing Corinthian Arch and the Oxford Gates; the latter incidentally are built of wrought iron salvaged from a World War One German battleship. Long before Stowe gardens became a National Trust property, the then current owners realised that it was necessary to provide somewhere for visitors to stay, or at least rest and take some refreshment. The New Inn close by the entrance was built to provide this and it now serves as an entry and information point at the start of a tour round the gardens. Although no longer providing overnight accommodation it does offer excellent meals and light refreshments, all to the usual high standards of the National Trust. The New Inn also houses a useful information section where, along with a note detailing the birds currently seen around the grounds, as well as being the start of walks guided by experienced National Trust staff. The short Bell Drive leads down to the start of the graded paths that meander over the gently sloping land on either side of the lakes and past monuments and temples. Children are well catered for with the choice of three walks, non-more than 1.3 miles in length. Even for adults, a walk around the garden need not be too exhausting; the following is just one of the strolls on offer and because we did it on our visit, we can say it was most enjoyable. 00
Celebrity Interview – Bill Bailey
What makes comedy funny? That’s not a question that’s part of a normal everyday conversation. But while speaking to comedian, musician and actor Bill Bailey, the man described as “the brainiest comic of his generation” almost unconsciously analyses how his act has changed to keep in step with comedic trends. His current show Larks In Transit which is flying into Derby Arena this month contains more personal material than his earlier tours and many humourists are moving in a similar direction. He tells me: “In the last ten or 20 years I’ve noticed that comedy has become much more confessional. People like to talk about themselves and their own feelings, and that’s very much reflected in us generally as a society. “We’re almost guilty of over-sharing on social media and the internet plays a big part in that. So there’s a little bit of that in the show but a lot of silliness as well. I get the audience to sing You Are My Sunshine in German which is always a delight to hear.” Bill doesn’t aim to be an educator but he points out: “You might learn something at my show – you might go home with a fact and say ‘blimey, I did not know that and I’ve had a laugh over a couple of hours’. If I can do that, then my job’s done.” We discuss other ways in which comedy has changed. I note how comedians who tell joke after joke seem largely to have disappeared, except for the odd exception like Tim Vine. Bill admits he still likes one-liners and includes all sorts in his act so that you can’t really classify his brand of comedy. “I like the well-turned phrase to describe a politician or a person in power. The use of language is very important to me because English is such a subtle, interesting language, lots of shades of meaning that can be used to great effect in comedy.” Larks In Transit is billed as a “compendium of travellers’ tales and the general shenanigans of 20 years as a travelling companion”. Bill elaborates on the content: “It’s almost a musical spoof lecture about how different kinds of music affects us in different ways, how you can change the nature of familiar tunes by playing them in different keys, exploring lyrically how songs work. “I like to incorporate music, stories, anecdotes, all of that goes into the mix. But really it’s a reflection of where comedy has taken me over the last 20 years.” Bill, a Labour Party supporter, makes references to politics during the show and makes no apology for that. “You can’t avoid it really. It’s dominated the national conversation for three years and there’s no getting away from it. I think it would be weird if you didn’t talk about it. But it’s not the main focus of the show by any means.” Mark Robert Bailey was born on 13 January 1965 in Bath. His father was a medical practitioner and his mother a hospital ward sister. He remembers liking comedy from an early age. “When an elderly aunt died we had a wake at the house and I was making people laugh. I told a joke – I wasn’t very old – and my dad spat his tea out because he couldn’t believe I’d said it. Then my mum swore because my dad had spit his tea out. I’d never heard my mum swear. It was like a chaos bomb going off in the house and I thought ‘wow, this comedy lark is very powerful’.” While he was at school his music teacher gave him the nickname Bill because he was able to play the song Won’t You Come Home Bill Bailey so well on the guitar. Later he became a classically trained musician. But his individual style as a comedian got him noticed. He was nominated for a Perrier Comedy Award for a show he took to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1996 and won the best live stand-up award at the British Comedy Awards three years later. Since then Bill’s trademark hairstyle and goatee have become familiar through television appearances including Have I Got News For You, Never Mind The Buzzcocks and QI. He has also appeared on the small screen in Black Books, a Channel 4 sitcom; the E4 teenage show Skins; and a series of programmes about wildlife and natural history. He loves the variety that comes from the different challenges presented by different sectors of entertainment. “Comedy is my main love and what I’ll continue to do so long as I’m able to stand up – and perhaps even beyond that. Acting is good fun to do now and again because it’s a collaborative process. “Stand-up’s very solitary – I write it, perform it, direct it, pretty much produce the whole thing myself. It’s a lot of pressure, there’s a lot of expectation. It’s very rewarding but it’s also extremely labour-intensive and exhausting. “Being in the cast of a TV show is less pressure because someone else has written it, you’re performing other people’s words so there’s not quite the same pressure on you. You can relax a bit and concentrate on the performance. It really hones your performance skills.” In 2003 I saw Bill on stage in Reginald Rose’s 12 Angry Men at the Edinburgh Fringe. It featured 12 comedians. Some of them had never been in a play before. It was an unforgettable production, one that Bill recalls fondly. “I remember at the time everyone thinking there was no way we’d get a bunch of comics to be in a play and the whole thing would be a complete disaster – you could never trust comedians not to try and outdo each other. “The fact that we even got together at the same time to rehearse was a minor miracle. So no one had any real expectations. Not only did it work very well, it was a big hit and spawned a
Modern Collectibles – Wade Whimsies
Wade is a manufacturer of porcelain and earthenware originally with its headquarters in Burslem, part of what is now Stoke-on-Trent. Its history is complex and tortuous, but goes back to 1867 when three family firms were set up by various Wades in the potteries, now Stoke-on-Trent. The firm which nearly a century later introduced these tiny solid porcelain figures was George Wade & Son, originally Wade & Myatt. A contemporarily founded firm, John Wade & Co. (later Wade, Heath) became famous for making the tiles for the London Underground for many decades. George Wade (1864-1938), was born in Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent. Son of a potter’s thrower and later manager who founded the business, he was educated at Nottingham College and eventually became Chairman of George Wade & Son Ltd. The firm originally manufactured ceramic products for the cotton industry as well as porcelain figures and groups. The Wade family eventually moved to Watlands Hall in Porthill, Burslem and in 1905, George’s son George junior, left school and joined the family business at their new Manchester Pottery nearby. The younger George, later Sir George (1891-1986), was the driving force throughout much of the twentieth century, latterly in partnership with his son Tony, who unfortunately outlived his father by only a year. One of the firms the entrepreneurial Sir George’s father had taken over had a foundation date way back in 1810, enabling the Wade firms, all brought together by Sir George in 1958, to claim considerable antiquity. Wade products included animal figures for its Collectors Club, whisky flagons, and a variety of industrial ceramics. Needless to say, I have yet to discover a collector of the firm’s industrial ceramics! The whisky flagons form a separate branch of modern collectibles to which, if my constitution will withstand the sampling process, I shall return in due course! The beginning of figure making began in 1954, when Wade introduced what some marketing expert decided should be called ‘Whimsies’. These are very small solid porcelain animal figures first developed by Sir George, which became very popular and caught the imagination of collectors both here and in the USA. Because they are so small, the modelling is just a little less sharp than one might hope for, and a treacly glaze appears on some types which to my mind looks unattractive, but I am sure must have its adherents. They were made continuously from then until the 1980s. One could even obtain a Whimsy free with (now defunct) Red Rose tea from 1967 (in USA from 1983). The first series of Whimsies were a set of animals that included a leaping fawn, a horse, a spaniel with a ball, a poodle and a squirrel. A collectors’ club was founded in 1994 and is currently celebrating its silver jubilee. There are several paperback guides to collecting these items, too, which can be a great help if one is to avoid pitfalls. Wade also produced other lines, also of inexpensive collectable porcelain figures including TV Pets, Whoppas, and Minikins, the inspiration for which was, needless to say, TV shows, comic books, and Disney films, for which they had to obtain a licence, an expensive undertaking even in those days! Following the death of Sir George Wade and then of Tony Wade, their potteries were sold to Beauford Ltd. in 1998 and renamed Wade Ceramics Ltd. This situation did not last long, and became the subject of a management buy-out in 1999,becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of Wade Allied Holdings Ltd. In 2009, they invested £7.9m in a new factory with the latest robotic manufacturing equipment to make ceramic flagons for the whisky industry, but alas, the last Wade factory in Stoke was closed in 2010, and sold for housing development, although the company HQ is still in Etruria but the figures are still made elsewhere. I am afraid that where I work at Bamfords, these little figures tend to get sold in groups in general sales. This doesn’t sound very earth shattering, but is good news for the collector, for it means that to collect these items, you do not need deep pockets. Early figures, from the 1950s up to Set 10 go for quite impressive money. A swan was recently on offer for £60, but then paradoxically, a large group of early ones appeared in an auction catalogue with an estimate of £10-15. The most expensive I have come across was a boxed set (no. 10) of farm animals from c. 1960 offered for £325 which for such miniscule porcelain creatures, is going some. At home we have a 1970s turtle, but so modest in size that we couldn’t find it to photograph it! Those made under a franchise licence, like Bambi (which I spotted for sale at £20) also make more than the standard ones. Needless to say, modern Whimsies are far less collectible, and although they mainly retail on the right side of £10, they are no longer products of the Potteries and will take a lifetime to become desirable elements in anyone’s collection. I might add that car boots are still fruitful ground for acquiring these little items at an affordable price. 00
Restaurant Review – A Relaxing Evening at the Marquis of Ormonde, Codnor
The first thing that strikes you about the Marquis of Ormonde on Codnor Denby Lane, apart from the smart décor of the exterior, is the sleek steel and glass surround to the front terrace. This south facing alfresco seating area is decked out with matching solid wooden tables and benches making it an ideal spot to linger over a leisurely lunch or an evening drink watching the sun go down. Evening temperature’s in the Spring soon drop and so, forgoing the temptation to soak up the last rays of the setting sun, Susan and myself made our way inside. The Marquis of Ormonde styles itself as a traditional pub and dining and part of the interior is clearly set aside as the ‘traditional pub’. The rest is a comfortable dining area; set out with tables for intimate dining and for large family groups. The latter in horseshoe shaped, booth style seating. We were greeted at the bar by Keli who, after taking our drinks order, showed us to our table. The bar is well stocked with draught beers to suit most tastes. I ordered a pint of Doom Bar and Susan ordered a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. The interior of the pub is decorated in a muted style that is homely and relaxing. The walls are a mix of soft greys, the woodwork is a pale honey colour. The exposed brickwork of mottled terracotta has a warming effect that adds to the laidback atmosphere. Keli brought the drinks to our table and informed us of the current specials. We sipped our drinks and studied the menu although one of the specials had grabbed my attention: the Wagyu beef burger! Along with the traditional starters of prawn cocktail and the chef’s homemade soup there is a deep fried brie plus a starter of nachos with dips. The latter two suitable for vegetarians. One of the specials that evening was an Ardennes pate. We chose the pâté. It was served with long pieces of toasted baguette and accompanied by red onion chutney. The pâté was not too course and the rich taste and smooth texture contrasted with the sharp and slightly sweet onion chutney; with the toast and a small salad it was a perfect starter. The mains menu has been well thought out with all the pub favourites putting in an appearance including scampi, lasagne, battered cod and hunter’s chicken; that’s a barbecue sauce with diced bacon and topped with melted cheese. There are vegetarian dishes and a children’s menu plus a grill section, with popular dishes such as gammon and surf and turf. On the mains menu there are 3 types of steak: fillet. flat iron and sirloin, all supplied by local butcher CN Wright of Codnor, and a selection of homemade burgers. Susan chose the beer battered cod, mushy peas and chips. The cod was a generous portion and coated in a light, crispy batter. The crunch of the golden batter gave way to white, succulent flakes of beautifully cooked cod. Hand cut chips accompanied the fish along with a dish of mushy peas and a pot of tartare sauce. This was comfort food in comfortable surroundings. The Wagyu burger had captured my attention and I was anxious to try it. Wagyu beef is highly prized and has a higher fat to meat ratio compared to traditional breeds. The burger was presented in a brioche bun topped with battered onion rings and served with hand cut chips and a salad. Nothing out of the ordinary until I took a bite. The burger had a fine and very tasty crisp outer coating that had formed during the grilling. The inside was divine: a distinctive beef flavour with a melt in the mouth texture. I cannot recall having a better burger. The evening had been a relaxed and delicious affair. We had eaten our fill and sadly didn’t try any of the desserts on offer; they range from the apple pie to my favourite: lemon meringue pie. As we waited for our taxi we chatted with owners Keli and Ed. They mentioned they are about to launch a new menu with some new dishes but plenty of old favourites. I understand that the chef is introducing, along with the other dishes, a new burger for the summer. I think that calls for a return visit. 00
Walk Derbyshire – Through Elton’s Gritstone Countryside
3miles (4,8km): easy/moderate walking. Two short climbs on easy gradients RECOMMENDED MAP: Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 scale, Outdoor Leisure map Sheet 2, The White Peak. BUS SERVICES: Hulleys’ 172 runs at 38 minutes past the hour from Matlock, Monday to Saturday. CAR PARKING: on the village main street – please make sure you do not interfere with private access. The tiny upland village of Elton sits more or less on the junction of the White Peak limestone and a southern outlier of the outlying stretch of gritstone tacked on to the bottom of the Dark Peak. The village has a long history, as far back as the Iron Age when the first settlers built simple farmsteads on the surrounding moors. For possibly ceremonial reasons not yet discerned, they built stone circles on remote places like Harthill Moor and Stanton Moor; there is also a chambered cairn possibly once the burial place of a Neolithic chieftain which seems to have links with nearby Arbor Low, Derbyshire’s Stonehenge. A gold cross found within a Saxon burial near Elton gives rise to the theory that Christianity came to the area as far back as AD700. Travellers along the ancient moorland tracks would stop and pray with the hermit who lived in simple conditions in a small cave beneath Cratcliffe Tor, alongside which the prehistoric Portway can still be traced. Slightly off route for this walk, nevertheless it is worthwhile making a diversion from the main path when passing below Robin Hood’s Stride rocks. A simple 14th century crucifix is carved on the wall above a narrow stone bench, the only passable comfort the hermit could expect. In keeping with the rest of the White Peakland dwellers, many of the locals found meagre employment delving for lead beneath the surrounding fields. While most of the profitable mines worked veins around nearby Winster, Elton’s operated on a far smaller scale. There is a local story of miners digging, contrary to mining law, beneath the local graveyard and almost undermining the church. Apart from hollows in surrounding fields, only the names of these old mines remain; names like the Portway Mine indicate its position next to the ancient way from the river Trent to a sacred site on Mam Tor. The walk starts from the west end of Elton, close by the church. Using ancient tracks and field paths across the gritstone moors, it then moves in a northerly direction to woodland at the back of Harthill Moor Farm, before swinging roughly south east, past Robin Hood’s Stride to the site of the Portway Mine. Here a right turn links to an uphill climb across the village sports field, back into Elton. During the earlier stages of the walk do not be surprised if you come across a flock of llamas; they and a group of Southern Beech lining a private drive are the property of the owner of nearby Rock Farm who has brought a little bit of Patagonia to the Peak District. There are also rare black fallow deer occasionally to be seen on Elton Moor across the dry valley to the north of Elton church. Elton’s church has an unusual history. When it was rebuilt during Victorian times, the original Saxon font was thrown out and dumped in the churchyard along with builder’s rubble. Soon afterwards it found its way to nearby Youlgreave where it remains to this day with Elton eventually having to make-do with a copy. THE WALK : 1. The walk starts by the church at the west end of Elton village. Turn right along the track on the far side of the church and follow it for about 100 yards (91m). Go through a gate and into a field. 2. Follow the path for about a quarter of a mile downhill, in order to cross the dry shallow valley. Go through a stone stile and on to a side road. 3. Cross the narrow road. Go through another stile and follow a field path uphill, for another quarter of a mile, crossing a farm access drive along the way. 4. Keep to the left of a prominent knoll and then skirt Tomlinson Wood by following its stone boundary wall to the left and then a line of telegraph poles. The large village across the wide valley on your left as you skirt Tomlinson Wood is Youlgreave, famous for its annual Well Dressing ceremony. 5. Look out for but do not go up to Harthill Moor Farm on your right. Cross a rough cart track in order to pass a ditch marked by a waymark signpost, and then go through the nearby gate. 6. Bear left climbing up the field and then climb over a stile in order to enter mixed woodland. 7. Follow the woodland track as it bears right within the wood, until it meets a minor road. 8. Turn right, uphill along the road for about 350 yards. Look out for a fingerpost beside a field gate on your left. 9. Go left here and aiming ahead for the prominent rocks of Robin Hood’s Stride, aim towards a gap on their left. If the eponymous outlaw actually jumped the rather long distance between the twin towers, his feat has never been equalled. Locally the rocks are also known as Mock Beggar Hall, because in poor light the outcrop can look like a large house. It was that which attracted wandering beggars looking for somewhere to sleep for the night. In the field to your left over the stone boundary wall, four enigmatic standing stones are all that remains of what was once a circle of nine. 10. Follow the rocky path to your left of Robin Hood’s Stride, downhill to the wooded lower reaches of Cratcliffe Rocks. Continue until the path joins the driveway to an attractive cottage. Use the drive as far as the main road. As you start to descend, a short path to the left leads through mature pines, to the
Lost Houses of Derbyshire – Brimington Hall
I have a feeling that, had Brimington Hall survived the rapid industrialization of early 20th century Chesterfield, it would by now be listed grade I or II*, for it was, judging from our limited knowledge, a house of exceptional interest architecturally. An estate at Brimington was held from the earliest times by a family which took their name from the place, the heiress of which eventually married Robert Le Breton who was lord of Walton-by-Chesterfield, another lost house – probably a rather large one, too – but one of which we have no known illustration; its site is now occupied by a good 18th century stone farmhouse. The Breton family, too, ended with an heiress who brought the estates of Walton and Brimington to Sir John Lowdham of Lowdham, in Nottinghamshire, but he too, left only a daughter, who married the younger son of one of the grandees of the Derbyshire Peak, Sir Godfrey Foljambe of Tideswell, Darley and Wormhill MP (1399-1371). This younger son was Thomas, who settled at Walton, and whose younger great grandson Godfrey was settled for life at Brimington Hall. He died without leaving any legitimate issue (a natural son, Godfrey Foljambe alias Brownlow went off to live in Staffordshire at Croxden) and the house was then granted to his nephew, George Foljambe (1532-1580). He seems to have been the builder of the house as we know it, but quite what his predecessor, Godfrey had left is unclear. The date of George’s building was around the time of his marriage to Ursula, daughter of Richard Whalley of Screveton, also in Nottinghamshire: c. 1554, making it just about Elizabethan. George’s tenure seems to have been for life, for when he died, the house and land, instead of passing to his daughter Troth, Lady Bellingham, reverted to his elder brother Sir Godfrey Foljabe of Walton, in whose line it descended, being used intermittently for younger sons and dowagers, until the time of Sir James Foljambe of Walton who, despite having been made a baronet in 1622, was facing considerable financial difficulties and was obliged to sell Brimington hall and estate in 1633 to Col. Gill, of a gentry family then recently settled further north in the county at Norton. Built of course rubble of Ashgate sandstone, probably culled from an adjacent outcrop, with ashlar dressings of the same stone. Its irregular plan is probably explained by slightly disorganized growth over the years from its first phase of building in the 1550s. The entrance front was particularly irregular, the entrance itself being set in a modest portico with a room above topped by a shaped gable and sandwiched between a tall gabled range set at right angles with an attic dormer and a lower range with the gable facing the front but embellished by a very charming two storey canted bay with a little hipped roof over. To the left was another gabled range, parallel to that flanking the left of the door, and the right ended with a gabled range parallel to that flanking the right hand side of the door: the effect was, nevertheless, one of great charm, with three and four light mullioned windows and paired diamond stacks rising from the stone slate roof. The tall range to the left of the entrance was echoed by a similar range on the garden front, embellished by a stone orial window at first floor level. This joined awkwardly to a pair of straight coped gables with chimneys rising from their apices and with eight, two mullioned windows seemingly distributed at random. To the right, a low single storey range with attics ran from one side of the house to the other. As the two large gables to the left of the garden front were of differing sizes and not set flush with each other, we may presume that they were built at marginally differing dates, but without the structure to examine in the flesh, disentangling the various alterations would appear to be a thankless task. Inside all we know is that there was a fine oak staircase, and that the main rooms had fine Sheffield School plaster ceilings, such as to this day survive at such places as North Lees (Hathersage), Cartledge and Brampton Halls. This exuberant plasterwork included a superb overmantel in the great chamber on the first floor replete with biblical figures, quotations from the Vulgate Bible and enclosed by terms at either end. One of the aspects of all this that makes me suggest that it would have received a pretty high statutory listing had it survived, is that it was never seriously rebuilt and seems to have retained its essential semi-vernacular Elizabethan fabric largely unaltered. The Gill family ended with an heiress who married into the local coal owning family of Heywood, the last of whom, George, was childless but left it to an heiress Hannah. She married D’Ewes Coke, who also had local commercial interests, despite having an inherited estate at Suckley in Worcestershire. In fact he was the representative of a junior branch of the Cokes of Trusley, whose ancestor George had been Bishop of Bristol and then of Hereford (1636-1646), where he had bought an estate. Joseph Wright painted a celebrated triple portrait of D’Ewes, and Hannah Coke with their cousin, Derby radical Tory MP Daniel Parker Coke, grouped in a landscape – either Brimington or Brookhill (Pinxton) – looking at a plan, presumably of an intended landscape, perhaps by William Emes of Bowbridge Fields (1729-1803). The picture dates to 1781-1782 and one version is in the collections of the Derby Museums Trust. Hannah looks pretty determined, and indeed, the family history records of her that ‘she was spoilt as a child’, which led to her becoming ‘rather disagreeable as an adult’! D P Coke, on the other hand, was well liked in Derby as being ‘animated, public spirited and honest’. I suggest that the landscape in the portrait might be Brookhill, for after Brookhill was rebuilt (probably by Joseph
Taste Derbyshire – Yummy Mummies
As childcare costs rise, two thirds of mums surveyed* said they would love to run a business from home. Taste Derbyshire spoke to three mums who have made the dream a reality by turning their passion for food into a family-friendly business. Sitting in a sun-drenched café in Derbyshire, Michelle Belsom and I are talking about our love of food and whether to indulge in a cookie with the giant Maltesers, the brownie with the cherries on top or plump for our mutual favourite; the fruit scone. Michelle offers to treat me as she’s not had time to eat. “I work lunch-times as a cook at a nursery school. I do 18 hours a week so I’m around to do the school pick-up and drop-off for my five-year-old son Jack,” she smiles. “It also gives me time for my side-hustle.” The side-hustle is her fledgling business Pickleberry Preserves, inspired by her son’s baby nickname ‘pickle’ and the berries she packs into her jars. Michelle, of Mickleover,is one of the increasing band of mothers attracted by the flexibility of becoming their own boss. The mum economy has grown by 30 per cent since 2013 according to a survey commissioned by eBay. Far from being a side-hustle, mums are helping to generate £7.2bn in revenues and support 204,000 jobs. “I always wanted to have a business related to food – it’s something I’ve loved doing ever since I was a child cooking with my nanna June. She was a game-keeper’s wife who made everything and when I got married in 2010 she gave me her preserving pan,” says Michelle (36), who was originally from North Yorkshire. “I’d always made cakes for family and friends and people were always telling me how much they loved the jam and curd fillings. When Jack was due to start school last September, I launched Pickleberry Preserves and realised I’d found my true passion – and a use for nanna’s pan.” As Michelle describes the process of perfecting her range of jams, marmalades and chutneys – she often rings the changes seasonally so look out for a summer special flavoured with Buck’s fizz – it turns out she must be the only woman in the country happy to spend Saturday nights in a hairnet slaving over a hot stove. “I spend a lot of time over steaming pans of sugary fruit, I’m not sure it will catch on as a facial but I love every minute,” she laughs. “I studied criminology and I’ve had corporate jobs but, throughout everything, I’ve had that deep connection with cooking and food. It’s at the heart of every family event, happy or sad – it’s what makes those occasions memorable. When I’m cooking, I’m at my most relaxed. If you’re going to run a business around your family, it may mean a lot of long hours – so make sure it’s something you really believe in.” She claims not to mind the packed time-table. “I get such wonderful feed-back and it’s great when customers send me pictures of my preserves on a table at someone’s Christmas dinner or party and I realise something I made was part of their life,” she says. “Running my business means I can plan my hours around Jack. He’s such a sweetheart. At one of the fairs, he stood by my stall yelling ‘It’s red so buy the jam’. I call him my helper-elf. My husband Rob is also a great help with my labelling, accounts and setting up at food fairs. He’s also there to say ‘You’ve got this’ when I’m having a wobble.” “Support from family, friends and a network of business people can make the difference between success or failure,” says Jenny Ryan, mum-of-two and founder of the Derby-based Women Rocking Business social networking group. “There’s a misconception that working from home means sitting on the sofa in your PJs and playing around on social media. The reality is lots of early starts and 2am finishes and it can be very isolating. I meet women who’ve only spoken to their children, partner and the postman all week. It’s not the easy option.” Jenny, a self-employed photographer, has been there and suffered burn-out as a result. “I think women are still seduced by the idea of ‘having it all.’ It’s tempting to think you can run a home, family and a business and have the house perfect again when your partner gets home. You have to make peace with the fact you can only do one thing at a time. If that means turning down work so you can help the children with homework or go to the park – that’s fine.” Ali Wand (38), who runs the Beautiful Food Company from her home in Quarndon, can testify to the benefits of Women Rocking Business meet-ups. “They are very informal, often held at coffee shops, and it’s great to feel part of a community,” she says. “Working from home can be isolating.” Although her mum is an ‘amazing cake-maker’, Ali discovered her talent for baking almost by chance. “My mum was retiring and her colleagues were talking about getting her a ready-made cake and I just thought a badly baked homemade cake would be better than a shop-bought one,” says Ali who is mum to Charlotte (14) and Lucy (12). “I used mum’s old Mark and Spencer recipe book to make a fruit cake and it worked beautifully. From then on, I always made birthday cakes for my girls, and friends started to ask if I’d make ones for them. But I was too self-conscious to charge very much and I realised selling to friends was a non-starter as a business.” When Ali moved to Quarndon in 2017 with her partner Chris Hands and his children Lexy (12) and Madison (10), she realised all those years perfecting her baking and sugar-craft techniques presented a ‘now or never’ opportunity. “We moved from South Normanton to Derby just before Charlotte was due to
RHS Chatsworth Flower Show
Brian Spencer looks back on 2018 when describing what will be on offer in 2019 Unlike Show Gardens at Chelsea, those at Chatsworth are far more practical, giving ideas for what can be created in the average domestic plot. Now in its third year at Chatsworth, the Royal Horticultural Society’s (RHS) newest Show, RHS Chatsworth Flower Show partnered by Wedgwood Pottery will return to the magnificent 1,000acre Chatsworth Estate. Following the popularity of 2018 themes, the show will be bursting with exciting new content including a mass planting of thousands of Dahlia (Dalina Maxi) ‘Salinas’; an impressive Power of Trees feature and a spectacular floral immersion experience, to wow visitors and thrill the senses. The main theme of this year’s show celebrates the five senses of horticulture with the taste and smell of edible herbs, plants and flowers, the touch of a variety of natural textures, the sight of high summer colours and the sound of bees, grasses and tree listening. Inspired by the resounding success of last year’s Cosmos display when banks of that delicately colourful flower complimented the warm hues of the freshly cleaned stone of Chatsworth’s venerable walls, a mass planting of thousands of dahlias will create a striking vision of lilac and white. Designed to echo the iconic parterres of Chatsworth House, visitors will be able to walk amongst the blooms to fully enjoy the beauty of this vibrant summer flower. Well placed alongside Chatsworth’s magnificent woodlands, the important role trees play within our world will be explored in the new Power of Trees feature, showcasing some of the great ways trees enhance our lives. Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, RSPB and Forestry Commission will showcase the vital and extensive role that trees have in our lives. Visitors will be encouraged to plant them at home in a bid to help battle climate change. There’ll be a tree nursery, storytelling, woodland crafts, carving, arborist talks and even tree listening in this exciting new zone. A virtual reality experience created by 3D expert and VR designer, Simon Mabey will engage visitors further in tree display as they experience the wonder of wildlife from the trunk to the treetop. Unlike show gardens at Chelsea, often far more suitable for the entrance to a top company’s head office foyer, those at Chatsworth are far more practical, giving ideas for what can be created in the average domestic plot. One of the highlights will include a show garden inspired by one of the RHS founders, John Wedgwood in ‘The Wedgwood Garden’ by horticulturalist and RHS Ambassador Jamie Butterworth. This colourful garden celebrates the power of horticulture and plants to connect people and unite communities. A special feature ‘The Brewin Dolphin Artists’ Garden’ will showcase the skills of a variety of artists from across the UK, including textile art, Japanese porcelain and basket weaving. Many of the themed gardens should give ideas for someone wanting to transform a domestic plot into a feature that will give pleasure and pride to its maker for years to come. If last year is anything to go by, there will be no over the top designs, such as the upside-down monstrosity one year, or concrete blocks rather than flowers. Local BBC listeners can see their station’s winning designs, the results of a competition across radio waves of the east Midlands. Judged by award winning designer Lee Bestall, the region is represented by three winners: BBC Radio Derby’s Haydon Vernon’s – ‘The Brewery Garden’ uses water as the theme which helped make Burton Upon Trent a prosperous brewing town. BBC Radio Sheffield’s Emily Barnes’ – ‘Elements of Sheffield’ celebrates the links the city has with the nearby Peak District. BBC Radio Stoke’s Colin and Mary Bielby’s – ‘An Imagined Miner’s Garden’ commemorates the Minnie Pit disaster on 12 January 1918 when 155 men and boys were killed – 2019 marks the 100 years since the last body was taken out of the mine in 1919. Experts will be speaking in the Potting Bench and Dig theatres at advertised times, alongside commercial growers on individual stands. Not to be missed will be the Floral Marquee bursting with the best on offer from 80 growers and nurseries throughout Britain; included alongside these will be RHS Chatsworth’s Master Grower Pennard Plants. There’s shopping galore and great community and schools competitions; there will be something for everyone at the RHS Chatsworth Flower Show from 5-9 June. 00
Walk Derbyshire – Thor’s Cave & The Manifold Valley
7 miles (11km): moderate trail and field-paths. Two steep climbs. Muddy sections. RECOMMENDED MAP: Ordnance Survey 1:25000 scale Outdoor Leisure Sheet 24, The Peak District, White Peak Area. BUS SERVICES: None beyond Hulme End. CAR PARKING: At Wetton Mill. REFRESHMENTS: at Wetton Mill café. This walk criss-crosses the Manifold Valley, climbing its steep sides twice along the way. The Manifold seems to be lesser known than its more popular neighbour, Dovedale, but this factor, if nothing else should encourage walkers to explore its beauties. For thirty years from almost the beginning of the twentieth century, a light railway followed the valley bottom all the way from Hulme End to Waterhouses on the Leek/Ashbourne road. Toy-like locomotives with huge headlamps below their tall funnels, hauled attractive yellow-liveried coaches three or four times a day up and down the dale. Originally intended to move milk in churns from farms in the upper valley, its business was soon taken over by road transport and although still popular with walkers and sightseers, its passenger trade was never enough to make the railway pay its way and, as a result the service closed down in the 1930s. With foresight the local authority took over the remaining track bed and turned it into an all-weather trail for walkers and cyclists. An exciting diversion early in the walk climbs up to Thor’s Cave where hyenas and sabre-toothed tigers had their lairs in pre-historic times. Later when Neolithic people came along, they used the cave as their home in times of danger. Centuries later on, during the unsettled years following the retreat of Roman administrators back to their homeland, the cave offered a safe place for Britons left behind in order to hold out against marauding land grabbers. Hidden treasure has been found in the area of the Manifold Valley. The walk starts and finishes at Wetton Mill, the only source of refreshment along the way. Originally water-powered the mill ground corn for the inhabitants of farms and villages on the surrounding uplands. Now owned by the National Trust, Wetton Mill is a popular stopping place for walkers and cyclists alike. Leaving the mill, the route follows the Manifold Trail as far as a footbridge on the left, crossing the frequently dry river bed at this point. A steep climb reaches Thor’s Cave before returning to turn left along the trail. This is then followed, swinging right with it to follow the River Hamps, upstream past a caravan site. After about half of a mile, a stile on the right is crossed before climbing a path, uphill to Grindon. Field paths following a side stream lead back down to the valley bottom and a left turn along the trail back to Wetton Mill. 1. From Wetton Mill turn left along the trail (surfaced). 2. Cross the Wetton/Butterton road at Dafar Bridge and continue along the trail for about half a mile, The River Manifold at this point frequently begins to disappear below ground, following a series of fissures downstream almost to Ilam. 3. Look out for a footbridge on your left and cross it to climb up to Thor’s Cave, returning to the trail in order to continue the walk. The portal of Thor’s Cave makes an excellent frame for the view across the dale. Bram Stoker, author of ‘Dracula’, used Thor’s Cave as the imaginary setting for his lesser known work, ‘The Lair of the White Worm’. A film made in 1988 loosely based on the novel used the cave in the dramatic blood-drenched opening sequences. 4. Retrace your steps back down into the dale and re-join the trail. Turn left and follow it for a little over a mile, crossing Weag’s Bridge along the way. 5. Where the Manifold is joined by the River Hamps, turn left to follow the trail, upstream along the Haps as far as a bridge over the river. 6. Do not cross the bridge, but turn right and cross a stile. 7. Follow the path, uphill roughly parallel to the trail and then bear leftwards still going steeply uphill. 8. Go through a gate beside the muddy remains of a pond and continue by path uphill with a wall on your right. Aim for the prominent spire of Grindon church dead ahead roughly a mile away. 9. Keep to the left of Buckfurlong Farm and out along the farm road. 10. Continue along a walled path, then right and immediately left when you reach the public road. Follow this lane as far as Grindon church. – No 11. refreshments, but the village and its church are well worth exploring. In 1862 the lord of the manor of Grindon went to Staffordshire Assizes in order to establish the rights of the rindle below the village. A ‘rindle’ is an intermittently flowing stream, why the squire should go to the expense of making such a claim on a very minor stream, albeit one which can dry up from time to time is unrecorded, but it was so important to him that he placed a stone making this claim near the church gate. 12. From the church go back down the side lane, almost to the road and turn 13. left on to a field path (signposted). 14. Go through stiles and cross a field, heading downhill towards a stream (the ‘rindle’). Cross it by a footbridge and bear right. 15. Still going downhill keeping the stream and a wood on your right. 16. Entering National Trust woodland at Ladyside, cross stiles all the way downhill back to the Manifold Valley Trail. 17. Turn left along the trail and follow it for a little under a mile, as far as Wetton Mill. Rambler +30
