Celebrity Interview – Ian Rankin
Examine any list of the finest fictional detectives of all time and you won’t need a magnifying glass to spot Inspector John Rebus. The creation of Edinburgh writer Ian Rankin was beaten to the number one spot only by Sherlock Holmes in a poll of W H Smith readers and his popularity is about to increase even more in the next couple of months. The curmudgeonly crime-solver is taking to the stage for the first time in Rebus: Lost Shadows which will visit Nottingham, one of only eight venues on a two-month tour. Meanwhile Ian is promoting his 22nd novel featuring the detective who specialises in flouting authority and doesn’t play by the rules. In A House Of Lies is in the shops this month. With book-signing tours in the UK, Canada and the US, Ian wasn’t able to watch rehearsals for Long Shadows and didn’t get to see the show until it actually opened at Birmingham REP. I chatted with him while he was at home in Edinburgh about whether he found it a problem writing for the stage, why he’s never watched a complete episode of Rebus on television and whether the character who’s now a retired policeman has any life left in him. Ian wrote his first play, Dark Road, with Mark Thomson, artistic director of Edinburgh’s Royal Lyceum Theatre, in 2013. Recently producer Daniel Schumann approached Ian, said he loved the character of Rebus and wanted to put him on the stage. The idea appealed to Ian. “We decided quite early on that we weren’t interested in taking an existing novel or story and trying to adapt it. We wanted to tell a new story that could really only be told as a stage drama. “He put me in touch with (playwright) Rona Munro, we met and it turned out that she’s a fan of the Rebus novels. Between us we came up with a story that we thought would work really well on stage and then we just started writing. “I think if you asked Rona she would say it was hard work. It wasn’t for me – it was really good fun.” Ian didn’t have a huge say in who would play Rebus on stage. The man chosen is Charlie Lawson, known to millions as Jim McDonald in Coronation Street. I met Charlie at Birmingham REP and he told me Rebus: Long Shadows is the most difficult thing he’s done in the 38 years he’s been an actor. “It’s enormous: it’s 109 pages and 108 of them are me. The challenge is the length and the size of the piece. Parts like this come along once in a blue moon. Sometimes it’s really good to challenge yourself.” The cast also includes John Stahl who plays Rebus’ nemesis, the notorious crime boss “Big Ger” Cafferty, and Golden Globe and BAFTA nominated Cathy Tyson who takes the role of Detective Inspector Siobhan Clarke. “These are great actors,” says Ian who is excited about seeing the play. “You put great actors and a great script together and you should get some electricity on stage.” It will be fascinating to see Charlie Lawson as Rebus. Some people will no doubt compare him to both John Hannah and Ken Stott who played the detective in four TV series broadcast between 2000 and 2007. But Ian didn’t watch either actor. “You can’t help but see clips and trailers but I’ve never actually sat through a whole episode. I didn’t want actors’ voices and mannerisms to get in the way of the character as I saw it in my head. “I’m less fussy about that now. I think Rebus is ingrained. I don’t think watching it on a stage for a couple of hours is going to change how I write about the characters in the way that watching it over the course of a TV series would. “I remember writers like Colin Dexter who did Inspector Morse saying he changed his Morse to be more like John Thaw because he was so taken by the portrayal on TV. “I didn’t want that to happen; I didn’t want Rebus to start to resemble an actor and not be his own person because for me he was a complete package.” Ian James Rankin OBE was born on 28 April 1960 at Cardenden, Fife. He graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 1982 and then spent three years writing novels when he was supposed to be working towards a PhD in Scottish Literature. He had a number of jobs including working as a grape-picker, a swineherd, a journalist for a hi-fi magazine and a taxman. The first novel he had published was The Flood in 1986 and the following year Rebus came to the public’s attention in Knotts & Crosses. Rebus wasn’t supposed to become a series of books; he died at the end of the first draft of Knotts & Crosses. Thankfully during the editing process Ian gave him a reprieve. Anyone who has ever read one of the Rebus novels which have been translated into 22 languages will no doubt express their gratitude. Ian has also penned standalone novels as well as books under the pseudonym Jack Harvey. His latest book, In A House Of Lies, features a cold case of a missing private investigator’s body being found locked in a car hidden deep in the woods. It seems every officer on the case has something to hide. Rebus knows where the trail may lead – and it could be the end of him. “Rebus has got older, he can’t use his physical heft to intimidate suspects, he can’t get into fights because these days he would lose. As he gets older, his health isn’t what it was. He now realises he’s not immortal. He’s looking to see if he can still make sense of the world as it keeps changing and what role he can play in that changing world,” says Ian. “I’ve really enjoyed the fact that in
Kim’s Derbyshire rocked the Aussies
ACTION was needed when Derbyshire failed to win a Championship match in 2016 so the board turned to a man who had been there and done it. During his career with the county from 1979-98 as an aggressive right-hand batsman who played in four Test matches, three of them in the heat of an Ashes series, Kim Barnett scored more runs (23,854) and made more hundreds (53) than anyone in the club’s history. He became their youngest-ever captain – 22 years 315 days – in 1983 and led the team in more matches than anyone before or since until he stood down in 1995. He was a member of the 1981 NatWest Trophy-winning side and skippered the side to the Benson & Hedges Cup final in 1988, going on to win it in 1993 as well as the Sunday League in 1990. His team reached third place in the 1991 Championship and he was in the side which finished runners-up in 1996 – their highest position since winning the title in 1936. His aggregate in limited-overs matches is another county record and he enjoyed further glory in Lord’s finals with Gloucestershire. With Barnett as Derbyshire’s director of cricket (later cricket advisor) the coaching set-up was streamlined. Genuine pace was introduced into the attack. His sudden resignation from this position on 2 July came as a shock to the county’s followers, although he always said he saw his role as having a limited period. As captain, his cricket was played in an era dominated by fast bowling and he lost no time in pursuing his dream of a Caribbean-style attack. It was a policy which touched the heights during an epic game against the Australians at the County Ground in 1989. But how did a cricketer who joined the county “as a young leg-spinner who could bat a bit” progress into a player who would be in anybody’s all-time Derbyshire side and has been such an influential figure in the club? Kim John Barnett was born at Stoke-on-Trent on 17 July 1960 and attended Leek High School. He excelled at youth level and made an impressive start for Derbyshire. Playing under Eddie Barlow with Boland in South Africa was a massive influence and, with the backing of Charlie Elliott, Guy Willatt and cricket-manager-in-all-but name Phil Russell, he adopted a dynamic and aggressive approach to his captaincy. Towards the end of the 1983 season he began to go in first, regularly in the Championship, rapidly becoming one of the most adventurous and entertaining opening batsmen on the circuit. With effortless and crisp timing and a glittering array of forceful and attacking strokes either side of the wicket, he could shred an attack. Perhaps a little impetuous outside the off-stump, where he played the percentages with hundreds of runs coming from square cuts or superb cover drives to compensate for the occasional edge, he was still capable of digging in when the occasion demanded. For example, at Folkestone in 1985, he occupied 50 overs in making 14 to defy Kent’s spin bowlers and help save the game. The West Indies had raised the art of using four genuinely fast bowlers as a unit to a new level. Barnett and Russell looked on enviously but it is one thing to employ such an attack over a five-match Tests series. It is quite another to attempt it on English pitches through the varied conditions of a Championship season. The answer was a rotation-policy which was ahead of its time. Barnett said: “With covering producing hard pitches bowlers were finding it more difficult to take wickets and unless you found a pitch which was seam-friendly you needed genuine pace to make a difference. Covering the ends made it tougher for the bowlers, who had to run in hard and were landing in their delivery stride on what must have felt like concrete. It all added to the stress and the risk of injury.” A policy evolved which was based on quality allied to numerical strength. In 1989, with Ian Bishop’s arrival to share the overseas place with Michael Holding, the permutations appeared endless. Nine bowlers – Ole Mortensen, Devon Malcolm, Allan Warner, Martin Jean-Jaques, Simon Base, Frankie Griffith, Paul Newman and either Bishop or Holding as the overseas choice launched fusillades of pace, either fast or fast-medium, at the County Ground. By now Barnett was attracting the attention of the Test selectors. In 1988 he made a dazzling 175 against Gloucestershire at Derby which included a century before lunch off an attack which included the Australian fast-medium bowler Terry Alderman, who had taken 42 wickets in the 1981 six-Test series. He followed this with an unbeaten 239 at Leicester and he was selected for the fifth Test against the West Indies at The Oval only for a hand injury to compel his withdrawal. His chance came in the Lord’s Test against Sri Lanka when he made 66 and 0 and he followed this with 84 in the Texaco Trophy limited-over game at The Oval. His selection for the subsequently cancelled tour of India (the Indian government would not grant visas to eight players, including Barnett, because of links with South Africa) followed as a matter of course. And then, in 1989, the Australians, led by Allan Border, arrived. England, with Ted Dexter as chairman of selectors, Micky Stewart as team manager and David Gower appointed captain, held the Ashes and were favourites to retain them. In their final match before the first Test at Headingley, the Australians met Derbyshire at the County Ground on Saturday, Sunday and Monday June 3, 4 and 5. Barnett recalls it as probably the best match in which he played: “Castlemaine, an Australian brewing company, had offered a share of £25,000 for victories in county matches and while the prize money was a factor we needed no financial incentives to turn out our best side against the Australians. They had lost by three wickets against Worcestershire on a well-grassed wicket
Product Test – Elemis
Put the Spring Back In Your Skin with Pro-Collagen Pro-Collagen Marine Cream £85 50ml Imagine the bloom of youth regained. Imagine an anti-ageing cream so advanced and so natural, it mimics the skin’s own function, transforming your complexion in just two weeks. Introducing revolutionary Pro-Collagen Marine Cream from leading British Spa Brand ELEMIS, clinically proven to increase hydration by up to 177% in 1 hour and by 248% in 12 hours*. With 1 now sold every 9 seconds globally Pro-Collagen Marine Cream challenges traditional anti-ageing skincare by combining ground-breaking natural marine ingredients, with the very latest in scientific research, producing a dynamic anti-ageing cream which dramatically increases skin elasticity, suppleness, firmness and hydration levels. On application, this high-tech cream penetrates the skin’s layers at a deeper level, moisturising the cells and increasing hydration by 177%*. The cream also works on smoothing the skin’s surface, providing an accelerated lifting effect through increased collagen support. After 14 days the skin takes on a smoother, plumper more youthful appearance. Pro-Collagen Quartz Lift Serum £110 30ml The jewel of the Pro-Collagen Collection, Quartz Lift Serum contains the purest concentration of the marine extract Padina Pavonica empowered with precious minerals, to help support cell structure and strengthen the epidermis. A powerful light serum that imparts an immediate lifting and firming effect on the skin. Utilising Padina Pavonica, precious minerals Quartz and Rhodochrosite and Argan Tree Oil, this breakthrough serum helps to promote cellular activity, stimulate cell renewal and support cell structure. Pro-Collagen Eye Renewal £67.50 15ml An intensive eye cream containing a unique synergy of potent seaweeds and volcanic algaes that cleverly mimic the skin’s function for a visible restructuring effect on the eye area. This revolutionary cream-gel texture is lightweight and glides on easily to dramatically smooth fine lines without overloading the delicate eye area or causing puffiness. Tried & Tested Pro-Collagen quartz lift serum. I didn’t notice an immediate difference, however after 3 weeks the tone of my skin feels firmer and the fine lines at the corners of my eyes are softening. Applying moisturiser on top is easy, and my skin felt healthy. VP Pro-Collagen Marine cream. Firstly, this lovely product smelled just fresh and clean, no overpowering herbs or florals. Although it hydrated my skin really well it did so without greasiness or feeling sticky. It seemed to boost my complexion. Great product. JP Eye cream. Going into the autumn the skin around my eyes always feels dry and flaky. I found this soothing and it slowly helped to restore my skin to normal. CB 00
Tried & Tested – Green People
Rejuvenating Eye Cream £14.00 10ml A nurturing certified organic night-time eye treatment rich in essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants from Evening Primrose, Seaweed, Perilla and Avocado. Squalane and Aloe Vera provide an instant moisture infusion whilst Baicalin, Green Algae and Tara bush work in synergy for powerful anti-ageing results. Hydrating Firming Serum £19.50 50ml This is a dual-purpose certified organic formulation that effectively more than doubles the production of collagen whilst helping to reduce wrinkles by 7%. Used over time and as part of a daily skin care regime, this nutrient concentrate will improve the skins elasticity and offer increased long-term firming and toning. Use with Anti-Ageing Facial Oil to lock-in moisture – the perfect combination for soft, toned skin and the perfect primer for Green People’s organic mineral make-up. Certified Organic. Age Defy+ 24 Hour Brightening £36.00 30ml The Bright Solution to Hyperpigmentation Age Defy+ 24 Hour Brightening is an active-packed, high-potency natural moisturiser with a difference. Not content with offering superior skin nourishment and a mild exfoliating action, this revolutionary organic product also actively reduces skin pigmentation and age spots when used daily. It also offers impressive skin benefits which include boosting cellular metabolism, hydrating and smoothing the texture of the skin and reducing fine lines and wrinkles. • Cucumber Seed, White Mulberry Bark and Hibiscus Flower extracts have a synergistic action to reduce melanin production and lighten and even skin tone • Pineapple enzyme gently eases excess pigmented cells from the skins surface to further lighten skin tone • Beech Bud Extract stimulates cell metabolism to increase cell turnover, refining the skin tone Enriched with 33 beauty-enhancing actives to brighten and lighten for a youthful you. 100% certified product made with 87.8% organic ingredients For more information and to buy online visit www.greenpeople.co.uk. Product Test FIRMING SERUM This melts into your skin easily and has a lovely natural scent. I could feel a slight tightening sensation after application. My skin definitely looks healthier with a glow. VP REJUVENATING EYE CREAM Firstly, I was impressed with the 87% organic ingredients, secondly with the effect of the cream. Not only does it seem to have diminished the dark circles, but it hydrates without being too oily or greasy. CB AGE DEFY This has definitely improved the tone of my skin and made it look less tired, it also feels more healthy. The White Mulberry, Hibiscus, Beech Bud, Cucumber and Pineapple gives this a delicate scent, and I was happy to be using such a natural product. JP 00
Taste Derbyshire – Stella’s Kitchen Eyam
It is 11.30am on a blissfully sunny day in North Derbyshire and a pair of holiday-makers have pitched up at a farmhouse restaurant for a late breakfast. A few bites into a ‘fluffy as a cloud omelette made-for-two’, one of them gasps. “Hot, hot, hot,” he manages to splutter. Stella Kisob Knowles, cook and flamboyant front-of-house at Stella’s Kitchen, runs to his aid. “I told you it wasn’t tomato ketchup; can I get you some water?” A few moments later, when the unexpected encounter with Stella’s famous chilli sauce (made with Scotch bonnets) has been forgotten – the couple make plans to come back to Stella’s for an evening meal. It’s that sort of a place, once Stella’s food has been tasted; people always want more. The fact there is lip-scorching chilli sauce on the table (and a milder and sweet alternative) at all tells you this cuisine is unlike anything you’d expect to find at a Derbyshire farmhouse which lies on a quiet road between the village of Eyam and the hamlet of Foolow. You can get tea and scones but the tea is African; often from Cameroon, the country of her birth. While the scones might be fresh out of Mary Berry’s cookbook, they have been given an exotic tweak to turn it into a ‘Stella creation’. “The recipe called for sultanas but I substituted them with crystallised ginger,” Stella says quietly as though embarrassed to admit she’s customised a scone recipe laid down by the queen of puddings. “My ginger scones are very popular. People love the idea of taking an English delicacy and giving it a little West African flavour.” Even a toned-down version attracted local praise; “I entered my scones in the Eyam village show last summer. I just dropped them off at the hall and didn’t think about them again until a lady appeared at the door to drop off a red rosette,” she says. “I thought it was for my son Adey’s sunflower. When she gave me a first prize, I was shocked and thrilled.” These two words just about sum up the reaction of tourists who – on asking in the tourist hotspot of Eyam about good local eateries – are told about the fantastic Afro-Caribbean place nearby. Fortunately, Stella is more than happy to explain how a woman, raised in Africa, ended up running a business from a remote farm in Derbyshire. But first things first. “You must eat,” Stella pronounces as though I am a waif likely to be blown away by the light summer breeze. “Have some hot banana and apricot cake, my recipe. I serve it hot, never cold. It’s gluten-free with almond flour which makes it very light. I’ll give you a good slice. In Africa we have a saying ‘food is never small’. This saying clearly applies to portions but could equally sum up Stella’s childhood during which food was always at the centre of family life. “I grew up in English-speaking North-Western Cameroon. It was just after we had gained independence from colonial rule by Britain. My father, who was a senior divisional officer in the government, took over from an English colleague who also passed on his chef, Mr Philip.” Stella admits she had a privileged up-bringing enjoying dishes cooked by a talented local chef; also schooled in European cooking methods. “Mr Philip was an amazing cook who picked up a lot of ideas from his employer’s British wife. I was the fourth child of seven and we had English delicacies like pancakes for afternoon tea. We’d go to church and when the church bell rang at the end of the service, Mr Philip would put a batch of scones in the oven, we all loved them,” Stella recalls. “From the age of three, I was fascinated by food. I would follow Mr Philip around the kitchen. He called me the ‘kitchen dog’ as I was under his feet all day long.” Stella spent a lot of time making play food; “My mother brought me a fancy doll back from one of her trips but I didn’t want it – I preferred playing in the mud making pies and cakes in old milk cans,” she laughs. “Someone bought me a toy kitchen set and it was my pride and joy. I learned a lot of African cooking from my mother. She loved to prepare certain dishes for my father but – even when Mr Philip was cooking – she’d be in the kitchen laughing and chatting about food and what we were going to eat. If someone is born – you eat, if someone gets married – you eat, when someone dies – you eat. Getting together to share food is central to African life.” Stella was so passionate about cooking, everyone assumed she’d make it her career. “I had sisters but I was always ‘the cook’ of the family. If people had parties or weddings, they used to ask me to do the catering. I even started a couple of restaurants in Cameroon but I didn’t have enough money to make them a success,” she explains. “But my late father always said ‘one day Stella, you’ll make your fortune from cooking’ and I may just prove him right.” In 1996, Stella went to Rundu Namibia to do volunteer work for the United Nations; “Our brief was to talk to woman about gender and reproductive health,” Stella recalls. “But you only get so far giving formal talks about contraception. I looked into ways we could generate some income for the women – like starting up a bakery – and we’d chat more informally while we worked. I loved my time there as I was mixing with people from all nationalities like Australians, Americans and the Portuguese, and learning about what people love to eat. Eventually, a friend and I founded a little restaurant called ‘Afrika House.” Stella, who is now 55, was encouraged by her British UN colleagues to move to England to
Restaurant Review – An Evening of Tapas at The Denby Lodge
I’ve never been to mainland Spain although I once took a winter break on Lanzorote, the northernmost part of the Canary Islands. That was over 47 years ago. We flew from a misty, sub-zero Manchester on New Year’s Day, before it was a Bank Holiday in England, on a Freddie Laker Airways flight; landing at Arrecife in a balmy 21˚ of brilliant sunshine. In those days there was just a handful of hotels on the island and one tarmacked road. One of my memories is of the tapas bar at the Mirador del Rio at the north of the island and the incredible vista across the tiny strait of El Rio (so narrow it’s just called the river) to the islands of the Chinijo Archipelago. I remember the stunning view but I don’t remember the tapas. So when an opportunity arose to sample tapas again, closer to home, myself and Susan jumped at the chance. The venue was the recently refurbished Denby Lodge, Denby Village, Derbyshire. Famous for their steaks they have added tapas to the main menu. Traditionally, a tapa is a small snack served as you stand at a crowded bar but at the Denby Lodge it’s been elevated to a dining experience. Although we visited the pub on a busy Friday evening there was no problem parking in the large and well lit car park. The double doors of The Denby Lodge lead in to a large and relaxing lounge bar. It was busy but not crowded. The layout of the bar guides your eye to the entrance of the spacious restaurant area. We made our way over to it, introduced ourselves and were shown to a quiet table. The seating in the restaurant is flexible; we had a table for 2 and around us were tables for 4, a party of 6 and a birthday party of 12. The pub has recently launched a brand new menu with a wide range of new dishes including, for the first time, a tapas selection; with 15 dishes to choose from. We decided to follow the suggestion on the menu and order 3 dishes each but asked them to stagger their arrival so that we could use the first 2 as our starter. Susan chose the mussels with chilli and chorizo and I ordered the seafood stew. The stew was pieces of fresh cod and salmon, shellfish and prawns in a white wine, cream and garlic sauce. The fish was cooked perfectly and the light sauce didn’t over power the delicate flavours. The mussels with chorizo was again a perfect balance of spices and succulent shellfish. There was just a hint of chilli in the tomato and chorizo sauce. The main event was 4 dishes that we could share: Portuguese baked egg, cauliflower bites with sweet chilli jam, calamari rings and halloumi fries. It’s a colourful spectacle to see your table laden with all 4 dishes and with so many inviting aromas it makes you want to tuck in. We both sampled the halloumi fries first. The fried cheese takes on a crisp coat but has a soft, melting centre. We very quickly cleared the plate. The cauliflower bites were fresh, deep fried florets coated in a crispy batter. If you love fritters you’ll love this tender, white vegetable dipped in the sweet chilli jam. The crunchy coated calamari rings were tender and served on a bed of salad. The Portuguese baked egg dish is a lightly cooked egg sitting in the middle of a bed of spiced tomato and red onion topped by sliced chorizo and served in a hot, metal skillet. Susan sipped a glass of chilled, white wine and I drank a cold lager as we shared our meal and chatted the evening away. The restaurant has a lively but relaxed atmosphere and the ever attentive staff, who persuaded us to finish with a shared dark and squidgy chocolate torte, leave you wanting for nothing. Our thanks go to Sally, Ben and their staff for creating an evening where we could feel comfortable; take our time and chat while enjoying a very relaxed meal with a difference. 00
Restaurant Review – Lunch at The Dragon, Willington
Situated near Bridge number 23 next to the 93 mile long Trent and Mersey canal sits Willington’s original public house, the 150 year old Dragon Inn, serving fine food and quality ales. If that isn’t enough information to get you down there I don’t know what it is that floats your boat! With a population in 1828 of around 400, Willington has grown to become an extremely popular village, partly due to its situation only six miles south of Derby. Our journey by car from the office in Alfreton to The Dragon, down the A38 took us under 30 minutes or five hours by canal boat! With a car park to the rear and also a public car park next-door, parking is easy and convenient. The Dragon boasts the same standard that we have come to expect from Bespoke Inns, who also have The Boot at Repton, and Harpurs in Melbourne in their repertoire. Originally purchased in 2011, the past 7 years have seen extensive developments including the purchase of the cottages adjoining The Dragon which now incorporate boutique bedrooms, conservatory and function rooms and a formal dining room all decorated and furnished with flourish and style in keeping with this 17th building. It still retains a traditional pub feel, and from the bar you can choose from a growing selection of quality, locally brewed beers from the famous Boot Brewery. I was privileged a few months ago to test the new ‘rhubarb’ ale while still in its early stage but now in full production. Worth a try I feel. The latest addition to The Dragon is a beautiful out door area encased in glass giving you the option of dining ‘inside -outdoors’ or in the garden, which is ‘outside-outdoors’. With so much to see on this busy part of the canal you can watch as the prettily decorated boats carefully pass each other, some with skill and care and others who are decidedly novices, but hugely entertaining. Sheltered from the breeze and weather, dining here still has a classic ‘alfresco’ feel with none of the inconvenience. It was here in the new 360 degree glass garden room, only a few feet away from the Trent and Mersey canal that we settled for our lunch on a partly sunny, partly breezy, cloudy day, but that didn’t matter. The lunch menu is set to cater for all and we watched as platters of sandwiches loaded with filling, and chunky burgers passed us. We however chose the salmon from the specials board and the pasta Amatriciana from the lunch menu. My wife’s salmon was golden at the edges and beautifully cooked, served with purple sprouting and crushed new potatoes with buttered spinach, a dash of Grenoble sauce, and an addition of finely diced relish, she said it was the perfect lunchtime dish. The penne pasta chosen by myself was also delicious, scattered with pinenuts and sunblush tomatoes and a basil sauce, it also had a generous piece of grilled chicken. Feeling in a relaxed mood, we indulged in a pudding, choosing an all time favourite; summer pudding with Prosecco soaked berries, a hint of tarragon and vanilla crème fraiche, such a clean, fresh taste to finish with. The large new kitchen, spec’d up with all the latest fittings certainly produces great food and is well abreast of providing meals for 400 guests on a Sunday lunch as well as hearty breakfasts served from 8am to 11.30 weekdays and until 11am Sundays. The main menu starts from 12 noon until 9pm every day. Every sunny day a very professional looking barbeque area comes into play which is extremely popular. Offering an eclectic mix, The Dragon has quiet areas for dinning or, if you are looking to enjoy a family celebration, you can hire one of their larger rooms. The new glass garden room is also available to hire, and I can imagine what a perfect venue it would be as the sun goes down, with the boats as a backdrop We were quite disappointed when it was time to leave, I was enjoying the ambience, the food and the Clod Hopper bitter. Given a little longer I’m sure we would have seen Tim and Prunella go by along with David and Victoria, or is that fanciful thinking, such was the atmosphere. 00
Historic Steam Railway Posters
When I was just five Maude, my nanny, was charged to take me off on holiday to Plymouth. I have no idea to this day why my parents could not go with me, but we were to stay with a relative of Maude’s for a few days. Clearly my parents were staying behind for some special reason, for no expense was spared: we were to travel on the Devon Belle, a short-lived Pullman express as it turned out. As a consequence, I was beside myself with excitement! At Waterloo, I was allowed to go down to the head of the train to admire the big blue Merchant Navy class engine (so coloured as an abortive experiment by the newly fledged British Railways) and say hello to the driver and his fireman; we were also given a small paper-covered illustrated booklet which I still have. I recall the journey vividly, but apart from being on Plymouth Ho, I cannot remember the holiday at all. It was not so long afterwards that I saw a very famous poster used by Southern Railway before the war, of a child in almost the same posture as I had been at Waterloo (albeit down at track level), looking up at the crew of ex-LSWR N-15 King Arthur class No. 755 The Red Knight, preparing to head the Atlantic Coast Express. It was memorably captioned in supposedly child’s handwriting, ‘I am taking an early holiday ’cos I know summer comes soonest in the south’. A 1925 black and white version (showing the engine number), was taken from a photograph by Charles E. Brown of 1924 which has ‘South for Sunshine’ below the illustration, and a modified version of the child’s declaration ending ‘….because it’s safer and quicker by rail.’ Today that poster in a sale would be estimated at over £1,500, and the earlier version at around £800. Which tells you that collecting original British steam railway posters is a rich man’s hobby. Yet they combine two elements for the collector: railway history and astonishingly fine work by distinguished artists. The railway companies which existed in some profusion prior to their grouping into four in 1923, all issued promotional posters of varying types. Some Edwardian ones are only worth £350-450 simply because they’re not especially artistic, yet these early ones are still collected and some can be amongst the least expensive. Yet the most memorable is the 1908 Great Northern Railway image by John Hassall of the ‘Jolly Fisherman’ accompanied by the ‘Skegness is so Bracing’ slogan; an originally will set you back over £2000 in good condition. From Grouping in 1923 to Nationalisation in 1948 the four companies – Southern, Great Western, London North Eastern and London, Midland and Scottish – really took poster design to new levels, employing a number of very famous artists, including Norman Wilkinson. I mention him, because his first work was in 1905 for the LNWR, but it was his work for the LMS that is most striking. Indeed, his view of the launch of TSS Duke of York brings to mind his wonderful frescoes in the entrance hall of Derby’s Railway School of Transport at Wilmorton, not to mention his work in several famous cruise liners. Other well-known views include the GWR’s Cornish Riviera posters, Stanhope Forbes’s LMS ‘Permanent Way – Re-laying’ and my favourite, Fred Taylor’s LNER Cambridge showing James Gibb’s King’s College with the Chapel behind. These tend to sell for £1,000-1,250 or above, depending on the artist and indeed the status of the subject. Some can comfortably reach £4,000 in good condition. The years of Nationalisation were dog days indeed for those of us who were obliged to use the railways regularly, the 1950s and 1960s especially – filthy carriages, abominable time-keeping, out-of-date stock, surly station staff, closures of services and constant strikes – only those over sixty or so will remember them now and smile wryly, whilst those of tender years continue to insist that all the ills of our now much more heavily used railways can be cured by a re-nationalisation, to being run by civil servants and political stooges. Yet in poster-making, dear old BR excelled, notably by employing artists like Frank Sherwin, Leslie Carr, Reg Lander, Claude Buckle and above all Terence Cuneo (1907-1996). Needless to say it is the latter’s posters which invariably make the best prices, and his genius of draughtsmanship, mastery of composition and facility with oils (not to mention his trade-mark mouse, invariably hidden somewhere in the composition) mark him out as exceptional. At the time I loved his early 1960s view of Clapham Junction, taken in an era when I was going back to school via the Atlantic Coast Express and loving every second of it. His view of Brunel’s Royal Albert Bridge at Saltash (painted for BR (W) to mark its centenary) is also most memorable, and £2,000 is around the minimum you might expect to pay for one of his, although we at Bamfords usually estimate slightly worn ones at £500 to £800 (expecting and usually getting better), although his ‘Tracklaying by Night’ poster was recently estimated by Bonhams at £1500-2000 in excellent condition, although the original painting for a poster of the Golden Arrow express, c. 1962 also with them, failed to sell against an estimate of £40,000 to £60,000. Nevertheless, for the original oils, therefore, add noughts! Yet the inter-war years were a golden age for the railways, for people didn’t go abroad for holidays, they travelled to places in England; they’d go on golfing holidays or shooting to Scotland, eat dinner and sleep on the train, and then get woken up with a cup of tea and kippers in the morning. Accordingly it was a golden age, too, for railway poster art. Another notable example was the colourful and then slightly risqué scene of mainly female bathers advertising the charms of Southport, painted for the LMS in 1937 by the Italian artist Fortunino Matania. Recently one sold for over £10,000. Yet
Lost Houses of Derbyshire – Devonshire House, Derby
A great friend who is the senior caseworker for the Georgian Group, was asked by the City Council to comment on an application to convert the upper floors of 35, Cornmarket into flats. Our own Conservation Area Advisory committee, which until recently I chaired, had already questioned the applicant’s desire to remove the surviving staircase of a building which is the surviving portion of one of Derby’s greatest lost houses, Devonshire House, 34-36 Corn Market. This was where 18th century Dukes of Devonshire would reside when in Derby to preside over the three annual Race Balls and various civic business – bearing in mind that the Dukes were hereditary patrons of the Borough until 1974. In his report, in The Georgian, the house was described as ‘said to have been’ the town house of the Dukes of Devonshire. However, there is no doubt about the identification, for although little seems to have come to light at Chatsworth in the archive, other pieces of evidence confirm the identification of a building that was outwardly intact until 1969, when much of it was heedlessly destroyed in favour of an ugly brutalist Littlewood’s store (now Primark). The origin of the house goes back to the time following the death of Bess of Hardwick, whose last (fourth) husband, George, Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury, was the builder of a grand house on the north side of the Market Place, which passed to his elder stepson Charles Cavendish, whose son William later rose to become 1st Duke of Newcastle. This house, Newcastle House was demolished to build Derby’s Assembly Rooms and its tale was recounted in Images for July 2014. The Dukes of Devonshire descend from Charles Cavendish’s younger brother, William, Lord Cavendish of Hardwick and later 1st Earl of Devonshire. A catalogue in Derby Museum asserts that the family town house was built in Corn Market in 1750 and although the catalogue was compiled in the late 19th century, the information was drawn from ‘jottings’ of John Ward FSA which include material dating back to the early 19th century. Tantalisingly, John Speed’s famous map of Derby, in showing the houses on the east side of Corn Market – then a bustling area funnelled out southwards towards St. Peter’s Bridge where grains were bought and sold from raised basins, set up on posts, called stoops – adds a number 25 just behind the position where we know the 1755 house stood. If you look up No. 25 in the key at the bottom, it says ‘Town House’. Could it be that Lord Cavendish even then had an important residence there? The house built in 1755 was in fact a re-fronting job, as early plans reveal three burgage plots on the site and later plans reveal a thoroughly irregular plan suggesting that the work was largely a re-fronting of more than one existing building. The resulting brick façade was very impressive, however, and very Palladian. There were three floors plus attics, and the building was nine bays wide. The ground floor was originally rusticated: that is faced in stone with prominent grooving between the blocks, a typically Palladian conceit, and traces of this appeared during demolition in 1969, as the later shop-fronts were being ripped away. The central three bays broke forward slightly under a pediment itself flanked by a stone coped parapet with recessed panels over the bays and originally without doubt embellished with urns. The bracket cornice below was deeply moulded and the windows on the first and second floors had bracketed entablatures over whereas on the central three bays, the middle windows had segmental pediments those flanking triangular ones. The attic windows were embellished with stone rusticated lintels, wavy along the bottom edge. Originally, the maps and plans inform us that there was a central carriage arch leading to a rather constricted courtyard behind, flanked by two non-matching rear extensions. No record seems to exist of the interior of the house, although there is a passing mention of fine plasterwork, earlier panelling and a fine oak staircase. At Chatsworth a bill survives dated 1777 from William Whitehurst, brother and works manager to John Whitehurst FRS, for a timepiece and case, which an attached voucher identifies as one installed in the kitchens at the Derby house. Probably it was a typical round dial oak cased long case clock, which are very rare as non-striking/chiming timepieces. A very similar one still stands in the almoner’s office at Chatsworth. There were also extensive gardens to the east, stretching to the Morledge and the Markeaton Brook as it swung NE through what is now Osnabruck Square. A stable block and carriage house were attached to close the rear courtyard off. The builder of this impressive occasional residence was William Cavendish, 3rd Duke of Devonshire who died in 1755. The identity of his architect for the house remains a mystery, for although James Paine was working at Chatsworth for the 4th Duke (from 1756), the façade in The Corn Market shows few of his usual conceits and if the 1750 date is correct, it is too early. William Kent had been employed by the same Duke to completely rebuild the fire-wrecked Devonshire House in Piccadilly, but apart from being severe and equally Palladian, there the resemblance ends. Personally, I suspect the house was built and the façade designed by the young James Denstone (five years later the architect of Markeaton Hall) perhaps working under his former master, Solomon Browne, but until some hitherto un-discovered payment vouchers appear in the Chatsworth archive, speculation will prevail. The curly lower edge of the attic story lintels, however, reappear on Leaper & Newton’s Bank (not the Thomas Leaper bar) in Iron Gate and once on the fenestration of the Babington Arms, Babington Lane, demolished in the 1920s. By about 1814, the area in front of the house had become too noisome and insalubrious for the 6th (Bachelor) Duke and, pulling rank as Lord Lieutenant of the County, he thenceforth requisitioned the 1811
Celebrity Interview – Isy Suttie
There must be scores of people in the entertainment business who’ve left Derbyshire for a career-boosting move in London. But there can hardly be anyone who’s a better ambassador for Derbyshire and Matlock in particular than the stand-up comedian, musician and actress Isy Suttie – and she wasn’t even born in the county. Two series of her BBC Radio 4 award-winning programme Isy Suttie’s Love Letters were set in Matlock; some of her Edinburgh Fringe shows were also based in the former spa resort; and her first book was about Matlock. “I love it so much and I also love the Peak District,” she enthuses. “I just feel really lucky to have moved to a place with such character and such beauty where lots went on. I can never get away from Matlock – not that I want to.” Isy chooses her words carefully, thinks before she answers each question and has little trace of an accent. She sounds completely different from her Radio 4 show in which you can’t fail to notice her Derbyshire lilt as she performs sketches with a rapid-fire delivery. She was back in Derbyshire recently but this time in the south of the county after being cast in the feature film Pin Cushion. It was written and directed by Deborah Haywood who grew up in Swadlincote. Much of it was shot in and around the former mining town. It stars Joanna Scanlan who was in the television comedy series The Thick Of It for seven years and Lily Newmark who has been nominated in the most promising newcomer category at the British Independent Film Awards for her role in the film. Pin Cushion is the story of a mother and daughter who can’t get away from bullies, and the terrible strain it puts on their relationship. Isy plays Ann, the leader of a community centre “friendship” group who lacks the confidence to stand up to the bullies. She admits the film is hard to watch. “I’m really proud to have been involved in it. It doesn’t pull any punches in terms of exploring bullying. It’s really funny as well. It doesn’t sugar-coat anything. I think the way it’s filmed is quite fairy tale-like and in a way that softens what it’s exploring.” Although the film is difficult to watch, Isy didn’t find it hard to act in. “When I initially read the script I thought it was brilliant writing. “Once we came to film it, I was so into the scenes that I didn’t think about how the character might come across as not very nice. I just enjoyed doing it.” She also revelled in being back in Derbyshire. “It was funny because Deborah knew so many people. When we were filming in the town centre her mum’s mates kept coming up and saying hello. “It was lovely to be in quite a small community with no frills. It was a low-budget British film so we didn’t have dressing rooms or trailers. We were all in a hall so we hung out and chatted. It felt really nice. No one could have any airs and graces.” Isy has appeared in a couple of short films but Pin Cushion was a new experience. “I’m so pleased that this film was my first feature because Deborah is such a talented person and a natural filmmaker who follows her instincts. It’s a very bold film and I feel really lucky to have been involved in it. I absolutely loved doing it.” Isobel Jane Suttie was born on 11 August 1978 in Hull. Her English mother and Scottish father moved to Matlock when Isy was six. About five years later she wanted to learn the saxophone – “at that time there were a lot of songs in the charts with saxophone solos in them” – but her mother thought she wouldn’t stick at it, so she bought Isy a guitar. She started writing songs almost immediately but it wasn’t until 2003, after she had trained as an actress at the Guildford School of Acting, that she included the songs when she began performing stand-up. Her breakthrough year was 2008. She was nominated for best female newcomer at the British Comedy Awards and was cast as IT technician Dobby in the Channel 4 sitcom Peep Show which starred David Mitchell and Robert Webb. She appeared in five series of the show until it finished in 2015 and remembers it with affection. “I’d done a bit of telly before that but not much. People have got really fond memories of Peep Show. I feel lucky that that was the first show I was a regular in. I think the writing was so brilliant.” Since then she’s appeared in dramas such as Holby City and Shameless as well as guesting on panel games including Would I Lie To You?, Never Mind The Buzzcocks, QI and 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown. So does she prefer film, television, radio or stand-up? “I like the variety. I quite like mixing it up really. I feel lucky that I get to do lots of different stuff.” Two years ago she wrote her first book, The Actual One: How I Tried, And Failed, To Remain Twenty-Something For Ever. It outlines how a bet with her mother resulted in a mad scramble to find a boyfriend within a month. Now she’s writing her first novel which is due out next year, although she’s struggling with the discipline of writing a certain number of words each day. “I can’t believe how long it takes to write a novel. I’m absolutely in awe of anyone who finishes one.” Nearly four years ago Isy, whose partner is Welsh comedian Elis James, gave birth to daughter Beti. That meant stand-up came off second best. “I found it quite hard to leave the house at night when she was going to bed. So I just naturally pulled back a bit but I definitely will do more stand-up in the future.”
