Derbyshire Antiques & Collectibles – Beswick Pottery Figures
John Beswick Ltd, formerly J. W. Beswick, was a pottery manufacturer, founded in 1892 by James Wright Beswick and his sons John and Gilbert, in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent. The firm survived until in 1969 when it was sold to Doulton & Co. Ltd. They closed the factory in 2002 and the brand name John Beswick was sold on in 2004 to Dartington Crystal, which outfit resumed production. The pottery was chiefly known for producing high-quality porcelain figurines such as farm animals and Beatrix Potter characters and have become highly sought in the collectables market. The Dartington owned brand will still sell you items from a range of their classic pottery animals at prices ranging from around £16 for a seated piglet to £65, which sum will buy you an impressive-looking red stag. Based at the Gold Street works in Longton (Stoke-on-Trent), Beswick originally produced tablewares and ornaments such as Staffordshire cats and dogs. Yet when James Wright Beswick died in 1921, the company continued to expand under his grandson, John Ewart Beswick. In 1934 the introduction of high fired bone china meant they could produce high-quality figurines, such as famous race horses and champion dogs. The company was made a limited company, John Beswick Ltd, in 1936. An important change came in 1939, when Wolstanton-born Arthur Gredington (1906-1976) was appointed chief modeller and the firm began producing farm animal figurines which quickly became widely collected. Gredington’s range of no less than 190 rearing horsemen is one of the largest (and most popular amongst collectors) ever produced by the company. Not that the number 190 is anything but a notional one, for it is made up of minor variants of the basic 150 or so of Gredington’s horse figures. There were, for instance two versions of model 868 (a racehorse, jockey up), one with the jockey in an orange or scarlet jacket cut away at the waist sitting bolt upright. In the second version introduced in 1952 horse and rider have greater animation, the rider flung back by the motion of his steed. The commonest model of version two with a brown horse can be found for around £175. Yet these have fallen in price from around £250 a few years ago, although colour does make a difference, for a version two 868 in grey can sell for £650, whilst one in chestnut with damage to an ear sold for £2,124 in January, and yet a third, in rocking horse grey, the most sought-after colour, sold for £2,588. Version one is harder to come by, but the price for one with a brown horse rarely exceeds £500. The rarest of all Beswick wares is Spirit of Whitfield, a pony, modelled after the pit pony Kruger. An example of this item sold for £9,500 in London fifteen years ago. Under decorating manager Jim Hayward, there was a shift towards lifelike animal pieces, including cats, dogs, farm animals, fish and wild animals. Continued expansion enabled the acquisition of the adjoining factory in 1945 to accommodate offices, warehousing and new potting and firing facilities. In 1947, Lucy Beswick suggested bringing to life the illustrations in the Beatrix Potter books. In 1948, John Beswick secured the right to reproduce a range of 10 Beatrix Potter earthenware characters, the first of which was Jemima Puddle-Duck, modelled by Arthur Gredington. In 1952, Beswick began manufacturing a range of Disney characters, including Snow White, Mickey Mouse and Bambi. Along with the designs of James Hayward, the high-quality pieces they produced have become quite desirable. A Beswick model of a running hare, 5 inches high, model no. 1024, issued 1945-1963 was sold by us at Bamfords for an impressive £330 a decade ago now. Arthur Gredington retired in 1968 and the following year the company was sold to Royal Doulton and although animal figures continued to be produced, by 1989, the Beswick backstamp was dropped in favour of the Royal Doulton Royal Albert DA one. The popularity of the Beatrix Potter characters was a factor in re-introducing the range in 1998, specifically for the collectors’ market. But by the end of 2002, Royal Doulton ceased production of all Beswick products and in 2003 the Gold Street works were sold. In 2004 the Beswick name and product design rights were also again sold. The John Beswick name is now owned by Dartington Crystal, which continue to produce animal figurines using some original production moulds from the Gold Street works; they also produce vases under the John Beswick name. The Snowman and the Gruffalo figures are just some of the nursery figures still being produced. Yet if you want to collect, you should ideally be looking to buy items from the Gredington era (1939-1968) and the earlier the better. As usual, check for damage and wear. There is also a published price guide by Harvey May (no relation!) last republished in 2014, which gives some idea of current prices (which appear pretty stable at present) and mould numbering. Buying new is best avoided, as it will take decades before your purchase reaches the sum you paid, and there is always the danger that the manufacturer will over-produce, which always hobbles future prices. 00
Lost Houses of Derbyshire – Melbourne Castle
Some castles grew from purely Norman military motte-and-bailey castles, constructed by William the Conqueror’s knights to keep a firm hold on England. Others are later affairs, fortified houses built later in the middle ages or even in the Tudor Age more as symbolic castles than effective defensive buildings. Later still, houses like Elvaston or Bretby had ‘castle’ added in lieu of ‘hall’ for effect. If one was a member of the medieval elite, with a largish house built around one or even two courtyards, adding defensive works was sometimes felt advisable, as during the barons’ wars in the mid-13th century, or during the wars of the Roses in the mid-fifteenth century. In that case one applied to the King for a licence to crenellate, or to put it simply, to adapt one’s house to make it to some extent defensible. Such houses are usually termed defended manor houses rather than pure castles, and locally included Codnor, Bretby and Melbourne. There never was a Norman castle at Melbourne. The King had granted Melbourne to the Bishops of Carlisle, a place often made too hot for comfort by marauding Scots, hence the epic scale of the Norman church there. Yet it was not until 1246/1248 that we have evidence for a manor house at Melbourne. In the very beginning of the fourteenth century Sir Robert de Holand, held a manor house there under the ambitious Thomas, Duke of Lancaster of whom he was a leading confidant. He duly obtained a licence to crenellate in 1311 and in 1314 the mason Peter de Bagworth is recorded and undertaking extensive works there, ‘there’ being the area on the SE side of Castle Square at Melbourne, although this work was being done for Lancaster, not Holand himself, that year created a peer by writ of summons. Indeed, whatever arrangement there was between Lord Holand and the Duke, it was clearly intended to enable the former to reap the fiscal benefits of ownership whilst his master retained control of the site. Indeed, this was the year of the disaster at Bannockburn and for the next four years Lancaster was effectively in control of the government. In 1322, however, the King had his revenge, defeating the Duke at Boroughbridge, although, strangely enough, Holand had deserted to the King just prior to the encounter, thus saving his neck. What Holand created was a fortified manor house and he was later confirmed in his possession of the manor of Melbourne, held this time from his former mentor’s younger brother, Henry, Earl of Lancaster, again raised to a dukedom in 1351. The Castle is specifically referred to as such in the documentation generated by his death ten years later. The manor and castle passed by marriage to John of Gaunt, also created Duke of Lancaster, and when his son became Henry IV, his possessions were made into a separate principality, called the Duchy of Lancaster which still owns much land in England and especially in Derbyshire. By this time there was an extensive park, now attached to the Melbourne Hall estate, surrounded by a pale – an earthen bank designed to stop the deer jumping out – still extant in several sections, and equipped with two lodges, one (moated) situated at SK392241 and recorded as in existence from c. 1262 until the late 15th century. There was also a moat and bridge. After Agincourt the castle was developed into a palace-like residence and became the very luxurious PoW camp of the captured Jean, Duc de Bourbon and other notable French prisoners. Poor Duke Jean was there for no less than nineteen years; clearly no one at home was in any hurry to raise his ransom! Their gaoler and the Constable of the Castle was local landed magnate Nicholas Montgomery of Cubley, the younger. It was later granted to Henry V’s French queen after his death in 1422. A drawing of 1602 in the PRO (subsequently rather well engraved in 1733 for the Society of Antiquaries) shows it to have been embowered with something like a dozen round and square section towers, all embattled, the external walls having plentiful slit windows but high up, one or two elaborately traceried Gothic ones too. A pedimented lantern visible in the midst of the pinnacles seems to indicate the position of the great hall and there was an impressive elaborate door with a crocketed ogee moulding above it in the outer wall, compared by Anthony Emery with that at Mackworth (see last month) and presumably the main entrance, reached by the bridge over the moat. Emery also suggests that it must have been built, like Haddon and Wingfield Manor, around two courtyards and points out that the original drawing (rather than the engravings taken from it) clearly suggests this. In its time it must have been most impressive. Yet its apogee was brief and, with the French wars at an end, it swiftly became a white elephant although exactly what it was used for in the later fifteenth and earlier sixteenth centuries is not at all clear, but it was still in good repair when the itinerarist John Leland saw it in the early1540s, writing that it was ‘Prety [pretty] and yn meately [very] good reparation.’ Yet under Elizabeth it appears to have become completely redundant. Hence it was referred to in 1576 when it was reported that the castle was in a fair state of decay though the stonework was good. In 1583, it was recommended by the Privy Council that the queen move her cousin, the imprisoned Mary, Queen of Scots, to Melbourne, and a description of the castle was provided which throws interesting light on its appearance at the time in that it was said to be constructed of lead-covered ashlar, had large spacious rooms that would need to be partitioned, floors of earth and plaster, walls that appear to have needed repointing and rendering since they were described as being too easily scaleable, and no paths or wall about
Celebrity Interview – Stephen Booth
The Peak District’s beauty and charm are undeniable – but the area can also be full of dangers and mystery. Especially if you live in Edendale, a place that has experienced almost as many murders as the picturesque yet doom-filled Midsomer. Never heard of Edendale? It’s where writer Stephen Booth sets his crime novels which sell in impressive quantities. It can be as hazardous living there as in the fictional county of Midsomer where Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby has been solving dastardly crimes on television for more than 20 years. Stephen’s 18th book featuring the double act of detectives Ben Cooper and Diane Fry, Fall Down Dead, will appear on bookshelves in hardback next month. His latest work showcases Stephen’s knowledge of the hidden dangers lurking in the Peak District in general and Kinder Scout in particular. “There are lots of cases where people go out onto those hills totally unprepared, unable to read a map or a compass. They’re putting their lives in danger. “In Fall Down Dead a party of walkers get lost on Kinder Scout in the fog and have to be rescued. One of them doesn’t make it alive. That location, as with many of my books, is absolutely central to the story. The story couldn’t happen anywhere else because the landscape is so specific and influences the way people lead their lives. I think it’s just a fascinating place to write about,” says Stephen who lives in rural Nottinghamshire with his wife Lesley. Stephen ventured into the Peak District’s dark subterranean world for his 17th thriller Dead In The Dark which came out in paperback a couple of months ago. The landscape has always been an integral part of Stephen’s stories, going right back to his first book, Black Dog, in 1998. He was a huge fan of crime fiction but noticed that the central character was nearly always a “world-weary, middle-aged, alcoholic loner”. He wanted to do something different. “I decided to make my characters young and junior police officers. So Ben Cooper and Diane Fry are both in their twenties at the start of the series and they’re both detective constables, giving a different perspective on a police investigation because they’re not in charge. They’re on the bottom rung of the ladder. “I wanted one of them to be a local boy. That’s Ben Cooper who grew up in the Peak District. He’s from a farming family and knows everybody. I wanted the other character to be an outsider from the city. So Diane comes from Birmingham and moves into Derbyshire. That gave me two very different pairs of eyes to explore the setting. “Those two characters see the Peak District in very different ways. Really that was all I knew about them when I started to write the first book. Immediately when I began to write about them they came alive off the page. It was quite an experience that hadn’t happened to me before. “I’d written other novels. But those two characters just seemed to take on a life of their own straight away. Everything else about them, their background, their personalities, their families – I discovered all of that as I was writing about them. “I decided to give those two characters their freedom. They drove the story. I was very lucky that they came to me in that way.” The pair have proved so popular that Stephen has sold two-and-a-half million books all over the world. The novels sell well in the USA and Canada and have been translated into 16 languages including Russian and Japanese. “One of my books sold more copies in Russia than it did here just because it’s such a big market,” says Stephen. “And Scandinavia too. Although the populations are small, they read huge numbers of books in places like Sweden. They love crime fiction and my books do very well over there.” Despite that Stephen still gets a thrill when he sees his work in print. “I think no matter how many books I published it would still feel the same. Every time I pick up a new book it’s wonderful. “The hardback is a rare thing these days. I know a lot of people read ebooks. In America about 95% of my sales are ebooks. But here so many readers say to me ‘I still like the feel of a proper physical book in my hand’. There’s nothing like it really.” Stephen Booth was born in 1952 in Burnley, Lancashire. He wrote his first novel when he was 12 and knew he wanted to be a writer. But first he became a trainee teacher only to leave the profession after a terrifying spell at a big comprehensive school in Manchester. He moved into journalism, working for the Wilmslow Advertiser and other local papers before becoming deputy editor of the Worksop Guardian. Eventually the business changed so much that he wasn’t enjoying the job any more. So he single-mindedly set about achieving his ambition of getting a book published. “I came home every day from work and wrote in the evenings. Every single night, religiously. I was very disciplined about it. When you have a limited amount of time to write in, it’s surprising how well it concentrates the mind. “I produced that first Cooper and Fry novel in about four months, just writing in the evenings and a bit at weekends. It was there waiting to come out, I think. So I actually feel quite embarrassed about the fact that it takes me a year now (to write a book).” Black Dog won an award for best British crime novel in 2001 and the follow-up, Dancing With The Virgins, picked up the same accolade. Stephen was still a working journalist while his writing career was taking off: “I was very lucky that Black Dog did so well and my publishers loved the second book when I delivered it. I was able to give up the day job before the second book
Queen’s Park faithful took stylist Tom to their Hearts
TOM GRAVENEY gave a wry chuckle at the suggestion that our interview should concern, in the main, his matches against Derbyshire. “Ah, Derbyshire,” he said. “Well, I’ve got plenty of good memories, certainly from when I played at Queen’s Park. But it was never easy when I batted against their bowlers.” So let’s set the scene. Thomas William Graveney, Gloucestershire, Worcestershire and England. Born Riding Mill, Northumberland, 16 June 1927 but brought up in Bristol. Tall, rosy-cheeked elegant right-hand batsman who made 47,793 first-class runs in his flowing style, average 44.91 with 122 hundreds. In 79 Tests he scored 4,882 runs, averaging 44.48, with 11 hundreds, the highest of which, 258, was made at Trent Bridge in 1957 against the West Indies. Served in Suez with the Gloucestershire Regiment in 1946, achieving the rank of Captain. Became the first former professional cricketer to be elected President of MCC in 2004. Died 3 November 2015, aged 88. Those are the bare facts. What they cannot convey is the majesty of Graveney’s batting, a predominantly front-foot player whose aesthetic qualities belonged in the picturesque setting of grounds like Cheltenham, New Road at Worcester or Chesterfield’s Queen’s Park. He was also a delightful man with phenomenal recollections of matches from long ago, the kind of strokes he played in a certain innings and a memory for statistics that was usually spot on. “Derbyshire always had good bowlers. When I started they had George Pope and Bill Copson along with Les Jackson, Cliff Gladwin and Bert Rhodes, Harold’s dad. Then along came Derek Morgan, Edwin Smith, Harold Rhodes and Brian Jackson. They were always difficult, particularly on some of the green pitches in the county. The problem was that they could get you out at any time. You’d feel set, get to 30 or 40, and then something would happen. If they didn’t get you they could nearly always keep you quiet. Les was an exceptional bowler. I faced the world’s fastest in my time: Ray Lindwall, Keith Miller, Wes Hall, Charlie Griffith, Roy Gilchrist and the South Africans Neil Adcock and Peter Heine. England had Frank Tyson, Fred Trueman and Brian Statham and although Les wasn’t as quick as these, he had a nasty break-back that came at you. Whenever I saw him I used to rub the inside of my thigh in anticipation! They also had good captains, Guy Willatt and Donald Carr and later on Charlie Lee and Morgan. I first came across Donald at an Officers’ Cadet Training Unit in Wrotham, Kent but I really got to know him very well when we toured India, Pakistan and Ceylon in 1951-52. He was vice-captain and skippered the team in the final Test against India at Madras.” Graveney made Derbyshire’s acquaintance early in his career, at Bristol in July 1948. He had been doing just about enough to retain his place, partly because Jack Crapp and George Emmett were sometimes with the England team against Australia. Derbyshire made 207, Gloucestershire being all out on the second morning for 202, Graveney caught Pope bowled Gladwin 0. Derbyshire were then bowled out for 210 and with 15 minutes left the Gloucestershire captain BO Allen sent Graveney in first with the fast bowler George Lambert to preserve his best batsmen. “I wasn’t expecting to go in and I was out first ball, caught Dawkes bowled Jackson 0. It was the only time I bagged a pair – and on the same day, too. Derbyshire won, I was dropped and only got back in again when Emmett was summoned to Headingley for the Test only be made twelfth man.” There was a measure of revenge when his brother Ken took all ten wickets in the second innings at Queen’s Park in 1949 and Tom made 95 at Bristol a year later and 89 at Gloucester in 1951. But these were as nothing when compared to his performance at Queen’s Park on Wednesday and Thursday 4-5 August 1954. By now Graveney was in the England team and would tour Australia under Len Hutton’s captaincy the following winter. During that wet summer, Derbyshire pressed hard for the Championship and Gladwin soon had Gloucestershire’s openers back in the pavilion. When Jackson bowled Arthur Milton three wickets were down for 32. Graveney – who came to the crease at 2-1 – and Emmett added 82 before Emmett was bowled by Jackson for 50. With the score 114-4, the veteran Crapp joined Graveney and a tense struggle developed between the past and present England batsmen and the home attack: Jackson, Gladwin, Morgan, Bert Rhodes and Smith. “I had to be careful at the start because we were in a bit of a fix but gradually Jack and I got on top of the bowling. After tea, we were able to open up a bit.” In the last two hours of the day, Graveney increased his score from 94 to 204, he and Crapp adding 205 in 202 minutes before Crapp was caught at the wicket off Arnold Hamer for 95, with two sixes and 11 fours. By the close, Gloucestershire were 366 for six, a big score in a three-day match and next morning they batted until noon, declaring at 399 for nine. Graveney made 222 (four sixes and 26 fours) before being caught by Rhodes off Gladwin. A personal memory might not come amiss. On that Wednesday, I sat in teenage misery, fully appreciative of the majesty of Graveney’s batting but wishing it could have been played in circumstances less damaging to Derbyshire’s Championship hopes. An elderly man nearby noted the dejection. “Never mind, lad,” he said. “The result of this match won’t matter in time (Gloucestershire won) but you’ll never forget Graveney’s innings.” More pertinent are the memories of the then 20-year-old off-spinner Edwin Smith “It was magnificent. I think I went for about 50 in 19 overs and apart from Les and Cliff we were all under the cosh. I remember he hit me back for a
Derbyshire Walk – Elvaston Castle
This walk, around the parkland of Elvaston Castle, is one of my occasional excursions from some of Derbyshire’s grand houses. Unfortunately it could almost be described as from one of Maxwell Craven’s ‘Lost Houses’. Financial constraints on its present owners, Derbyshire County Council, make it impossible to fund the necessary £6.1 million needed to restore the building’s fabric; something that has put it very firmly on the list of ‘Buildings at Risk’ register. As a result of the house being unsafe, it means that it has been closed to the public since 2008, but the 200 acres of parkland around which this walk goes, are still freely accessible. There is also a programme of events in the park throughout the year, ranging from an Easter egg trail, to a night time guided nature walk – for further details check www.derbyshire.gov.uk/countryside events. Until Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries, the estate was owned by Shelford Priory, after which it was sold in 1538, to Sir Michael Stanhope of Rampton, Notts. Following his death in 1611, the whole estate, including Elvaston, was inherited by his second son, also called Michael. He became High Sheriff of Derbyshire and died in 1638, but not before he built the Elizabethan-styled house at Elvaston on the outskirts of Derby in 1633. With little change, Elvaston passed steadily through generations of Stanhopes until the 19th century. This was when Charles Stanhope, 3rd Earl of Harrington employed the architect James Wyatt to extend and re-develop the castle in the then popular Gothic Revival style. During this time a new wing and the great hall were added. Further modifications on the Elizabethan-styled south front were carried out in 1836 by the architect Lewis Nockalls Cottingham, leaving the building very much as we see it today. Vacated by its original owners, Elvaston Castle became a teacher training college until 1950, after which it remained mostly empty, slowly declining through intervening decades right through to the present time. Elvaston Castle Gardens Probably still the only truly cared for section of the estate, the gardens were laid out in 1830 for Charles, 4th Earl of Harrington by the relatively unknown gardener, William Barron. The earl had caused something of a scandal by marrying the actress Maria Foote who was seventeen years his junior. Very much a love-match, the couple kept the gardens for their private retreat while Barron spent the next twenty years building their now Grade 2 listed Gothic paradise. Following the 4th Earl’s death in 1851, his brother Leicester Stanhope became the 5th Earl. It was he who opened the gardens to the public for the first time. Along with the castle and its gardens, the estate covers some 200 acres of parkland, including several cottages and gate houses, along with an ice house plus a boat house. Ideally the property could be owned by the National Trust, but by confining their interest to acting in as a Consultancy Body, even they baulk at the thought of funding the £6.1 million required to restore the fabric of Elvaston Castle. Elavaston Country Park In 1969 following the Countryside Act the previous year, the estate including the castle was sold to Derbyshire County Council by the 11th Earl of Harrington. The council opened the estate to the public in 1970 as a Country Park under the terms of the Act. Since then it was used for country fairs and other major events, but latterly lack of funding has meant that even such things have been abandoned. Nevertheless the park is popular with up to 350,000 visitors a year, offering a wide range of activities alongside self-guided walks and cycle rides, or just for a day out in the popular children’s play park. . The Future Threatened with closure due to lack of funding, the council would like to remove its immediate financial liabilities amounting to around £500,000 a year simply to keep it open. Since closure of the main building to the public in 1990 when it was deemed unsafe, the castle and estate have attracted the interest of golf club developers, but this could well restrict the sort of access currently enjoyed by the public at large. The Walk : From the car park off the Borrowash/Elvaston road, follow the woodland track to the left of the children’s play park. Within sight of the lake, turn right. The huge mound of white rocks, an imaginative adventure playground, is made of tufa (naturally reconstituted Derbyshire limestone). The rock was used extensively throughout the park to decorate William Barron’s garden lay-out. Cross the bridge over a narrow neck of the lake and make your way up to the courtyard at the back of the castle. Bear left from the courtyard and then right into the ornamental gardens. Work your way up to the lodge and boundary wall. Join the tree-lined formal drive for about 50 yards and then angle left away from it and on to a path heading towards modern houses in Thulston. Bear right past the newish housing estate and on to a road passing the Harrington Arms. Turn left to join the Borrowash road for a few yards. Cross the main road and bear right on to a side road, bearing right again where it forks. This is Ambaston Lane, follow it for about a mile into Ambaston village. n.b. although this is a minor side road, it can be busy at times, so walk on the right-hand side, facing oncoming traffic. At the ‘T’ junction turn left on to a side road through Ambaston. At the road end turn left past the last houses and follow a grassy field path over a series of fields and as far as the river. Walk along the river bank until the path reaches the Borrowash road. Climb up to the road and bear left along it for about 100 yards. Drop down a side track on your right and regain the river bank. The path here is part of the Derwent
Hidden Gem of Food & Drink – The Boot, Repton
Turning the corner onto Boot Hill in Repton, the self-proclaimed capital of Mercia, I immediately thought “I should have arrived on a horse!” Everything seemed to be linked to the past and, in all honesty, I love that. The Boot, a 17th Century coaching Inn, is owned, managed and run by people with a fierce passion for what they do… and they’re very good at it. Rewarded for their success with a second AA Rosette in two years is testament to Chef Rob Taylor’s passion for food supported by his highly trained kitchen team who maintain that standard when he isn’t around. At front of house is Manager Rick Graham, who exudes the same enthusiasm for customer care. Drinking a cup of coffee chatting with Rob and Rick I could see that both are keen to keep pushing ‘The Boot’ forward with expansion of the team, more training and menu development. Chef Rob has his own allotment where he grows various things to take home and experiment with, creating new recipes and dishes which he can then introduce to the restaurant when he is satisfied. He is proud to be sourcing food from local suppliers including dry aged beef from Tori and Ben’s Farm Butchery in Melbourne where their sister business ‘Harpurs’ is situated. Rob and Rick have thoroughly enjoyed their three and a half year journey working in tandem and they have a good sense of humour too which I enjoyed. When you book a table it’s yours for the evening should you so wish. They both were quite adamant at this point that those who visit ‘The Boot’ should enjoy the experience from the high quality accommodation to their award -winning food. In for a pint at ‘The Boot’. A highlight too of my visit was to enjoy a pint of beer produced from their own, on site brewery. As creatures of habit, a beer drinker will generally stick to what he knows. When faced with a bar full of pumps with beer names never seen before the mind gets very confused. Various areas of the country sport their own particular ales and tucked behind the ‘The Boot’ is the Boot Micro Brewery from which flows thousands of pints of the finest quality beers which are on sale at ‘The Boot’ Repton, ‘Harpur’s of Melbourne and The Dragon at Willington. Head Brewer Jon Archer took over the brewing just over a year ago. I asked Jon what his background was. He replied “33 years in IT”, I wasn’t expecting that. There’s obviously more to this tale and it transpired that he was an avid home brewer, a skill he developed to replicate brewing at a small commercial level. So, when the offer came from the owners of ‘The Boot’ at Repton, to manage and develop their micro brewery, it was an unmissable opportunity. Home brewing is an art this author never perfected and after two failed attempts and two bouts of illness after drinking it(!) I decided to leave it to the experts and stay firmly on the customer side of the bar. Jon explained the ins and outs of brewing to me and it’s a pretty straightforward process which becomes very complicated when trying to maintain consistency. I was taken aback by the control exercised over brewing a popular beer to maintain consistency and satisfy the regular ‘same pint’ drinker. Asking anyone how they like their beer will elicit numerous replies ‘hoppy, malty, fruity, strong, dark, pale” are among many of the responses, but how do you cater for that on the bar. Much can depend on type of hop, where it comes from, yeast used etc. John selects the finest hops from around the country and from abroad to blend them into great tasting beer. The latest brew ‘Willow’ was launched in April and, as a low alcohol light ale, is harder to brew because low alcohol beers can feel too thin so need building up, but to his credit it has gone really well and is proving extremely popular. I watched as Jon checked the progress of fermentation in stage for the latest batch of ‘Clod Hopper’ which gave me an insight to the accurate records needed to maintain consistency. Ten percent of this, so much of that, this specific temperature and much more. (The exact details are a secret though and not for my eyes!) This is recorded ready for the next batch. Jon shared with me his knowledge of how life works in the Boot brewery, from designing to creating a beer influenced by Jon’s skilled palette which is suitable for production. I smiled as he took me to see and taste a drink in its early stages of creation, of which the base ingredient was rhubarb. I love rhubarb crumble, but I’ve never drunk it! The first taste was quite pleasant and I thought maybe a good drink but then came the next tasting made with a different yeast which took it to a whole different level on the taste buds. And that, as they say is the crux of the matter, the master brewer, in this case Jon, is using his skills and taste buds to create something everyone will love. Some of his great creations haven’t made it to front of house yet as they are still being developed. Passion and creativity rules everywhere at ‘The Boot’. By now it was time for lunch and, having been shown the brewery I needed to sample some of the 13 ales! Obviously, that’s not practical so Jon just let me select one that I fancied from the bar. At this point I wished I had come on a horse because I could just have jumped on and said, “Home Trigger”. It seems to me that whatever your passion, you’re going to be very spoilt at ‘The Boot’, the gastronomic hidden gem capital of Mercia. 00
Derbyshire Antiques & Collectibles – Vintage Telephones
Those of us over a certain age will know that, until 1984, when the GPO (Post office telephones) monopoly was broken up, one did not actually own one’s telephone, but rented it from the GPO along with associated installations. Thus there was very little choice over the type of telephone one could have. Collecting these instruments now is a relatively inexpensive hobby, with most types being available for under £50, although as usual condition is crucial and if an example has been adapted for modern plug in use, then the price is enhanced. When I lived in my mews house in London in the late 1960s we had two lines – KNI[ghtsbridge] 1136 and 9226 – both equipped with rather sleek plastic ’phones in two-tone grey and plastic flexibly spiral cord. Yet when I got my first place in Derby, in Littleover, I inherited a hefty Bakelite job with a fabric coloured platted cord – much inferior to my way of thinking. This latter was a GPO type 332 introduced in 1937 (expect to pay between £20 and £80 depending on condition, but add £250-300 if originally supplied in cream). It had a ledge under the rest with a recess so you could carry it around – provided that you paid the GPO for an extra-long lead. In contrast, my London ’phones were (then) up-to-the-minute type 706 ones, which also had the option of a wall-mounted version, one of which we had. For these today expect to pay as low as £10 and up to £60, much depending on the colour. The letters on the dial were to enable one to dial London numbers: three letters (part of a name identifiable with a distinct area) plus four numbers a system converted to all number in 1970. Yet my earliest memories of telephones included various elderly relatives with ‘candle’ upright instruments, from which the earpiece hung from a metal bracket which opened and cut the line when the weight of the earpiece was removed or applied. The earliest of these were Bakelite and brass-mounted, called a type 150L dating from the early 1920s. Today, expect to pay £80-120 or double that if sold by a dealer. The ones I seem to recall were a later modification eliding the brass mounts, although they had the refinement of a silver-coloured metal dialling ring for London subscribers with one’s ’phone number printed on a disc in the middle and covered by a bit of clear plastic. These can fetch £120 to £150 at auction, and the bell set alone can cost £25-30. These evolved after a while into the more compact type 162 which had its own bell incorporated, now selling for similar prices. For the purist, the 1890s Ericson-made GPO phones – very antediluvian in appearance and predominantly brass – were around until after the Great War and can fetch several hundred pounds. Yet by the 1950s most of my friends and relatives had the first type of pre-war ’phone with a horizontally placed handset, set on a slim neck, again, so that it could be carted around, and called by collectors a ‘pyramid’ ’phone. This was a heavy-ish Bakelite instrument called a type 232L; again, it came with a dial-less version called a 232CB; both had a little drawer in the base in which to put one’s friend’s numbers. One was sold with a £80-120 estimate by Bamfords a year or two ago, although the pre-war ones (check base for approximate dating evidence) can make up to £225, and cream examples from £275, even more with bell set and drawer to base. They were introduced in the early 1930s and kept going into the 1950s, although the type 332 was a later improvement, which continued to be supplied for years after the war – likely to cost £50-80 now, but a cream one might go to £300. In darkest Herefordshire, the cousins with whom I lived after my mother died had a wall-mounted exchange with a handle on the side of its timber body which one had to crank to put callers through to the appropriate extension on the estate; this was in service until at least 1970. I saw a similar one on sale at a fair for £130 recently. By the time the writing was on the wall for the GPO monopoly, one could buy a variant of the type 706 (called a type 746: £35-60) which came in a dizzying variety of seven colours, or a type 756 which had a push-button dialling facility (£30-50). Indeed, the current craze in the 1970s was for the type 722 ‘Trimphone’, the first instrument to ring with a different sound to the then-familiar double ring: they produced a horrible chirruping noise, much imitated on TV gameshows. Rt. Hon. Anthony Wedgwood Benn (formerly 2nd Viscount Stansgate, briefly MP for Chesterfield and the then Postmaster-General) presented the first one to a subscriber in 1965, but it was not actually available until 1968. Incidentally, ‘Trimphone’ is an acronym: Tone Ringing Illuminated Model. These go for £30-40 nowadays, colour being important. There was also a lightweight version of the type 746 which looked more like the familiar US domestic ’phones of the era, but which never seems to have caught on – at least amongst those of my acquaintance but despite rarity, cheap to buy. Going back to the early days in the 1890s the telephones were subject to infinite slight variations, all of which came with a separate bell unit, usually attached to the wall nearby (a phenomenon which endured to some extent to around 1970), no dial and a crank attached to a magneto wherewith to raise the exchange. It was only when the type 150 came in that standardisation largely prevailed. There were also various later types with buttons on the top by the rest for business use, or for domestic premises with extensions, and larger, more complex office installations, too. All the types had wall-mounted variants, although the candlestick variant was
Restaurant Review – The Poet & Castle
The demise of the local public house has been the subject of many newspaper articles; part of the ethos of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) believes well-run pubs, whether in rural or urban areas, play a critical social role in UK culture as the centres of community life. CAMRA believes that the British pub is a uniquely wonderful institution. The 50,000 or so which remain offer a rich variety of drinking and social environments and contribute significantly to the sum of the nation’s happiness. One of these unique institutions was our destination for a midweek contribution to our happiness; a Wednesday evening in the Poet and Castle on the Market Place in Codnor, Derbyshire. Our taxi dropped us off in the car park at the rear of the pub. One of the first things we spotted was the large outdoor seating area with its extensive views over the fields. Perfect for a family on a warm Summer afternoon. The Poet and Castle is the 5th and latest pub to be owned by the Lincoln Green Brewing Company. The Company, started in 2012 by Anthony Hughes, takes its name from the colour of the woolen cloth associated with the legendary Robin Hood. What began in the garage of his home in Nottingham has grown to include a brewery in Hucknall and the 5 pubs; 4 in his home county of Nottinghamshire and The Poet and Castle in Derbyshire. The Company has a simple philosophy; they believe in ‘proper pubs’ and this is evident in the Poet and Castle. It’s a place with quiet corners. It has big comfy chairs in front of the log burner. It’s a meeting place for dog walkers. It’s somewhere to put the world to rights and for us, somewhere for a Wednesday evening meal. As the owners state ‘You know when you’ve entered a proper pub. It’s a sense, not a blueprint’. We were given a warm welcome by Clive, the manager who explained the Lincoln Green real ales on offer. Their 4 main brews are called Marion, Hood, Archer and Tuck, names associated with the famous outlaw of Sherwood Forest. While Sue chatted to a group of friendly dog walkers I decide to sample the Hood; the bitter. This is a proper bitter; it’s complex flavours and smooth finish are a reminder of how good ale used to taste and is a treat worth making a detour for. The food is pub grub and for that reason the menu does not run on for 4 or 5 pages. There are 4 starters to choose from: goats cheese and red onion flatbread, 2 homemade soups; tomato or leek and potato and mushrooms in a wine and garlic sauce served on toast. There are 7 main course meals which include 2 burgers (one venison and the other a veggie), fish and chips, a beef pie, ham and eggs and a red pepper tagliatelle; 4 of them are available in child portion sizes. We chose the mushrooms and a soup followed by the pie and fish and chips. Everything is freshly cooked. I placed our order with Clive at the bar. He made a note of it and dispatched it to the kitchen along with a glass of Marion light ale he had just pulled and added “That’s to make the beer batter for your haddock.” It doesn’t get more fresh than that. The mushrooms take centre stage in the generous starter. Sautéed mushrooms are served on toasted slices of baguette There’s just a hint of garlic in the creamy wine sauce but it doesn’t mask the delicate mushroom flavour. Toasted baguette also accompanied the fresh leek and potato soup; a soup that can be served in all sorts of shapes and sizes: rustic, chilled and in this instance creamed. The Poet and Castle version is carefully seasoned and uses the whole leek giving it a deep flavour. It’s finished with a swirl of cream to enhance the smooth presentation. I decided to try the lighter, more delicately flavoured Archer American pale ale with my homemade beef pie and its robust gravy made with their own porter; Tuck. The pie pastry was crisp, the triple cooked chips lived up to expectations and I could taste the ale in the tender beef pie filling. Susan’s fish was a fillet of haddock in a Marion beer batter. The white, flaky fish had cooked beautifully inside the crisp beer batter and again the triple cooked chips were delightful. It was served with mushy peas and a dish of tartar sauce. To round off the evening I sampled the Marion. This is a full bodied pale ale with a fresh, zingy aroma and comforting warm malt taste. Along with their real ale they also offer real cider, wines and spirits. There is lager, but not the mainstream brands. We came away with the impression that the Poet and Castle was in the great British tradition of proper pubs; a warm welcome, excellent beers and wines, good conversation and good old fashioned pub grub. 00
Lea Rhododendron Gardens
For a few short glorious weeks in early summer, the wooded hillside above the Derwent Valley at Lea is a blaze of colour. This is when Lea Rhododendron Gardens come into their own every year. Brian Spencer tells the story of one man’s vision that has been backed up by three generations of a devoted family. It was John Marsden-Smedley (1867-1959), owner of the John Smedley manufacturers of quality woollen knitwear who made his residence at Lea, rebuilding the farm house of Lea Green into a house echoing his position as the local squire. Today the house and its immediate grounds are used as a residential and day centre by Derbyshire County Council Education Department as an outdoor activity centre. Marsden-Smedley was a keen horticulturist, growing flowers, vegetables and fruit trees behind high sheltering walls. As the site was comparatively exposed at an altitude of around 1,000 feet (305m), to aid existing woodland, he planted masses of trees to act as wind-breaks. These trees were to become a useful addition in his soon to follow, love of rhododendrons and azaleas. In order to find the most suitable site for these plants more suited to the high sunny slopes of the Himalayas, Marsden-Smedley tried planting them in various sites around his estate; the remnants of these trials can still be seen dotted around woodland clearings. In 1935, at the age of sixty-eight and inspired by a visit to Bodnant Gardens in North Wales, together with one to the Rothschild family’s Exbury gardens in Hampshire, he decided to develop his own rhododendron garden. One site in particular provided the ideal locality and became the present site of Lea Gardens. Surrounded by tall Scots pines, sycamore, yew, chestnut, oak and silver birch, some already there and others planted by Marsden-Smedley in order to create wind-breaks and provide shelter. Using a shallow hollow of an ancient quarry on the opposite side of the road surrounding the estate, skilled estate craftsmen used the abundant stone to build retaining walls, paths and beds for the plants which were soon to follow. Soil was brought in from other parts of the estate in order to top up the naturally occurring sandy soil. Coal ash from the furnace at his woollen mill was also used to add to this topping-up process. It was during this work that several Roman quern-stones were discovered (used for hand grinding flour). Apparently the garden is built on the site of a small quarry where a particularly fine-grained layer of grit-stone suitable for these stones can be found. Records from that time speak of purchases from all the major specialist growers throughout the British Isles. John Marsden-Smedley also decided to try to establish less-hardy varieties normally only successful in sheltered gardens on the west coast. To his delight he found that by careful planting in sheltered parts of the quarry-garden, they could survive the rigours of most Peak District winters. Many of his original specimens still flourish, almost a century after their planting. Together, over 350 varieties of species and hybrid rhododendrons and azaleas were planted by him and had begun to establish themselves in the 2-acre (0.8 ha) site before his death in 1959 at the age of ninety-two. When the estate was divided and sold, the gardens were bought by Peter and Nancy Tye. They were joined by Joyce Colyer a year later, who came with her expertise as an estate manager for John Marsden-Colyer, also bringing her intimate knowledge of the gardens and their collection of colourful plants. Nancy Tye had an artistic flair for rockery and garden design and it was she who created the alpine scree garden that complements the entrance to the rhododendron collection. The main garden was expanded under Peter and Nancy’s care by the introduction of new plants, ornamental shrubs and a small water garden. In 1960 the gardens were opened to the public and seven years later they built their attractive house overlooking the garden. The next generation to care for Lea Rhododendron Garden was Jonathan and Jenny Tye who retired from the Royal Air Force in 1980. Instead of flying Vulcan bombers, Jonathan and Jenny expanded their inbred flair for horticulture and increased the garden with new plantings. They were later joined by their son Peter, who specialises in the growing and marketing of rhododendrons. As plants begin to exceed their natural lifespan, they are gradually being replaced with new plantings, using the opportunity to bring in unusual varieties. Exciting new hybrids such as the American kalmias below the house, and flamboyantly coloured Japanese yakusimanums collection blooming near the alpine scree garden; almost every colour in a kaleidoscopic spectrum is there, ranging from white, through yellow, orange, pink and bright red; blue is even featured when the exotic Himalayan meconopsis poppy comes into flower in the alpine garden. Backing them is the breath-taking azalea bed which must feature on countless amateur photographs. Paths meander up and down the sloping site, past massive orchid-like flowers of huge rhododendron bushes, where there is colour all around. While the best time to visit Lea Rhododendron Gardens is in mid-May to the end of June and often well into July – there is one variety aptly named Christmas Cheer whose tiny single-petalled flowers come into bloom in late December. With the opening of a tea room, Lea Gardens has become a popular attraction. Visited by plant lovers or those who simply want to enjoy the eye-catching display, it now covers about 4 acres (1.6 ha), planted with over 550 different varieties of rhododendrons and azaleas. Plant sales on site offer a wide range of the varieties which might have caught your eye as you wander round this idyllic place. 00
Restaurant Review – Viva Matlock
Viva restaurant is well situated in the middle of Matlock on Dale Road; being close to a car park just around the corner. We visited this restaurant and discovered an idyllic place to eat in and experience that special Italian dining cuisine at a very cost effective price… On entering the restaurant we immediately felt delighted that we had chosen this venue. Viva is a stylish, modern and glamorous restaurant which offers a traditional Italian and contemporary cuisine. We were greeted by a waitress and taken to our table. Looking around, the open kitchen is impressive and pristine; together with the carefully chosen wallpapers and sculptures it all creates a totally enjoyable different dining experience. We were struck by the hustle and bustle of the restaurant, even on a raining mid week evening the restaurant was busy. And soon we were to find out why… Having examined the extensive menu of traditional dishes my partner eventually (with the expert recommendation from our waitress) chose the Cozze al Vapore at £6.95. This delicious dish consisted of steamed mussels in a cream, lemon and garlic sauce. I went for the Funghi Dolcelatte priced at just £4.95. Also delicious – the button mushrooms were stuffed with the famous Italian Dolcelatte cheese, coated in breadcrumbs and then baked in the oven and served with ciabatta bread. For our main dishes, my partner chose the Filletto Pepe Verde at £19.95. His fillet steak was cooked to perfection and the flambéd sauce of black peppercorns, brandy, French mustard and cream beautifully complimented it. He really was enthusiastic and remarked that it was one of the best steaks he has ever had! The dish was served with a garnish and French fries. Equally looking too good to eat was my choice of pasta. I chose the traditional Salsa di Pollo at £11.25. This popular pasta dish consisted of diced chicken breast, mushrooms, onions, fresh herbs and a hint of pomodoro and garlic in a creamy sauce. All this was washed down with a glass of house red and a Peroni beer. The appetising substantial portions had completely filled us up and so to finish the evening off we just had a couple of coffees. In conclusion, all the dishes were dazzlingly presented and bursting with flavour and nothing was too much trouble. It’s so good to have an Italian restaurant on ones doorstep that is excellent value for money and very affordable. Children are welcomed at Viva and I noticed the kids menu; for £6.95 they can choose any pizza or pasta from the menu, just in a smaller size. A massive thank you to Saj and their team. We’ll be back very soon so watch this space. 00
