Innholdsfortegnelse for 09-mar-16 i Country Life

WE hope you enjoyed the first programme about us on BBC2 last Friday. We would blush to comment ourselves, beyond saying that it seems to succeed in conveying something of the wonder and variety of the countryside. This isn’t a landscape on which the sun always shines, but it’s a rich source of inspiration for many. John Bull is not the popular symbol that he was at the time of the Napoleonic Wars, but we cherish the countryside; we do it well and our love of it is peculiarly British. We use ‘peculiarly’ in both senses: it’s curious that a passion for things rural should be so pronounced in the country that invented the Industrial Revolution, but perhaps the two phenomena are linked. Henry VIII had something to do with…

THE Watlington Viking Hoard, which was discovered by a metaldetectorist in an Oxfordshire field last October, has been officially declared Treasure under the Treasure Act (1996) following a coroner’s inquest last month. It was probably buried by fleeing Vikings after their crushing defeat by Alfred at Edington in Wiltshire in 878, and contains some 200 coins, seven pieces of jewellery, such as arm-rings, and 15 ingots, which were excavated under the Portable Antiquities Scheme. Under the Act, James Mather, who found it, and the landowner may now be eligible for a reward. Declared Treasure can be acquired by a museum and it’s hoped that the Ashmolean in Oxford will raise the money—the hoard is currently on show at the British Museum. Academics think it will shed new light on a…

WHOEVER crosses his threshold in these times is sure to meet with women acting in capacities where they were unfamiliar until the war broke out. On the station a woman porter checks your ticket; on the Underground a lift-woman takes you down into the bowels of London and brings you to the surface again; in the shops where only men were previously employed, the whole staff seems to be in petticoats… [I]n these times of great stress and difficulty they will not shrink from shouldering that share of the burden which now devolves upon them.…

I WONDER if any other rural readers suffer from a phenomenon known as ‘horn-hooting’? We live among some very rural narrow lanes with high hedges and banks, so drivers need to watch their speed. I have noticed, however, with some amusement, that there is an increase in the number of drivers who toot their horns several times, at short intervals, as they whizz around our lanes. They must be visiting motorists; no resident would ever sound their horn—there’s no point! As rural dwellers, we would never hear a car horn sounding as a warning, because our radios or CD players are playing so loudly in our 4WDs, it would obliterate it—especially if we’re loaded up with a trailer full of sheep or a cab full of dogs. And if we’re…

AT Delft I saw the painter Vermeer who had none of his works to show me; but we found one at a baker’s. He had paid six hundred livres for it, although it is only one figure and I would have thought overvalued at six pistols [a tenth of the price paid],’ wrote Balthasar de Monconys, French traveller and diarist, in 1663. It is a rare documentary glimpse into the life of Vermeer, which, for the most part, remains undocumented. We do not even know why he is called Vermeer. His father’s name was Janszoon. The de Monconys diary entry does, at least, reveal that, by that date, he was famous enough to make a sophisticated Frenchman endure a long journey to see his work. Six years later, Pieter Teding…

AFTER the winter deluge, I find myself stock-taking and trying not to be too impatient—digging up things that are missing, presumed drowned. A poke around reveals either a sturdy subterranean rootstock or something more akin to chicken soup, so, in either case, at least I know where I am and whether or not I can cut my losses and brood on suitable replacements. The brooding has stopped with box. One or two patches have resisted box blight—a clone bought as Faulkner has been particularly resilient—but the majority of plants, many of them clipped into topiary specimens, have become badly disfigured, as if carelessly blasted with a flamethrower. I’ve read of many treatments, all of which seem to involve frequent chemical applications. As well as being an organic gardener, I’m…

ALL the birds stop their singing. The hen sparrow on the ledge turns to immaculate stone, an instant ornament. Beyond the window, the entire world goes to stillness and gloom. And cold—I can feel the temperature drop. Even through the glass. Only one local bird of prey produces such petrification. There it is, the red kite with its 5½ft wingspan—a travelling mini eclipse. I carry on filling in the Defra Holding Register (half of farming is paperwork) and wait for the dawn chorus to restart, but the next sound to come through the window is rapid bleating: the distress call of a ewe. I’d like to claim I Usain Bolt-ed all the way to the lambing paddock, but Wellingtons and gathered years restrict me to a British gallop, over…

Near Fursdon, Devon The exposed and damp grounds of Dartmoor and Exmoor, with their rolling hills and deep valleys, created a type of cottage that has long been admired by manufacturers of chocolate boxes and biscuit tins. These buildings are often made of cob, the local earth mixed with straw and rammed down to make incredibly thick walls. Protected from the elements, mud walls will remain dry and stable for centuries. After the coming of the railways in the Victorian period, it was possible to import building materials more cheaply. Brick appeared for chimneys (better for fireproofing) and clay tiles for the roofs, which last longer than traditional straw thatch Holme-next-the-Sea, Norfolk The almost pixilated effect of this cottage is achieved by alternating local flint and Hunstanton red rock. This…

THE son of a farmer, Paul Barker was born in West Yorkshire and died there at the age of 63. He began his professional career as a photographer working in the fashion industry in London, but, after 10 years, returned home to work on architecture, gardens and landscape. His delight in natural light, as well as an intuitive understanding of the picturesque, created a highly distinctive photographic style that simultaneously recorded, dignified and romanticised its object. Although he lived patiently with the weather, he managed by diplomacy and humour to move mountains for his shoots. His wife, Tracey, has always processed his images. In his work for the magazine—not to mention his many successful books and collaborative projects—he has helped to redefine the way we see the riches of the…

GIORGIONE is the Macavity of Renaissance art. Everyone agrees that he’s a highly significant figure in the history of painting, but the arguments that go back almost to his short lifetime (1478 –1510) about what his paintings mean and the endless art-historical wrangles about what exactly he painted make it difficult to pin down why he was so important. The undisputed facts about his life could be summarised on the back of a postcard of Piazza San Marco. Giorgione—a nickname meaning ‘Big George’—was born in Castelfranco in the Veneto and died in a hospital in Venice aged about 32, almost certainly from the plague. He wasn’t rich, judging by the few possessions he left, but he was famous. At the time of his death, the great connoisseur Isabella d’Este was…

YOU may not have realised it yet, but, soon, there will be no escape. April 21 marks the bicentenary of the birth of Charlotte Brontë (1816–55), author of Jane Eyre, one of the outstanding classics of English literature of all time. Recounted with intense passion, the story of a plain Jane who gets her Rochester, a penniless orphan who turns out to be an heiress, not to mention a mad first wife locked up in the attic, took the world by storm when it was first published in 1847. It has gripped the imagination of countless readers and cinemagoers ever since. The bicentenary will unleash a whole host of television and radio programmes, films, books, exhibitions and events in Yorkshire, nationally and internationally, rehearsing the Brontë story in its many…

DEALERS, collectors and, indeed, anyone travelling to the USA with antiques must be aware that the provisions of CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) are being applied with the utmost rigour. Any amount of ivory, tortoiseshell or other such animal product, however old or however small, may be seized and destroyed by customs. Aesthetic value or heritage status are no defence. At the end of January, as reported in the Antiques Trade Gazette, four British dealers sent a joint shipment of silver and works of art to Miami, where they were to be offered at the Original Miami Beach Show. All had items damaged or destroyed on the say-so of the Fish and Wildlife Service. Tea and coffee pots had their…

‘I have most certainly doubted the dachshund can co-operate I’M not looking behind me. Or to either side. I’m staring straight ahead, where I can see alpacas untroubled by rain, heads down, eating grass. Zam is standing beside me, counting pigeons as they fly into the trees. We are both avoiding the towering evidence in every other direction that we have not, contrary to the assumption of my sister and mother (both former army wives), become expert at this. ‘You’ve moved far more often than we did,’ they say. Three times in as many years and, yes, I think to myself as I sit in their kitchens being fed in the run-up to our latest move, they’re right. I’m an expert, I’m like a Buddhist monk. I’ve shed so…

A SHEPHERDESS from the South Downs is trying to raise awareness of the distress caused to both farmers and dog owners when their pets attack sheep. Launched with the support of the Kennel Club and the National Sheep Association, SheepWatch UK aims to educate people about the importance of keeping their dogs on leads near sheep, to encourage farmers to put up signs indicating sheep are nearby and to campaign for a fine to be imposed if dogs are off leads in a field with sheep, regardless of whether they’re chasing them. Parish councils can apply for a toolkit to help educate local dog owners and schools. Terena Plowright, co-founder of SheepWatch UK (www.terena.co.uk/sheepwatch-uk), warns that any dog can suddenly turn into a sheep chaser, even those that are normally…

THE golden celandines glisten in the dank banks beside the pockmarked farm track as three buzzards whirl around the parish, mewing at each other as the bright sun casts off the morning’s frost. The season is changing and the land is slowly beginning to dry after months of heavy rain. The countryside seems still and lonely, holding its breath as winter surrenders itself reluctantly to spring. It’s a magical time to walk the terriers or survey the garden. Everywhere, green shoots are poking through the soil and the rose bushes are pleading for a prune to set them on their way for their summer blooms. Pungent wild garlic offers the first delicacy for the wild forager and I couldn’t resist picking a bunch to go with that evening’s roast lamb.…

What country has the greatest area under vines? You will know the answer if you've done any wine exams, but, otherwise, you might be surprised. No, it's not France (second) or Italy (third), the USA or China. It is that dried oxhide or fragment nipped off from hot Africa, Spain. In that huge acreage (almost 125 million acres), there must be some hidden gems. Increasingly, they are coming from parts of Castile, not far from Madrid, zones not historically known for great quality. Why you should be drinking them In areas that are not governed by Spain's denominación de origen system, there is more freedom to experiment. Some of the country's best winemakers are being drawn to these parts and coming up with unusual blends and exciting wines.…

History Armour of the English Knight 1400-1450 Tobias Capwell (Thomas Del Mar, £54, www.thomasdelmar.com) MEDIEVAL armour is, in some ways, an intimidating and technical subject. Can you tell a visor from a vanbrace or a bascinet from a besagew? What are pauldrons, spaulders and aventails? This brilliant book will offer clear answers to all these questions and a wealth of information about their evolution besides. However, it also rises far above the mere description of detail. In its pages, Tobias Capwell engagingly presents a completely fresh perspective on the subject of English armour and addresses the question of what armour actually meant to the men who wore it. In both respects, his discoveries are as compelling as they are surprising. The subject of English 15th-century medieval armour has not hitherto…

• The UK pays more money to the EU than it receives and its rural development budget is the lowest in the EU • In 2014, the UK contributed £153 per person; Norway (not in the EU) gave £106 • CAP costs about 23p a day per European citizen • Every year, the UK receives £34.25 million from the EU for animal-disease controls • In 2014, UK farmers received £2.39 billion in CAP Basic Payments (£184 per hectare in England and £138 in Wales) • 55% of UK farming income currently comes from CAP payments • 38% of UK lamb was exported to the EU in 2014 (£200 million of it to France); 73% of the UK's £12.8 billion of food exports went to EU countries • Nine out of…

A vacancy has arisen for a Picture Editor at Country Life , a position that represents a great opportunity for anyone interested in brilliant, innovative photography and working with some of the best exponents of the art. Accuracy, imagination and resourcefulness are key and the successful applicant will be an efficient team player with artistic flair. The job will be based in our new offices in Farnborough Business Park in Hampshire. Apply to the Art Editor, Phil Crewdson (phil.crewdson@timeinc.com).…

WORLD Book Day burst onto my consciousness just a few short hours before it began. Somewhere in the small print of a school newsletter had been the instruction that every pupil should celebrate the day by dressing up as a science-fiction character. If I had registered this at all, I had completely forgotten about it, however, the children issued a reminder the night before, cunningly timed to coincide with my attempt to put them to bed. As a result, work began exactly when everyone should have gone to sleep. A hurried search for materials produced nothing but sheets of coloured paper and glue. Necessity being the mother of invention, this proved sufficient to create the eye of an alien and the carapace of a robot. After a few finishing touches…

In or out, we serve the countryside IN arguing that a vote to remain in the EU will best serve the countryside (March 2), Agromenes suggests that the CPRE is a firm supporter of this view. Although we agree that there needs to be discussion of how the vote will affect rural England, the CPRE will not be taking sides in the coming referendum. We recognise that our members have a broad range of views on this issue, so it would be invidious for us to present them as being on one side of the debate. Our history suggests we have been effective in protecting our countryside in and out of the EU and we will continue to defend it, whatever the referendum result. Shaun Spiers, Campaign to Protect…

Tracy Chevalier is an author. Her new novel, At the Edge of the Orchard, was published yesterday ‘ I’ve loved this painting since I saw a copy of it aged 19. The colours, the light, the look on her face are all beguiling. I have no idea what she’s thinking, if she is happy or sad. One day, it occurred to me that her expression reveals how she felt about the painter, and then I knew I wanted to write about that relationship. Lucky for me, we have no idea who she is, so I could write whatever I wanted! Vermeer’s genius lies in making us feel we know her, then realise that we don’t, over and over ’…

THE fittings of Croome D’Abitot church, consecrated on June 29, 1763, were designed by the architect Robert Adam. The new church was prominently sited as an eye-catcher in the landscape of Coombe Park, created by Capability Brown for the 6th Earl of Coventry. Work on it went hand in hand with improvements to the house. Shown here is the nave and chancel arch. The Gothic pulpit was made by John Hobcroft (or Hobcraft), a carpenter who also worked independently as an architectural designer and builder. It is hexagonal in plan and an exquisitely detailed crown of ornament surmounts its sounding board. As originally designed, the pulpit was probably integral with the prayer desk, from which the vicar read the service. The two were separated, however, during a 19th-century restoration. Half…

NORTH Nottinghamshire was once the home of a great tourist attraction: the Dukeries. In the 19th century, visitors flocked to the mansions and parks of four ducal estates carved out of Sherwood Forest: Portland at Welbeck Abbey, Norfolk at Worksop Manor, Newcastle at Clumber and Kingston at Thoresby. They have met very different fates. The houses at Worksop and Clumber have long been demolished and Clumber’s park belongs to the National Trust. Thoresby remains in family hands, but the house is now a hotel. Only Welbeck survives intact, still the home of the Duke of Portland’s descendants, complete with its historic contents. Until the 1930s, it was celebrated as one of the great houses of England, home of the immensely rich 6th Duke of Portland (1857–1943): according to one…

PRIESTS have accompanied armies since men first banded themselves into fighting groups. There are forebears in Bishop Odo of Bayeux at Hastings, Puritan ministers with Cromwell’s Ironsides and 18th-century regimental chaplains, but the Army Chaplains’ Department was officially established only in 1796, with the Rev John Gamble as first Chaplain-General. Currently, there are about 150 serving padres from seven Christian denominations and the department is based at Amport House, near Andover, Hampshire. Converted rooms in the stable block house the Museum of Army Chaplaincy dedicated to their work in peace, war and captivity. It is organised under the headings ‘Faith in Captivity’, ‘Celebrating the Faith’, ‘Faith in service of Peace’, ‘Faith under Fire’, ‘Faith in Uniform’ and ‘Teaching the Faith’ Displays include poignant Far East prisoner-of-war items, church silver and…

The Brontë Parsonage Museum in Haworth, West Yorkshire (01535 642323; www.bronte.org.uk), has a rolling programme of events and exhibitions throughout the year, including a talk by renowned Brontë biographer Juliet Barker on May 21 Exhibitions ‘Celebrating Charlotte Brontë 1816–1855' at the National Portrait Gallery, London WC2, February 22–August 14, includes the three portraits in the NPG's collection and 26 items loaned from the Parsonage Museum, some of which have never left Haworth before (020–7306 0055; www.npg.org.uk) ‘Charlotte Brontë at the Soane' at Sir John Soane's Museum, London WC2, March 15–May 9, explores Charlotte's visits to London as a published author. Highlights will include the dress she wore to a party at Thackeray's house, the putative oil painting of Charlotte and the book with the Brontë doodles (020–7405 2107; www.soane.org) ‘Jane…

Herewith is another clutch of exhibitions to add to last week's list. At Abbott & Holder, Museum Street, WC2, to March 26, there is a show of graphite drawings from George Romney. When working in wash, Romney (1734–1802) seems a remarkably modern draughtsman; these works are more obviously from the Fuseli school, but can still surprise. In Albemarle Street, W1, Joe Tilson's acrylic on wood relief ‘postcards' in homage to Ruskin ( above ), ‘The Stones of Venice', are at Marlborough until April 2. In Paris, the Galerie de la Présidence, rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, will show paintings by Albert Marquet (1875–1947) from March 15 to May 31. Marquet, a great friend of Matisse, was a brilliant painter of light, weather and rivers. ‘Made in Colour', the annual Royal Watercolour…