Innholdsfortegnelse for 1-Mar-2017 i Country Life

SIT up at the back. The subject is education—always a difficult one for the British. Last week, former Education Secretary Michael Gove argued in The Times that schools that serve the ‘children of plutocrats and oligarchs’ don’t deserve charitable status. He forgets that, if VAT were imposed, making fees 20% more expensive, such schools really would become the exclusive preserve of plutocrats and oligarchs. The willingness of some families to pay fees reflects the importance they attach to education—motivated families get better results. Children of high-achieving parents become high achievers themselves, whatever the regime under which they’re raised. It’s a law of nature that no government has succeeded in altering. When achievement is equated solely with exam grades, however, it’s time to ask whether we’re pursuing the right goals. It’s…

INVASIVE grey squirrels should be sterilised to protect the reds and save millions of broadleaf trees, says The Prince of Wales, who supports a Government-backed oral contraceptive unveiled last week, a humane alternative to culling. Greys are designated as vermin and anyone can kill them—they carry a virus fatal to reds, whose British numbers are now only 140,000, and strip bark from trees, exposing them to disease. In the form of chocolate spread, the contraceptive would be put out in bait traps sturdy enough for only the stronger grey to access—red squirrels, as well as smaller creatures such as voles and dormice, would be safe. The effect would last several years and will prevent millions of births. Scientists say grey numbers could be reduced by 70% in four years and…

THE National Gallery, London WC2, is to open a new gallery space for the first time in 26 years, on March 22, with the support of the Wolfson Foundation. The first exhibition at Gallery B will be ‘Rubens and Rembrandt’, ‘a dynamic visual dialogue between two great 17th-century masters’. Drawings by Frank Auerbach inspired by the two artists will hang in the lobby. On the ground floor, Gallery B will add an additional 200sq m (2,153sq ft) to the existing Wilkins Building, creating a direct public route from the Trafalgar Square entrance through to Orange Street at the rear. The last new gallery space at the institution was the Sainsbury Wing, inaugurated in 1991. Visit www.nationalgallery.org.uk for further information.…

WHEN we owned Snowy, a long-wheelbase Land Rover Defender, one of the unwritten rules was that you flashed your lights at any other vehicle of the same species coming towards you. It was one of those little pleasantries of life that cheered me up. London would come to a complete standstill if drivers didn’t let other cars turn from side streets in front of them and, happily, this kind act is almost always greeted with a wave of gratitude. Our natural politeness keeps the capital on the go. Why then do a significant number of people in the countryside fail to observe this same common courtesy? Dog walkers, cyclists and horse riders all benefit from cars slowing down to pass them. It’s simply safer and all it requires is a…

AT the end of February or the beginning of March the rooks begin to build their nests. The best method of studying them is through a telescope, set up in a top window. One soon discovers the birds which have previous knowledge of homemaking, as the businesslike way they go about their task is totally different from that of the excitable young couples which fly off together to collect sticks and return only to find their former gleanings have been confiscated. The old birds make no such mistakes, one of them staying behind to ward off any onslaughts.…

MY wife’s family’s burial plot is in a cemetery outside of town. We replace a container with plants as often as necessary. Last December, we found the plants had been pulled out of the container and scattered over the grave. Soil was everywhere and our immediate thought was vandalism, but why single ours out? Then, we thought a rabbit or a fox might be the culprit. It happened again and, that time, I reported it to the cemetery manager. ‘It’s the rooks,’ he said confidently. ‘They’ve been a real pain recently.’ He went on to explain that one lady had paid more than £100 for white stones to cover her husband’s grave. ‘They took the lot over a weekend,’ he said. ‘I saw them myself or I wouldn’t have believed…

The future of this 26ft-high mosaic by the Hungarian-born artist Georg Mayer-Marton behind the high altar of Holy Rosary Church in Fitton Hill, Lancashire, faces an uncertain future following the proposed closure of the church by the Catholic diocese of Salford. Mayer-Marton worked in Vienna until he was forced to flee the city in 1938. From 1952, he took up the post of senior lecturer in the Department of Painting at the College of Art at Liverpool and undertook several church commissions in the area, including this mosaic. He died in 1960. The photograph shows the mosaic against its original background, with figures of St Mary and St John. These were painted over about 30 years ago, although they still survive.…

Ann Cleeves is a writer and winner of this year’s Diamond Dagger, awarded by the Crime Writers’ Association. Her latest novel, Cold Earth , has recently been published in paperback ‘Peter Burns’s portrait of an unnamed shipyard worker represents home for me. When we first moved to the North-East in the mid 1980s, ships were still being built on the Tyne and I know people who once worked on them. I’m drawn to this face, to the determination and the unflinching stare. The confidence. We can tell from the crumpled clothing that this is a man who takes more pride in his work than in his appearance. Vera, my fictional detective, would understand and admire him. My response to the painting might be tinged with nostalgia, but the sitter…

THE CONNAUGHT hotel might be associated with some pivotal moments in history, most famously when Gen de Gaulle stayed there when he made a broadcast imploring his countrymen to fight the Germans after France’s surrender. However, it also plays a similarly important role in the renaissance of the fitted carpet; it was here that designer India Mahdavi took the decision not to lay—hold on to your hat—patterned carpets, a choice associated more with Wetherspoons pubs than West End hotels. As is so often the way with hotel design, the scheme proved hugely influential, inspiring confidence in something that had long gone the way of avocado baths and macramé plant hangers. If the entries for next week’s International Wool Carpet & Rug Awards are anything to go by, the renewal of…

‘I would say this is one to enjoy now, rather than to lay down’ THERE was a time, a few years ago, when Cuba’s regional editions were getting slightly out of hand—there were just so many of them, relating to countries that I never knew existed. Much of the excitement around these limited runs of unusual sizes of cigars from obscure brands seems to have been fuelled by international collectors playing a sort of Cuban-cigar version of Top Trumps, assembling collections from other territories and then telling their friends that they had the latest Rwandan or Polynesian limited edition. Of course, others felt that limited editions would be an investment and began to speculate in them, building up great stocks. The truth was that not all of them were good…

In my book about girls' schools in the 20th century, a former pupil of St Mary's Ascot describes the wonderfully eccentric, if rather snobbish, nuns, the strict rules on toast-making and the weekends with nothing much to do except go to chapel, read Georgette Heyer and play jokes on each other. Some 40 years on, St Mary's is oversubscribed-and this without headmistress Mary Breen resorting to trips to Mexico or Madrid to raid their Catholic families. ‘If a school is full, the head runs it. If it's not full, the bursar runs it,' she remarks. Mrs Breen certainly runs St Mary's with sparkle, affection and intellectual ambition. To go there is to be reminded, at every turn, how very far we have come since the 1970s. Indeed, the strapline on…

• Boarding creates camaraderie like no other—children make friends for life • Parental communication is no longer a matter of waiting for the weekly letter • Enlightened attitudes ensure a level of personal space, plus busy, fun weekends • It cuts out endless ferrying to matches and music lessons • Learning—libraries, computers, resident staff, hobbies—is on tap • The modern influx of international pupils provides opportunities, especially for rural children, to encounter different cultures • Boarding teaches tolerance, respect for others, tidiness and independence…

PUTNEY church felt overwhelmed on Saturday morning. The public consultation for a local development shared the building with a parish retreat and both were provided with the vigorous background musical accompaniment of a Zumba dance class. It’s a building familiar with contention, however; in 1647 representatives of the New Model Army made radical proposals for the future constitution of England here. Amazingly, we can still read parts of the debate verbatim, thanks to a team of stenographers led by William Clarke. One exchange particularly resonated with the current state of our family life. A certain Col Rains-borough demanded suffrage for all men on the grounds that ‘the poorest he that is in England hath a life to live, as the greatest he’. Henry Ireton disagreed and urged restricted suffrage: ‘No…

I wrote recently about Australia's embrace of Italian white-grape varieties, mainly from the south and with an emphasis on the estimable Fiano. Italian red grapes, notoriously difficult to transplant, are also doing well in the benign conditions down under. It's another promising marriage and I urge you to give these a try. Why you should be drinking them You could attribute the prevalence of Cabernet Sauvignon in the New World to snobbery: this is the main grape of left-bank Bordeaux, which produces the world's most prestigious red wines, so it conveys a marketable aura of class. Italian red grapes haven't had that kind of prestige, but things are changing: in the wine world, at least, we live in more open times. What to drink Fox Gordon Dark Prince…

‘I do worry about the state of education–it’s a political football’ THERE was spluttering in common rooms across the land when former Conservative MP David Faber’s appointment as headmaster of one of the finest prep schools in England was announced in 2009. The reaction—‘unusual’ gasped one tabloid—was, perhaps, akin to the flutter in the museum world at Labour MP Tristram Hunt’s recent parachuting into the V&A. ‘There were raised eyebrows, but it blew over. The boys were great and the parents were prepared to trust me,’ Mr Faber recalls. ‘They pay a lot and make sacrifices and we need to be in touch with that, but I would hope that they know I’m one of them and can see it from their point of view.’ Mr Faber had written two…

Ah, the parsnip, a vegetable loved only by this nation. As last year's crop is exhausted, this year's must be sown. Use ground that hasn't been manured. When conditions permit, prepare a level seedbed by forking, treading and raking. Set a tight line and take out a shallow drill, perhaps using the base of a bamboo cane, and sow the large, flat seeds along it individually a couple of inches apart. They are slow to germinate and some like to mix in a catch crop of radishes to build confidence. Cover the seeds carefully with the back of a rake.…

BY a deed dated November 6, 1600, Sir Thomas Cecil, Lord Burghley (and later 1st Earl of Exeter), founded an almshouse called the Jesus Hospital at Lyddington. The new institution, governed by a warden, was to support a community of 12 poor men and two women in perpetuity. According to its regulations or ‘Ordynaunces’, issued in March 1601, the community members were to be selected by their patron from among those of good character. The men and women had to be over the ages of 30 or 45 respectively and were to receive small weekly allowances of money and fuel besides a livery of blue gowns and black caps. They were to occupy themselves appropriately during the day and observe a regular regimen of prayer, including all baptisms and funerals…

In the loop The herringbone design of this Natural Tweed Eriskay loop pile carpet gives it a modern lift. Made from 100% undyed wool, it costs £44.92 per m sq, Brockway (01562 828200; www.brockway.co.uk) Old new Axminster carpets have been made in Devon since 1755. Proof that the manufacturer is still producing up-to-date designs comes in the form of Hazy Days, a collection of pure-wool woven carpets in soft greys and subtle patterns, including Leapfrog Swansdown, £86 per m sq, shown here (01297 32244; www.axminstercarpets.co.uk) Grey shade The soft pile of this 100% wool Enchanted carpet, £105 per m, from Crucial Trading makes it a good choice for all rooms in the house, including bedrooms. Available in five modern neutrals-Castle Grey is shown here (01562 742747; www.crucialtrading.com) Classic grandeur Lapicida…

Celeriac-and-pear mash (below) Peel and chop 2 celeriacs, put them in a saucepan with enough milk to cover and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 15 minutes, until almost tender, then add a peeled and cored ripe pear and simmer for a further 5 minutes. Drain, reserving the milk, and add a little butter and seasoning. Purée with a stick blender, adding a little milk if needed. Perfect served with roast pork. Celeriac-and-apple slaw Grate one peeled celeriac and a tart apple with the skin on. Combine 100ml mayonnaise, 50ml single cream, 30ml cider vinegar and a tablespoon of wholegrain Dijon mustard in a bowl. If it seems a little thick, add a splash of water. Add the salad to the dressing and mix well. Top with a…

NEW YORK welcomes Asian immigrants: alas, we are unlikely to have any readers in today’s White House to shock with such a headline. However, this year’s Asia Week New York is the largest in the event’s seven-year history, the original 16 dealers having grown to 50, plus five auctioneers and 15 institutions and museums in New York and beyond. Eighteen of the dealers are from abroad, of which half are British. This New York week is longer than a European version, running from March 9 to 19, but, then, such a range of exhibitions needs the extra time. A comprehensive guide is on http://asiaweekny.com. Whether or not those other revered feet walked upon England’s pastures green, Vishnus have left their trace in India—places where they touched the earth are…

Messing about in boats Permanent moorings in London are hard to come by and the capital's canals are home to more than 1,600 perpetually wandering houseboat owners, up 153% since 2012, due to high property prices Honest readers Some 25 million books have gone missing from public libraries since 1996, official figures show, but the true number could be much higher Sparrowhawks Despite clocking up its highest ever score in bird counts last January, come December, the bird of prey (p60) was seen in its lowest numbers yet, says the BTO…

ONE of the most heated conservation campaigns of the past four decades is back in the spotlight with a new exhibition at the Architecture Gallery of the Royal Institute of British Architects, 66, Portland Place, W1. ‘Mies van der Rohe and James Stirling: Circling the Square’ (March 8 to June 25) examines the contrasting approaches of the architectural giants property developer Peter Palumbo commissioned to bring his dream for a major new building in the City of London to life. Ludwig Mies van de Rohe’s original scheme for a 19-storey bronze-clad tower won planning permission in 1969, but it took Lord Palumbo until 1981 to secure all the freeholds on the site near the Bank of England. When it became clear that the plan would mean bulldozing several listed buildings,…

The Great British Dog Walk is back and will take place between March and June this year, with 20 walks across the country in aid of Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, which is celebrating its 35th anniversary. Some 4,000 adults and 500 dogs are expected to take part. Many of the walks will be at National Trust and other properties, such as Stowe, Buckinghamshire, and Yorkshire Sculpture Park, and participants can bring picnics. Visit www.hearingdogs.org.uk/support/great-british-dog-walkto find your nearest walk. Henrietta Cunningham…

Doing what comes naturally WITH reference to the letter from Michael Oakes of the NFU (Letters, February 15), I would like to say that what he writes doesn’t make sense. To say that Red Tractor-assured dairy farmers must allow their animals to ‘exhibit their natural behaviour’ is misleading. Dairy cows that are housed all year round certainly can’t graze, walk on grass and lie in the sun, all of which are more natural behaviours than being confined indoors on a concrete floor. Red Tractor is the same scheme that allows RMS (recycled manure solids) as cattle bedding, which, as a dairy farmer, I find difficult to understand. These issues need to be aired in public as the consumer is a powerful force for change and deserves to be aware…

‘Such work has long been seriously undervalued by British audiences’ WITH their tendency to obsess about ‘national schools’, museums and galleries often present a rather parochial view of art in which the Spanish, Italian, Netherlandish, French or sometimes even British school is given a privileged position. Hardly surprising really, when curatorial departments have traditionally been much concerned with classification and when so many museums were created as expressions of national pride, if not superiority. Although Athena believes that anything of any worth, including painting—don’t get me started on the excellence of Apelles—was invented by the Ancient Greeks, she nonetheless takes her universal role as a promoter of culture seriously. She is, therefore, delighted at the positive outburst of interest now taking place in Britain in American art. This is properly…

‘I’m not a woman who’s only happy when she’s sad, but Larkin’s pessimism cheers me up’ DESPITE the new gospel of sleep as salvation, my alarm is set for Farming Today. This would be a sensible way to begin the day if I kept farmers’ hours. I don’t. I’m still up at 11.30pm, so I rarely miss Poetry Please. Roger McGough is like an old friend; his soft voice is as peaceful and exciting as a well-aged Pauillac. He’s been especially on song lately, what with an evening of ‘Poems for Dark Days’ followed by a whole evening of Philip Larkin. I’m not a woman who’s only happy when she’s sad, but Larkin’s pessimism cheers me up. I was surprised when This be the Verse was read with nary…

ALTHOUGH Roger Oates and his wife, Fay Morgan, are best known for the revival of flatweave floor coverings, their contribution to the world of flooring has been far more wide-ranging. In particular, their artistic and highly inventive approach to colour has encouraged a whole generation of designers to see beyond plain beige carpet and explore the possibilities that colour, pattern and texture can provide. In conversation with COUNTRY LIFE’s Interiors Editor, Giles Kime, at the Fashion and Textile Museum in Bermondsey, SE1, Roger will discuss his career, his upbringing in Yorkshire, his art-school education, the inspiration he finds in American Abstraction and the life-changing discovery of a fragment of Venetian flat-weave in a museum, which was a turning point in his career. In Roger’s hands, this distinctive style of flooring…

The move of the annual London Antique Rug and Textile (LARTA) Fair to the Mezzanine at Battersea Evolution (formerly Marquee) alongside the Winter Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair was accounted a success, with praise from customers, decorators and members of the trade-including Decorative Fair dealers exhibiting downstairs. With exhibitor numbers increased to 17, plus two specialist collectors' magazines, LARTA revived something of the souk-like spirit of the old Hali fairs at Olympia. Without exception, the dealers loved their stands, the view over Batter-sea Park, the space and the layout. They also benefited from many new visitors and passing trade greatly increased compared to the previous venue in Marylebone. One of the first-time exhibitors was Liberty Oriental Rugs, which attracted a great deal of attention with a stand designed to represent…

‘We think it’s a tragedy when portrait and family become divorced’ CONTROLLED jubilation here. We have just managed to have one of the family portraits attributed. The charming small oil shows a toddler in a dress. ‘Cam’ Stevenson became a distinguished doctor. All we knew was the indistinct monogram of the artist in a corner. Now, thanks to a friend, Stephen Calloway, the art historian, we know that the artist was Sir George Reid, later president of the Royal Scottish Academy. Not only is the monogram identical, but he painted Cam (short for Campbell) beside a garden bench with an apple tree in the background. The same bench—and tree—make the background for a portrait of Mrs Duguid and her son, painted by Reid in 1869, now owned by Aberdeen…