The Field Jul-2018

TS ELIOT’S J Alfred Prufrock measured out his life with coffee spoons, a timescale seemingly embraced by the majority of the populace given the ubiquity of barristas on the high street. But most of my earthly presence has been marked by Game Fairs, having tramped round every one since 1982. This year will be no different, and we look forward to welcoming visitors to our stand [A14] as The Field did in 1958, when we attended the first Fair. Sixty years ago it was an amateurish affair in the best sense. Stands were mostly trestle tables manned by ladies wearing pearls buried in battleship bosoms and chaps in ties. In fact, every male present wore a tie and hat. Fieldsports dominated, with guns, gundogs and rods at every turn. And…

THIS time four years ago, in her studio in Florence, Italy, sculptor Susan Leyland was researching the experiences of horses, mules and donkeys during the First World War. In my study in Somerset, I was doing the same thing. The article I wrote marked the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War. Now, Leyland’s finished sculpture, The War Horse Memorial, has just been unveiled in Ascot to commemorate the end of that war. As Leyland describes her four-year journey to make the statue, we can all empathise with the challenge of creating a constructive work of art from the emotions she was going through. “I was asked to submit drawings and ideas in June 2014 for a possible war horse sculpture and, since then, not a day…

Wetland plants clean up the Ingol An innovative water-treatment facility has been created in Norfolk to improve water quality on the River Ingol. Anglian Water has invested £500,000 in the project, which has been created in partnership with the Norfolk Rivers Trust and the Environment Agency. Completed in April, the one-hectare natural treatment site uses wetland plants to remove ammonia and phosphates from the water before it goes back into the river. It is made up of four shallow, interconnected ponds planted with iris, sedges, rush, marsh and other native chalk wetland species. Built adjacent to the village of Ingoldisthorpe, the facility treats more than a million litres of water a day. “Nutrients such as phosphates and ammonia come from urbanisation, domestic products like detergents, as well as from human…

BIG BUTTERFLY COUNT Last year, 60,400 participants took part in the Big Butterfly Count, recording more than 550,000 individual butterflies. Butterfly Conservation is hoping for another record turnout in 2018, the charity’s anniversary year. This year’s count runs from 20 July until 12 August. To take part, visit: bigbutterflycount.org GOING THE WAY OF THE DODO Suffolk and Cleveland Bay horses, British Lop and Landrace pigs, Vaynol and British White cattle could “end up as dead as a dodo”, warns Tom Beeston of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST). According to the 2018 RBST survey, there are just 12 breeding Vaynol cows and 138 Landrace pigs left in the UK. The RBST needs to raise £10m over the next decade to pay for its gene bank, which stores genetic…

25 June-1 July Chalke Valley History Festival Church Bottom, Broad Chalke, Salisbury. Tel01722 781133; cvhf.org.uk – 29 June-6 July London Art Week Auctions and events in Mayfair and St James’s. www.londonartweek.co.uk – 29 June-6 July GWCT Scottish Game Fair Scone Palace, Perthshire. The Fieldwill be welcoming readers on the Brewin Dolphin stand. Tel0844 776 6777;www.scottishfair.com – 2-8 Hampton Court Palace Flower Show Surrey. New evolution of plants exhibition. Tel0844 995 9664;www.rhs.org.uk – 6-8 Kent County Show, Kent Showground, Detling, Maidstone. Tel01622 630975;www.kentshowground.co.uk – 7-8 Kelmarsh Hall Food Festival, Harborough Road, Kelmarsh, Northamptonshire. Tel01925 479140; greatbritishfoodfestival.com – 12-21 Jonathan Cooper: 30 Years Works by 31 international artists on show. 20 Park Walk, Chelsea, London SW10. Tel020 7351 0410;www.jonathancooper.co.uk – 14 Femmes Fatales Clay Shoot Longridge Shooting Ground, Lintridge Farm, Ledbury. Cost…

MOST VIEWED Sharpshooter The inaugural Schoffel Ptarmigan Trophy at West Wycombe was hotly contested, with top shots, a smattering of ringers and all-round good humour in the mix over five clay flushes. The shoot-off was between home team EJ Churchill, the NGO and Purdey. Jono Irby, Purdey’s head of sales, gave a consummate performance in the cage and the video of his sharpshooting (and the fast loader) was the most viewed content on The Field’s website. #THEFIELDMAGAZINE Picture Pawfect Entries for Gundog Photograph of the Year, a new category in The Field Gundog Awards for 2018, have been flooding in. We are searching for the best photograph of a canine companion, whether it records exemplary gundog work, encapsulates a unique personality or captures the relationship between dog and handler. We…