Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2020 i The Field

WHEN the Wildfowlers’ Association of Great Britain and Ireland (WAGBI) was formed in 1908, I wonder if its founders envisaged the challenges in store for their beloved sport more than a century later. Today, the wildfowling community faces more threats and pressures than ever before. The latest of these is the decision by Natural England to review its consenting procedures, used to permit wildfowling on protected sites along the UK’s coastline. This review has led to some consents being refused. As it stands, members of at least five clubs spanning the Humber estuary and Morecambe Bay, both European protected sites, will not be able to go wildfowling this season. And, because most wildfowling takes place on protected sites, the same problem could affect many other clubs and ’fowlers if not…

Shooting organisations are joining the Government in defending a judicial review against the release of gamebirds in and near to designated sites. The case is being brought by Wild Justice and will be heard in the High Court next month. The outcome will not have any impact on shooting this season. “The government has made its position clear, yet Wild Justice continue to take actions that necessitate them using valuable time and resources defending a court case at a time of national crisis,” said a joint statement from BASC, the CA, Game Farmers’ Association and the NGO. “Due to coronavirus there is a massive amount of uncertainty in rural communities and yet Wild Justice continue to push their extremist agenda. We should be under no illusion that this judicial review…

3-6 Orvis Saltwater Fly Fishing Festival On waters around Chichester Harbour and Hayling Island, near Portsmouth, Hampshire. Tel 0333 400 4177; orvis.co.uk 4-27 Salmon & Trout Conservation Auction More than 150 lots of fishing, artworks and experiences. salmon-trout.org 6 Glad Rags and Dog Leads Milton of Crathes, Banchory, Aberdeenshire. Bring your puppy or dog along to a troubleshooting workshop. Cost £20. Tel 07841 393155; jommevents.com 8 Introduction to Rifles Course West London Shooting School, Sharvel Lane, Northolt, Middlesex. Tel 020 8845 1377; shootingschool.co.uk 9 Ladies Course Competition West London Shooting School, Sharvel Lane, Northolt, Middlesex. Open to both novices and experienced shots. Tel 020 8845 1377; shootingschool.co.uk 12-25 Exhibition of watercolours by Gordon Rushmer, The Wind in the Trees Rountree Tryon Galleries, Market Square, Petworth, West Sussex. Tel 01798 344207;…

ASSUMING I’m allowed across the border, I have my eye on Inchconnachan Island in Loch Lomond – more boathouse than bolthole but where capercaillie and otters don’t wear masks. Just over 100 acres off the western shore of southern Loch Lomond, it’s for sale at offers over £500,000. There is planning permission to replace the derelict, Colonial-style timber bungalow with a five-bedroom lodge, a boathouse and pier. There are secluded bays and ancient woodland and an abundance of wildlife, including, reputedly, a few wallabies. You are just 24 miles from Glasgow Airport, with the initial commute to the conservation village of Luss by boat. The island, in the ownership of the Colquhoun family since the 14th century, has been uninhabited for 20 years but it is strictly a holiday home…

DID we miss the country-house opera season? As a philistine of goliathan degree I found I could wait another year for the annual warbling. Of course, there’s something splendid about the black-tie, lobster and champagne picnic among the herbaceous and I can swing along to the Magic Flute with the best of ’em. But has anyone ever had a truly jolly evening at The Turn of the Screw? I’d swap my ticket for 15 minutes of Game Fair ferret racing any day. Yet our local opera house, the Grange, is so perfect on a high summer evening, the emperor dragonflies hawking over a lake hazy with the scent of harvest, that I missed being there. It’s a place to daydream of an England past, when corn was scythed and the…

The finest photographic chronicler of the 20th century, Cecil Beaton immortalised the great and the good. However, he is most associated with the glamour and decadence of the Bright Young Things. He could do this because he was friends with them: he went to the right parties and bedded many of the attendees (of both sexes). But he was able to distil the spirit of the age and of the protagonists so atmospherically because he was an outsider. He might have been to Harrow and Cambridge but he was the son of a timber merchant, after all. The Bright Young Things themselves were a group of young aristocrats and socialites who blazed a social trail through the Roaring Twenties. Some sectors of polite society were shocked by their wanton abandon…

HALLELUJAH! The auction houses are pretty much open again (many doing viewings by appointment); ever more live auctions are happening and the buying/selling machine is grinding back into action after months of furloughing and lockdown. And, it transpires, my witty aside in the July column that bored buyers are sitting at home burnishing their Buy buttons, avoiding their significant others whilst enhancing their collections, turned out to be bang on the money. With little else to waste their money on that, it seems, is exactly what folk were doing, much to the auctioneers’ delight, although not in all categories. I suspect that, like many businesses, auctioneer bosses have used the lockdown to take a long, hard look at the way they do business, and who does exactly what, and may…

RIZZINI BR550 16-BORE ♦ RRP £3,660 (standard square bar £3,462) ♦ ASI Alliance House, Snape, Saxmundham IP17 1SW ♦ 01728 688555 ♦ a-s-i.co.uk TECHNICAL The BR550 makes use of the well-evolved, Rizzini 20-bore action, a modern ‘boxlock’ (not a true boxlock because the hammers and coil springs are mounted on a triggerplate). This proven and interesting action has been cleverly mated to a set of 16-bore tubes to create a slim, attractive gun. The stock is attached by an over-and-under-style long bolt, not a breech pin between the straps as you see on most Anson & Deeley or Holland-style sidelocks. The coil spring ejector mechanism bears similarity to a Boss. It is not the usual Southgate system. It does not operate on the over-centre principle and there are no v…

AT a time when hysterical mass media has written off life as we knew it, sculptor Theodore Gillick is calm. “The future is going to happen anyway,” he comments, “but how am I going to march into it?” Having spent lockdown building his own foundry because his regular bronze works had shut, Gillick is now equipped to forge ahead. “That changes everything in terms of what we can make. So at the moment I am exploring it. I can do so much more with finishes, so I am going to reapproach a lot of my subject matter. This year has definitely gone sideways but now I am building a series of new work. All the same, it has taken a while to get to this point.” Along with the physical…

FUTURE FOR HUNTING A Hunting Joint Committee (HJC) has been formed to secure the long-term future of hunting with hounds. Chaired by CA chairman Nick Herbert, the HJC is using science, standards and social licence to develop a strategy. Former Master and huntsman Andrew Osborne is one of the hunting representatives. GEESE ON STAMP Pink-footed geese flying over Cockerham Marsh feature on the Wildlife Habitat Trust’s (WHT) 2020 stamp. The use of Rodger McPhail’s picture is timely as it coincides with the centenary of the local wildfowl club at Morecambe Bay. All funds generated by the £5 stamp will go towards projects that benefit wildfowling and conservation. To buy the stamp, visit: wht.org.uk S&TC ONLINE AUCTION From fishing on private beats of the Itchen with Charles Jardine to a bronze…

EMAIL ALEXANDRA.HENTON@FUTURENET.COM SEVEN CROFTS GIN HIGHLAND LIQUOR COMPANY Hand-distilled in Ullapool, with robust juniper and a warming pink peppercorn finish. Beautifully bottled. Serve with a slice of orange. ♦ Price £40 ♦ highlandliquorcompany.com FLAG CUSHION TIMOTHY OULTON Hand dyed onto 100% cotton and then hand sewn. Fly the flag in numerous countries’ colours. Measures 130cm x 70cm. Other sizes available. ♦ Price £165 ♦ Tel 020 3150 2024 ♦ timothyoulton.com ARRAN CABLE JUMPER CONNOLLY ENGLAND Traditional, hand-knitted Arran made with rare-breed wool from the Blue Faced Leicester. Features complex cabling with ribbed collar and cuff s. Comes in three colours. Made to order. ♦ Price £550 ♦ Tel 020 7952 6708 ♦ connollyengland.com LEATHER BELT & BRASS BUCKLE BORDER COUNTRY BELTS Striking, limited-edition wildlife designs (pheasant, hare and stag, too)…

LAST September, sitting upside a hedgerow in the dawn sunshine, our Senior MFH ran an idea past me. “I really enjoyed your last column,” she opened. This is usually the point at which I exit a conversation swiftly, avoiding face-to-face discussion about any clangers I may have dropped. However, autumn hunting doesn’t lend itself to cantering off calling, “Sorry, can’t stop” into the wind, so I waited for the inevitable. “We’d like to reinstate the hunt newsletter and thought you might be able to help.” Relief. Far less worrying than I anticipated and surely a simple task? “You know, save the dates, notices, a column or two from members of the field, an Agony Aunt – just a bit of fun.” Can’t be that hard, I thought. “Of course!” I…

REMARKABLE TREES STRYCHNINE (STRYCHNOS NUX-VOMICA) Strychnine, notorious in both fact and fiction as a fast-acting and deadly posion, is a natural alkaloid found in the seeds of a tree of the same common name. If ingested or absorbed it is often fatal, usually proving deadly within three hours. The main species from which strychnine is derived, Strychnos nux-vomica, is native to India and South-east Asia. Also known as the poison nut, this medium-sized tree develops a cluster of small, green-white flowers that emit a disagreeable smell, an indication of the much more disagreeable seeds that will follow. Strychnine powder has been used as both a ‘medicine’ (usually a stimulant) and a poison – depending on the dose. Agatha Christie used strychnine several times in her novels, including her first, The…

THROUGHOUT history hunting has been seen as a necessary human activity, either for survival or enjoyment. Inventors and designers were constantly trying to bring to the market something new and innovative but, unfortunately, the majority failed to find popularity. They were, however, often both unusual and interesting, and the ideas often centred around new materials or concepts. This unusual item is such a weapon and its particular peculiarity is that it uses ‘vulcanised caoutchouc’, or rubber bands, for firing out the missile or bullet. The designer was Richard Edward Hodges (1797-1873), a serial inventor and subsequent advocate of the powers of elasticity, he was also a man with an eclectic life. Born in Bromfield, Shropshire, he lived for nearly 20 years in Haiti, where he was a merchant and British…

ONE of the soundest pieces of advice you can get when looking for a gundog puppy is to buy one from working stock. That, of course, assumes you want to work your puppy. Conversely, if you want a gundog breed but don’t plan to work it, then there’s no reason why you shouldn’t buy an animal from show or pet lines. Working-bred cockers, for example, can be manic in their enthusiasm to hunt every clump of grass they come across; show-bred cockers, in contrast, are usually much happier going for a walk without searching frantically for non-existent rabbits. I was asked recently about what ‘a lot of red ink in the pedigree’ means: was it something worth having? It’s a term used to indicate that a puppy’s parentage includes field…

FRANKEL You know the name, the legendary trainer and those colours. You might even know the statistics: unbeaten over 14 major races; the longest unbeaten streak in Europe for more than 60 years. Frankel is a horse like no other. But what made him into the greatest racehorse of all time? Simon Cooper’s book charts the story of Frankel’s early life and subsequent racing career. It is well-researched and written with an enthusiast’s brio. Moreover, it is utterly engrossing. I read it in one sitting, swept up in the strands of Frankel’s history and the roll call of legendary people and places: Juddmonte, Coolmore, Warren Place, Gallileo. Frankel’s story is an extraordinary one and Cooper tells it in an easy, compelling style, from stableyard, to stud to stalls over 22…

Cyclist follows hero’s escape route to raise money for veterans Captain Giles Nevill, a former Queen’s Own Highlander, cycled 80 miles a day through France this summer, raising more than £25,000 for Veterans With Dogs. The trip was inspired by the diaries of his great-uncle, Brigadier Ronnie Mackintosh-Walker (pictured), who was captured at St-Valery-en-Caux in June 1940 but escaped near Lille and cycled to Marseilles before crossing over the Pyrenees into Spain, returning home via Portugal. He first fought in World War I and was awarded the Military Cross and two bars by the age of 20. On 16 July, 1944, aged 46, he was killed at Baron-sur-Odon and is buried nearby. Captain Nevill started training in January, intending to do the ride in April before his family’s gite business…

Saltwater fly-fishers who are unable to jet off abroad this year can enjoy tuition and guided fishing trips at the UK Saltwater Fly Fishing Festival, which takes place in St Mawes, Cornwall from 1-4 October. Organiser Amelia Whitaker started the festival six years ago to offer rods who were keen to take up saltwater fly-fishing somewhere in the UK to try the sport. Professional saltwater fly-fishermen are on hand to offer entrants lessons, host fly-tying workshops and provide advice on where to fish. Last year’s winner of The Salt – who received The Field trophy, awarded to the fisher with the highest total combined length of fish caught – was Blaede Russell, a rising fly-fishing star. “We’re really trying to encourage newcomers to the Festival,” said Whitaker, who can accommodate…

BRACON LODGE BRACON ASH, NORWICH, NORFOLK Bracon Lodge is a Grade II-listed Georgian house. Its striking architectural features include a segmental porch, supported by two Roman Doric columns, and a crinkle-crankle wall in the garden, while sash windows and high ceilings are classically Georgian. The property, six miles from Norwich, has been renovated and rewired and replumbed. It comes with a stable block and 23 acres of land. Agent: Strutt & Parker Tel: 01603 883607 Guide price: £2.5m THE OLD RECTORY BEESTON, NORFOLK This is the major portion of a Grade II-listed, moated, former Georgian rectory. The six-bedroom property comes with a separate one-bedroom cottage and a home office. There is also a kitchen garden and an outdoor kitchen with a pizza oven and barbecue. The gardens and grounds run…

Send queries to Rosie Macdonald, Country Queries Editor, The Field, Pinehurst II, Pinehurst Road, Farnborough Business Park, Farnborough, Hampshire GU14 7BF. Email: country-queries@hectareshouse.co.uk For more, go to: thefield.co.uk INTO THE FRAY Q I have been bequeathed a Mulberry leather shoulder bag. The leather needs repairing around the edges where it is frayed and the area where it folds over is frayed. The logo stitching has also come undone on the front of the bag. Would you know anyone who is local to me who can repair it please? Many thanks. HN, West Yorkshire A I would recommend contacting Mulberry directly. The firm offers a repair service that will also ensure that the value and integrity of the bag is retained. Should you ever wish to sell it on, a repair…

THE shooting rights at Boughton Estate were under the helm of my maternal grandfather when, aged six, I joined the beating line made up of jovial steelworkers from nearby Corby. Fed up with frozen feet on stop for half a crown, I commandeered our labrador and turned him into a half-decent retriever so I could stay warm. My father, who would buzz off shooting in his helicopter with my mother and dog, first picked up a gun with his father post–World War II whilst living in Iraq, honing his skills on sand grouse and partridges, always for the table. In the Ruhr during the war, my grandfather, Master of the Old Berkeley Beagles, met a like-minded American who had his own pack of foxhounds and beagles. Invited to stay at…