Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2022 i The Field

WAISTCOAT SIRPLUS Get set with the latest colours of this doublebreasted waistcoat, made from 100% Italian linen in England. Wedding season, the Derby, Royal Ascot; summer is on. ♦ Price £175 ♦ Tel 020 7127 4213 ♦ sirplus.co.uk SILK SCARF LAIRD UTILITY Digitally printed on 100% silk made in an English mill, with handrolled edges and pin fringe detail. Add flair under sporting clobber or with a jacket and shirt for dinner. ♦ Price £110 ♦ lairdutility.com DOG COLLAR BERKELEY DOG BEDS Made from bridle leather in the UK, stitched by hand. Buckles and D-rings cast as solid pieces of brass. Available in black or dark brown to take dapper dogs from the village show to the field. ♦ Price £75 ♦ Tel 01264 861143 ♦ berkeleydogbeds.co.uk JUBILEE CORGI MUG…

This is a Scottish estate with holiday letting income, together with around 29 acres of amenity grazing land and woodland running down to the river. The property comes with fishing rights on Loch Ness, which conjures up all sorts of images of a monster catch. The main five-bedroom Clunebeg House is a traditional two-storey Victorian lodge of harled stone walls under a pitched slate roof, with a four-bedroom annexe added. Clunebeg Lodge is a self-contained six-bedroom tourist accommodation building and there are also seven timber chalets and cabins on the estate, while a barn behind the house has residential planning consent for five further rooms. Clunebeg is one and a half miles from Drumnadrochit and 15 miles from Inverness. Agent: Strutt & Parker Tel: 01463 723593 Offers over £1.2 million…

Look up the word platinum and definitions such as ‘rare’, ‘precious’ and ‘highly unreactive’ abound. How fitting, then, for HM The Queen to be celebrating her Platinum Jubilee, 70 years on the throne. Rare she certainly is. Following a turnover of four kings in 50 years, she is setting her own precedent with the longest reign in British history. Precious, indisputably. She is a national treasure in a way that Dame Judi Dench or Sir David Attenborough could only dream of. And highly unreactive? She has remained staunchly tight-lipped during events which would have provoked many to throw their orb and sceptre right out of the pram. Such attributes have stemmed from an unwavering commitment to her duty, which was first pledged to the nation in her Speech of Dedication…

The Field: A weekly paper bringing everything of interest to the attention of country-minded folk for only one shilling. From the coronation to the conquest of Everest, and salmon to sparrows, you read it here best. Country house high jinks: Getting ‘lost’; sleepwalking out of the bachelor wing wouldn’t endear you to your hostess – unless she were expecting you herself. Shooting practice: Rare. Talking about it incessantly and reliving magnificent shots would be what passed for practice generally. Silk scarf: If not a hat, then a headscarf was practically a uniform and essential for keeping one’s coiffure crisp. Gun: If not always Best, a sporting gun was usually a 12-bore side-by-side. Just like your genes, guns were British and probably came from your father. Norfolk jacket: Made famous by…

When Christ chose fishermen from Galilee as his closest disciples, it was a statement that the Kingdom of God was run by unassuming men of peace, in contrast to the commanders of the occupying Roman Empire. The bard of angling, Izaak Walton, amid the violence of the English Civil War, proclaimed that “God did never make a more calm, quiet, innocent recreation than angling”. And George V, King during the most tumultuous period of recent British history, which saw our empire crumble and World War I wipe out close to an entire generation of men, confessed: “I am never so happy as when I am fishing the pools of the Dee.” Angling and peaceful escapism have been bedfellows since time immemorial. George V was not the first, nor the last,…

In 1864, the American Civil War was being waged, the Clifton Suspension Bridge was opened, and John Wisden published the first edition of the Cricketers’ Almanack. It was also the year that one Robert Kellas won the adult sack race at the very first Ballater Highland Games. He took part in the piping competition and in the heavy events, including putting the stone and throwing the hammer, as well. Today, 158 years later, his great-greatgrandson, Scott Fraser, is vice-chairman of the same Highland Games; in his youth, he too competed in heavy events and was involved in the pipe band as a drummer. This snapshot of familial consistency is, of course, pleasing from a cultural perspective, but it also tells us something significant about the Highland Games in general; these…

This pair of 19th-century stirrups is one of two pairs associated with Henry Lowther (1818-1876), 3rd Earl of Lonsdale, a notable sportsman with a passion for foxhunting. Lowther owned Lowther Castle and Whitehaven Castle, both in Cumbria, Barleythorpe Hall in Rutland, Carlton House Terrace in London and also stables at Asfordby, near Melton Mowbray. In 1870, he became Master of the Cottesmore Hunt. His son, Hugh (1857-1944), the 5th Earl Lonsdale, also enjoyed a lively sporting career and was a leading sports personality of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Known as the Yellow Earl for his flamboyant yellow livery, the 5th Earl’s sporting loves included hunting and racing. He was Master of the Quorn and, like his father, was also, at various periods, master of the Cottesmore. In…

FURNITURE AIDAN MCEVOY Aidan McEvoy’s relationship with furniture began in his master craftsman father’s workshop. After gaining experience and starting a business, he was awarded a QEST scholarship, enabling him to train at the Edward Barnsley Workshop in Hampshire. His table design [above] was chosen for the coronation celebration in 2012 and was accepted by HM The Queen for the Buckingham Palace summer-house renovations. Price: dining tables (nonextending) start from £4,000 Tel: 07811 262360 amfinefurniture.co.uk STAINED GLASS GRACE AYSON Grace Ayson is a fine artist, stained-glass artist and conservator, with experience at the Cathedral Studios, Canterbury Cathedral, and The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST) enabled a course and placements to further her skills. As well as restoring historically important windows, Ayson explores the possibilities of traditional techniques and materials to…

WHEN I started playing polo at 11 years old, I instantly fell in love with the sport. The combination of going as fast as your pony can travel while having to hit a ball through a goal appealed to me. As a child, I went to the Cotswold branch of the Pony Club, hunted with the Cotswold and evented. Being competent on a pony made the transition into polo easier, as I could focus on learning the game and how to hit the ball better. I started playing Pony Club polo and we had idyllic summers travelling around the various polo fields. My brother, Ben (Vestey), and sister, Nina (Clarkin), started playing polo at the same time as me, so we had some healthy sibling rivalry. My parents loved polo;…

INSTAGRAM PUPPY LOVE Who doesn’t love an adorable puppy picture? Fielders on Instagram were rather taken by an image of a cocker spaniel puppy resting comfortably in a gamebag out in the field, from our gundog puppies feature in April (captured by Sarah Farnsworth). One Instagrammer correctly summed it up by commenting: “Oh, that face.” FACEBOOK LOBSTER ENTHUSIASTS A delicious summer dish of lobster mac and cheese by Philippa Davis (May 2022) courted attention on Facebook, with plans to cook the recipe. One excited Facebooker proclaimed to another: “We need this in our mac and cheese lives,” to which the friend (and everyone at Field Towers) responded: “I think you’re right!” Find more recipes from Davis at thefield.co.uk INSTAGRAM YOUNG SHOTS It’s a perennial question: what age should youngsters start…

An eight-mile charity ride organised by the Quorn Hunt across their country in aid of the Disasters Emergency Committee’s (DEC) Ukrainian Appeal has raised thousands of pounds. Riders with varying degrees of experience gathered on Sunday, 3 April at Widmerpool, in Nottinghamshire, to ride over private land made available thanks to the generosity of local landowners who wanted to help with the event. The Quorn covered all expenses for the day, including medical cover, and topped up the fund to donate £4,500 to the DEC Ukrainian Appeal, which combined with UK Aid Match totals £9,000. The Hunt extended its thanks to the landowners, organisers and those who came to take part.…

THE name of the Derby was settled on the flip of a coin in 1779, after a tête-àtête between Sir Charles Bunbury and Edward Smith-Stanley, the 12th Earl of Derby, when celebrating the first running of the Oaks. Sir Charles got over this disappointment the following year, when Diomed won the first-ever Derby. It wasn’t until 1787 that his friendly rival Lord Derby broke his maiden. Neither man, however, would have guessed the race would be so prestigious almost 250 years later. It has grown into the most revered equine event in the country, if not the world, with breeding operations placing the utmost stock in a Derby winner’s pedigree. While it doesn’t quite match the betting heat of the Grand National, it still provokes huge gambling interest. Over the…

Write to: The Editor, The Field, Future Publishing PLC, 121-141 Westbourne Terrace, London, W2 6JR Email: field.secretary@futurenet.com LETTERS MAY BE EDITED FOR CLARITY OR SPACE AN EASTER MIRACLE Easter is, of course, synonymous with the concept of miraculous escapes from death, and this was illuminated on my usual stomp through the Wye Valley. ‘Best lab in the world’ flushed out a majestic cock pheasant, who on being faced with this enthusiastic attention, opted to throw himself straight into the Wye. He proceeded to swim (periscope head, legs kicking) across the whole width of the river, before clambering up the steep bank and hotfooting it across the adjacent field. The incredulous reaction of ‘hunter shooter gatherer father’ to my lively retelling proves this is surely an Easter miracle. Charlotte Ferguson, by…

CANTRAY HOUSE CROY, INVERNESS-SHIRE This is a Palladian-style country house with six bedrooms, five reception rooms and an integral one-bedroom apartment. The property, with views to the Nairn valley, comes with single-bank salmon and sea trout fishing on the River Nairn. There are 10 acres in total, including formal gardens, mature mixed woodland, stabling and paddocks. The original house burnt down in 1921 and the new house was built in 1924. Agent: Galbraith Tel: 01463 224343 Offers over £1.35 million ROPELAWSHIEL HAWICK, ROXBURGHSHIRE This is a 200-year-old refurbished former shepherd’s cottage off the beaten track in the Scottish Borders. It is more than three miles from the nearest road and accessible only via a forest track. The three-bedroom property has been renovated largely with locally sourced materials, and energy-efficient features…

ATKIN GRANT & LANG Atkin Grant & Lang (AG&L) is an amalgamation dating from 1960, but its roots go much deeper. Further, it has a strong connection to the greatest of the gunmakers: in 1828, Joseph Lang married one of James Purdey’s daughters. The first Henry Atkin worked with his father, Charles Atkin, who was a graduate of Purdey’s workshop. Their current reputation rests on a ‘springopener’ sidelock based on a modified Beesley action, the most famous example of which was built for the gun writer Gough Thomas. Henry Atkin over-and-under shotguns are based on the Woodward-style action, patented in 1913 and renowned for being lightweight, robust and one of the best over-and-under designs ever created. Stephen Grant was an Irishman who worked for Thomas Boss. Historically, the firm is…

Agentle clicking resonates inside a large room down a north London backstreet. About 30 men and women sit, each at their own station, needles and threads in hand, sewing machines on their tables. This is Kashket & Partners, a specialist in military uniforms. Soldiers need coats, tunics and trousers as well as weapons – and Kashket is proud to make them. The company’s history can be traced to Russia, where the Kashket family were milliners. Alfred Kashket – later awarded an MBE – made felt hats for Tsar Nicholas II and, after moving to London in the 1920s, built relationships with the Royal Household and military. Today, the company remains a family business and in 2011 made the uniform worn by HRH The Duke of Cambridge at his wedding. Alfred’s…

Do you remember the great cider revolution of 2006? Or the craft gin boom of 2009? Both saw a single brand – Magners and Sipsmith, respectively – grasp a popular but hardly fashionable drink and hurl it blinking into the limelight. A wave of other producers swiftly leapt on the bandwagon and suddenly ordering that G&T in the pub became a minefield of choice. Now, hanging tightly on the coat-tails of the craft spirits movement, it’s the turn of liqueurs to have a makeover. A cursory inspection of just about any British drinks cupboard will confirm that liqueurs hold a secure place in the nation’s refreshment repertoire. But how often do those dusty bottles really see action? A stirrup-cup essential, certainly, an obligatory festive indulgence, perhaps, but be honest: you…

EXCITING LIONS and elephants charge across the canvases of so many wildlife artists that Richard Whittlestone confesses disarmingly: “I used to feel embarrassed that I don’t get a kick out of painting the ‘big five’.” Britain doesn’t have a ‘big five’ list of glamorous safari must-spot animals, and even if it did, it has to be admitted the humble hedgehog would not bumble its way on to it. Yet on Whittlestone’s hedgerow safaris, it is the eye-level wildlife – the tiny wren, the hedgehog and the cheeky weasel – that provide a secret drama. He jokes: “My wife says, ‘All your animals are brown!’ Yes, the little brown jobs are not flashy, but the feather patterning is exquisite. I painted a wren yesterday and the patterning on the flank and…

THIS month we have a special gun for a special issue – a John Rigby & Co .600 Nitro Express double sidelock rifle. This is the biggest of big beasts, weighing in at 15lb 7½oz (.600 rifles are usually built up to about 16lb to mitigate recoil). It has 25in chopper-lump barrels and an action built on the Rigby-Bissell risingbite system for extra strength. There are distinctive Rigby dipped-edge locks, and the square-bar action body, fore-end iron and latch, top-lever, trigger-guard and grip cap are all profusely engraved with deep chiselled work. The ‘big five’ inspire the decoration of this gun – magnificently depicted by engraver Phil Coggan. On the left lockplate there are buffalo, on the right, rhino, and a wonderful elephant graces the action belly. There is a…

Conservation experts have warned of a triple threat to one of Britain’s most endangered birds – the curlew. Habitat loss, overabundant predators and increasing afforestation pose a severe risk to this much-loved wader. Mary Colwell, chair of the Curlew Recovery Partnership (CRP), Professor Ian Newton and Professor Russell Wynn, manager of the CRP, spoke at the curlew seminar organised by the Southern Uplands Moorland Group (SUMG), which manages one of the last remaining strongholds for the species. The seminar discussed land management practices that can help successful nesting of the curlew. Mark Ewart, coordinator of the SUMG, said: “We have good numbers of breeding curlew here in the Lammermuirs and we are determined to protect them. The call of the curlew is the most magical sound, and for me it…

Her Majesty The Queen, Elvis Presley, Mike Tyson, Walt Disney and Roy Rogers share a common interest: Columbidae, or pigeons to the rest of us. The list of famous pigeon fanciers is long and illustrious, including not just monarchs, sportsmen and entertainers but politicians, actors and artists. Such was Pablo Picasso’s fascination with the birds that he went as far as naming his daughter Paloma, which means ‘pigeon’ in Spanish. The Royal Family’s connection to pigeons dates back to 1886, when King Leopold II of Belgium gave some racing pigeons to his British cousins. This unconventional gift was accepted with great enthusiasm, most notably by the future Edward VII, who immediately commissioned a loft on the Sandringham Estate, where more than 150 royal birds are based to this day. Edward’s…

There has not been a study of the racing and hunting works of James Seymour since his death in 1752, illustrating, it seems to me, that he has been woefully underappreciated as an artist, and consequently overshadowed by John Wootton (1683-1764) and George Stubbs (1724-1806), those better-known giants of 18th-century sporting painting in England. This oversight is set to be rectified by a new book dedicated to bringing his genius to a wider audience. James Seymour is perhaps one of Britain’s most recognised sporting artists and yet remains the least known. He was born before 1702 to Colonel James and Anne Seamer in London, and his father was at various times a banker, a race organiser, a goldsmith, a penman and a limner, as well as an adventurous businessman. Col…

GLASS half empty? Glass half full? My general jauntiness as I write this column tends to reflect whether I have managed to bring home (OK, smuggle home) some fine bargain in the past month or whether – and sadly far more usual – I have once again ended up the frustrated and infuriated underbidder. Not this June. Today, the metaphorical glass is about to be smashed to pieces on the stone floor of tokenism and, apart from a few minor exceptions, there will be nothing left in it for most of us. Let me explain. The Ivory Act 2018, prohibiting the sale of most elephant ivory regardless of age, has been awaiting implementation for a few years now. One reason for this long delay is that those who considered it…

FEW elements of a serious meal capture the shifting tides of hospitality over the past century so revealingly as port. That’s partly because so few other dining-room staples come wrapped in such a rich cloak of heritage and convention. Port’s popularity is rooted in the Peninsular War of the early 19th century. It didn’t take long for British troops stationed in Portugal to acquire a taste for the local drink. William Warre, whose family had founded the port house that still bears its name, served under Wellington. On 18 March 1812 he wrote to his father, saying, “Lord Wellington will be much obliged to you if you could have the Pipe of Port Wine bottled for him, marked with his name, and taken care of in a good place till…

IT’S a curious thing, but there’s clearly something addictive about dog showing. For the majority of dog owners, showing is of little or no interest, but there’s a considerable number of people who get a great deal of enjoyment from entering their dogs into shows. I have perfectly sane friends who think nothing of driving halfway across the country to compete with their dogs, for there’s something compulsive as well as competitive about the past-time. The first modern dog show was held in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1859. It was an addition to the annual cattle show but was only open to pointers and setters. The first show to include non-sporting breeds was held in Birmingham later in the same year. It proved remarkably popular, so much so that a year later,…

There are many celebrations planned this month to celebrate HM The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, but none are more enjoyable, fitting and inclusive than the street party. The tradition of street parties in the UK is said to have begun after World War I as communities gathered together to enjoy ‘peace teas’. They were especially put on for the children, many of whom were orphaned and malnourished due to the war and the 1918-19 global flu epidemic. Over the years, they have evolved and marked many great occasions, including King George V’s Silver Jubilee, the coronation of King George VI, The Queen’s 90th birthday and, of course, royal weddings. If you are planning to take part in your local street party or the Big Jubilee Lunch on 2-5 June (visit bit.ly/BigJubileeLunch),…

No one is going to call the latest-generation Civic ‘pretty’, but that won’t worry Honda one little bit. Function takes precedence over form and has done over the previous nine generations. For this latest Sport Line edition, extra skirts, diffusers and spoilers have been bolted on with varying degrees of awkwardness – and they haven’t made the Civic any less challenging to the eye. It’s low and dumpy – ‘purposeful’ would be a better word, if we were being kind. I’d like to say that the Civic looks a lot better from the inside, but that’s not entirely true. You have a Blake’s 7 dashboard with Dan Dare dials, if you’ll forgive me for mixing up my ’60s and ’70s sci-fi memories. Curiously, all the dials and gauges are red-themed…