your complimentary copy

Transcription

OX
MARCH 2016
Oxfordshire’s Finest
your complimentary copy
© 2016 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York and DACS, London.
Not just pretty kitchens...
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A unique blend of
style
and imagination
01235 550419
Coxeter House, 21-27 Ock Street, Abingdon, OX14 5AJ
[email protected] www.visionkitchendesign.co.uk
Welcome
Every month I write something,
on this page, along the lines of
“this issue of OX is our biggest
and best ever!”, usually with some
context regarding the time of year
shoehorned in for good measure.
This time, though, I mean it – this issue of OX
is, by miles, our biggest and best ever. We
have six new regular contributors, spanning
subjects as diverse as science, live music,
fashion and local history, with several more
waiting in the wings. Our pages are bursting
at the seams with art, theatre and cinema as
well as a comprehensive What’s On section
for the perfect guide on how to fill your March
with excitement and relaxation, in equal
measure. We’ve spoken to two of our area’s
greatest chefs, two of the biggest stars of
the Oxfordshire Literary Festival, three of our
most successful businesswomen and one
of our most cutting-edge scientists, as well
as the usual array of motoring news, interior
design tips, architectural musings and fashion
inspiration. ‘My Oxford’ has been explored this
month by Bill Heine, and even Peter Holthusen
has forsaken his usual far-flung destinations to
write a typically eloquent and inspired ode to
Oxford University’s Botanic Gardens. Poor him.
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The real star of this month, though, is a Mr Andy
Warhol, whose work we feel very honoured to
have been given license to use on our front
cover, and whose exhibition opened last month
at the Ashmolean and will continue until May. If
you’re not yet aware of the impact of Warhol’s
work then I’ve attempted to do him justice later
on in the magazine, and if you are, then you
should need no further excuse.
A truly incredible exhibition
of a truly incredible artist.
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Anyway, I’ll let the magazine do the rest of the
talking, and if you’d like to get involved in OX,
send us your best wishes, or hurl virtual abuse
at us for ruining the format of your favourite
monthly magazine, then you can reach me at
[email protected]. See you next month.
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CONTRIBUTORS
JACK RAYNER is a culture
journalist, nightlife promoter and
psychology graduate who is almost
uncomfortably obsessed with arts
and businesses in Oxford. He lives
on Osney Island.
Do you ever take the bus in
Oxford (and what do you think
of it?)
“There’s a certain futuristic
surrealism to the Oxford Tube - I
like to look at the blue strip lights
and pretend I’m on the Starship
Enterprise. Don’t judge me”.
What music drives you?
“I’m fanatically obsessed with all
things house, techno and club
music, but if it’s my turn on the
office stereo then it has to be some
70s disco or old American soul.”
If you could swap any part of
your body with a celebrity, what
and who would that be?
“Can I swap the ‘incisiveness’ part
of my brain with Jeremy Paxman? If
not I suppose I’ll have Daniel Craig’s
entire upper body.”
JEREMY SMITH Is a multi-
award-winning journalist and
columnist who has written about
Oxford for more than 10 years. He
lives in - and loves – Kidlington.
Theatre or cinema?
“Cinema every time, if only for the
trailers. If I miss the trailers I can’t
enjoy the film, no matter how good
it is.”
PETER HOLTHUSEN is
a best-selling author, explorer and
travel writer who has written for
OX since 2007. His career started
at The Sunday Times, and he is a
regular contributor to numerous
travel magazines.
Peter Holthusen was unavailable
to answer our questions, as he
is currently trekking through the
mountains of Patagonia. We send
him our deepest condolences.
What’s your favourite shop in
Oxford?
“Boswell’s. I can’t think of another
shop like it - anywhere. It just
seems to sell EVERYTHING.“
What was your first ever job?
“Morning newspaper deliveries.
I guess I was about 11. I loved
it because it made me feel so
grown-up.”
KEVIN HAGGARTHY is
Aston Martin or Ferrari?
“Ferrari - the closest thing to sex on
wheels (aren’t I sad?)”
SAM BENNETT is a
seasoned theatre expert, rocksolid Sunday league left back and
editor of the Carterton Crier. He
played Friar Tuck in Robin Hood.
Fashion-wise, seventies or
eighties?
“I’m 23, and morally, no child born
of the nineties should favour
either”
What’s your favourite book?
“It’s either ‘Bridget Jones’ Diary’ or
‘Wuthering Heights’”
Warm or cold weather?
“The cold suits me – a touch of
bitterness in the air does me good.”
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winning architect with a stunning
portfolio of projects completed
across the UK, Europe and
Australia. He lives in Oxfordshire
and runs a busy practice in
Witney.
Would you like to present
‘Grand Designs’?
“I’d prefer the sofa and a remote
control!”
Who would you rather meet –
Kirstie Allsop or Phil Spencer?
“Kirsty – her shoes are more
interesting.”
What room do you least like in
your house?
“The room our two dogs sleep in,
it’s small and on the north side of
the house, but they don’t seem
to mind.”
is a London-based fashion
consultant regularly featured in the
national press and an ever-present
profile at Oxford Fashion Weeks.
What’s the most money you’ve
ever spent on a pair of shoes?
“Actually, only around £70, but my
expensive shoes were a pair of
£700 Casadei calf hair boots that,
by some miracle, I snapped up for
£15 at a charity shop!”
Food-wise - Indian or Chinese?
“Indian food, it’s in the blood”
a leading motoring journalist and
broadcaster with over 25 years’
experience. He has made several
TV appearances and is an exdriving consultant for Porsche.
ANTHONY
PETTORINO is an award-
Ex-Oxford University student
ANUSHA COUTTIGANE
Will Top Gear ever be good
again?
“Yes it will. The new talent on the
show will have much broader
public appeal and will be less
personality focused”.
RENÉE WATSON runs
her own Oxford based science
consultancy WATS.ON, where she
boasts the delicious title of ‘Head
of Explosions’.
Early bird or night owl?
“Night owl, definitely”.
What do you prefer - swimming
or cycling?
“Cycling, but only because I can go
faster cycling”.
Mother of two ANNETTE
CUNNINGHAM is a
freelance travel writer and
columnist, working in media
communications. She has two
daughters at university and lives in
Kidlington.
Favourite night out - cinema or
theatre?
“Theatre. Live entertainment is
a real treat and I can be spotted
perched eagerly at the very edge
of my seat for whatever’s on offer whether watching a play, panto or a
tribute band I’ll be hooked. I am the
most annoying person in the world
to accompany to the cinema - I
have a tendency to nod off even
before the popcorn is finished.”
What is the first thing you would
buy yourself if you won the
lottery?
“Calf hugging, made-to-measure
boots in every Pantone shade
available!”
Do you love flying or would, if you
could, prefer to take the train?
“I do find take off in planes
exhilarating but after the initial
excitement the journey tends
to get tedious and cramped. So
(avoiding rush hour) I’d choose a
train - they tend to add a touch of
romance to a journey.”
CONTENTS
MARCH 2016
8 What's On
FEATURES
16 Curtain Call
18 Oxford’s Independent Film Scene
21 “I am a deeply superficial person”:
Andy Warhol at the Ashmolean
ESTHER LAFFERTY is
the anchor of the hugely successful
Oxfordshire Artweeks festival and a
keen triathlete.
Theatre or cinema?
“I prefer musical theatre. For the
feel good factor, though, cinema for the car chases.”
Favourite shop in Oxford?
“My favourite shop is an
independent gift shop called the
Gifted Magpie in Faringdon. It’s full
of unusual but classy temptations
that catch my eye and make me
smile.”
What was your first ever job?
“I was a picture framer as my
Saturday job and in college holidays
for about five years – I loved it and
it taught me the power of applying
rose-tinted glass.”
27 We Saw You
JACK TELFORD is a
28 Oxford Literary Festival
musician, history student and
part-time West Bromwich Albion
fan. He can be found pouring bad
pints at The White Rabbit.
32 How dare they do it to Shakespeare?
42
Future Food:
The culinary absurdity at Paris House
What’s the best gig you’ve ever
seen?
“The National at Ally Pally in 2013
- a band hitting their heights in a
beautiful setting”.
If you could be any musician, who
would you be?
“Damon Albarn - someone who
puts his mind to many different
genres and styles and always comes
away with something valuable.”
Is there a genre of music you truly
hate?
“I can never get on with Country
music, apart from Willie Nelson –
everyone loves him!
46 How to source ingredients:
Jack Rayner talks to Simon Bradley
51 International Women’s Day
52 Feeling the burn:
Understanding the neuroscience of pain
at The Natural History Museum
65 New Look: Furniture and fabric
69 From Forest to Furniture: Philip Koomen
83 The University of Oxford Botanic Garden
91 Architecture and the senses: Form
120 My Oxford: Bill Heine
121 Motoring
COLUMNS
17 The After Life – Annette Cunningham
41 Gig Guru – Jack Telford
SHAUNNA LATCHMAN
works in media communications,
writes her own successful blog, and
is a regular contributor to several
websites.
What’s your favourite view of
Oxford?
“Boars Hill. If you stand at the right
spot, on top of the hill, you can see
the spires of Oxford but you have
the woods directly behind you. It’s
almost like being on the brink of two
different worlds.”
Secret crush - Ryan Gosling or
Johnny Depp?
“It’s no secret that I swoon at the
mention of Ryan Gosling’s name,
but Johnny Depp has certain cheeky
charm that no woman can resist.
Can’t I just alternate between the
two? One week on one week off?”
What’s your most read book?
“To Kill a Mockingbird. I fell in love
with it during GCSE English and have
reread it every other year since. It’s
one of the few books that makes me
laugh and cry.”
43 Man About County – Jeremy Smith
AMANDA HANLEY is an
authority on interior design. She has
30 years’ experience in the field and
has worked with an enviable list of
associates including Harrods. She
lives in the Cotswolds.
What’s the most common interior
design mistake?
“Not looking before you leap, and
not thinking of the bigger picture.
Friends tell me it can be the same
with internet dating!”
What’s the best place to eat in
Burford?
“I love Indian food, so it has to be
our one and only curry house, the
Spice Lounge.”
Cocktails at the bar or wine on
the sofa?
“Cocktails at the bar if it’s in a five
star hotel by a lovely beach! Wine
on the sofa with the right man…”
53 The True Science of Youthful-looking Skin –
Renée Watson
61 Fashion For Men – Anusha Couttigane
67 Made In Oxfordshire – Shaunna Latchman
130 Where the Grass is Greener – Esther Lafferty
Thanks to:
Claire Parris, David Williams, Clare Stimpson, Philip Koomen, Phil Fanning,
Simon Bradley, Professor Irene Tracey, Bill Heine, Emily Watkins,
Annie Sloan, Tina Mussel-Rowley, Joan Bakewell, Liz Hodgkinson,
Robin Norton-Hale, Tom McDonnell
Cover image used on license from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the
Visual Arts, inc. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York and DACS,
London
Advertising enquiries:
Lee Smith: [email protected]
Nickie Hobbs: [email protected]
Chrissie Woodward: [email protected]
Mandy Woodford: [email protected]
01235 856300
For national sales enquiries:
Sonia Edwards, TMSH, 07710 389322, [email protected]
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CALENDAR March-May 2016
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Until 2nd May
‘Capability’ Brown at Blenheim Palace
Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown changed the face of eighteenth century
England, designing country estates and mansions, moving hills
and making flowing lakes and serpentine rivers, a magical world of
green.
2016 is the 300th anniversary of ‘Capability’ Brown’s birth and to
commemorate the year we will be joining a nationwide celebration.
Blenheim Palace was one of Brown’s finest examples of his work
and, in 1763, he transformed Blenheim Palace’s landscaped
parkland which, although appearing natural, is ‘contrived to
pleasing effect’.
We will be host to a range of commemorative activities across 2016
to honour the life and work of ‘Capability’ Brown. The Palace will
reopen in 2016 with a new temporary exhibition that will share his
work at Blenheim Palace across the 11 years he was commissioned
(1763-1774) through detailed accounts of how he designed and
executed such a masterpiece through photography, drawings,
equipment and costumes, with a number of never-before-seen
elements. The exhibition will run from 13th February until 2nd May.
The exhibition is in partnership with The Embroiderers Guild and
will feature stunning hand-made pieces by some of the Guild’s
talented members, depicting the parkland here at Blenheim
Palace. A group of local contemporary painters also will have work
displayed, including Tim Scott Bolton’s interpretation of Brown’s
vision. The artists looked at the landscape of Brown 300 years on
from his original design, and captured similar view points as other
artists have done in the past, showing their own unique style and
response to the landscape.
Visitors can also enjoy tours of the park, a self-guided trail of
discovery looking at vistas and views before and after Brown’s
work, and a number of talks and other visitor experiences
throughout the year.
Address: Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire, OX20 1PP
Tel: 01993 810530
Visit The Website: www.blenheimpalace.com
Discover ...
WHERE
OXFORD
BEGAN…
Experience a unique combination of outdoor
entertainment and dining choices in a stunning
location for a special day or evening out
www.oxfordcastlequarter.com
8
March-May 2016 CALENDAR
Until 19th February 2017
New exhibition pairs up top treasures
from Oxford’s Bodleian Libraries
The Bodleian Libraries will be displaying a selection of its most magnificent items in its
Treasures Gallery within the newly-renovated Weston Library. The first exhibition, titled
‘Bodleian Treasures: 24 pairs’, features rare and renowned items including Tolkien’s
illustrations from The Hobbit, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and the Bay Psalm Book, the “most
expensive” printed book in the world.
The exhibition will present some of the best of the 12 million items in the Bodleian’s
collections and will uniquely display these treasures in 24 pairs. Familiar icons of the Libraries’
extraordinary holdings will be shown alongside the less familiar, opening new avenues into the
wealth of the Bodleian’s famous collections. Some pairs show the influence of one book on
another; some explore a similar theme, evoke a particular period, or provide a visual dimension
to the display; others consider the very idea of a “treasure”. Rare books will be joined together
with manuscripts while modern ephemera will sit alongside 400-year-old rolls, drawing out
themes and unique stories that bring the pairs together.
Highlights of the exhibition include:
6th-19th March
• Souvenirs from the women’s suffrage movement will accompany a 1217 engrossment of the
Magna Carta, telling the story of a quest for justice and human rights that has spanned 800
years.
Daylesford Organic Farm,
Kingham
• A draft of Wilfred Owen’s war poem ‘Dulce et decorum est’, written and corrected in his own
hand, will be presented with stunning poppy illustrations published by 18th-century botanist
William Curtis.
• A superbly illuminated compendium of beasts, dating from the 13th-century, will be coupled
with a Victorian advert for a performance by Toby the sapient pig, who took London by storm
in the early 1800s with his ability to play cards and read minds.
Admission to the exhibition will be free and booking is not required. A programme of talks and
events will be held over the course of the exhibition.
Address: Weston Library, Broad Street, Oxford, OX1 3BG
Tel: 01865 277162
Visit The Website: www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/whatson
6th March
Mother’s Day at the Farm
Enjoy a wonderful day at Daylesford Farm
and celebrate Mother’s day with all of the
family. Plant a Mother’s Day posy outside
the Garden Room from 10.30am | £10 per
person
Meet the talented Bee Berrie and celebrate
the launch of her new book Bee’s Brilliant
Biscuits with tastings and a book signing |
11am
Join Daylesford’s Environmental Scientist
Tim Field for a seasonal tour around the
Market Garden | 2-3pm
Celebrate Mother’s Day with afternoon tea
and cake in the Glasshouse | 3-3.30pm £6
per person (£10 with a glass of Prosecco)
19th March
Stargazing at the Farm
In Honour of WWF Earth Hour
Tasmin Little
4th & 12th March
Music at Oxford performances
4th March | 7.30pm | Sheldonian Theatre
Tasmin Little violin, Martin Roscoe piano, Brahms Sonatensatz ‘Scherzo’, Schubert Fantasy in
C, D934, Beethoven Violin Sonata no. 9 op. 47 ‘The Kreutzer Sonata’
Coming to Music at Oxford just a few months after their newly-released Beethoven recording,
Tasmin Little and Martin Roscoe will bring their consummate artistry to three pillars of the
repertoire. Schubert’s Fantasy in C was composed towards the end of his life, for Josef Slavik,
who was considered by Schubert to be the ‘second Paganini’. Rodolphe Kreutzer, another
virtuoso violinist and the dedicatee of Beethoven’s Violin Sonata no. 9, refused in fact to
perform the work, reputedly declaring it unplayable. Fortunately for us, Tasmin has no such
qualms!
www.tasminlittle.org.uk www.martinroscoe.co.uk
12th March 2016 | 7.30pm | Oxford Town Hall
Verdi Requiem, Oxford Bach Choir, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Paul Brough conductor,
Sally Silver soprano, Kate Allen mezzo-soprano, Luis Gomes tenor.Thomas Faulkner bass
The Italian writer Alessandro Manzoni, regarded in his native country as on a par with Goethe,
was the impetus for this most dramatic of requiem masses. When Manzoni died in 1873, all
of Italy mourned, and Giuseppe Verdi resolved to compose a substantial work in memory of
his literary hero. One year later, on the first anniversary of the writer’s death, Verdi conducted
the premiere of his Requiem in San Marco, Milan, to enormous public acclaim. Such was the
work’s immediate success that three more performances quickly followed at La Scala, and this
enduring, highly emotive work has been a mainstay of the repertoire ever since.
www.oxfordbachchoir.org
Tel: 01865 244806
Visit The Website: www.musicatoxford.com
Daylesford will be honouring the World
Wildlife Fund’s Earth Hour, and raising
awareness about the effects of global
climate change, by turning off all of the lights
at the Farm for one hour on 19th March.
See the stars shining at their very brightest
and show your support for the future of our
planet. Wrap up warm, enjoy a delicious
mug of hot chocolate and learn all about the
brilliant night sky with The Chipping Norton
Amateur Astronomy Group.
Tickets for the stargazing event cost £10
and include a mug of hot chocolate. Book
a delicious candlelit dinner at the café and
your ticket is complimentary.
Alternatively visitors can enjoy a very special
Chef’s Table event in the candlelit Chelsea
Garden Room. The Cookery School team
will be creating a celebratory 4 course menu
using only seasonal ingredients from the
farm with accompanying wines.
Tickets for the Chef’s table cost £95 per
person and also includes a free ticket for the
stargazing event.
Stargazing tickets are free for those who
would like to book dinner at the café or the
Chef’s Table.
6.30pm.
To book please call the Kingham farm shop on
01608 731 712 | www.daylesford.com
Address: Daylesford near Kingham,
Gloucestershire, GL56 0YG
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7th-12th March
Oxford Fashion Week
It seems only yesterday that Oxford Fashion
Week 2015 had its finale at the Sheldonian
Theatre.
And now the 2016 event is here. Including a
fashion illustration workshop on 9th March
and a bloggers preview party on the 10th,
the week concludes with the always eagerly
awaited runway shows on the 12th.
Oxford Fashion Week is an annual week
of fashion events in Oxford. It showcases
designs from fashion graduates, established
designers, and cutting edge artists, in the
best venues around Oxford. It was founded
in 2009, and has since grown into an
established part of the new fashion week
circuit. With a mixture of public and private
shows, from high concept to haute couture,
Oxford Fashion Week welcomes you to
enjoy a week of spectacular fashion.
Visit The Website: www.oxfordfashionweek.com
13th & 21st March
Waterstones, Oxford Events
13th March, 5pm
Ulinka Rublack & Marina Warner in
Conversation
To mark International Women’s Day this year
we are delighted to welcome Ulinka Rublack
and Marina Warner to Waterstones.
They will discuss past and present
imaginations of femininity, motherhood and
old age with reference to their recent writing.
Anthony Trollope
21st March, 7pm
Nicholas Shrimpton & Michael Williamson on
Anthony Trollope
“Frank has but one duty before him. He
must marry money.”
Oxford University Press and The Trollope
Society invite you to an evening at
Waterstones, in conjunction with Downton
Abbey creator Julian Fellowes’ new series
for ITV, Doctor Thorne.
Editor Nicholas Shrimpton and Trollope
Society chairman Michael Williamson will
discuss what class, character and cash
meant in Victorian society, and how Anthony
Trollope turned them into some of our
greatest works of literature.
Address: Waterstones, OX1 3AF
Tel: 01865 790212
Visit The Website: www.waterstones.com/
bookshops/oxford
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17th March
The Devil Speaks True at the
Old Fire Station
Goat and Monkey present a chilling
visceral experience where you are
cast as Banquo from Macbeth in
a first person auditory adventure,
tracing Banquo’s journey from bloody
battlefield to spectral banquet table.
Sitting in a pitch-black space and
wearing wireless headphones,
you will be surrounded by a world
created through binaural sound, video
projection and a solo performer.
The Devil Speaks True is a total
immersive experience offering
an intimate perspective of a man
struggling to come to terms with
his place in a violent and tyrannical
world. Focussing on the psychological
effects on men returning home
from war and the bond between
soldiers, the production intersperses
Shakespeare’s text with interviews with
ex-servicemen.
7.30pm at Arts at the Old Fire Station, 40
George Street, Oxford, OX1 2AQ
Tickets £14, £12 concs
01865 305305 | www.ticketsoxford.com |
in person at Oxford Playhouse Box Office,
Beaumont Street
18th & 19th March
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead at Oxford Playhouse
Questions, confusion and comedy abound as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Hamlet’s
childhood friends, are summoned to Elsinore. Join them as they try to find their way through
(and their place within) the plot of Hamlet, an offstage world and some big philosophical
questions.
Commemorating 400 years since Shakespeare’s death and 50 years since the play’s first
performance, Oxford Playhouse’s 17|25 Young Company present an ensemble version of
Tom Stoppard’s comic masterpiece. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead was Stoppard’s
debut, written when he was a student in Oxford and catapulting him into a career as one of
Britain’s most loved playwrights.
An Oxford Playhouse production
By Tom Stoppard, Directed by Jo Noble
18th March, 8.00pm
19th March, 2.30pm & 7.30pm
Oxford Playhouse, Beaumont Street,
Oxford, OX1 2LW
Tickets: £15, Discounts available, a limited number of £5 tickets for under 18s and OPT In!
members
01865 305305 | www.oxfordplayhouse.com | in person at Oxford Playhouse Box Office
18th March-29th September
Oxford University Museum of Natural History:
Kurt Jackson exhibition showcases new work celebrating the
importance and diversity of bees
A unique presentation of contemporary art and science opens at the Oxford University
Museum of Natural History this spring with Kurt Jackson’s brand new show Bees (and the
odd wasp) in my bonnet. Featuring work never previously displayed, the exhibition explores
and celebrates the diversity, role, importance and current plight of bees and other pollinators.
Acknowledging the dangers faced by British bees, Kurt Jackson has spent the past few years
exploring the world of pollinators, producing a collection of pieces that are also informed by
his grounding in the sciences and his experience as a beekeeper in Cornwall.
Bees (and the odd wasp) in my bonnet brings this body of work together for the first time
and includes both plein air and studio pieces, embracing an extensive range of materials and
techniques including mixed media, large canvases, print making and sculpture.
In collaboration with the Museum of Natural History, the show presents Jackson’s artworks
alongside specimens from the collections, including a display of all British bee species,
numbering approximately 270 in total, and archival material from the Museum’s library and
archives. Along with the latest scientific research into the hazards facing bees, such as
neonicotinoid pesticides and habitat losses, the exhibition offers a reflective and empirical
view of British bees and wasps.
19th-28th March
Cogges Manor Farm
19th & 20th March
Opening weekend
The new season at Cogges brings plenty
of reasons to put on your wellies, feed the
animals (including our new piglets) and
go exploring in the woods where you can
build dens, follow the trails or play on the
adventure playground. The all new Cogges
Kitchen cafe will be open to sample their
wonderful seasonal menu.
25th-28th March
Easter Weekend
“My interests in the natural history of bees and wasps goes back to my youth,” says Kurt
Jackson. “As a student reading Zoology at Oxford University I joined an expedition to the
Venezuelan Amazon and brought back half a dozen wasp specimens with drawings and
information about their nests. They were thought to be new species and the Museum of
Natural History in Oxford took the specimens and related material. So it seems entirely logical
that I should now return to Oxford to show this new body of work at the Museum.”
Professor Paul Smith, director of the Museum of Natural History, says: “This is a wonderful
opportunity to view the excellent work of a contemporary artist whose art is concerned with
the natural environment. Combining Kurt Jackson’s pieces with current science chimes
with our ambitions to reflect different approaches to natural history in a building that was
conceived at the interface of art, science and nature.”
The exhibition forms part of the Museum of Natural History’s Visions of Nature year during
2016.
Address: Oxford University Museum of Natural History, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PW
Tel: 01865 272950
Visit The Website: www.oum.ox.ac.uk
There will be fun family activities at Cogges
throughout the Easter Holidays, with egg
hunts, chicks and crafts. The ever popular
Nick Cope will also be holding a children’s
music session in the barn on Good Friday.
Address: Cogges Manor Farm, Church Lane,
Witney, OX28 3LA
Tel: 01993 772602
Visit The Website: www.cogges.org.uk
20th March
RSPCA Oxfordshire 5K run
The RSPCA Oxfordshire family event has
something for the whole family. The day
will include a 5k race, ideal for PB chasers
through to first timers and a mini marathon
(1 mile) race to inspire and involve juniors!
Running not your thing? Why not bring
along your friends, family and walk the
course with us?
Or simply turn up to support others and
help us to improve animal welfare across
Oxfordshire.
Address: Horspath Park, Gidley Way, Horspath,
OX33 1TJ
Tel: 07808 719716
Visit The Website: www.rspca.org.uk
Win a pair of tickets to
Single Spies at Oxford Playhouse!
OX & Oxford Playhouse are giving away a pair of tickets for Alan
Bennett’s Single Spies on opening night (21st March 2016, 7.30pm).
To be in with a chance of winning, simply email:
[email protected] with your full name and contact details.
Please put Single Spies Competition as the email subject.
This competition closes on 16th March 2016.
Nicholas Farrell, Belinda Lang and
David Robb in Single Spies.
© Hugo Glendinning
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6th-10th April
Oliver! at South Hill Park
Watch a classic story come to life before
your very eyes this Easter, as we present
the much loved Lionel Bart musical Oliver!,
based on the famous tale by Charles
Dickens.
Set amidst the dark, sooty alleyways of
Victorian London, follow the journey of
a young orphan who faces the trials and
tribulations suffered by the lower classes by
simply asking for more.
12th & 18th April
Painting The Modern Garden: Monet To Matisse
Season 3 of Exhibition On Screen closes with a film based on the upcoming exhibition at the
Royal Academy of Arts, London
Painting the Modern Garden: Monet to Matisse will explore the intriguing relationship between
the world’s greatest artists and horticulture.
The film will transport viewers across Europe to some of the most beautiful gardens depicted
in art, from Monet’s water lilies at Giverny to Bonnard’s privately owned garden in Vernonnet.
Cinemagoers will be able to appreciate the natural beauty from which painters such as
Liebermann, Sorolla and Nolde worked, and discover how these inspiring surroundings
translated onto the canvas.
Join the Artful Dodger, Nancy, Fagin and his
urchins who take Oliver under their wing,
teaching him the ways of all scallywags and
ragamuffins!
Painting the Modern Garden: Monet to Matisse offers fresh insights from international
gardening experts and art critics in order to bring the history of the garden’s relationship with
art to life. Interviews with renowned modern artists Lachlan Goudie and Tania Kovats will also
reveal how the relationship between the artist and the natural world continues to flourish in the
21st century.
Will Oliver ever find a loving family?
The film will be showing in the following cinemas:
Oliver! is a must see show for grown-ups
and all the little urchins out there!
Cineworld Witney - 12th April, 6.45pm
If you have a little star of your own at home,
why not enrol them in the Oliver Easter
School and watch them perform in Oliver!
alongside the adult cast.
Ultimate Picture Palace - 12th April, 6.30pm
Odeon Oxford - 12th April, 6.45pm
Phoenix Picturehouse - 18th April, 6.30pm
Visit The Website: www.exhibitiononscreen.com
2pm and 7pm.
Price: £18, Conc £17, Members £16, Family
£52, Children £15
Why not relax in our Atrium Restaurant
before the show and enjoy a two course
meal, dinner/theatre ticket price: £33pp.
Address: Wilde Theatre, South Hill Park,
Ringmead, RG12 7PA
Tel: 01344 484123
Visit The Website:
www.southhillpark.org.uk/oliver
facebook.com/southhillparkartscentre
@southhillpark
22nd April
Billy Ocean at O2 Academy
Billy Ocean is the biggest black
recording star Britain has ever
produced, one who has sold over 30
million records in his lifetime. He has
collected a pile of Gold and Platinum
records across the world and hit the
number one spot worldwide on pop
charts including the USA, Australia,
Germany, Holland, and the UK. Billy
has achieved extraordinary success as
both an artist and a songwriter.
Billy got his first break when he signed
to GTO records, for whom his second
single was the Motown-ish Love Really
Hurts Without You, which reached No.
2 in the UK charts and No. 12 in the
US.
Two top twenty singles followed; Love
on Delivery and Stop Me, then Red
Light Spells Danger became a smash
in both the UK and the US.
Address: 190 Cowley Road, Oxford, OX4 1UE
Visit The Website: o2academyoxford.co.uk
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Little Baroque Company perform Bach’s Coffee Cantata at St Nicolas Church Hall on
Saturday 14th May, 11.00am (arrival from 10.30am) and 4.00pm (arrival from 3.30pm)
7th-21st May
38th Newbury Spring Festival
50 concerts and education events Including City Of Birmingham
Symphony Orchestra, John Wilson, Alice Coote, Moscow State
Symphony Orchestra, Benjamin Grosvenor, Anoushka Shankar,
Clare Teal, Nyjo, Christopher Maltman, Vienna Piano Trio, Pinchas
Zukerman & Tenebrae.
Newbury Spring Festival is one of the most popular and successful
music festivals in the South of England. Over the last 38 years the
Festival has grown hugely in size and quality building up a reputation
of international status. With dynamic programming, Festival Director,
Mark Eynon attracts the very best from the classical, jazz and world
music fields to perform in and around Newbury.
The Festival prides itself on its reputation for presenting concerts
in some glorious venues both in Newbury and the surrounding
countryside. Great care is taken to tailor the right performance to
the venue, whether it be an intimate recital at magnificent Highclere
Castle or in the Long Gallery at Englefield House, top level choral
concerts in Douai Abbey and East Woodhay church or a song recital
in Ramsbury church. This year new additions to the festival are a
gala performance of Rigoletto at Combe Manor, set in the rolling
Berkshire hills, and staged performances of Bach’s Coffee Cantata
in St Nicolas Church Hall.
In the centre of Newbury, St Nicolas Church, with its excellent
acoustics is the festival’s concert hall welcoming world class
orchestras and international soloists. Newbury’s resident theatre,
the Corn Exchange, continues to present a nightly programme of
ballet, cabaret, jazz and world music as well as regular lunchtime
concerts.
Tel: 0845 5218 218
Visit The Website:
www.newburyspringfestival.org.uk
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An undiscovered secret in the heart of Oxford
...Make the legend yours
an undiscovered secret in the heart of oxford
the Oxford Union
make the legend yours
Call 07507 683129 / 01865 241353
Email: [email protected]
www.oxford-union.org
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Road Dahl Museum EDITS
EASTER
at the Roald Dahl Museum
2016 marks 100 years since Roald Dahl’s birth and at the Roald Dahl Museum in Great
Missenden, the celebrations are in full swing with themed activity weeks and weekends
focusing on each of Roald Dahl’s swishwiffling stories throughout the year.
Take part in Marvellous Medicine Magic with
Science Oxford on 13 March and George’s
Marvellous Experiments on 20 March tying in with
National Science Week. The Easter holidays will
be focused on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
(of course!). Channel your inner Willy Wonka with
Whipple-scrumptious Easter Egg Decorating,
Oompa-Loompa parties and chocolate factory
themed crafts. You can also meet author Rachel
Bright who’ll be reading from her story Love
Monster and the Last Chocolate.
There will be storytelling and chocolatey clue
trails every day. Take a look at www.roalddahl.
com/museum for full details including dates,
times and prices.
Forthcoming events include an opportunity to
learn some Twits-inspired tricks and skills over
the May Bank Holiday weekend and a visit from
award-winning children’s book illustrator Korky
Paul as part of the Matilda-themed May half term.
The Museum’s ‘Big Friendly Summer’
will be filled with activities celebrating both the
book and the release of Steven Spielberg’s big
screen adaptation of The BFG.
From 10 February to 3 July, there’s an
opportunity to see some rarely viewed treasures
from the Museum’s archive as part of The
Wondercrump World of Roald Dahl at London’s
South Bank Centre.
this Easter with
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r
e
n
in
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Channel you
-themed crafts
ry
to
c
fa
d
n
a
g
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chocolate decora
Join us throughout 2016 for a year long
celebration of Roald Dahl’s 100th birthday
Join us every weekend for storytelling, trails and crafts!
For full events listings see roalddahl.com/museum.
There is a charge for some workshops in addition to Museum admission.
Call 01494 892192 to book. 81-83 High Street Great Missenden Bucks HP16 0AL
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Curtain Call
This is the first of a new monthly feature. In each issue of OX a selection of local theatres tell us
what they’ve got coming up, highlighting the reasons to get excited about whatever it may be.
If you’re a theatre and want to get involved…email [email protected]
Oxford Playhouse
By James Webster,
Marketing and Digital
Media Officer
When you think of the
name Alan Bennett, a
few different words tend
to surface. “National”
and “Treasure” are
definitely two of the
first, while the simple
“hilarious” probably
follows not far behind.
“That chap who wrote The History Boys” is
certainly another collection of words that springs
to mind, while “razor” and “wit” also tend to go
together quite well when discussing the muchloved playwright.
Whenever I discuss Alan Bennett, the words that
I tend to use are the understated (but pleasantly
expressive): “he’s a bit good, isn’t he?” And
while The History Boys is probably his bestknown work of genius in the 21st century, what’s
really maddening is that he seems to average
about one masterpiece per decade. In the 90s it
was The Madness of George III. In the 70s it was
Habeas Corpus. While in the 80s he produced
the utterly hysterical plays, Single Spies.
Based on the actions of the infamous Cambridge
Five spy ring (who also inspired the book and
recent film Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy), Single
Spies is chock full of Bennett’s signature
sharp wit. Featuring glorious silliness, absurd
coincidences and marvellous misadventures, the
various hilarious events of these one-act plays
are all the funnier for knowing they’re based on
truth.
Having seen and heard various versions of these
plays via film and radio, I’ve always found them
to be terrific entertainment of the kind that only
Bennett can produce. So I’m hugely excited
that Oxford Playhouse get to host Single
Spies and that our audience will be able to
enjoy its sparkling humour live on stage.
Single Spies comes with two big thumbs up
from me and a recommendation for anyone
who enjoys a cracking, laugh-filled story.
Single Spies, 21st-26th March
01865 305305
www.oxfordplayhouse.com
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New Theatre Oxford
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat ticks
all the boxes for a great family trip to the theatre; rags
to riches story, a stellar cast (featuring X Factor winner
Joe McElderry and Britain’s Got Talent’s Lucy Kay) and
fantastic songs. Musical Director Kelvin Towse says:
Joseph is such a fun score to play. By definition it
is a colourful musical, but a lot of that colour comes
from a whole host of different styles of music. From
songs you can sing and clap along with to powerful
ballads that blow you away. From the mayhem of a
country ‘n’ western hoedown to the sophistication of
the 1920s, even music from the moody cafés de Paris
to the vibrant shores of the Caribbean. It really has got
something for everyone, truly making it a musical for
the whole family.
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, 8th-12th March.
0844 871 3020 | www.atgtickets.com/oxford
Pegasus Theatre
By Gill Jaggers, Head of Marketing
By March we always hope to have a bit of a spring in our step. It’s warmer, the days
are longer and there’s a whiff of fun in the air.
There’s also some wild, weird and wonderful stuff on stage, much of it fuelled by
music.
Dancin’ Oxford turns up some amazing gigs and for the tenth anniversary edition The
Black Album from Avant Garde Dance gets plenty of votes for quality and adventure
– it’s almost dangerous to watch. You will never have seen anything like this before –
a mix of hip hop, contemporary and ballet to DJs, pop and classical music. Ripped
bodies pound out rhythms, pirouette on their heads and defy gravity in ways you
can only imagine. We’ve no idea how it works. It just does. (And confidentially it’s
amazing!).
If you think that’s hard core, imagine bringing together a poet, a beat-boxer, a dancer
and a puppeteer – what do you get? The Broke N Beat Collective that’s what. Their
extraordinary show combines the talents of these four stunning artists plus a puppet
character Boombox (our season pin-up!). They weave an exciting, energy filled show
and there’s the added bonus of a talkback with the entire cast after the first night and a
jam session after the second (can’t wait!).
We can’t talk about Pegasus without mentioning the Youth
Theatre Companies especially as they have been working hard
on an inspiring double bill of theatre and dance. It’s Called Eye
of the Beholder and looks at hidden code with inspiration taken
from Shakespeare and WW2 code-breakers.
How could anyone want to miss any of that? See you at
Pegasus!
The Black Album, 5th March
The Broke N Beat Collective, 10th & 11th March
Eye of the Beholder, 23rd-26th March
01865 812150 | www.pegasustheatre.org.uk
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The North Wall
By Naomi Wilds, Producer
Adverse Camber productions are thrilled to
return to North Wall on Friday 11th March
at 7.30pm with, The Old Woman, the
Buffalo and the Lion of Manding, a performance which
immerses audiences in the majesty, passion and music of West
Africa, sharing a wonderfully powerful and uplifting epic story from
Mali. Our previous show, Fire in the North Sky, delighted a packed
house in Oxford with the distinctive sounds and flavours of Finland.
The company, Adverse Camber is named after the road sign which
flags up a more risky bend than drivers are expecting. Our shows
are not what audiences necessarily expect when they hear the
word ‘storytelling’ – you’ll see no books, or rocking chairs – instead
stunning, passionate artists sharing epic traditions from cultures all
over the world in ways which totally grab audiences’ imaginations.
The Old Woman, the Buffalo and the Lion of Manding tells a story
known throughout the world as the birth story of Sundiata Keita, the
legendary founder of the Malian empire. This version was originally
commissioned by one of the UK’s leading storytelling festivals,
Festival at the Edge, and is created and performed by three brilliant
artists who instantly connect with audiences.
Jan Blake is in demand the world over for her dynamic and
generous storytelling, particularly drawing from traditions of Africa,
the Caribbean and Arabia. Jan gives voice to the three tenacious
women in Sundiata Keita’s early life – his mother, step-mother
and great-grandmother – and how their lives cross to create the
circumstances in which he is born.
Virtuoso musicians Kouame Sereba and Raymond Sereba, who
grew up with this story in West Africa and have been working with
Jan individually for many years, sing a sequence of beautiful songs
throughout the show, as well as playing guitars, Nordic flutes,
kalimbas, djembe drums and the extraordinary dodo mouth bow,
traditionally used by the eldest in the village to bring people to the
world of storytelling.
Take a risk on Adverse Camber and you won’t be disappointed. This
show has energised audiences at festivals like Hay on Wye and the
Netherlands’ Zwolle Unlimited Festival, and at the RSC in Stratford
on our last tour – we’re really looking forward to hearing Oxford
audiences singing along by the end of the night!
The Old Woman, the Buffalo and the Lion of Manding, 11th March
01865 319450 www.thenorthwall.com
The Mill Arts Centre, Banbury
By Rosie Parish, Marketing Intern
Anyone with young children will recognise
the immortal words of “out of the gate
and off for a walk went Hairy Maclary from
Donaldson’s Dairy” as the opening lines to the
book Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy
by Lynley Dodd, which has, in recent years,
been adapted to stage. The show features
well known and well-loved characters such
as Schnitzel von Krumm (with a very low tum), Bottomley Potts
(covered in spots) and Scarface Claw (the toughest tomcat in
town) in a show that is jam-packed full of singing and your family’s
favourite Hairy Maclary stories.
The show had its debut at Edinburgh Fringe in 2010 with a sold
out run of 25 shows, has toured extensively across the UK twice
and Asia once and had a 5 week summer residency at the Sydney
Opera House in 2011, which was subsequently extended by 2
weeks due to huge popular demand.
Hairy Maclary & Friends, 30th March
01295 279002 www.themillartscentre.co.uk
Annette
Cunningham
THE AFTER LIFE
Forgive me if I sound slightly fazed.
It’s just no matter how much I pinch myself, I can’t quite get over
the shock of returning home from work in the evenings to find
everything as I left it.
True, it’s been almost a year since my daughters flew the coop, and
true, stepping over the threshold isn’t quite on a par with stepping
into the pages of a glossy ‘Perfect Home Dahling’ magazine, but it is
very different to the chaos I’ve lived with for the last 19 years.
Believe it or not, it’s actually unnerving to make the short journey
from the front door to the sofa WITHOUT tripping over several shoes
(unpaired), nor encounter at least one abandoned heap of clothing,
as well as the ubiquitous trail of hair grips that would seriously enable
Hansel and Gretel to find their way home from Mars.
Then, if that weren’t miracle enough (and remember I am over
50, so I thought I’d seen everything...), there’s the lack of empty
cardboard rolls in the bathroom and mountain of used-only-once
towels littering everywhere from the garage to the rabbit hutch.
Indeed, the technique for changing a loo roll and recycling the
spent tube is, I now realise, a life skill reserved exclusively for those
of us - from a medical point of view, of course - close to considering
botox.
Personally, I am also still reeling from the middle-of-the-night
flashbacks that haunt me of finding my tights and socks returned,
smelling of White Russians I might add, after a booze night on the
tiles.
Now, every fairy story has its roots planted in reality and mine is no
different: my daughters, with just 22 months in age and one school
year between them, having started university at exactly the same
time after the eldest had a year out.
So one Friday evening (it now seems back in the mists of time...),
there we all were, watching TV at home (‘Friends’, what else?, which
screened on an irritatingly never ending loop in our living room)
snuggled under a blanket.
And the next they’d both begun new lives comprising shared
kitchens, laundry rooms, lectures and worryingly attractive male flat
mates – fuelled only by pasta, economy range cornflakes and baked
beans.
I went from a fully feathered nest to one that had been gutted in
less than 48 hours.
I’m still not quite sure how I coped with the change but I know
sherry trifle helped.
And now that I have come to terms with being child-free, I
find myself wondering around the house as aimlessly as one of
Wordsworth’s clouds.
So I guess until they return at Easter, I’ll fill the void by... yes, living for
the moment. And you know what I’ve discovered!
There is an After Life after all!
And now that I have come to terms with being child-free, I
find myself wondering around the house as aimlessly as one of
Wordsworth's clouds.
So I guess until they return at Easter, I'll fill the void by... yes, living
for the moment. And you know what I've discovered!
There is an After Life after all!
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Creation Theatre
An interview with Max Gold, playing King Lear
2016 marks Creation’s 20th birthday and we’re
celebrating with our production of King Lear, running
until 19th March. We’ve transformed the beautiful
Norrington Room in Blackwell’s Bookshop into a 186
seat theatre. We popped into rehearsals to have a
chat with Max Gold, our Lear.
© Giulia Biasibetti
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Max Gold stars as King Lear in Creation
Theatre’s February-March offering
So, King Lear, that’s a massive part to take on, how have you been finding it?
In this production everyone has a massive task. I’m Lear, but the other actors are playing
multiple roles. We’re like a very happy family led by a wonderfully creative, positive and
down to earth director. In that kind of environment the process becomes a lot less stressful.
What are your impressions of other versions of Lear you’ve seen? Have they influenced
your approach?
I have banished from my mind all productions I have seen. Of course, I can’t completely
banish the production I was in with Richard Briers as Lear, but fortunately that was twenty
six years ago, so I can’t remember much about it! I do remember Richard breaking his leg
during rehearsals. He turned up the next day with it in plaster and it was still like that on
opening night.
What’s it like to have everyone playing multiple roles around you?
I am also playing First Servant, so I have two death scenes – he dies trying to save
Gloucester’s eyes. Doesn’t that count as multi-rolling? More seriously, I think the multiple
roles are highly effective, from Lear’s perspective, they add to his disorientation.
How do you feel about performing in Blackwell’s?
It’s an amazing space, an arena of bookshelves, crammed with ideas, knowledge,
experience, imagination…. When I mention the location of the show to friends, they’re
always excited. I hadn’t realised that it’s so many people’s favourite bookshop.
King Lear, until 19th March
Blackwell’s Bookshop, 01865 766266
www.creationtheatre.co.uk
The Mill at Sonning
Sally Hughes, Managing Director
Set majestically on the banks of the River
Thames, The Mill at Sonning promises a
unique experience where your visit includes
both dinner and a show all under one roof in
a beautiful converted water mill.
The Mill theatre itself is an intimate venue
seating just over 200 people. During the
year we produce a range of plays, from
comedies to thrillers, as well as hosting
regular music nights that will have you
dancing in the aisles.
This month, The Mill is showing the stage
adaption of dark comedy thriller The Perfect
Murder by international best-selling author
Peter James.
Peter said: “I had huge fun writing this story
and I’m delighted to see success of it on
stage. It is incredibly exciting for me to see
wonderful theatres like the glorious Mill
wanting to put on their productions of it.”
Starring Andrew Paul
(The Bill, Eastenders,
Coronation Street) as
Victor, the show has
received rave reviews
from both critics and
audiences alike – so
please don’t miss out!
The Perfect Murder, until
12th March
01189 698000
www.millatsonning.com
Oxford’s Independent
Film Scene
At OX, we like to think of ourselves
as champions of all things
“independent”. We have a nearsycophantic obsession with local
produce and small-scale producers,
craft distillers, up-and-coming artists
and underground music. One aspect
of Oxford’s independent culture that
we have yet to shine our journalistic
light on, however, is cinema, and for
such a small city, Oxford punches
well above its weight in terms
of quality, non-blockbuster film
screenings.
Jack Rayner &
Jeremy Smith
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So why is ‘arthouse’ cinema so important? If
anyone in Oxford has the authority to answer
this question, it’s Clare Stimpson from the
Ultimate Picture Palace on Cowley Road.
The UPP first opened as the Oxford Picture
Palace in 1911, closing during the war and
reopening under the guidance of Bill Heine
in 1976. Marketing manager Clare thinks that
the benefits of independent cinemas like the
UPP extend further than you might think:
“Independent filmmaking shines a light on
the stories and voices that sometimes get
lost in the fray of larger blockbusters”, Clare
explained. “Here at the Ultimate Picture
Palace, we try as much as possible to show
a range of films from different countries and
points of view in order to give our audiences
a chance to see the breadth of films on offer
from all over the world. As an independent
business, we have complete control over
what we show which means we can listen to
our audiences as they come to the cinema
and make sure we programme the films
they want to see in our beautiful art deco
auditorium.”
The second arthouse powerhouse hidden
amongst the dreaming spires is the Phoenix
in Jericho. Whilst not strictly independent
(being part of the Picturehouse chain), it
boasts enough spirit, charm and - most
importantly of all - eclectic programming to
earn its spurs as an indie cinema, and part
of that ‘badge’ of hard-earned autonomy is
its history - fascinating and titillating in equal
measure.
It first opened its doors in 1913 and since
then, over a period spanning more than a
century, the Phoenix has changed ownership
and name many times. However, significantly,
when the lease was acquired by JR Poyntz in
1930 and sound equipment was installed, it
began to establish its reputation as one of the
most important art house cinemas in Britain
outside of London. Poyntz regularly showed
subtitled films which, not surprisingly, were
especially popular with the University’s
foreign-language students, and indeed,
this reputation was enhanced by the Poytz
family’s ownership of it for more than 40
years.
Oxford’s Independent Film Scene EDITS
Upcoming film
recommendations
from the Ultimate
Picture Palace:
“Our upcoming recommendations
would certainly include Paolo
Sorrentino’s Oscar-nominated Youth,
starring Michael Caine and Harvey
Keitel. The story follows two old
friends as they holiday together in
the Alps, looking back at their lives
and careers and contemplating the
future.
Here at the UPP we adore the Coen
Brothers, which makes their latest
Hail Caesar! an absolute must see.
Set in the golden age of Hollywood,
it sees Josh Brolin’s fixer hunting
for a missing studio star played by
George Clooney.
Up until 1970 that is, when it was sold
and its single auditorium was split into two
screens and renamed Studios One and Two.
Subsequently, the film selection became
more mainstream and - this is the ‘titillating’
part - adult films started to become a regular
part of its programming.
Indeed, in 1976, Studio Two was renamed
Studio X and briefly became a private club for
more explicit adult fare, until in 1977 it was
re-christened The Phoenix by new owners
Contemporary Films, who started again
showing arthouse films. Current manager
David Williams, a delightfully unashamed
cinema aficionado, is clearly a round man:
“I’ve worked in cinema for 16 years” he says,
“across 18 different cinemas ranging from
two screen locals to ten screen multiplexes,
and in all that time I have never had the sheer
pride that comes from being the General
Manager of a cinema with the prestige and
love of both its staff and customers”. A fan,
then?
“You know, the Phoenix is the
only place in Oxford where
you can watch a high budget
Hollywood production one day
and a ‘filmed on a shoestring
budget’ film the next.
It really has a diversity unmatched by bigger
cinemas, and yet still is at the heart of the
local community.”
David, 34 - who incidentally lists his five
favourite films of last year as ‘Star Wars: The
Force Awakens’, ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’, ‘The
Lobster’, ‘Sicario’ and ‘The Martian’ - says it
was his first week at The Phoenix which truly
set the bar.
“We had an issue with a projector that
decided it didn’t want to play the scheduled
film,” he recalls. “I dutifully headed into the
screen to tell the customers already sat down
that we were having problems, expecting that
I would be lynched… but they could not have
been nicer. In fact, they were more interested
in getting to know the new General Manager
of the Phoenix than wondering why there was
a delay in their film. As for the troublesome
film that night, we’re fortunate to be one of
the few cinemas that still have a full time
projectionist, so Mike, wizard that he is,
worked his magic and we managed to get the
film back on.”
With such a rich history and vibrant scene
in our fine city, it would be a shame to let
is pass you by. Have a look at the listings
and get involved at uppcinema.com and
picturehouses.com/cinema/Phoenix_
Picturehouse
After the roaring success of last
year’s Of Horses and Men, we are
bringing Icelandic comedy back with
Rams, a film about two brothers
who band together to save their
sheep despite not having spoken to
one another for 40 years.
A Cannes favourite and loose
remake of the Alain Delon and Romy
Schneider classic La Piscine, we
predict great things for A Bigger
Splash. With two outstanding
performances from Ralph Fiennes
and Tilda Swinton it sees a high
profile couple’s holiday on a remote
Italian island disrupted when an old
friend shows up creating a whirlwind
of jealousy, passion and, ultimately,
danger for everyone involved.
Our final recommendation is
not a new release but the digital
restorations of the works by the
Russian master of filmmaking Andrei
Tarkovsky. Curzon Artificial Eye are
rereleasing all of his classic works
and here at the UPP we will be
screening five of his best; Ivan’s
Childhood, Andrei Rublev, Solaris,
The Mirror and Stalker.
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PLUS MANY MORE
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Self-portrait, 1967
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“I AM A DEEPLY
SUPERFICIAL PERSON”
Andy Warhol at the Ashmolean
Words by Jack Rayner
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Twenty Fuchsia Maos, 1979
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Andy Warhol EDITS
Andy Warhol was the most famous and influential artist of the
20th century aside from, perhaps, Picasso, but his themes of
advertising, repetition and conspicuous consumption continue
to grow in resonance in today’s cultural climate.
Born Andrew Warhola in Pittsburgh in 1928,
Warhol was the youngest son of CarpathoRusyn immigrants, beginning his artistic
career as a commercial designer in 1949. He
quickly became one of the most successful
illustrators of the 1950s, winning numerous
awards and contracts from distinguished
clients, and began to devote more of his time
to painting in the late 50s.
In 1962, Warhol first exhibited Campbell’s
Soup Cans at the Ferus Gallery in Los
Angeles, marking the West Coast debut of the
“pop art” style. The exhibition caused a mild
sensation in the city; the more adventurous
artists and critics were fascinated by the
novelty of the repetitive imagery, but most
of the art community treated them with
contempt and derision – which, arguably,
was Warhol’s intention. Whilst his interviews
were almost universally short, monosyllabic
and contradictory, making it near-impossible
to decipher how serious, facetious or
sarcastic he was being in a given instance,
one statement he gave in a later interview
encapsulates what many were suspecting
about the meaning behind Campbell’s Soup
Cans: “Everybody paints the same picture
over and over again anyway”.
The prevailing art movement precedent
to Warhol and pop art was abstract
expressionism: Jackson Pollock, Mark
Rothko, “action painting” and ambitious,
high-brow interpretation were the orders of
the day. Warhol’s use of machined, universally
recognised imagery can be seen a reaction to
abstract expressionism, where nonconcrete,
open-ended depictions of concepts give way
to advertisements, recurrence and faithful
replications of pop culture symbols. His
statement that “everybody paints the same
picture over and over” echoes a 1950 radio
interview with Jackson Pollock, in which
Pollock states that the techniques he used for
a coloured glass piece were “pretty much the
same as all of my paintings” – the difference
being that, whilst Pollock was happy to
interpret his art in terms of its ability to evoke
athleticism, rhythm and kinetic energy, Warhol
claimed that he printed images of soup cans
simply because he liked soup, saying of the
Campbell’s brand: “I used to drink it. I used to
have the same lunch every day, for 20 years,
I guess, the same thing over and over again”.
The exhibition of Campbell’s Soup Cans
was the beginning of Warhol’s ascent to
fame. Shortly after his divisive exhibition, he
began a series of silk-screen printed pieces
based on iconic images of the celebrities
of the time, as well as more immediately
contentious imagery of car crashes, electric
chairs, sensationalist newspaper headlines
and, harking back to his Soup Cans series
in a more morbid light, cans of tainted tuna
which had killed two housewives through
food poisoning. Warhol’s obsession with the
nature of fame, celebrity and what qualifies
as ‘art’ continued into films; His first film to
be screened was Sleep, which consisted
of footage of poet John Giorno sleeping for
five hours and 20 minutes. During this time,
his prominence as an artist and reputation
as a public figure grew exponentially, and
he managed, at the same time, to be an
extremely visible celebrity and yet never
overtly give away any of the meaning behind
his works. Indeed, Warhol’s development
and projection of his public persona could
be considered as his greatest artistic
achievement.
We can only speculate as to
the true intentions behind his
astonishing body of work,
and it’s often impossible to
decipher where the carefully
constructed Warhol character
ended and the “true” Andrew
Warhola began.
Warhol’s success continued until, in 1968,
he was shot by radical feminist author Valerie
Solanas at his Factory studio in New York.
He barely survived the ordeal, and surgeons
were forced to open his chest and massage
his heart back to life. This close call seemed
to have provoked Warhol into documenting
his life to an ever-increasing degree, which
led to his employment of interns to transcribe
the content of what would amount to over
3,400 audio tapes.
The near-death experience did not, however,
slow down his creativity or work ethic. Over
the course of the 70s, Warhol expanded his
empire into TV shows, magazines, books
and portrait commissions for rich patrons. In
The Philosophy of Andy Warhol, publishes in
1975, the artist opined that “making money is
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For its 2016 spring exhibition, the Ashmolean, in
collaboration with the Hall Art Foundation (USA),
will present an important private collection of
works by Warhol. Over 100 paintings, sculptures,
screen prints and drawings from the Hall
Collection will be exhibited alongside loans of
the artist’s films from The Andy Warhol Museum,
Pittsburgh.
Curated by Sir Norman Rosenthal, the exhibition spans
Warhol’s entire career, from iconic works of the ‘60s to the
experimental creations of his last decade. It is arranged
chronologically, opening with the early Pop masterpieces and
portraits. The first room includes works from key series such as
Flowers and Brillo Soap Pads Box, a group of artists’ portraits
which features Roy Lichtenstein, James Rosenquist and
Frank Stella, as well as some of Warhol’s earliest experiments
in screen print portraits with pictures of patrons, friends and
celebrities (Troy, Patty Oldenburg, Ethel Scull, Jackie). Films of
the early ‘60s, including Sleep (1963) and Empire (1964) and
a selection of Warhol’s Screen Tests, illustrate how the artist
engaged with the moving image.
Heaven and Hell Are Just One Breath Away!, 1985
art, and working is art and good business is
the best art”. If we are to take this assertion
and apply it to his own career, Warhol was
certainly a successful artist. By the end of
his career, his estate had a net worth of $220
million.
Warhol’s financial success and immersion
in the “A-list” celebrity scene makes it even
more difficult to deduce whether his work was
a celebration of vapid commercialism or a
satirical “mirror of the times”, highlighting the
banality and superficiality of mass-produced
American culture. At times, he was flippant
and claimed that there was no meaningful
expression behind his work, claiming
“I just do art because I’m ugly
and there’s nothing else for
me to do”.
Other times, he would subtly allude to his
creative intention, stating in The Philosophy…
that “they always say time changes things, but
you actually have to change them yourself.”
Warhol died suddenly on February 22nd
1987 after complications following routine
gallbladder surgery, but his influence
continues to permeate the worlds of art,
business and popular culture today. Warhol
seems to have (consciously or not) predicted
and embodied the accelerated, online culture
of our era. His famous 1968 statement that “in
the future, everyone will be world-famous for
15 minutes” becomes more eerily prescient
with every reality TV show, Youtube star or
Instagram celebrity that modern popular
culture produces, and his deft ability to thrust
himself into the limelight without explaining
his intentions is a trait that so many now
try to reproduce. Regardless of individual
judgments on his politics, attitude or body
of work, few will dispute the sheer creative
energy hidden behind that iconic grey wig.
The very definition of a visionary.
24
The main room of the exhibition is dominated by a spectacular
display of Warhol’s commissioned portraits spanning the
1970s right up to the year before his death. The group features
performers, socialites and politicians including the singer and
songwriter Paul Anka, American celebrities Maria Shriver
and Pia Zadora, the Princess of Iran and the West German
Chancellor, Willy Brandt. The room also includes works
(Hammer and Sickle, Mao, Dollar Sign, Crosses) that offer
typically ambiguous and non-committal social and political
commentary, and it features a sequence of pencil portraits from
the 1980s based, like the prints and paintings, on photographs
of figures such as Ingrid Bergman and Jane Fonda. The
gallery closes with Warhol’s response to the challenge of
abstraction with Rorschach, Shadows and Oxidation Paintings.
The exhibition’s final room concentrates on the productive
last years of Warhol’s life. In the Positive/Negative series,
Warhol revisited the subject matter of his earliest Pop works advertising, newspaper headlines and commercial packaging
– and explored new territory in overtly political and religious
works such as Map of the Eastern U.S.S.R. Missile Bases and
Detail of the Last Supper. Another departure was Warhol’s
use of simple slogans including Stress!, Art and one of his last
works, the uncannily prescient Heaven and Hell are Just One
Breath Away.
Dr Alexander Sturgis, Director of the Ashmolean, says:
“We are hugely grateful to the Hall Art Foundation and to Andy
and Christine Hall for making this exhibition possible with
the generous loan of their superb collection. The substance
and significance of Andy Warhol’s art becomes more evident
with each passing decade and this exhibition aims to add to
what we know what we know about Warhol by highlighting
unfamiliar and surprising works from across his career.”
Sir Normal Rosenthal, The Hall Art Foundation Curator of
Contemporary Art at the Ashmolean, says:
“Evermore, Warhol feels like the decisive artist of his generation
who peered into the future and saw his world with all its
glamour and with all its horror.
The Hall’s collection of Warhol’s
demonstrates the artist’s extraordinarily
diverse output, as he reacts to his world
with penetrating truthfulness and wit.”
Andy Warhol EDITS
Maria Shriver, 1986
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WE SAW YOU...
One of the major art exhibitions of this year – and the fact it’s been
highlighted in the New York Times is surely proof enough – is the Andy
Warhol presentation at the Ashmolean Museum.
And at it’s predictably glitzy press launch, OX Magazine bumped oh-so-casually
into some of the county’s most enthusiastic art lovers... but that’s not all, we also
took the fact that this month celebrates International Women’s Day to ask a rather
pertinent question.
* The exhibition runs until 15 May 2016, and is open from Tuesday to Sunday,
and Bank Holidays 10am to 5pm.
Xa Sturgis,
Director of the Ashmolean.
“Warhol is an artist that we think we already know. I’ve had
the most enjoyable week hanging the show; it has been an
education and a real pleasure. This particular exhibition
is a slice through his career that avoids his most known
pieces. Warhol was an energetic and restless artist, and
the pieces that hang in the Ashmolean speak to what is
held in the rest of the museum and will draw people in who
have never been here before.”
Using statements like “astonishing, remarkable and
miraculous”, Xa calls Warhol a “truly ballsy artist”.
Patricia Baker-Cassidy, Art Critic
Most inspirational woman: “Thurza Simmons, a painter
and printer. Her mother was a suffragette and I can
really see that influence in her work”.
Simon Devenport, Astronaut
Most inspirational woman: “Philippa Farrow,
owner of The White Rabbit”.
Cllr Bob Price, leader of Oxford
City Council and his wife Jo Price,
from South Oxford.
“Lovely atmosphere! It's so wonderful to
come to the Ashmolean to see Andy Warhol!”
Lorraine Hunt, Retired
Most inspirational woman:
“Margaret Thatcher”
Amy Walters, Marketing
Manager at the North Wall
Most inspirational woman: “My
friend Hannah. She’s one of those
people who are always positive, and
she quit her job in the late 20s to go
back to school. I love that attitude”.
Claire Reynolds (left) and
friend Leonie Cowton, part
of the Westgate shopping
centre development project,
visiting from London.
“So excited to be here, our colleagues
are very jealous as we were the only
ones able to get tickets!” – Claire
Rosemary Wharton (left) with
friend, from Oxford City.
Judith and Richard Rawlinson
(claimed they were Prince and
Princess of Boldova), visiting
from London.
Greg Blatchford, photographer,
from Headington.
When asked if they were fans of Andy
Warhol, they said no.
“Could be an anticlimax! But we expect
nothing less from the Ashmolean”
Jojo Goodfellow, co-owner at North
Parade Produce Store
Most inspirational woman: “Germaine Greer”
Ann Dumas, Curator at the Royal
Academy of Arts, visiting from
London, just overseen the launch
of the ”Painting of the Modern
Garden: Monet to Matisse”
Wine or beer? “Wine, whilst enjoying a restaurant
meal”.
What’s your ‘hidden gem’ of Oxford? “I’ve been
in Oxford 34 years, so very little is hidden, but I’ve
recently rediscovered Christ Church Picture Gallery”.
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2nd-10th April
Oxford Literary Festival:
The 20th Anniversary
Have a read through Oxford Lit Fest’s 2016 programme of events…bet you’ve read novels that are shorter!
Big names adorn the agenda like reason in a Richard Dawkins
talk. The award winning creative mind behind Tracy Beaker and
The Illustrated Mum, Dame Jacqueline Wilson, chats about her
career; Julian Clary discusses his venture into children’s literature;
plus Alan Ayckbourn is interviewed and receives the honorary
fellowship of the festival.
On top of this, on 3rd April veteran actor Sir Ian Mckellen joins forces
with scholar, broadcaster and critic Professor Sir Jonathan Bate to
mark 400 years since the death of Shakespeare. The pair will discuss
the role The Bard has played in their lives; regretfully their appearance
is only an hour long…but tickets are from as little as £12. But you
could go through the entire week attending events starring the not as
David Baddiel
The Person Controller
Saturday 2nd April, 12.00pm
Sheldonian Theatre
Frances Hardinge (pictured)
and Philip Reeve talk to Philip
Womack | A Journey Through
Time and Imagination
Weston Lecture Theatre
well-known as the above…and still you’ll be gripped and grateful. The
festival hones in on human emotion courtesy of Tiffany Watt Smith,
Marcus Berkmann guides us through 50 years of Star Trek and Hilary
Gallo informs of how a soft approach will get you what you want in
business.
David Baddiel is amongst those ensuring there is stuff at the festival
for children and young adults. As is Katherine Rundell who delivers
us Wild Wolves and Wilder Children, along with an African Storytelling
experience supplied by Atinuke.
It’s not elitist, nor is it restricted; celebrating 20 years of existence,
one of the most famous literary festivals in the world is once again
upon us.
Garry Kasparov | Winter is
Coming: Why Vladimir Putin
and the Enemies of the Free
World Must be Stopped
Sunday 3rd April, 4.00pm
Sheldonian Theatre
Tim Birkhead | The Most
Perfect Thing: Inside (and
Outside) a Bird’s Egg
Monday 4th April, 2.00pm
Oxford Martin School:
Seminar Room
An Afternoon with
Jacqueline Wilson
Saturday 2nd April,
2.00pm
Sheldonian Theatre
Lauren Child (pictured) talks
to Nicolette Jones | Ruby
Redfort and Charlie and
Lola
The Story Museum
28
Abi Elphinstone
The Shadow Keeper
Monday 4th April, 10.00am
Worcester College:
Linbury Building
xxxx EDITS
An interview with
Joan Bakewell
As we approach the festival’s 20th anniversary,
Sam Bennett talks to one of its star attractions…
At Oxford Literary Festival 2016 Joan
Bakewell appears at the Museum of Natural
History with Stop the Clocks: Thoughts on
What I Leave Behind.
It’s a title that could suggest bleakness or
utter joy. What is it that we get here? “ ‘Stop
the Clocks’ is a meditation on growing old,”
Joan says. “So it’s sometimes sorrowful for
loss (friends dying, faculties weaker). But
it’s also full of life because I have much to
remember from 80 years and much still to
enjoy.”
80 years…and her age has been the topic of
her writing. One example being her book The
View from Here: Life at Seventy, in which she
said attitudes towards those who are 70 plus
have to change.
“Change always comes slowly,” She says
in answer to my asking if this has happened
ten years on. “There are more older people
around than a decade ago.
The government has to some extent
recognised their needs: bus passes, winter
heating allowance etc. But nonetheless many
old people lead isolated and depressing
lives. Social care often remains wretched and
inadequate.”
In relation to change I wondered what Joan’s
take was on how journalism has altered over
the years.
they abhor. This is a contradiction that needs
sorting out.”
Joan Bakewell’s Stop the Clocks: Thoughts
on What I Leave Behind takes place on Friday
8th April, 4.00pm, at the Museum of Natural
History.
Conventions were very
constricting in the 50s so
today I would seem very
conforming.”
What will people inevitably ask her about?
She has some idea… “My affair with Harold
Pinter usually crops up.”
“Journalism, as ever, is a
mixed bag.”
The broadcaster claims. “Newspapers
reflect their owners of course, and most British
papers are owned by foreign billionaires who
live abroad. They tend to be strident and
censorious in their views.”
Bakewell, however, says she did not have
to censor her opinions when she first started
out, also stating: “I rather enjoyed flaunting
convention: but conventions were very
constricting in the 50s so today I would seem
very conforming.”
Joan’s written about censorship and has
also attracted controversy with her BBC2
documentary, Taboo.
“We have a strange paradox,” She says in
regards to where we are on censorship today.
“We have come far enough to share a belief
in freedom of ideas and expression, and yet
at universities students are seeking ‘safe
spaces’ and rejecting speakers whose views
Joan Bakewell
© Sukey Parnell
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An interview with
Liz Hodgkinson
Liz Hodgkinson
Wednesday at Oxford Lit Fest sees Liz
Hodgkinson and Diana Cowell discuss
the first sex changes from within the
Bodleian’s Divinity School…
Liz Hodgkinson is the writer of From
a Girl to a Man: How Laura Became
Michael. It tells the story of Laura Dillon,
the first woman to go through a female-tomale sex change, thus becoming Michael
Dillon. First published in 1989, as Michael
née Laura, the book has been through
quite a change itself, updated with new
material and images; it has inspired an
appearance by Liz at Oxford Lit Fest.
Born in 1915, dying in 1962, Michael
Dillon was an Oxford student. “It was
always his favourite city,” Liz says. “Laura
(as Michael was in those days) was one
of the first people in the Oxford Women’s
University Boat Club. He got the peculiar
distinction of winning a Blue as both a
woman and a man.”
Sir Harold Gillies performed 13
operations on the then Laura turning
her into Michael. “Gillies was a very famous
plastic surgeon of his day,” informs Liz.
“He worked on very badly wounded men
from both World Wars using techniques he
adapted to sex change operations later.
These sex change operations were illegal and
done in secret.”
Michael would then fall in love with former
spitfire pilot Robert Cowell, who later was the
first British man to have a male-to-female sex
change, becoming Roberta Cowell. Before
her surgery Roberta was married with two
children, Anne and Dianna, the latter of whom
joins Liz at Oxford Lit Fest.
“After the operation, when Robert became
Roberta, she completely cut off contact with
her family, she denied they even existed,”
tells Liz.
Liz talks of the sadness Dianna Cowell has
felt all her life from not knowing her dad, who
died in 2011. “She tried and tried to contact
Roberta,” she says of Diana. “She found out
where she was living, wrote to her, and never
got any reply.
“She has no memory at all of her father.
What she’s doing now is trying to fill in a huge
gap in her life. So having her at the festival will
add a lot to it, she’s really the only living link
with the whole story.”
Roberta’s story actually became a
worldwide sensation in 1954, so that’s been
The first picture
of Michael Dillon,
taken in 1944
something else for Diana to get her head
around.
Liz is clear about the ambition of the pair’s
festival appearance. “One of the things we’re
going to do is try and get to the bottom of
what it’s all about,” she says. “There’s still
a lot of confusion. People tend to think that
transgender people are not quite right in the
head but they are, they’re perfectly normal,
they just feel that they’re in the wrong body.”
The First Sex Changes: How Laura Became
Michael and Robert Became Roberta takes
place on Wednesday 6th April, 4pm at
Bodleian’s Divinity School
Available from quartetbooks.co.uk, From a
Girl to a Man: How Laura Became Michael is
optioned for a Hollywood film and was the
basis for a Channel 4 documentary called
The Sex Change Spitfire Ace.
Martin Brown |
Horrible Histories
Thursday 7th April
12.00pm
St John’s:
Auditorium
Philip Ardagh (left) and
Axel Scheffler
The Grunts are Back
Sunday 10th April, 12.00pm
Bodleian: Divinity School
Melvyn Bragg
Now is the Time
Thursday 7th April, 6.00pm
Lecture Theatre
30
Claudia Roden (pictured) talks
to Donald Sloan | A Musical
Menu: Memories of a Lifetime
in Food
Saturday 9th April, 4.00pm
Seminar Room
Simon Sebag Montefiore
The Romanovs 1613-1918
Sunday 10th April, 10.00am
Sheldonian Theatre
© Dean Chalkley
Susie Dent | A Drudge of
Lexicographers: Collective
Nouns, and Who Decides
Them
Weston Lecture Theatre
© Ian Jones
E
Marian Keyes (pictured) and
Frank Delaney | An Interview
with Marian Keyes
Lecture Theatre
Oxford Lit Fest EDITS
OX Picks
A few other Lit Fest gigs that might take your fancy…
© Eddie Botsio
Thursday 7th April | 12.00pm
Anna Beer | Sounds and Sweet Airs:
The Forgotten Women of Classical
Music | Exeter College: Chapel
Sunday 3rd April | 2.00pm
Julian Clary and David Roberts |
The Bolds to the Rescue | Sheldonian
Theatre
International Women’s Day takes place
on 8th March…and so you can see
we’re all about celebrating females this
issue. Hence Anna Beer’s forthcoming
appearance at Oxford Lit Fest has
resonated with us. From Exeter College
Chapel, the historian talks to us about
eight women composers who we appear
to have ignored.
© Denis Makarenko / Shutterstock.com
Bearing in mind the talent for writing Clary
has displayed in his adult novels, Murder
Most Fab, Devil in Disguise and Briefs
Encountered, as well as how well written his
autobiography (A Young Man’s Passage) is,
we’re intrigued in what is in store for us in
The Bolds to the Rescue – the product of his
voyage into children’s literature, illustrated by
David Roberts who will draw live during the
event.
Saturday 9th April | 4.00pm
John Harris | Gin and Tonic Tasting |
Worcester College: Hall
OX has in recent times been wooed
by Sipsmith’s sloe gin, sampled fine
bourbon at Oxford Alcademics, talked
good wine with Tim Hampson, and
toured the Cotswolds Distillery in all
its gin, fresh grapefruit and lime peel
glory…and that’s by no means all the
alcohol focused places we’ve visited in
the past few months.
So, frankly, we were always going to
recommend this.
Saturday 9th April | 12.00pm
Lucy Worsley | Eliza Rose, Maid of Honour at the Court of Henry VIII | Sheldonian Theatre
Sunday 3rd April | 6.00pm
Ian Mckellen talks to Jonathan Bate |
Worcester College Provost’s Lecture:
Lives in Shakespeare | Sheldonian Theatre
In the year marking 400 years since the death
of Shakespeare, it seems fitting to get a Bard
fix at Oxford Lit Fest – and we could not have
asked for a more satisfying one. A world
famous actor with a wealth of Shakespearean
experience and the author of The Genius of
Shakespeare (called “the best modern book
on Shakespeare” by Sir Peter Hall) squeeze
their lives with Shakespeare into an hour.
Lucy Worsley has a gift for injecting enthusiasm and clarity into whatever she is talking about;
she’s informative without being boring or confusing. The festival sees her introduce her brand
new children’s novel, written because of how unfair she feels the execution of Katherine Howard
really was.
Sunday 10th April | 10.00am
Melanie King | Tea, Coffee & Chocolate: How We Fell in Love
with Caffeine | Weston Lecture Theatre
As an office, our caffeine intake on a day to day basis stands at a
worrying high level. We would like to know quite how we ended up
in this situation – pop along if you’re in the same boat.
To keep up to date with all the latest details and speaker announcements, and to book tickets, please visit
oxfordliteraryfestival.org
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OperaUpClose’s production
of The Marriage of Figaro,
with Tom Stoddart as the
womanising Count and
Sarah Minns as Susanna
How dare they do
it to Shakespeare?
This month, as part of his 400th anniversary, we continue our celebration of Shakespeare’s
legacy by pondering what happens when The Bard and opera are judiciously mixed.
It’s not a pairing of equals or opposites
that seems ‘natural’ somehow – after all,
for many people, Shakespeare and opera
don’t rest easily with anything, let alone
each other.
Yet despite this rather daunting premise,
OperaUpClose is doing just that – marrying
both distinctive disciplines into the audacious
cocktail that is Music Oft Hath Such A Charm.
“Shakespeare and opera are sometimes
written about in a way that assumes they
are both difficult and elitist,” says the
group’s director Robin Norton-Hale. “And
consequently people accept and absorb that
and don’t try it.
“I think the key thing about both is that
they’re written to be performed live and
enjoyed by audiences.
“When people actually go
and see an opera or
Shakespeare play, they’re
often really surprised at how
much fun it is and how much
they understand.”
Apparently attitudes towards Shakespeare
productions are more relaxed than is the case
with opera. The director explains: “You can
now go to a pub theatre and see Shakespeare
with just two people and a dog. You can see
the Reduced Shakespeare Company, or a
32
full-blown RSC production, and it can be set
in any time, but no-one says: ‘it’s outrageous.
How dare they do that to Shakespeare?’
“Well, that attitude now needs to be applied
to opera. I think people can be a bit precious.
People are still very shocked when operas
are rewritten, reduced or reinterpreted.” She
claims identifying OperaUpClose’s version
of La Traviata, performed with five singers
together with a three-piece orchestra.
Robin cites her raison d’etre as “wanting
everyone to feel like, even if they thought they
didn’t like opera, that perhaps after seeing
Music Oft Hath Such A Charm they might be
tempted to go again – because not all opera
is the same.
“A Mozart comedy is different to a Puccini
tragedy, and likewise, if someone you knew
went to the cinema to watch a film they
didn’t like, you wouldn’t say they didn’t like
cinema, period, you’d say they didn’t like that
particular movie.”
Discussing the type of show she is directing,
Robin admits the group is in relatively
uncharted waters. “It is a new style of show
for us in that it’s a patchwork of ideas that
didn’t originally go hand-in-hand, but that as
a whole has a value all to itself.” Although she
is aware that the use of the word ‘journey’ in
relation to theatrical productions can sound
pretentious, she doesn’t flinch from admitting
that this is precisely what she wants to do.
“I don’t think it will be as simplistic as a load
of tragic scenes followed by happy ones,” she
says. “But it’s all about finding connections
and I think that’s why Shakespeare is so
interesting.
“You have plays that are obviously tragedies
and other plays that mirror them as comedies
– for instance, the story of Othello is a tragic
version of Much Ado About Nothing”.
The sheer seat-of-the-pants cheek of the
production suggests a looser narrative than
one might ordinarily expect; maybe even a
touch of improvisation. But Robin denies this.
“It’s much harder to improvise because the
music carries on,” she says. “If someone
fails to come on stage on cue, you can in a
standard play make something up to cover it,
but in an opera it’s more complicated.
“In extreme situations the musical director
might get the musicians to repeat four bars
because they’re good enough musicians and
can do it in such a way that unless you knew
the opera really well, you wouldn’t know.
“But that improvisatory quality that you get
in theatre happens less in opera because
you’ve got that structure the music gives
you.”
15th April | 7.30pm
OperaUpClose presents Music Oft
Hath Such A Charm
The North Wall Arts Centre, South
Parade, Oxford, OX2 7JN
7.30pm
£22, £18 concs
www.thenorthwall.com
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THE OXFORD
SHAKESPEARE JUBILEE
In conjunction with respected Oxford based production company PinDrop, TMD Media is organising The Oxford Shakespeare
Jubilee in April 2016. The Jubilee will mark 400 years since the death of William Shakespeare and will celebrate his life and
works with a fortnight of plays, concerts, talks, film screenings and workshops – all Shakespeare related to take place in
Oxford from 17th April. The Jubilee will be included in the official year-long Oxford Shakespeare events 2016 programme.
Here’s some of what you can catch…
22nd April
The Food of Love Project
7.30pm at SJE Arts
The Food of Love Project brings together
a great variety of musicians who will
perform music mentioned or performed in
Shakespeare’s plays composed during or
before the Bard’s lifetime.
Hilda Weges Photography/shutterstock.com
19th April
Nobles, Playwrights and Arcadia:
The World of William Herbert,
3rd Earl of Pembroke
3.30pm at The King’s Arms, Holywell Street
William Herbert, whose splendid bronze
statue stands in the Old Schools Quad
in the Bodleian Library, is seen by many
commentators as the mysterious ‘Mr WH’
to whom William Shakespeare dedicated his
Sonnets, and thus the ‘Fair Youth’ to whom
the first 126 are addressed.
But who was William Herbert? A man
Clarendon would later describe as ‘being the
most universally loved and esteemed of any
man of that age.’ And why might he have
been the object of Shakespeare’s infatuation
and artistic genius? And why is he, his family
and their estate at Wilton Hall, so central
to our understanding of the changing and
contested world of Jacobean England?
This introductory talk by Chris Peters,
interspersed with readings from the Sonnets
and Herbert’s own works will attempt to
illuminate some of these questions.
£7 entry
Tickets available from www.wegottickets.com
21st April
Sweete Wittie
Soules
4pm at The King’s
Arms, Holywell
Street
Author and Oxford
Shakespeare
jubilee director, Tom
McDonnell, will give
a talk on his book
which investigates
Shakespearian connections to Oxford,
the town, gown and shire.
To celebrate the April release of The Food
of Love Project album (Autolycus Records)
many of the bands who have recorded
tracks will perform at SJE Arts as part of a
nationwide tour.
Artists who will play SJE Arts include Dead
Rat Orchestra, Nick Castell, Rob St John,
Thomas Truax, Brickwork Lizards, Flights of
Helios, Luke Navin, James Bell and Kirsty
Law.
Tickets available from www.wegottickets.com
or Truck Store, Cowley Road
23rd & 24th April
Ruff Trade presents
Analyse Thou
8pm at The Cellar, Frewin Court
Ever wondered what goes on in the
minds of your favourite Shakespeare
characters? Ever speculated on what
makes them tick? What drives a man
like Macbeth, for instance, to evergreater acts of anti-social behaviour,
despite his rampant paranoia and
why does his missus exhibit such
undisguised status anxiety? Why is
Hamlet, an affluent young man with
seemingly everything going for him, so
riddled with doubts and ruminations?
And what childhood trauma led to
Queen Titania’s wanton fixation with
donkeys? The answers are all here in a
series of revealing counselling sessions
made open to the public for the first
time. Watch in awe as a trio of top
analysts exorcise the demons from the
Bard’s finest and get to the heart of the
Iambic Id.
28th April
Supernatural Vengeance
in Hamlet and Macbeth
4pm at The King’s Arms,
Holywell Street
Local historian Simon Image M.A. will
give a fascinating talk on supernatural
vengeance in Hamlet and Macbeth,
in the famous Oxford pub which
apparently hosted the first performance
of Hamlet outside of London.
£6 entry
Tickets available from
www.wegottickets.com
29th April
The Hip-Hop Shakespeare Company
Presents Richard II
7pm at O2 Academy
The Oxford Shakespeare Jubilee is proud
to announce that the Hip-Hop Shakespeare
Company will be performing their high
octane version of Richard II at Oxford’s 02
Academy.
Founded in 2009 by MOBO awardwinning hip-hop artist Akala, The Hip-Hop
Shakespeare Company (THSC) is a music
theatre production company aimed at
exploring the social, cultural and linguistic
parallels between the works of William
Shakespeare and modern day rappers.
In 2009, THSC received a London 2012
Olympic Inspire Mark, which coincided
with the first ever Hip-Hop Shakespeare
Live show in the Cultural Olympiad’s Open
Weekend, attracting huge crowds spanning
all ages and cultural backgrounds.
www.wegottickets.com or
Truck Store, Cowley Road
www.wegottickets.com
The King’s Arms will also host an exhibition
of fantastic artwork from the book.
Free entry
33
E
E
EDITS Historic Houses
Who lived
in a house
like this ?
KELMSCOTT MANOR
Now is not only the time that homeowners
start throwing open their own doors – and
perhaps more importantly their gardens – to
friends and neighbours, but also the time the
starting gun fires for families to start taking
themselves off to some of our county’s most
beautiful historic houses.
And it’s easy to see why...
March signals the official commencement of spring and as such,
not only do the brighter mornings and longer evenings remind us
all that a real world exists beyond our cosy sitting rooms and flat
screen TVs, but that almost all of it is on our very own doorsteps.
And during a season when rain is still an ever-present menace,
what better way to get ready for the great outdoors – without
having to worry about its inclement weather – than by spending
a weekend in the company of some of the region’s greatest
architectural jewels?
After all, there’s nothing quite like ‘time-travel’ for shaking the
cobwebs out of your head, stepping back say, to the 17th or 18th
Century, and immersing yourself in the lives of those who lived but
a few short generations ago.
Thankfully, there’s no shortage of historic properties to visit and
just a glance across these pages should convince you that now
is the time to step out, breathe in the spring-like air, and enjoy an
afternoon out.
THE INSPIRATIONAL COTSWOLDS
RETREAT OF WILLIAM MORRIS
Visiting Hours (2 April – 29 October)
Wednesday and Saturday (11am to 5pm)
Explore our historic manor and riverside
gardens. Enjoy home-made food in our
licensed Tea Room or visit our Shop for
contemporary crafts and more.
Become a Friend of Kelmscott Manor
Support Conservation with Membership
FREE entry to the property for one year
FREE entry to special events
FREE curator-led tour
FREE newsletters
FREE Kelmscott Manor guide book
Discounts in the Tea Room and Shop
WWW.KELMSCOTTMANOR.ORG.UK
Kelmscott Manor, Kelmscott, Lechlade GL7 3HJ
01367 252486 | [email protected]
Owned by the Society of Antiquaries of
London (registered charity no 207237)
34
JOIN US FOR A FREE LECTURE
Visit our website for details and booking
information. Lectures are free, but reservations
are recommended to avoid disappointment.
22 March (13.00-14.00)
‘Denim: Fashion’s Frontier’
26 April (13.00-14.00)
‘Royal Gold & Royal Rubbish: Metal-Detecting &
the Anglo-Saxon Palace at Rendlesham, Suffolk’
31 May (13.00-14.00)
‘Glastonbury Abbey Excavations 1904-79:
Reassessing the Medieval Monastery’
More lectures are planned for the autumn as
well! Watch the website for details.
BROUGHTON
CASTLE
WWW.SAL.ORG.UK/PUBLIC-LECTURES
Historic 14th House within moat
BOOK A MORNING TOUR FOR £10
Location for many films including
Shakespeare in Love
Tours offer a unique opportunity to visit the
historic apartments of the Society of Antiquaries
of London at Burlington House and to learn
about the history of one of Britain’s oldest
learned societies – a perfect way to spend a
morning in Central London!
22 March (10.30-12.00)
26 April (10.30-12.00)
31 May (10.30-12.00)
WWW.SAL.ORG.UK/TOURS
Walled garden with old roses and fine
herbaceous borders
Tearoom and Shop
Free Carpark
2 Miles from Banbury on B4035
OPEN DAYS
1st May-14th September
on Wednesdays, Sundays & All Bank Holiday Mondays
(including Easter) 2-5pm.
Also Thursdays throughout July and August.
Groups welcome by appointment throughout the year.
Society of Antiquaries of London
Burlington House, Piccadilly
London W1J 0BE
Registered Charity no. 207237
020 7479 7080 | [email protected]
www.sal.org.uk | Twitter: @SocAntiquaries
Banbury Oxfordshire OX15 5EB
Tel 01295 276070
[email protected]
www.broughtoncastle.com
35
Easter
Fun at
Sulgrave Manor
EASTER WEEKEND
25th-28th March, 10am-4pm
Family friendly Easter traditions
tours, ‘Egg hunt’, Egg rolling
and more...
EASTER HOLIDAY ACTIVITIES
From 29th March
Please see website for open days
Family friendly tours, games,
crafts and garden trails.
Entry Prices: Adults £7.90 Children £3.60 Family (2 adults & 2 children) £21.00
Sulgrave Manor, Sulgrave, Banbury, OX17 2SD | Telephone 01295 760205
[email protected] | www.sulgravemanor.org.uk
THE COTSWOLDS
ART & ANTIQUES DEALERS’
ASSOCIATION FAIR
at
WOODSTOCK,
OXFORDSHIRE OX20 1PP
21ST - 24TH APRIL 2016
ursday - Sunday 10am - 5.30pm
Complimentary tickets online at
www.thecada.org
T: 07855 443913
36
WEDDING INSPIRATION
Sunday 13 March 2016, 11am to 4pm
The Dairy and the Five Arrows Hotel, Waddesdon
Free entry and welcome drink • Just 35 minutes from Oxford
Become a VIP
Pre-registering to receive a luxury
goody bag and be entered into an
amazing prize draw to win “On
the Day Wedding Coordination”
with Ela, of Bochic Weddings and
Events, worth £750!
© Xander & Thea Photography
Wedding Inspiration is the must-attend wedding event for
brides, grooms – and their bridal parties – seeking ideas and
inspiration for their big day. Designed to be exciting, interactive,
fun-filled and beautiful!
• With over 60 of the finest wedding professionals committed
to sharing their expert knowledge and advice
• Catwalk shows with Ellie Sanderson Bridal Boutique and
Stephen Bishop Suiting
• Dedicated Bride’s Room, Groom’s Room and Beauty Room
• Interactive workshops and demos including wine tasting,
canapé making and wedding hair
• Entertainment stage
• And much much more…
Visit: www.waddesdon.org.uk
Find us on
Full antique furniture restoration and conservation service
with over 20 years experience
• French polishing
• Painting and painted effects
• All traditional and natural
finishes
• Furniture reconstruction
• Veneering
• Carving
• Cabinet making
• Furniture alterations to meet
modern living requirements
CASH PAID FOR QUALITY HI-FI
CALL STEVE OR SARAH ON
01420 472316 /07890517695
hifi[email protected]
Free quotations at J.S Auctions
Friday Sale Viewings
For a free quote call Lawrence on:
07800794153 or 01295277170
or email: [email protected]
www.heirloom-antique-restoration.co.uk
Free Pre-Sale Valuations
Monday-Friday 9.00am-4pm
9th March, 13th April
& 11th May 2016
Jones
Ltd
FINE ART AUCTIONEERS AND VALUERS
Entries invited for next sale in March
Moorcroft Desert Service
WATCOMBE MANOR SALEROOM
INGHAM LANE • WATLINGTON • OX495EJ • TEL: 01491 612810
[email protected]
38
Talk Business at Rhodes
Rhodes House is the place to come when you want an exceptional location
for a corporate event.
Our unique and private setting, flexible function space, menus from some
of Oxford’s finest catering companies, and customised technology solutions
provide a flawless conference or meeting experience.
Whether your event is a private dinner, a board meeting, a client reception,
or a large scale conference, Rhodes House will make it unforgettable.
Telephone 01865 282 599
Rhodes House, Oxford, OX1 3RG
[email protected] | www.rhodeshouseoxford.com
39
THE COUNTRY HOUSE
AUCTION
(PART TWO)
SATURDAY 2ND APRIL 2016 AT 9AM
VIEWING ON THURSDAY 31ST MARCH 10AM-5PM AND FRIDAY 1ST
APRIL 9AM- 7PM
Cotefield salerooms
WWW.JSFINEART.CO.UK
Oxford road, Bodicote, nr. Banbury
OX15 4AQ
01295272488
Email [email protected]
40
Jack
Telford
GIG GURU
“It’s intense in here tonight…”
laughs Conor O’Brien, mid-way through his set at the
O2 Academy 2 last month.
The singer and musical force behind Irish indie-folk band Villagers
should have no cause for concern though, as it’s that intensity that
makes for an emotionally earnest set from a group that has grown
into a striking live force in recent years.
Drawing heavily from their most recent album, Where Have You
Been All My Life? - a live collection of re-imagined versions of older
tracks – the group have cultivated a brilliant display of originality
and creativity with O’Brien’s songs thriving in their current minimal
arrangement. Recent tracks such as the haunting ‘Soul Serene’ and
finger-picking ‘Dawning On Me’ are woven beautifully amongst old
favourite ‘Nothing Arrived’ from 2013’s {Awayland} and ‘Twenty
Seven Strangers’ from the band’s first album, Becoming A Jackal.
O’Brien makes for an interesting frontman - in equal parts serious
and silly – yet it is the multi-instrumental band behind him that
transforms his delicate songwriting into such an alluring musical
delight. Gwion Llewelyn, at various sections, combines his role as
drummer with that of a one-man brass section while Mali Llywelyn
swaps breezily between keys and a harp.
As Villagers come back out for their encore, it is hard not to wonder
how they are not playing in bigger venues than this, yet I appreciate
their choice as O’Brien & co. give us an evening to remember –
intimate, respectful and intense.
Also bringing a more traditional brand of folk to Oxford was Ryley
Walker & Danny Thompson, who played at the Bullingdon. Walker
is a young guitarist from Chicago whose music harks back to the
late 60’s/early 70’s tradition of psychedelic experimental folk. He
is in safe hands with the experienced Thompson, a double-bassist
whose CV encompasses some of the true greats of the genre
including John Martyn, Nick Drake and Tim Buckley.
As the pair effortlessly skip through tracks from Walker’s most
recent album Primrose Green, Thompson’s experience is evident –
complimenting Walker’s playing at every turn as well as taking a few
solos to the delight of the crowd. Walker showcases the range of his
husky Martyn-esque vocals, guiding them gently around his guitar
melodies on recent single ‘Sweet Satisfaction’ before slowing the
pace with the sweet, melancholic ‘Great and Undecided’ - a track
which would not seem out of place on Drake’s Pink Moon or Fives
Leaves Left.
For final song, ‘On the Banks of the Old Kishwaukee’, the pace is
picked up and a healthy dose of Americana is added into the mix for
a rousing finale of twinkling guitar parts and furious bass grooves.
Although perhaps the inclusion of an expanded live-band would
have given more character to the songs, Walker and Thompson –
even with a fifty-year age gap between them – seem like a perfect fit.
Jack’s picks for this month:
Submotion Orchestra @ The Bullingdon, 4th March
Wolf Alice @ O2 Academy, 13th March
The Coral @ O2 Academy, 15th March
Willie J Healy @ The Cellar, 17th March
41
E
EDITS xxxxx
FUTURE FOOD:
The culinary absurdity
at Paris House
Ultratex, LT100, Gellan F, Sodium Alginate.
These bizarrely-named compounds might
not sound like delicious ingredients, but
at Paris House, attitudes towards the
inner workings of a professional kitchen
are a far cry from the norm. Having honed
his craft at acclaimed institutions ranging
from Danesfield House to L’Ortolan,
Michelin-starred executive chef Phil
Fanning has harnessed the recent trend
towards ‘molecular’ cooking to quite
spectacular effect.
Jack Rayner
42
Needless to say, Paris House itself is a
pleasure to behold. Originally built in 1878 off
Quai d’Orsay in Paris’s 7th arrondissement,
the 9th Duke of Bedford had the building
physically dismantled, shipped piece by
piece and rebuilt in its current location within
the grounds of Woburn Abbey. If that’s not
commitment to aesthetic satisfaction, then I
don’t know what is.
On the subject of aesthetic satisfaction,
some of the techniques Phil uses to
construct his more outlandish courses are
visually stunning in preparation as well as in
presentation. As I entered his immaculate,
stainless steel kitchen on a bright Sunday
morning, the flurry of steaming liquid nitrogen,
culinary powders and intensely focused staff
would’ve given the distinct impression of a
well-managed chemistry lab, were it not for
the glorious red leather booth that serves
as the ‘chef’s table’, which you can book to
appreciate the true artistry behind some of
Phil’s sizeable repertoire directly from where
it’s prepared.
As you can probably imagine, Phil isn’t just
pushing the boundaries of edible virtuosity to
serve up a really decent fish and chips. The
dish that we prepared, “a ravioli of Horlick’s
cheesecake, syphonated pistachio sponge,
kalamansi skin and nut clusters”, might not
be found on the Sunday lunch menu at your
local pub, but the occasionally impenetrable
language of modernist cooking belies the
stunning use of flavour, texture and form that
are inarguably present on the menus of Paris
House.
So where do you start with such an
ambitious dish?
Surprisingly enough, with a very simple
cheesecake base, made with the usual
suspects of cream cheese, caster sugar,
vanilla seeds and whole eggs, blended
together until aerated and smooth. This is
xxxx EDITS
Jeremy
Smith
MAN ABOUT
COUNTY
about where the traditional techniques end, though, as the cheesecake
mixture is shaped into a mould, flash-frozen in liquid nitrogen then
coated in citrus gel, which is synthesized from orange juice, lemon juice,
lime juice and a futuristic-sounding culinary compound. So, like a scene
from Breaking Bad, I dutifully weighed up white powder by the decimal
point on a digital scale and, rather than sealing it in Ziploc bags and
selling them to street dealers to build my drugs empire, I blitzed them
together with the fruit in a Thermomix heated processor and watched a
zesty citrus glaze appear before my eyes.
“Syphonated pistachio sponge” is an equally
impressive part of what was gradually
becoming a tremendous exercise in
forward-thinking cuisine.
After blending the dry ingredients with eggs and bergamot zest, the
mixture is charged with nitrous oxide and then microwaved so that
the nitrogen bubbles expand and then sponge rises up like a sciencefiction Bake Off episode played in fast-forward. After carefully layering
the parts of the dish together, with sugary nut clusters and slices of
blood orange for good measure, the piece was complete and I felt a
completely undeserved sense of accomplishment.
Returning now to a vaguely normal level of awareness, it was time
to taste some more of Phil’s inventions. In this case, though, the word
‘taste’ isn’t really the correct choice, because each course brought out
to the chef’s table is an all-out assault on each of one’s senses, from
the indescribable aroma of a ‘thai green curry’ dessert fashioned from
spiced pineapple, coconut and lime to the tactile miracle that is ‘桃’, a
mandarin-based dish adorned with black bean, coriander and sake. I’d
imagine that it’d be very easy for a ‘modernist’ chef to simply resort to
wacky techniques and synthetic additives to make the mundane appear
extraordinary, but it’s apparent that Phil’s robust training and hair-trigger
palate mean that Paris House’s brand of East-West fusion is absolutely
faultless, leaving the impression of genuine passion and sophistication,
rather than the pretention and pompousness that this level of high-end
cooking can often exude.
As I climbed back into my car and saw the charming black and white
Tudor structure disappear from my rear view mirror, my brain was still
attempting to process the sensory onslaught that Phil Fanning had just
put it through. As customers, we visit restaurants for myriad reasons,
from noisy evenings catching up with friends to silver service luxury in
the company of prospective business clients, but if you’re looking for a
dining experience to just blow your idea of what makes good food out of
the water, book yourself in at Paris House. Incredible.
Let’s face it, we’re blessed. Maybe not emotionally,
financially, or even physically, but when all is said and
done, the one thing we can take solace from is that we
all live in Oxfordshire.
And if proof were needed, just take a brief glance at what the county is
offering up this month in terms of cultural distraction - Andy Warhol
(try summing up the Sixties without mentioning him...), the world
famous Oxford Literary Festival, the profusion of independent (or at
least major chain free) cinemas, and the year long commemoration
of Shakespeare’s 400th birthday via the Oxford Theatre Company.
And that, trust me, is just the tip of the iceberg.
Thankfully, I first moved to Oxfordshire eleven years ago and since
then have punched myself blue (I lived in Swindon before...). Indeed,
I do wonder if those who grow up here and never move away can truly
appreciate what a class act this county is.
For instance, I love the international flavour of Oxfordshire.
Whether in Thame, Faringdon or Witney, I continue to be astonished
by – a. the lexicon of international languages that percolate through
its daily hum, and b. how many of these individuals are excited,
delighted and energised by our city, towns and villages. Seriously,
walk through Oxford on any day and 30 per cent of everyone will be
pointing, gawping and chattering excitedly (and yes, I wouldn’t be
human if I didn’t resent that sometimes, especially when sat on a
crowded bus home).
But I’m not surprised.
When I think of where I have lived in the past, and holidayed for that
matter, I can’t believe my luck. Frighteningly, I can actually go through
‘cold turkey’ when I’m away for more than a few days - not enough to
justify a trip to A&E maybe, but cold sweats, dry mouth and a pallor
best described as “aspic” is never sexy. A weekend of course, no
sweat, especially if it’s to the Cotswolds, but anything longer and I
start to experience withdrawal symptoms.
For me, you see, Oxfordshire is like the light parents leave on in the
hallway when the wind outside is howling. It’s comforting. Reassuring.
Cheering.
Now, if all this sounds a tad Mills & Boon, the rose-tinted glasses
do come off when peering, on a drab, February day, down Oxford’s
Cornmarket (I challenge anyone to not remain unmoved by this
sight). But all things considered, on the last day of the summer
holiday, packing to come home, I never really mind. Oh sure, the pain
of finding a manned till in Debenhams, negotiating the reorganised
aisles (for the umpteenth time) in M&S, or staring in horror at the
Westgate Centre never really heals, but these distractions aside, I
honestly don’t think I could live anywhere else.
So, what about you?
Feel free to contact me on
[email protected]
43
E
springtime..maytime
Taki
n
book g
for E ings
AST
NOW ER
!
burger..time
EVERY WEDNESDAY
CHOOSE FROM 4 DELICIOUS BURGERS
LIVE MUSIC EVERY OTHER SUNDAY
FROM 3PM - 5PM
20th March Vince Freeman
3rd April Nikki Petherick
17th April Mike Maddams
1st May Ben Lee
15th May David Julien
29th May Sam Jones
01993 822068
[email protected]
www.themaytime.com
Asthall, Burford, Oxfordshire OX18 4HW
lunchtime..dinnertime..bedtime..anytime..maytime
44
Join us for an Easter Feast at
Marco’s New York Italian Oxford
3 Courses - £19.95 per person
with an Easter Egg treat per couple
Children under 12 dine for £10
‘Available Friday to Easter Monday’
25th – 28th March 2016
To book, call 01865 248 695 or
email [email protected]
GIFT VOUCHERS ALSO AVAILABLE
Marco’s New York Italian Oxford
73 High Street, Oxford, OX1 4BE
@marcos_oxford
Marcos New York Italian Oxford
New York
Italian
welcomes new
restaurant
manager
Marco’s New York Italian in Oxford’s High Street, has celebrated both
their first birthday and the promotion of Beata Skiba to Restaurant
Manager.
Beata has a wealth of experience in the restaurant trade, and in April
of last year,moved to Oxford to work for the enfant terrible’s Oxford
restaurant.
Beata told us “This past year has been a fantastic working at Marco’s,
and being Assistant Manager has taught me a lot about what Marco’s is
all about and what our customers want from the restaurant. My new role
as Restaurant Manager is an exciting challenge, as I get to engage more
with our customers and help to drive the ‘affordable glamour’ that Marco
envisioned for the restaurant. We also have a new menu which has been
well received so far, and we are loving the new items. The new authentic,
hearty Italian dishes have been a real hit, alongside the new bold New
York style dishes, such as Baby Back Ribs and our Cajun Steak! I can’t
wait to see what our future diners will make of the new menu.”
The new menu is now available at Marco’s New York Italian Oxford.
To find out more about Marco’s Oxford, visit their website
www.mpwrestaurants.co.uk/restaurants/marcos-oxford or call
them on 01865 248 695
45
E
EDITS How to Source Ingredients
At what point does
someone become an
‘expert’?
The cliché of “10,000 hours’
practice” may not be strictly
accurate in a scientific sense,
but it certainly gets across the
importance of discipline and
commitment in honing your
craft.
One thing we can be sure of,
though, is that when it comes
to sourcing quality ingredients
and then treating them the way
they deserve, Simon Bradley is
undoubtedly an expert. Having
worked his way up through the
traditional kitchen ranks, starting
with washing up and ending up
at his current post of executive
chef at the sprawling, Georgian
manor, Eynsham Hall, Simon
seems not to have lost focus on
his passion once in the last 20
years. Kickstarting his career by
spending 18 months in Paris,
Simon has absorbed the French
attitude to fresh, local produce
into his cooking to an almost
obsessive extent. His “simple
things, done well” attitude hasn’t
shown signs of faltering after
launching the new brasserie at
Eynsham Hall only a few weeks
ago.
I spoke to Simon in his sizeable
kitchen to learn how his outlook
on cooking has developed over
the years.
46
HOW TO SOURCE
INGREDIENTS:
Jack Rayner talks to Simon Bradley
Hi Simon, nice to speak to you. How does
working at Eynsham Hall compare to your
placements in the past?
“Well to start with, we’re really keen to be
integrated into the local community - on
lots of levels, but particularly in using their
produce as much as we can. For example,
our mustard supplier lives just up the road in
Witney, and is just as passionate about his
mustard as we our about our products. It
goes hand in hand. Kelmscott Pork, as well as
our cheese and butter suppliers, are all based
nearby in the Cotswolds. We are fortunate it’s an incredible part of the country to be
part of in general, but in particular, there’s
an abundance of excellent food producers.
Having said that, we can’t have 25 different
suppliers for each ingredient because we
wouldn’t be giving them very substantial
business. I think the next thing I’d like to
do would be to get our game sorted out for
this year - we’re at the end of January now
but when the next partridge and pheasant
seasons come around, we can do lots inhouse. People talk a lot about “fork to plate”,
but we’re genuinely doing the entire process.
Then, of course, we can smoke a bit of it, pot
some of it, cure it, so we’ve got full traceability
from day one until the day you eat it.
I know you’re very much into smoking your
own meat and fish – can you tell us a bit
more about that side of things?
There are lots of different ways to smoke
food now, and it’s very popular to have
smokehouses. There’s one in Witney that
does burnt ends, ribs, and so on, and that’s
American smoking, but our style is more of a
traditional English smoke.
For instance, our salmon: we salt the sides
for 24 hours, dry them out, then smoke them
for about 12 hours over oak. It’s a very simple
process, and we don’t try and do anything
wacky with it, but there are lots you can
do, like whiskey cures and beetroot cures,
smoking with lapsang souchong and so on.
I’ve got no problem with that and it works
very well with duck, but I’m careful of having
too many smoked products on our menu at
Eynsham Hall.
We have smoked lamb on our meat tasting
dish which adds another element of flavour,
but with fish it’s quite a delicate taste, and
that’s why we keep it traditional. It’s nice to
show that you can do a basic smoked salmon
really well, and some of our clients just want
a plate of smoked salmon and a wedge of
lemon.
How to Source Ingredients EDITS
one of the lamb breasts cooking, and smoke
the lamb one day... The lamb sauce we make
up in enormous stock pots. That’s what we
can show in a restaurant that perhaps a home
cook couldn’t do, and luckily we have kitchen
porters doing our washing up as well [laughs].
If you’re cooking a dish at home, you have to
drive to the supermarket, come back, unpack
it... I think a lot of people don’t realise how
much of a different way of doing things it is in
a restaurant kitchen.
Do you enjoy cooking at home?
I love cooking at home. I can have a glass of
wine, I can faff around, there’s no pressure
if it’s half an hour late. When I say I cook at
home, I make a curry or a roast chicken, or
cook some linguine - it’s not technical fivecourse meals. On the other hand, it is the
same mentality as work: get good produce.
If we’re having roast chicken, we’ll get a topquality one. It goes back to the sourcing,
every time.
If you’re a high-end chef, it’s almost more
impressive to do a very simple dish.
With simple food, it’s more challenging to
do because there’s nowhere to hide. With a
burger, it has to be absolutely spot on. If the
burger’s dry, burnt or not seasoned properly,
your customer will notice straight away. So
that’s what we’re trying to do here: simple
things, done extremely well.
Do you have a signature or favourite dish
to prepare?
That’s a good question, and lots of people ask
me that. We used to have a dish that we used
as a starter called “fish and chips”, which
was beer batter wafers with salt cod mousse,
tartare sauce salad and langoustine tails.
It was really very good, but now that we’ve
done that, I don’t think I have a signature dish.
I think what we do is make sure everything is
done really, really well across the board. I’d
like my signature to just be “good food”. We
haven’t yet been here long enough to have
one dish on the menu for any length of time,
but having said that, I think the new lamb
dish could be one that stays on because it
just shows skill from the kitchen. It’s a nice
way to eat if you’re with a friend or partner, to
sit down and be presented with this beautiful
board of different lamb. I’m a committed
carnivore so it definitely appeals to me. [The
dish Simon’s referring to is a mouth-watering
sharing platter of lamb cuts prepared in five
wildly different ways – more on that later].
Do you have advice for home cooks like
me?
I think a lot of people at home tend to
overcomplicate things. I can understand why,
because they see people doing it on TV and so
on, but dinner parties shouldn’t be stressful. I
suggest keeping it simple, particularly as we
live in Oxford and we have access to some of
the most amazing producers, so you can just
buy in a delicious lemon tart or some great
cheeses.
Also, use more salt. I think that people
forget that in restaurants, we use tons of
butter and salt, and that’s often what makes
it such a treat. I’m not saying that you should
be putting butter and salt in everything but
if you’re tossing some vegetables, throwing
in plenty of butter and salt just amplifies the
taste so much. It’s that simple, really. For
example, I think the reason a lot of people
don’t like sprouts is because they’ve always
had them just boiled to death, but if you cook
them nicely then toss them with some butter,
salt and pepper, it completely transforms the
flavour.
My final bit of advice is very simple: have
a dry run at home. If I was doing a dinner
party, I’d practice it at work. I think a lot of
people just think “well, I’m going to do this
dish that I’ve seen on the internet” without
giving a second thought to what ingredients
they need or the time it takes to, for example,
bone out a side of lamb and then to cook it
while you’re talking to your guests. I think
people can get too stressed about cooking
for people at home, whereas In Italy, or Spain,
I don’t think they would in the same way. They
just get paella, or a leg of lamb, or something
like that, chuck it in the oven and let everyone
take it family-style.
Do you think it’s just more natural to
prepare high-quality food on the continent?
I think so, yeah. They don’t beat themselves
up about it. In supermarkets in France, you’ll
just have one variety of olive oil, whereas
in the UK there are about 30 different olive
oils on one shelf. You see people looking
through all the different varieties and on the
continent, they don’t care because they know
it’ll be good as it is. The choice we have
between varieties of the simplest things is
just unbelievable.
It’s almost gross. There’s probably 20
types of baked beans.
I know! When I cook at home, I just put
huge bowls of whatever I’ve cooked out and
people just help themselves.
Good advice. Thanks Simon.
To taste Simon’s expertly-sourced
cuisine for yourself, book yourself
a table at eynshamhall.com
I think it’s a very particular skill to prepare
one ingredient or animal in so many ways. Is
it not quite a time-consuming dish to cook?
Well, yes and no. We come in in the morning
and prep one element of it, so we might get
47
E
Great Food,
Delicious Wines,
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Charming Accommodation,
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Fabul
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or visit us at www.beetleandwedge.co.uk
48
Your Wedding...Every Moment...Every Detail
CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR ENGAGEMENT & FORTHCOMING WEDDING
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The Blenheim room, the room has an ornate ceiling
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The Silverstone the room has a country feel with a
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Every Bride & Groom is special to us, our team
will guide you through all the stages of planning
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selection of excellent menus. The team of dedicated
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Master of Ceremonies
Use of a cake stand and knife
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Wedding Fair
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The Red Lion High Street, Islip, Oxfordshire, OX5 2RX
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49
The Old Flight House is a unique, refreshingly different antiques centre.
Consisting of 75 individual stylised areas, each owned by individual dealers.
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50
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International Women’s Day EDITS
International Women’s Day
International Women’s Day is celebrated Tuesday 8th March, and this year the focus is on gender parity in the workplace. To
celebrate women in business across our city and county, we’ve spoken to three local businesswomen who are at the top of their
respective games about the challenges that women face in the workplace and how to improve the situation as it stands.
Emily Watkins
Emily is the chef-owner of The Plough at
Kingham, and has been working as a chef
for 17 years. She started at The Plough
in 2007.
Do you think there are specific
challenges for women in your industry?
There are many. The working hours and
physical aspect of being a chef in a
professional kitchen have never attracted
many women into the profession. There
has also been a lot of attitude that it is a
man’s world, and along with that, there
are some egos and chips on shoulders
to deal with.
Who is your greatest female role
model?
In the industry it has always been Angela
Hartnett. She is a seriously talented chef
with several very successful restaurants
who always seems to be smiling.
What do you think should be done
to improve the standing of women in
business?
I think there should be better childcare
provision and more subsidy, and definitely
equal pay. Not only do women deserve
to be paid the same as their peers, it will
draw more respect when they are.
How do you think the prospects for
women have improved or worsened
over the last decade?
There are a lot more women at the top
of their game across the board in all
kinds of industries. It has definitely
been much more open to women being
an equal candidate for a role. However,
the catering industry still sees very few
women in the kitchens.
Tina Mussell-Rowley
In December last year, Tina took over the ownership of Parlour Farm
Kitchens, having owned several pubs during her varied and highly
successful career, spanning over thirty five years. Her role in her
business is to develop a new and exciting interiors section to run
alongside their existing range of bespoke kitchens, giving the clients
something unique to complement their homes.
Do you think there are specific challenges for women in your
industry?
The only challenges I foresee for men or women in this industry is how to be totally individual
and inspiring.
Who is your greatest female role model?
Without a doubt, it would have to be Anouska Hempel, who designed her own hotels. I
can honestly say that I have been greatly influenced by her, specifically by the exciting and
fashionable Blakes Hotel in London.
What do you think should be done to improve the standing of women in business?
I actually do not think anything should be done to improve the standing of women in business;
let the women’s work speak for themselves!
How do you think the prospects for women have improved or worsened over the last
decade?
Prospects for women have definitely improved of the last decade. Women are taking leading roles
in all directions and are definitely being heard. My advice: have faith in your own convictions, do
not take no for an answer and believe in what you do!
Annie Sloan
Annie is arguably the world’s most respected expert in paint, colour
and techniques. She still runs her business on a day-to-day level,
and now employs 40 people, men and women of all ages. She
created her famous Chalk Paint in 1990.
Do you think there are specific challenges for women in your industry?
Not particularly, but I think it does depend on the industry. For design I think that there are,
generally, more women in this business than in most industries. I do believe that it is tricky to
balance having children and being in the workplace, and I know that when I had each of my three
sons I found it hard to work, as I wanted to be with them, and now as an employer of women I
know how hard it is to balance a busy working life with spending time with your children.
Who is your greatest role model as a woman?
It may be unconventional, but I would actually say my Dad. He was a very masculine person, but
he was never afraid to remind me that I could, regardless of my gender, do and be anything, and
he was a very positive role model for me as a young girl and as an artist.
What do you think should be done to improve the standing of women in business?
I truly believe that mindset is everything. As a woman running my own business, I have always
believed that women can achieve anything that they put their mind to, and that we are sometimes
our own worst enemy in that we hold ourselves back. Confidence within ourselves and our own
ability is key.
How do you think the prospects for women have improved or worsened over the last
decade?
I think that they have definitely improved. New generations of employers are employing all
different types of people, regardless of background or gender.
What advice do you have for young women starting out in your industry?
Follow your instinct, learn your industry inside out, get as much experience as you can and
always have confidence in your own ability.
51
E
E
EDITS xxxxx
FEELING THE BURN:
Understanding the neuroscience of
pain at The Natural History Museum
“We don’t have enough science
graduates going into journalism”,
Professor Irene Tracey says to a
journalist with a science degree.
“It can be very difficult to explain
dense scientific conclusions
in terms that most people
can understand, but often the
headlines that people read in the
newspaper or on the internet are
either quite exaggerated or are
just fundamentally incorrect”.
by Jack Rayner
52
I can’t pretend that I don’t now feel under huge
pressure to get my facts right. Professor Irene
Tracey, MA (Oxon), DPhil., FRCA, FMedSci is
the head-elect of the Nuffield Department of
Clinical Neurosciences at Oxford University,
based at the John Radcliffe. You might make
the assumption that such a heavily-suffixed
individual would come across as dryly
academic, but her myriad achievements and
qualifications belie her warm, personable
nature and fun-loving attitude. As we sip tea
in one of the sizeable rooms of Pembroke
College, she explains some of her work
inflicting pain on unsuspecting subjects
(more on this later) ahead of her public lecture
at the Museum of Natural History on Tuesday
15th March.
“When I was studying for my doctorate,
I was really interested in how you could use
non-invasive technology to tell you how things
were working in the brain rather than physically
cutting samples out and putting them in a test
tube. Around that time, one of the techniques,
centered around using an MRI scanner, was
a very new thing which allowed you to see
the brain as it’s working, so when people
are thinking, you can see the blood being
delivered to the different areas of the brain to
feed oxygen to the neurons that are working.
What you can then do is map it so you know
which area of the brain is doing what”.
So far, so commendable, but what makes
Professor Tracey’s work a little more dramatic
than most is that she, much like a “mad
scientist”-style villain in an outlandish comic
book, is given ethical approval to deliberately
inflict physical pain on people who aren’t
necessarily expecting it. Before you start
grabbing your pitchforks and burning torches,
I let her explain a little more:
“We literally have a torture chamber”, Irene
begins. (I’m aware that, at this point, I might
not look like I’m painting the friendliest picture
of this astounding scientist, but bear with
me). “Basically, we put our participants in an
MRI machine, and we’ve got a thing on their
head which is monitoring the brain whilst it’s
reacting to the person experiencing pain. You
basically have 3 categories by which you can
be physically hurt: one is the ‘mechanical’,
which people will be familiar with if you stub
your toe or accidentally cut yourself. The
second is thermal, so that obviously means
being burnt or too cold, and then the third is
chemical. The simplest way to understand
this one is if you’re chopping chillies and
you touch your eye afterwards. Anything that
chemically irritates the skin.”
By this point, I was fully engrossed, so I let
Irene continue:
“What’s interesting is that people’s
calibration of pain changes throughout their
life. If you haven’t experienced a chronic
pain condition, or experienced childbirth, or
experienced some other kind of high-level
pain, your “0-10” scale may be completely
different to someone else. It’s very subjective.
But if you go into an experiment and I need
to, say, burn you a few times…” Irene pauses
her hilarious sentence halfway through, “I’d
do it to the point where you may be up to
about 7 out of 10, like if you put your finger
into a hot cup of coffee.
“Part of what we’re discovering is not just
how the system works and which parts of
the brain apply to it, but more importantly,
how those signals go in and, depending
on the type of brain it’s going into, how the
brain responds to them. Is the brain in a
happy mood? Is it distracted? And so on.
I’ll go through one classic experiment we’ve
done where we’ve manipulated people’s
expectations – we’ll give them an opioid
painkiller, but we don’t tell them when we’ve
started or stopped it, so we’ll pretend we’ve
started giving them the painkiller when
we haven’t, and the other way round, and
their expectation completely changes their
perception of how well that painkiller works.
Even with a really powerful
drug, your expectation can
completely override it. That’s
how powerful the brain is in
changing perception.
It’s similar with visual perception – only a
small amount of what you perceive visually is
coming from the data from your eyes; your
brain makes up the rest from expectation.
That’s really important to understand,
because with a patient that is experiencing
pain, it might not make any sense based
simply on sensory input, but you can begin to
understand if you get your head around the
patient’s expectations and experiences.”
It all sounds very exciting, you may be
thinking, but what’s the point? Professor
Tracey, luckily, explained one of the
incredibly noble applications of this area
of research:
“It’s related to how anaesthetics work during
surgery. When you go in for an operation, you
xxxx EDITS
Renée
Watson
don’t want to have awareness, you don’t want to feel pain, and
you don’t want to be able to move. These are the 3 things you’re
looking to achieve in anaesthesia. What’s very interesting, and
surprising for most people, is that we don’t have a brain-based
measure to know when the anaesthetics put the brain “asleep”
enough. Basically, you give the patient an inhalation or injection
of, say, propofol, so they’ll go under, then they’re given a dose
such that their physiology changes so that for your height, weight,
sex and age, they won’t leap off the bed. Of course, the danger of
using that assumption for everyone is that it’s not perfect, and the
reason why it has to be done like that is that we don’t have that
brain-based measure I mentioned earlier.
The reason anaesthesia does work so well is that, probably, too
much is given, because you make sure the patient is completely
unconscious, right? But of course, the consequences of overdoing the chemicals probably aren’t positive, so we’ve been
doing research to come up with a brain-based measure that tells
the surgeon that for this specific individual, this person’s brain
has no awareness and has no sense of pain. We’ve stumbled
across one, and I’ll talk about it in more detail in the lecture.”
“Basically, we put our participants in an
MRI machine, and we’ve got a thing on their
head which is monitoring the brain whilst it’s
reacting to the person experiencing pain
If you want to hear more about Professor Tracey’s
research (and I wouldn’t you?), her lecture is at
7pm on Tuesday 15th March at the Museum of
Natural History and is completely free.
Book your place at oum.ox.ac.uk
Professor Tracey is also running this year’s
London Marathon for Alzheimer’s Research –
sponsor her at justgiving.com/Irene-Tracey
THE TRUE SCIENCE
OF YOUTHFUL
LOOKING SKIN...
Move over Pro-active vita-luxe plump-renewing face gloop, it now
looks like scientists HAVE discovered the secret to ageing.
When we think about ageing we usually think of wrinkles, sagging
skin, grey hair and feeling ancient after a spot of exercise – as the
beauty adverts would say “the visible signs of ageing”.
If we take a journey beyond these visible signs, we can start to see
what ageing looks like at a cellular level.
It is in our cells, and not in a tub of expensive cream, that the
secrets of eternal youth can be found.
When it comes to cells, ageing is a process of breaking down.
One of the first signs of ageing comes from communication
breaking down. This causes a delay in signals reaching their
destination such as those instructing our body to move or to fight
disease.
In addition to communication breakdown we also experience
protein breakdown. Muscles take longer to repair, enzymes don’t
work as well and the proteins that help to make sure our DNA works
properly start to malfunction.
One of the most interesting areas of recent research has looked at
the breakdown of things called telomeres.
Telomeres are like the plastic ends of your shoe laces – they coat
the end tips of your chromosomes protecting your genes and
stopping them from fraying.
Each time we are exposed to something that damages our DNA it
chips away at those protective telomeres.
There is a direct link between the condition of your telomeres and
age – the worse their condition – the older you are!
The very good news is that scientists have successfully repaired
the telomeres of mice reversing the signs of ageing.
We are still a while away from creating this elixir of eternal youth for
humans but it is certainly looking like a possibility. There are hours
of brow furrowing debate to have about whether this is really a good
idea and what it means for humanity but that aside, the science is
undeniably intriguing.
And research published just this week adds an interesting new
wrinkle to the debate.
By looking at hundreds of markers on DNA, American scientists say
they can measure the age of your different body parts!
It looks like the age on your passport is only superficial – within your
body your different organs and tissues are aging at very different
rates.
For example breast tissue ages more quickly than other tissues
which gives us a new insight into breast cancer and why it can happen
in people so young. On the other hand heart tissue of an average
healthy person appears to be younger by a staggering 9 years!
In terms of understanding and diagnosing disease this research
could make a huge difference.
Before you toss out your night cream, revitamagic eye gel and hair
dye you have time to think about whether you would really want to
be forever young.
While you do that, I am off to have a cup of tea and contemplate
the age of my liver...
53
E
E
EDITS Favourite Cars
FAVOURITE CARS FOR
WOMEN DRIVERS
Lamborghinis Gallardo
Which cars tend be hot favourites for women drivers?
Well, the facts are little known as women
drivers buy all the cars men drivers do.
Manufacturers tend to keep the question
rather ‘hush-hush’ because they don’t want
to be officially recorded as producing gender
specific cars. Neither does anyone, including
us, wish to stereotype either male or female
drivers!
To our knowledge there is no official ‘top
ten’ statistical record of women buyer car
sales, despite a plethora of articles you
will find elsewhere identifying the ‘top
ten’ car purchases for women. It’s all too
controversial with little reliable statistical data
to back it up, and many purchasing patterns
vary according to age, income, job status,
and family circumstances. There is ‘now’t so
queer as folk’ as the saying goes, and trying
to fathom this issue proves it.
Manufacturers know who are buying their
cars of course, but the stats relate only to their
brand and not the rest of the world. Where
there seems to be consensus is that men
and women in general tend to have broadly
different criteria for their choice of car, and
yet still the evidence shows contradictions in
car purchasing behaviour.
Trends suggest women do go for style,
practicality and economy, and enjoy cars that
are fun to drive. (Men do too I hear you say).
A high seating position and safety issues
appear to feature strongly as well.
The MINI Cooper D
5-door Hatch
54
However the Fiat 500 has proven an
overwhelming best seller with young women
in particular, but it is neither high nor overly
practical, though it is certainly of cool design
with an extensive personalisation programme
and distinctive presence.
The same goes for MINI – another popular
best seller with women drivers boasting
an equally comprehensive personalisation
programme and great looks.
To me, this simply suggests women have
good taste. Add the very popular Vauxhall
Corsa, the Honda Jazz (and Civic by the
way), and in particular the Ford Fiesta/Focus
to that list and you’ll find that many models
regarded as favourites for women drivers
are favourites for all drivers, as all these cars
fall within top ten sales for their categories
regardless of gender.
An emerging trend is a female bias towards
mid-range SUVs, the Nissan Juke, the
Vauxhall Mokka, the Nissan Qashqai all
seeming to prove a hit with women buyers on
the forecourt. The Range Rover Evoque has
also appeared popular with female buyers at
the luxury end.
Women do go for the higher end powerful
performance and luxury cars, and are to be
seen behind the wheel of anything you care
to name…Ferraris, Lamborghinis (namely
the Gallardo and a fair few Aventadors).
Maseratis (specifically the Gran Turismo and
Vauxhall
Corsa
Fiat 500
Nissan
Qashqai
Ghibli) are becoming increasingly piloted
by women. At the luxury convertible end of
the market, Mercedes Benz SLK has always
done well with female buyers.
What a lot of this suggests is that our society
is changing for the better. ‘Cars for women’
and ‘cars for men’ is a deservedly dated and
potentially discriminatory concept. As female
and male gender stereotypes break down,
so does the idea of ‘boys’ cars’ and ‘girls’
cars’, hopefully seeing an eventual end to the
gender stereotyping of motor cars. Clearly
manufacturers get that too, making questions
like this thankfully very hard to answer.
WHEREVER IT TAKES YOU
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E
EDITS Oxford High School
A Farewell to Perfectionism
and Embracing the “F” Word
Is perfectionism ever helpful? Should
we ever celebrate failure? These were
questions considered by delegates
when I spoke at the 2016 Global
Forum on Girls’ Education in New
York in February. With my fellow
GDST Head, Jane Lunnon from
Wimbledon High School, we shared
our expertise in changing mindsets in the school community to
encourage girls to learn from failure
and wave goodbye to perfectionism.
This Global Forum brought together leading
educators,
researchers,
advocates,
authors and practitioners from across
the globe to exchange best practices and
innovative approaches for the healthy
development of girls, and it was thrilling to
realise that what I had started working on
two years ago at Oxford High, now has a
truly international platform.
This journey from my initial interview on
BBC Radio 4’s Today programme to talk
about the concept of challenging unhelpful
perfectionism (the Death of Little Miss
Perfect) to speaking at a global conference of
leaders in education has been an opportunity
to champion a fundamental shift in helping
girls develop into happy, healthy and highachieving young women who can also be
influential contributors in the global economy
of the future.
Our work at Oxford High School has
always been rooted in research, notably that
of Roz Shafran, Professor of Translational
Psychology at the UCL Institute of Child
Health and Professor Erica McWilliam,
Adjunct Professor, ARC Centre of Excellence
for Creative Industries and Innovation in
Queensland, Australia. The concept of
unhelpful perfectionism hampers growth,
both intellectually and creatively, and young
adults fear taking risks or lean towards not
doing something unless it’s going to be right.
This erodes self-esteem or, worse, means that
self-respect is disproportionately dependent
on striving and achievement. It is no surprise
56
then that this can often lead to patterns of
behaviour such as anxiety, procrastination,
self-harm and eating disorders.
Here at Oxford High, this philosophy is now
embedded within our strategic planning.
Our firm belief in this approach manifests
itself in the way that we teach and the way
our school puts girls first as its core value.
We have programmes to support student
and staff well-being which are designed to
complement high performance, we have a
Happiness strand to our Strategic Plan and
we have introduced a Cognitive Behavioural
Coaching pilot scheme for both staff and
students.
I believe that we must help young women
develop a sense of their own internal
validation. We lead this in school via specific
activities to tackle unhelpful perfectionism.
Pupils reflect on how to be kind to themselves
and grow their self-respect and confidence
and to nurture their sense of adventure and
fun through challenging the norm. We believe
in developing their elasticity of mind. OHS
students begin to appreciate that the further
one goes in academia, the less likely it is
that an answer will be correct or perfect. As
teachers, we design learning activities which
require students to experience the complex,
the unfamiliar and the not yet resolved
answers. We want our girls to understand
that failure is a normal thing to happen in
life and it is how we deal with it that counts
- whether that’s a teacher sharing her (seven!)
attempts to pass her driving test, a scientific
experiment that may go completely wrong,
trying out for a football or cricket team if they
have only played netball before or having a
go at a completely new EPQ topic because,
simply, it’s something they’ve always wanted
to explore.
Interestingly, we are seeing the results of
this approach to building resilience come to
fruition in our exam performance. Last year’s
GCSE results saw 94.5% of the girls’ rated
A*/A last year which was a considerable
increase of 4% from 2014. More important to
me is that a recent parental survey showed a
huge percentage of our parents felt that we
exceeded their expectations – with our care
of their daughters rated very highly indeed.
I ended my talk in NY with a slide of a
floating armadillo basking in a warm river.
Why you may ask? Well, the current buzz
word for ‘resilience’ is now ‘buoyancy’ and
I was seeking to visualise how an armoured,
combative creature will always have a
soft, vulnerable underbelly to protect, and
knowing how to balance both features of
your personality really is the best route to
buoyancy!
Judith Carlisle,
Head of Oxford High School
Rye St Antony EDITS
RYE ST ANTONY
Educating Women of the Future for 86 Years
At Rye St Antony, an Oxford based day
and boarding school, we believe the sky’s
the limit for our female pupils, helping
them to reach for the stars if they so wish,
whilst equipping them with the skills and
knowledge to become pillars of their own
community once they leave ours.
On the other hand, we don’t believe in
a one size fits all approach to education –
every one of our pupils is an individual whose
talents and interests should be identified and
fostered.
This philosophy is not something we have
devised overnight, our values in educating
girls to achieve their ambitions and dreams,
whilst recognising the needs of others, go
back 86 years when our school was founded
by two lay Catholic Oxford women Elizabeth
Rendall and Ivy King.
They may not have known it then, but these
two Oxford teachers created a school which
is unique – a girls’ independent Catholic
school founded not by a religious order but
by lay people. It is this legacy which is highly
valued in today’s school community where
our pupils are taught to respect one another
and themselves, contribute to the community,
show a commitment to charity and justice
and be aware of the wider world.
Our girls leave Rye at Sixth Form with a
very special set of skills and a character
which prepares them for a life in which they
can be whoever they want to be. They can
achieve their ambitions and dreams without
trampling on others along the way and whilst
understanding how to help others – as part
of the Rye family this is inherent. In a world
where fewer and fewer people are taught
what are known as ‘soft skills’, this takes
them a long way.
On the academic side, standards are high
and a lot is expected of our pupils who
understand that their hard work pays off.
With these high standards comes confidence
– there is no such word as can’t but rather
‘how can we solve this?’
You only have to look at the destinations
of our Sixth Form leavers to see how
this bears out. Our Head Girl for 2014/15
Rose Kirtley was awarded an Excellence
Scholarship to study Computer Science at
the University of Birmingham after achieving
A*s in Mathematics, Further Mathematics
and Physics.
Other Sixth Form leavers’ destinations
for 2015 included Imperial College
London (Mathematics), University of York
(Mathematics,
Operational
Research,
Statistics and Economics), University of
Birmingham (Biomedical Science), Cardiff
University (Politics) and University of Sussex
(Engineering). In our own small way (we
are a small school with approximately 350
pupils), we are standing our ground in the
male dominated subjects such as Computer
Science and Engineering.
But again, girls can be who they want to
be and if they want to go on and study what
Rose Kirtley
Head Girl for 2014/15
are known as traditionally female dominated
subjects, such as fashion, ballet and creative
writing – then this is encouraged too.
Most importantly of all, a pupil’s own
interests and talents should be utilised to
the full – it is not up to the teaching staff to
tell them what they should do, we are here
as educators, advisors, supporters and
confidence givers.
In a world where the gender pay gap still
stands at 20% and a glass ceiling still exists
in enterprise, we want to educate our girls to
be the ones to lead the way, break through
and create a bright and exciting future for
themselves and female generations to come.
Come and see our girls in action for
yourself at Rye St Antony by booking a
visit. Our next Open Day is on Friday 16
September 2016, but every day is an open
day. For an appointment, contact our
Registrar, Fern Saxton, on 01865 762802
www.ryestantony.co.uk
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EDITS Tudor Hall
Row Like a Girl… lead Like a Girl
The recent extraordinary achievement of Row Like a Girl
– the four woman team who rowed 3,000 miles across
the Atlantic in 40 days, eight hours and 26 minutes beating 24 male teams to become the youngest and
fastest all-woman crew to row the Atlantic unaided,
required more than muscle power and emotional
resilience. It required teamwork and no more so than
from the boat’s captain Lauren Morton (26).
Morton’s leadership skills, which came to the fore at her team talk the
night before they embarked on the challenge, set the team’s tone and
undoubtedly got them through the darkest hours of their lives (well
certainly a fractured leg, woman overboard and bottom sores like you’ve
never seen) and ensured they made the crossing.
“I sat everyone down the night before we were leaving and went through
some simple ground rules,” said Morton. “To be kind to each other always
and never ever badmouth anybody else because that’s when problems
start. And to realise that no matter how shit or low you’re feeling someone
else has felt the same way. We stuck to the rules and were incredibly
strong the whole way across.”
Moreton’s style of leadership is emulated through all aspects of life
at Tudor Hall, and is developed through both academic and physical
challenges. Our academic approach – which encourages our students
to work independently beyond the confines of the curriculum - is typified
by the ‘Aim Higher’ programme which runs across all year groups. ‘Aim
Higher’ offers a range of academic opportunities beyond the classroom,
allowing students to channel their intellectual curiosity and to engage in
subject areas of particular interest. Activities are varied: entry to national
competitions, independent project work, attending lectures, as well as
taking part in extra-curricular clubs and opportunities
Our Lower Sixth have the opportunity to apply for the Warrior’s
Programme which sees them heading off to South Africa to parachute,
“Pupils’
achievements
are excellent
in all aspects
of school life”
Independent Schools Inspectorate
bungee jump and get involved in
charitable projects such as rebuilding
classrooms from mud bricks. Back
on British turf, there’s nothing more
testing than being a member of the
cross country team where you’re
expected to run a six mile course
in sleet determined to keep going
(despite having lost a shoe in the mud) as
you do not want to give up or let your team mates down. At the end
of the day, pushing yourself out of your comfort zone is worth it,
making your next attempt at something tricky that bit easier.
Encouraging girls to push themselves when confronted by
challenge teaches them to dig deep and develop a life skill that will
take them far in the world beyond school. With these skills, the girls
can lead their lives to the full and lead others to achieve great things.
Whether it’s setting up a charity to benefit others, establishing their
own business or leading a team to climb the next biggest mountain,
our girls develop resilience bringing the confidence to carve their
own paths in life and to be proud of what they, as women, can and
want to achieve.
Wendy Griffiths, Headmistress, comments
“Our recent ‘Women in Leadership
Conference’ focused the girls’ attention
on being proud to be ‘like a girl’.
Open Morning
Saturday 14th May 2016 @ 10am
E: [email protected]
T: 01295 756259
@TudorHallSchool
/TudorHallSchool
www.tudorhallschool.com
A registered charity Reg No 1042783
58
It’s vital that this generation don’t hold themselves back but
instead push to connect, influence, change, campaign and lead.
Who knows, the next Row Like a Girl boat might be full of Old
Tudorians following in the footsteps of Moreton’s fabulous four who
have done so much to publicise the combined mental and physical
strength of women.”
Wychwood School EDITS
EDUCATION FOR
Mrs Andrea Johnson
Headmistress
‘Genuine Girls not
Imitation Boys’
That is what Miss Lee, Oxford women’s education
innovator and founder of Wychwood School set out to do
and the school continues to work to continue her vision.
“A charming pint-sized powerhouse” Good Schools Guide 2014
OPEN MORNING
Saturday 23rd April 2016, 10.00am – 1.00pm
To attend the Open Morning, or to visit the school for
a private appointment, please contact Nicola Jones on
E: [email protected] or T: 01865 517103
GSA independent day and boarding school for girls aged 11-18
74 Banbury Road, Oxford OX2 6JR
www.wychwoodschool.org
The nature of what constitutes education for genuine girls has
extended and expanded over the 119 years Wychwood has been
running and recently we have introduced a lecture series named
after one of our outstanding headmistresses, Sue Wingfield Digby.
The Hilary term Wingfield Digby lectures carry the theme of Women
inspiring Women through the years and the series has fulfilled its
brief to offer girls an idea of what is out there for women’s careers
nowadays.
The first lecture from Suzie Winton Lyle who spent her career in
the Developing Countries Trade Agency gave a humorous, slightly
alternative view on a woman’s working life spent in the UK and
abroad in what was then mainly a man’s world. She experienced
the issues, crises, high and low points inherent in any post-colonial
British trade endeavour. This was complicated by the fact that she
was a woman in environments which religiously and culturally found
working women to be a curiosity rather than a norm. As a result she
developed a nose for diplomacy and negotiation, skills that women
have always possessed.
The following year brought former Wychwood girl, now standup comedian and podcaster, Iszi Lawrence. Iszi had the audience
weeping with laughter and the girls struck with hero worship as she
worked her way through her normal routine, editing heavily for the
audience as she went.
In 2015 we moved from the wry, close observation of the human
condition to an immense view of the universe as Dame Jocelyn
Bell Burnell introduced us to The Universe and Us. We enjoyed a
fascinating journey through astrophysics, philosophy, religion, poetry
and art showing that the days of the polymath remain and belong with
women. Education for genuine girls – there is so much more to it than
simply classroom lessons!
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I AM SPRING
I AM ALL THE THINGS
YOU COULDN’T WEAR
IN WINTER
theoracle.com
xxxx EDITS
FASHION FOR MEN:
NEW SEASON STYLES FOR
THE OXFORD SHOPPER
So not every bloke is a Colin Firth or an Idris Elba, but that doesn’t mean one
can’t dress like them, especially when British men’s fashion is reaching a peak
of slick, suave creativity. This year’s trends are easy to replicate and, with
historical influences and quintessential British features, some of them are just
begging to be worn in Oxford.
Take the white trouser trend that will be sweeping the nation come
spring: as the old American adage goes, “nobody wears white after
Labor Day”. Well, apparently no one informed our Yankee cousins that
white trousers are set to be one of the biggest menswear trends over
summer ’16. What’s more, white wash styles like jeans and chinos are
perfect for those “English gentleman abroad” outfits. For instance,
cream jeans from Next are easy to team with t-shirts, shirts or even a
cheeky chambray blazer. They also go perfectly with chocolate brown
brogues that Men’s at Dune calls “Rower”. I mean, how could you not?
White shorts from River Island are straight out of an Evelyn Waugh
novel, clinching the ‘casual cricketer’ look. Just pair with a pair of Dune
“Idris” sandals.
Now, if white isn’t your colour, or is simply too impractical for you, go
for green instead. Olive shades suit most skin tones and work well for
all kinds of products, from coats to sunglasses. D&G’s aviator-style
sunglasses always add a subtle splash of colour and are a good springthrough-to-summer investment, while an olive Barbour Bedale
waxed jacket will help you blend in while capering in the Cotswolds.
So far we’ve played it cool and casual, but there are definitely a few
more flamboyant trends pervading the menswear industry this year.
Anusha
Couttigane
In particular, we dare to suggest that florals have a big (bright) role
to play in men’s fashion. Everyone from D&G to Gucci says so. Yet
this dandy trend is so much more at home in Oxford, where George
Brummel was credited with making ‘dandy’ the dernier cri during his
days at Oriel College.
What’s more, it’s an opportunity to nail two trends – Florals and
Androgyny - with one stone. New brand TRNDSXL promotes gender
neutrality by producing unisex garments. While most of its lines are
more muted, its dark fruit prints also embrace a bit of retro flare.
Definitely one of the sassier styles to pull off, but perfect for both the
avant-garde androgynist or the mod-loving lad.
Oxford’s historical architecture provides the perfect excuse to
dress like a quintessential Victorian gentleman all year round, so we
reckon it’s OK to mention the turn-of-the-century printed suits from
Joshua Kane Bespoke coming out for AW16. Newcomer Kane has
worked for pioneering brands like Paul Smith and Burberry Prorsum
– and he’s clearly picked up a few tailoring tricks along the way. So, if
you add just one thing to your wardrobe this year, make it a snappy
printed suit.
In the heart of Oxford City Centre, the
Clarendon Centre is your No.1 Fashion
Destination this Winter
Location The Lighthouse, Oxford - Photography © Clarendon Centre
61
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Swing into spring!
Romance was in the air at Fashion Week, with many designers
shunning the androgynous aesthetic that has boxed off the
last few seasons and instead replacing it with a feminine take
on fashion. Soft tailoring, romantic ruffles and preppy pleats
gracefully shaped the shows. However, romance comes in
many forms this spring, whether it’s innocent, fun and flirty
with pretty pleats or fiery, fierce, Latina with off-the-shoulder
necklines, flamenco split skirts and red everything, you’ll be
sure to ‘ruffle’ some feathers.
Throwback warning! Over the seasons we’ve travelled back
through time with psychedelic 60’s prints, the shapes of
the 70’s and the uncomfortably tight neon spandex of the
80’s. Now we’re looking at the 90’s for fashion and beauty
flashbacks. Fashion focus: take wardrobe staples and classic
textures and keep it simple with shapes as the interest is in the
small details. History also repeats itself with beauty products;
bring back the berry lip and metallic eyeshadows, just please
not together! Pair your berry lip with matte browns or grey
eyeshadows to keep that sultry cool whilst ensuring the lip is
still the strongest part of the make-up look.
March not only brings new style in your wardrobe & home
but also a chance to spoil those you love. Show the most
important lady in your life how much she means to you
by spoiling her this Mother’s Day. The Body Shop and The
Perfume Shop have the perfect gifts to make sure she knows
exactly how special she really is.
Then, at the end of the month, it’s Easter! Thorntons have
eggs to suit every egg hunter, from the littlest to the biggest.
If you’re wanting something egg-stravagent this year, our
winner is the Milk Chocolate Fudge Brownie Easter Egg. As
part of Thorntons luxury Easter range, this egg combines three
delicious pudding flavours; Chocolate Fudge Cake, Lemon
Meringue and Pecan Pie, together with a milk chocolate shell
and granola pieces. Just thinking about it sends us in to a
chocolate melt-down.
For more spring style and gift ideas this Mother’s Day and
Easter, be sure to check out our Pinterest page. P.S we’ve
got lots of offers on our Facebook and Twitter pages too, so
nothing needs to cost as much as you think! Happy shopping!
With love, Clarendon Centre x
www.clarendoncentre.co.uk
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Location The Lighthouse, Oxford - Photography © Clarendon Centre
We’ve had a seriously cold start of the year but now, as
the weather warms up and the evenings get lighter, we
can stop hiding away under big knits and start thinking
about what’s hot this spring.
The Perfume Shop
Viktor Rolf Flowerbomb
£50
H&M
Sleeveless Lace Blouse
£14.99
H&M
Twill Skirt
£19.99
French Connection
Savannah Mesh and Lace Bodycon
Dress £75
Zara
Front Pleated Cullottes
£39.99
Thorntons
Milk Chocolate Fudge Brownie
Easter Egg £15
Krispy Kreme
Honey Bee Doughnut
The Body Shop
British Rose Deluxe Gift Collection
£40
Zara
Ruffle Crop Top
£19.99
Kiko
Glossy Dream Sheer Lipstick in Wine
£10.90
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New mer
um
S
&
g
n
Spri lection
Col
OW
OUT N
Fantazee Sling-Back In Navy
theFLEXX - Band Together in Gold
Cocorose Clapham In Pewter
Avenue one, Covered Market, Oxford OX1 3DX
Telephone 01865 249531(Mens shop) 01865 248043
(Foot Foundation) 01865 251940 (Ladies shop)
www.macsamillion.co.uk
Amanda Hanley HOMES
New Look
Changing your home’s look does not have to mean big money. The inspired use of soft furnishings, adding a
few separate touches to your living space, can make all the difference, whatever your budget. Here are some
hints and insider tips for choosing the right upholstery to give your new or existing rooms a spring makeover.
Choose sofas and chairs that will ensure your sitting room looks great and feels comfortable.
FURNITURE
There’s much more to upholstered furniture
than a comfortable seat; the shape of the sofa
and armchairs you choose, and the material
they’re covered in, will define the style of your
sitting room.
Traditional upholstery comes in a range of
well known styles from Chesterfields to lowarmed Howard style sofas and corner sofas
as well as countless classic shapes more
loosely inspired by historic designs. You
can buy sofas in the most popular of these
styles or you can invest in a similar piece
that has been handmade using traditional
materials and methods. And always consider
reupholstering to keep within your budget.
If you like to change your decorating scheme
or move house regularly you might keep
upholstery for a relatively short time and then
replace it If you think of furniture as central to
the evolving style of your home, you’ll want it
to last for years with the option of recovering
or reupholstering it when necessary. The
more you spend, the longer you can expect
your furniture to last and some manufacturers
guarantee their seating for up to 25 years
while others offer a renovation service for
their own designs.
If you’re furnishing room from scratch,
start by deciding what seating arrangement
you want. There are several permutations for
seating groups but mapping out a plan of
your sitting room and marking the positions
of the windows, doors and fireplace and the
number of people you need to accommodate
is a good way to find out what will work best
for you.
Think carefully about seating choices.
There is a well-known rule that no matter
how long a sofa is, only two people will sit
on it. Upholstered coffee tables are a good
choice for providing another seat, as well as
a comfortable place to put your feet. Cubes
are excellent and versatile.
For a more relaxed look that creates the
impression that the room has grown up over
the years you could team a sofa with two nonmatching chairs or, for a neat, symmetrical
effect, choose two matching sofas and add
an occasional chair for visual contrast. Try
putting a sofa with a cushioned back together
with chairs with fixed backs or vice versa.
ABOUT AMANDA HANLEY
A friendly Cotswolds-based interior
designer with 30 years' experience
and an excellent team of craftsmen,
builders and suppliers, Amanda
Hanley takes on projects for clients
from the Cotswolds to London.
Born and trained in the capital,
Amanda ran a propertydevelopment company before
moving to Fulbrook, where she now
runs the Amanda Hanley by Design
Studio. Get in touch for details of
buying trips to Europe, or advice
and help with your renovation and
home-decor projects.
Amanda Hanley by Design
07976 353996
www.amandahanley.co.uk
65
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H
HOMES xxxx
Adams & Moore
FURNISHINGS
Our 2016 Collection has been launched! Furniture that is personalised to suit you.
Each piece is custom made to order in our Abingdon workshop where classic and contemporary items are paired with
exceptional craftsmanship. Our collection includes sofas, armchairs, dining chairs, stools, ottomans and headboards.
Solid Beech frames, handmade, bespoke sizes, cushion filings and various leg styles and colours available.
View the collection on our website or visit our design studio & showroom to view our fabric library. We can also make
pieces of furniture from your photographs.
Experience our quality by visiting our workshop and seeing the furniture being made.
Adams & Moore
66
Adams & Moore 17 Nuffield Way, Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX14 1RL www.adams-moore.co.uk 01235 462 344
Adams & Moore is a trading name of Asnew Upholstery Services Ltd www.asnew-upholstery.co.uk
xxx HOMES
Shaunna
Latchman
MADE IN OXFORDSHIRE
For some Oxfordshire is a sleepy county, full of farmers and
academics, but our treasures surpass the lush green landscapes
and the historical spires that have housed some of the world’s
greatest minds. Gugu Mbatha-Raw is just one of the many
talented and awe inspiring women to be Made in Oxfordshire
that attests to aesthetic beauty and intellectual brilliance.
FABRIC
Fabric is key and some manufacturers offer a range of fabrics . Plain
and textured fabrics continue to be the favourites. Printed velvets are
extremely popular. Velvets, linen mixes and wools have become very
popular. Large scale prints are being used on accent chairs and sofas
with some fabric houses revisiting and recoloring their archive print
collections with this in mind.
Covering the chairs and sofas in a seating
group in different fabrics can be very effective.
Choose fabrics in similar texture, colour tones and patterns for a
harmonised look. Velvet, felt and leather work well together as they are
tactile, giving a sumptuous and cosy feel.
Upholstery fabrics for domestic use must pass the cigarette and the
match test or, if it is made from more than 70% natural fibre, can be used
with a fire retardant lining so long as it passes the cigarette test. Other
fabrics can be back coated with fire retardant chemicals.
It pays to choose a long lasting fabric. Most upholstery cloth is graded for
durability using the ‘Martindale rub test’ which scores fabrics according
to how many rubs they will take before the fabric frays. Upholstery fabrics
for use in the home often have a rating of 20,000 rubs and cloth with a
score of 15,000 rubs or fewer should be used on occasional furniture
only. How a fabric wears depends on the sort of fibre it is made from,
how tightly the yarn is spun and how closely the yarns are packed in the
weave.
Good quality upholstery always carries a high price tag but it really will
last. My advice is to turn and plump cushions with feather or fibre fillings
and to use arm caps to protect areas that are prone to marks and spills.
Try to keep furniture out of direct sunlight and choose light coloured
covers for furniture in sunny rooms – any fading will be less apparent.
Always remember, though that a home is for living in, first and foremost.
Your home is a personal sanctuary not a show home. Don’t worry about
imperfections. Things happen, drinks get spilt, fabric gets scratched and
torn. It’s part of life. Quality choices will mean that your look is enhanced
and given more character by the wear and tear of normal life!
The Gallery
69 High Street, Burford, Oxon, OX18 4QA
Opening hours: Monday-Saturday 9am-5pm
Sunday 10am-4pm
Name: Gugu Mbatha-Raw “Gugu” ,short for “Gugulethu,” is Zulu
for “Our Pride”.
Age: 32 D.O.B. 21/04/1983
From: Witney
Education: Our Lady Of Lourdes Catholic Primary School, The
Henry Box School and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts
What has she done? What hasn’t she done?! Whilst attending
Henry Box School she joined the local acting group Dramascope,
Witney’s longest established performance group in musical
theatre for young people aged 9-18. From the age of eleven she
appeared in the pantomime at the Oxford Playhouse every year,
of this experience she says “It was exciting going into Oxford and
being at the Playhouse, and it gave me a chance to see what it
was really like to work with professional actors”. Mastering the
saxophone and turning heads with her singing and dancing she
joined the Oxford Youth Music Theatre in her teens. In 2001 she
went on to win a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
in London.
From captivating the audience with her portrayal of Juliet in
Romeo and Juliet at the Royal Exchange Theatre in 2005, for
which she was nominated Best Actress, to commanding the stage
as Cleopatra, it was a matter of time before Mbatha-Raw took the
screen. First appearing in Holby City her CV grew with Bad Girls,
Spooks and Dr Who and she was soon in America for a leading role
in TV series Undercovers. Now based in LA, she is in the perfectly
primed to take Hollywood.
Set for release later this month Concussion follows the journey
of Dr. Bennet Omalu, played by Will Smith, as he investigates a
possible link between concussions suffered by American Football
players and symptoms of brain injury. With all of the media
attention around the lack of Oscar nominations and the varied
reviews Mbatha-Raw shone through and has been highly praised
for her “much-needed humanization into this ambitious film” as
Prema Mutiso the wife of the good Dr.
Her performance in the period piece Belle lead to her winning
Best Actress at the 2014 British Independent Film Awards. Belle
tells the story of classism, sexism and racism at a time in England
when the law was on the precipice of historical change. No period
drama is complete without a love that cannot be and a heroines
struggle to right a centuries old backward ideology, which she
does, corset clad and eloquently spoken.
Where is she going? Later this year Mbatha-Raw is returning
to the big screen with Matthew McConaughey to star in the
Civil War slave rebellion film, The Free State of Jones, as well as
the courtroom, murder drama with Keanu Reeves and Renée
Zellweger The Whole Truth.
By definition of her name alone, this young woman was meant
for great things, with a quiet commanding aura, Mbatha-Raw is
yet to show what she is truly capable of and we couldn’t be more
proud to call her our own.
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The Finest in British Outdoor Joinery
Designers and manufacturers of hardwood
planters and garden furnishings.
For more information:
Call: 01608 683022
Other services include a bespoke joinery service
for all interior & exterior design.
All products manufactured in the Cotswolds using sustainable timber.
www.oxfordplanters.co.uk
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Built in Solutions
Furniture
Custom made Fitted Furniture
01865 575 579
built in solutions.co.uk
Mill Farm Barns, Lower road, Long hanborough, OX29 8LW
From Forest to Furniture HOMES
From Forest to Furniture
There’s a timeless magic about
a walk in the woods, and it’s a
magic that we can take right
into our homes with us with the
careful choice of hand-made
furniture.
by Esther Lafferty
A fine old tree is beautiful to behold: organic
yet majestic, humming with life and yet
imbued with a natural tranquillity, and as
its life-cycles ends, it can be transformed
with craftsmanship and creativity into an
object that lives on whether as furniture, for
example, or a piece of art, saving the soul of
the tree in perpetuity. After a lifetime above
our heads, it has a whole second life inside
our homes.
This story was told recently when an iconic
oak tree which grew where an acorn fell
naturally in the grounds of Blenheim Palace
grounds and 222 years later reached the
grand old height of 80 feet. When this tree was
felled, it became one of the most studied in
the UK forming the basis of an environmental
project ‘OneOak’, which encompassed both
scientific research, conducted by the Sylva
Foundation and the University of Oxford, and
social history: the story of British forestry
and wood culture. Woodworkers have been
at the centre of civilization building, from the
first settlements over 10,000 years ago to
the present day, and master craftsman Philip
Koomen is the Oxfordshire furniture maker
chosen to work alongside the scientists,
creating furniture from the old oak’s wood.
Koomen’s workshop is nestled in the most
glorious countryside, in the Chiltern beech
woods where the hills descend through
open farm land to the Thames valley at
Checkendon, near Wallingford, a village
that shimmers in late April with the purple
of some of the best bluebell woods in South
Oxfordshire, and it’s hard to imagine a more
inspirational spot.
Koomen was first acclaimed for his cutting
edge design twenty years ago with a series
of sculptural forms of furniture which have
become iconic, in particular his original
‘Pondlife’ series, described as ‘organic’ and
‘wildly eccentric’ by The Independent and
which resulted in commissions from Beatle
George Harrison and Neil Tennant of the Pet
Shop Boys. The original was made from cedar
of Lebanon and sweet chestnut thinnings,
giving a sustainable life to wood otherwise
destined to be burnt. It has since been recreated in many different interpretations.
Other of Koomen’s designs, in contrast,
are far more structured and take an almost
architectural approach to wood, and his
projects have ranged from flowing modern
creations to classically-styled pieces ornate
with fine detail, and he relishes the challenge
of more elaborate commissions.
“I was commissioned a couple of years
ago,” says Koomen, “to design and produce
new choir stalls in Oxfordshire oak for the fifth
century Abbey in Dorchester-on-Thames.
They needed to be easy to move for events
and concerts, as well as functional so that
choir members could be comfortable in very
69
H
OXFORDSHIRES BIGGEST INDEPENDENT
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The Oxford Sofa Studio
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51 West Way, Botley, Oxford OX2 0JE (opposite Seacourt Tower)
70
xxxx EDITS
different postures — sitting, kneeling and
perching. They also had to be classical yet
current, and enduringly beautiful.”
The final design incorporates the medieval,
18th century and Victorian elements of the
abbey, with a carved roundel design that
fits perfectly amongst the stained glass and
medieval paintings. With his workshop team
(James Willis and Dan Harrison), Koomen is
currently working on a furniture commission
for the new Blavatnik School of Government,
Oxford University. The furniture, a range of
tables and chairs using oak originally from
the university’s Harcourt Estate, Nuneham
Courtenay, is to be located in a ‘Window
to the World’ space, a perfect view for an
ecological dreamer!
Inspired all his life by the richness and
possibilities of nature, Koomen is also driven
by his value for the environment and its
sustainability, and is excited by creativity and
the exploration of new forms, from the most
organic to a more structured architectural
style.
Quality and design are crucial for Koomen
and, all too aware that local woodlands are
now in a state of ecological and economic
crisis, Koomen is passionate about the
provenance of his wood. He has become
an enthusiastic advocate of the ethical use
of native timber which he sources from local
woodlands within a thirty mile radius of the
workshop, often using pieces that have
unusual character, seeing the importance
of sustainability as an integral part of what
he produces. Over the last decade, he
has created a local cycle for sourcing and
processing timber and developed a forestry
project which promotes greater collaboration
among woodland owners and sawmills,
showing the active impact a contemporary
craftsperson can have in a rapidly changing,
innovative but environmentally challenged
world.
Philip now tends to choose timber which has
no obvious market, and air-dries the pieces at
his workshop, a process which takes several
years, after which they are ready to be handcrafted into enduring furniture. “The journey
to find the right wood starts with a visit to a
woodland or timber yard. It is only when a log
is being cut at the sawmill that the grain is
revealed and the potential known,” explains
Koomen,
“and it’s often the wood
stock itself that inspires a
particular piece or design.”
Koomen has always been keen to
experiment with different approaches to
working with wood and furniture-making,
pondering whether it is art, craft or design,
and trialling new ways to cut, shape and join
timber. Working at the interplay of wood and
creativity, he never loses sight of the essence
of the woods he uses as, and enjoys the
journey of creation with each individual piece.
With a research degree (PhD) in Sustainable
Furniture Design, and awards under his toolbelt for exceptional professional practice
and creativity for advancing the field of wood
science, last year Philip was funded by The
Arts Council to look at ‘Ideas in the Making’,
an opportunity for further experimentation
outside the confines of furniture making and
he is now putting these most recent learnings
into practice, testing them out as educational
tools with students in GCSE years and
undergraduates, and creating new pieces that
have the purity and appearance of sculptural
forms.
Philip Koomen welcomes visitors to his
Checkendon workshop between and
9-5pm on weekdays and at weekends
can be arranged by appointment.
You can see more about him and his
furniture at www.philipkoomen.co.uk
Dorchester Abbey is open to the public
daily and has a wonderful teashop.
For further information visit
www.dorchester-abbey.org.uk
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HOMES Central Living
Eos feather light
in natural brown
Central
33-35 Little Clarendon Street, Oxford OX1 2HU
01865 311141
Stelton Emma tea
and coffee range
Dualit Classic range in Copper
(kettle and 4 slice toaster)
New Pantone mugs 13 colours available
(4 colours shown)
Fatboy Transloetje portable LED lamp with touch
dimmer (3 colours shown but 6 available)
Masters chair
by Starck in copper
72
Chester table and double floor light
Art Toys designed in Britain
NOW DEALERS FOR
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33-35 Little Clarendon Street, Oxford OX1 2HU | T 01865 311141 | E [email protected] | www.CentralLiving.co.uk
73
carterjonas.co.uk
TOP
10
REASONS TO BUY
1.
Town centre location
2. Exclusive, only six apartments
available
3. Contemporary bathrooms and
ceramic tiling from Porcelanosa
4. Short level walking distance to
local amenities
5. Kitchens by Sky Interiors of
Melksham
6. 10 year LABC warranty
7. Low maintenance charge
8. 2 allocated parking spaces
9. Help to Buy available
10. Beautifully designed with high
spec finish
THE BUTTERCROSS
Witney, Oxfordshire
Each stylish apartment comes with ceramic floor tiles to
the kitchen and bathrooms plus carpet throughout the
rest of property. All the apartments have fully integrated
appliances and plenty of storage, 2 double bedrooms, 2
bathrooms and a fabulous open plan kitchen/dining/living
space. All of the apartments have use of the communal
gardens and the second floor apartments enjoy an outside
balcony to bedroom one.
These spacious apartments have a 999 year lease and have
an annual maintenance charge of approximately £500 and
benefit from two parking spaces and shared grounds.
These apartments are the last of the properties to be
released at The Buttercross. They are built using a rich
variety of predominantly reconstituted stone and render
to reflect the traditional blend of materials found in the
historic core of the town. The apartments are particularly
well insulated and have a comprehensive lighting scheme
including 100% low energy lighting throughout with down
lighters, wall lights and pendant lights in a variety of
combinations.
The Buttercross – blending innovation with traditional
design elegance… The charm and character of Witney
provided the inspiration for this scheme by Bower Mapson.
Price from £365,000
Marketing Suite and show home opening times
Thursday to Monday, 9.30am to 4.30pm
Please call 01993 776514 or alternatively
please call Carter Jonas New Homes on
01865 807987.
www.buttercrosshomes.co.uk
@
LIVING
THE BUTTERCROSS, WITNEY
[email protected]
TOP
1.
5
REASONS
TO BUY
Town centre location
2. Elegant apartment block
3. Sky Interiors of Melksham
kitchens
4. 10 year LABC Warranty
5. Two parking spaces per
property
CATCH THEM FAST: LAST SIX APARTMENTS RELEASED
WELCOME TO OUR LATEST LIVING@
And the last one for what has been a very popular scheme at The Buttercross
in Witney’s heart. If you have been considering The Buttercross, then you only
have six chances left as all the houses have now been sold, and just six, two
bedroom apartments in the beautiful and stylish apartment block remain,
having been released in the final phase. We find out more:
IN SUMMER 2013 THE FIRST PHASE
OF HOUSES AT THE BUTTERCROSS
WERE RELEASED AND THE
BUILDING OF THESE NEW HOMES
STARTED. TODAY, ALL THE HOUSES
HAVE NEW OWNERS, AND JUST THE
SIX APARTMENTS REMAIN.
Step inside the finished development
and you can’t help but admire the
building of a real community. Bower
Mapson, the multi-award winning, local
and prestigious developer, has always
positioned itself as the alternative to
volume building. From simple touches
such as the bench seat around the tree
and the local stone complimenting the
red brickwork, to the general positive
feeling you get as you walk through
the beautifully designed streets and
take in the houses.
And with Witney being so desirable,
thanks to its architecture, pubs,
Claire Johnson
Associate Partner, New Homes
[email protected]
restaurants, shops, cinema and
location, it’s easy to see why people
love the town so much and want to
move here.
Each stylish two bedroom apartment
comes with ceramic floor tiles to the
kitchen and bathrooms, and carpet
throughout the rest of the property.
All apartments have fully integrated
appliances and plenty of storage.
With two bathrooms and a fabulous
open-plan kitchen and dining room
with living space, all the apartments
have the use of the communal gardens
whilst second floor apartments enjoy
an outside balcony to bedroom one.
Johanna Hooley, New Homes Sales
Manager at Carter Jonas, who is
marketing the apartments, said: “We
have sold to those people who love
Witney and all that it has to offer who
Johanna Hooley
New Homes Sales Manager
[email protected]
were looking for beautifully designed
houses with high specification finishes.
Bower Mapson and their team have
put their heart and soul into building
what is a superb scheme, and that has
been reflected in the sales’ success. I’m
sure the final apartments will appeal to
both downsizers and professionals.”
The spacious apartments have a 999
year lease, an annual maintenance
charge of approximately £500 and
benefit from two parking spaces and
shared grounds.
Prices start from £365,000 and the
apartments are available through
Carter Jonas New Homes on
01865 807 987.
For further information or to arrange
an appointment at the Show Home,
please get in touch:
carterjonas.co.uk/newhomes or email
[email protected]
H
HOMES Heyford Park
New homes at Heyford
Park are selling fast
The fine collection of new Homes at Heyford Park in Upper Heyford are proving
popular with homebuyers from all over the UK and properties are selling fast.
Dorchester Living, the developers behind the
regeneration scheme of the old RAF Upper
Heyford base, have already sold all of the
homes available in the first phase and 50%
of the homes in the next two phases. But
homebuyers shouldn’t despair, there is still
a wide range of two, three, four and sixbedroom homes for sale at Heyford Park,
and prices start from £267,995.
Shared ownership schemes are also
available through Heyford Regeneration.
The schemes enable homebuyers who can’t
afford a mortgage on the current purchase
price of a home, to buy a share of between
50% and 75%, paying rent on the remaining
share. With a Shared Ownership home,
homebuyers are able to purchase a larger
share of the property over time.
A shared ownership weekend will be held at
Heyford Park on Saturday 12 and Sunday 13
March, when representatives from Heyford
Regeneration will be on hand to provide
advice and guidance to purchasers looking
to buy a shared ownership property, as well
as talk to them about the range of two and
three bedroom houses currently for sale.
Prices start from £127,500 for a 50% share
of a two bedroom house, with a monthly rent
of £292.
Dorchester Living has a reputation for
building fine quality homes, carefully designed
with a mix of traditional and the most up-todate specifications, to create homes that will
be cherished for years to come. Residents
will benefit from the combination of peaceful
rural living and a thriving village atmosphere,
when nearby amenities including restaurants
and leisure centre are delivered over the next
76
two years. They will also enjoy convenient
access to the nearby towns of Bicester
and Oxford as well as a fast train service to
London Marylebone.
Jeanne Evett, Head of Sales at Dorchester
Living, comments: “This is another exciting
stage in the development of this great new
community at Heyford Park.
We are delighted to have
already sold the first phase
of homes and we look
forward to meeting more
homebuyers looking for a
carefully designed new home
and a slice of the Oxfordshire
countryside.”
Set within 1,231 acres, Heyford Park is
set to be one of the most sought after new
communities in Oxfordshire. Heyford Park will
feature over 700 new homes, various facilities
and amenities. The first to be introduced is
the Heyford Park Free School which opened
in 2013 and includes a newly refurbished
indoor sports centre and outdoor pitches,
available for both community and school use.
A neighbourhood centre with retail outlets
and a village pub will be available in the near
future.
Situated 16 miles north of Oxford town centre
and 3.5 miles to the southwest of Junction 10
of the M40, Heyford Park provides unrivalled
access to the rest of the UK. There is also
a new regular train service between Bicester
Village and London Marylebone, with journey
times around 45 minutes.
Heyford Park will also play host to a running
event called ‘Race at the Base’ on Sunday 20
March. Over 400 runners have already signed
up for the event which includes 5k, 10k, half
marathon and junior courses. The courses all
utilise the site of the old RAF Upper Heyford
base – the runway, RAF taxiway and NATO
taxiway – so the courses are traffic free and
flat!
The event is being organised by Purple
Patch Running, experts in professional
organised running events, and is sponsored
by Dorchester Living, the company behind the
regeneration of the airforce base. Proceeds
from the event will go to Thames Valley Air
Ambulance and Heyford Park Free School. If
you would like to enter to run at ‘Race at the
Base’, visit www.purplepatchrunning.com/
index.php/heyford-park-half-marathon.
For more information about the
beautiful new homes at Heyford
Park or to make an appointment
to view one of the show homes,
please contact the Heyford Park
marketing suite on 01869 238 238
or visit www.heyfordpark.co.uk
xxxx EDITS
Heyford Park has, and continues, to evolve around its growing
community. With its open spaces and rolling country views, spacious
homes and family-friendly facilities, residents receive everything they
would expect from modern country living.
RESERVE YOUR PLACE AT HEYFORD PARK AND MAKE THE MOVE
With 2-6 bedroom homes available in three current phases –
Field Views, The Square and The Village Green Collection.
Prices start from £267,995
The photography is of The Highgate house type. Price and details are correct
at time of going to press, February 2016. Terms and conditions apply.
In association with:
Raising money for:
SPONSORED BY DORCHESTER LIVING
SUNDAY 20TH MARCH - 10:00am
Location: Heyford Park, Oxfordshire
Race options: Half Marathon, 10k, 5k and Junior Races
Enter online at www.purplepatchrunning.com
77
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HOMES City & Country
Bicester’s RAF history lands
television producer on dream set
Eleanor Cartwright, a 29
year old television producer,
has bought her first home at
The Garden Quarter, City
& Country’s development of
historic restoration properties
and characterful newly built
homes on the former RAF
Bicester domestic site in
Oxfordshire.
City & Country has embraced the site’s
past, restoring and converting a range
of military buildings including the former
Officer’s
Mess,
a
decontamination
bunker and the base’s original electrical
substation. Now the clever design and
layout of the development maximises
space and light, with buildings formally
arranged in symmetrical patterns around
formal squares and landscaped areas.
Eleanor was particular impressed with the
history of the development, and working in
television she could immediately appreciate
the efforts that have been made to retain and
enhance the original buildings. She notes:
“When I first saw the development, it almost
felt like I was driving onto a movie set. It used
to be an RAF base and I love the way City &
Country have styled the old hospital building
and bunker. They haven’t tried to deny history
but have kept it, even down to the naming of
the roads. The landscaping is beautiful and
the surrounding areas are so well kept. There
is a lot of green space and the whole area
feels very airy.”
Stylish and contemporary in design, The
Garden Quarter homes, built in either a
Neo-Georgian style or reflective of the Art
Deco period, offer a rare and sought after
combination of outstanding build quality,
luxurious specifications and historic detailing
and features. Eleanor was particularly
interested in the historic nature of her new
home, and comments:
“I love the fact it is an historic and listed
building that has lots of character.”
“I love the fact it is an historic and listed
building that has lots of character. I was
never interested in a box, I particularly
wanted a home with character and I’ve
got it here. Although the buildings are old,
they have a modern vibe and have been
completed to such a high specification. It’s
a great quality of workmanship here and the
homes are certainly worth the money. I have
a one bedroom home but I know I have an
investment in the whole development which
is the greatest feeling.”
Owners at The Garden Quarter benefit
from an enviable location surrounded by
superb countryside, yet with fantastic road
and rail links to local towns and larger cities,
a combination that Eleanor was attracted
to. Nearby Bicester North station provides
regular train services to London Marylebone,
with journey times from 48 minutes. Oxford
is less than fifteen miles away, and by road
the A4095 by-pass provides quick access to
Junction 9 of the M40, linking The Garden
Quarter homes to London and Birmingham.
She continues:
“The location is so convenient. As well as
being very close to Bicester, Oxford isn’t far
away. The train station is near and so it’s very
easy to reach the major cities. If I want, I can
be in the open countryside in no time at all.”
Eleanor found the whole process of buying
her home remarkable straightforward and
stress free, and she is now looking forward to
enjoying her new home. She concludes:
“I had a lot of help and support from the
sales team, they were wonderful. I was
guided through the process and kept in
the loop about everything so I had a really
smooth ride. The processes made everything
straightforward. It all happened so quickly
and less than 8 weeks after placing my offer I
moved in. I would definitely recommend City
& Country because I’ve got a lovely home that
has been so well finished. I’ve been very well
looked after along the way; the experience
has been quick and virtually stress free.”
Recent new homes for sale include a
collection of two bedroom cottages created
from the former Officers’ Mess buildings
(which date back to the 1920s), and a number
of newly built three-bedroom terraced
houses benefitting from excellent layouts that
incorporate specific Art Deco detailing.
Prices are from £375,000 and
are offered with Help to Buy.
For more information visit
www.cityandcountry.co.uk or
call: 01869 253 999
78
NEW HOMES - AVAILABLE NOW
VIEW LIFE
FROM A
DIFFERENT
PERSPECTIVE...
A collection of Art Deco style two and three bedroom houses with private gardens that are stylish,
modern and full of character, yet reside in an established setting, surrounded by rich history,
community and unparalleled views of the English countryside.
Set in 23 acres of private parkland | 12 miles from Oxford and 50 minutes by train to London Marylebone
PRICES FROM £395,000 TO £442,500
Call 01869 253999 or visit www.cityandcountry.co.uk
Sales Suite open daily 10am - 5pm
The Garden Quarter, Skimmingdish Lane, Caversfield, Oxfordshire, OX27 8AD
Journey times are approximate. Photography is indicative only. Prices correct at time of print but are subject to change without notice.
79
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80
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81
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EDITS xxxxx
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82
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xxxx EDITS
THE UNIVERSITY OF
OXFORD BOTANIC GARDEN
by Peter Holthusen
As we bid farewell to the chilling grasp of winter, my tumultuous heart is filled with the enthralling
song of the Robin, hopping from garden to garden, messaging every flower for the joyous days ahead.
Nothing is still, everything in nature is competing to exhibit its best to welcome the arrival of spring.
Surrounded as it is by the dreaming spires of Oxford and in the very heart of this vibrant, historic city
you will discover one of England’s most secluded natural treasures, the hauntingly beautiful, gracefully
symmetric University of Oxford Botanic Garden.
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E
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EDITS University of Oxford Botanic Garden
The Danby Gateway is one of three
entrances to the garden designed
by Nicholas Stone between 1632
and 1633. It is one of the earliest
structures in Oxford to use classical,
indeed early Baroque style.
Located on the banks of the River Cherwell
at the northeast corner of Christ Church
Meadow, it is the oldest botanic garden
in Great Britain and one of the oldest
scientific gardens in the world.
The Garden was founded in 1621 when Sir
Henry Danvers, 1st Earl of Danby, contributed
five thousand pounds (equivalent to £3.5
million today) to set up a physic garden
for “the glorification of God and for the
furtherance of learning”. Today, the University
of Oxford Botanic Garden is still committed
“to promoting learning and glorifying nature”,
and contains over 5,000 different plant
species on 1.8 hectares (4½ acres) of land,
belonging to Magdalen College.
Four thousand cartloads of “mucke and
dunge” were needed to raise the land above
the flood-plain of the River Cherwell before
the gardens were first planted. The walls and
arches were built on such a grand scale that
by the time they were finished in 1633 all the
money had been spent and there was nothing
left to pay for the running of the Garden. The
walls are a perfect legacy as they enable the
botanists to grow a large range of plants
from all over the world and have not been
significantly changed or modified since they
were completed almost 380 years ago.
In 1642 the Garden gained its first Curator,
Jacob Bobart. For the first seven years the
University failed to pay his salary, so during
this time he helped to make ends meet by
selling fruit grown in the garden. Among these
fruits was the medlar (Mespilus germanica)
that is listed in the garden’s first catalogue of
plants published in 1648.
84
The oldest tree in the Garden is an English
yew (Taxus baccata) that was planted by
Bobart in 1645. Although at the time they were
not planted for their medicinal properties, yew
trees now provide the raw material for two
important cancer drugs, paclitaxel (taxol) and
docetaxel (taxotere). How appropriate that
the oldest plant in a former physic garden is
now providing us with life-saving medicines.
Bobart was succeeded as Curator by his
son, Jacob, who also took on the role of
Professor of Botany at the University. During
his time at the Garden, Bobart the Younger
compiled a list of species from which he had
collected seeds. This list was sent to other
botanic gardens with the suggestion that
seeds could be exchanged for mutual benefit.
This was the forerunner of the annual seed
lists that are now published and circulated by
botanic gardens all over the world.
Many of the plants growing in the Garden
today have come to them through this
International Seed Exchange.
When Bobart the Younger retired in 1719 the
Garden fell into disrepair. The man who saved
the Garden was William Sherard. He had
been an undergraduate at Oxford and had
then travelled extensively, collecting plants
from around the world. He recognised the
unfulfilled potential of the Garden and when he
died in 1728 he left money to the University to
endow a professorial chair in Botany. Today’s
Sherardian Professor of Botany is Liam Dolan
who leads an international research group in
the University and yet continues to be Keeper
of the Botanic Garden.
Sherard attached a series of conditions to
his donation. The most important being that
the University should give £150 each year
towards the running of the Garden, thus
ensuring that the Botanic Garden received an
annual budget. This continues today, although
the sum is somewhat more significant.
In 1787 John Sibthorp was appointed
Sherardian Professor at the Botanic Garden
following the resignation of his father
Humphry Sibthorp, who began the catalogue
of the plants of the Garden, ‘Catalogus
Plantarum Horti Botanici Oxoniensis’.
John Sibthorp was the original workaholic
(unlike his father) and he travelled widely in
Greece and the Aegean. However, it was on
his travels through Northern Europe in 1790
that he collected the seed of the black pine
tree (Pinus nigra var. nigra) that is now one
of the largest trees in the Garden. He sent
the seed back to his head gardener, John
Foreman. The resulting sapling was planted
out in 1800 by James Benwell making it the
oldest specimen of this species in Britain.
It has grown into a magnificent tree. It was
the favourite tree of J.R.R. Tolkein and more
recently it provided inspiration for Philip
Pullman’s ‘His Dark Materials’ trilogy.
Like many of the places and people of
Oxford, the Botanic Garden was a source
of inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s stories in
‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’, who
made frequent visits to the site in the 1860’s
with the Liddell children. In the Evelyn Waugh
novel ‘Brideshead Revisited’, Lord Sebastian
Flyte takes Charles Ryder “to see the ivy”
soon after they first meet.
The arrival of Charles Daubeny as
Sherardian Professor of Botany in 1834
saw another major change in the Garden’s
University of Oxford Botanic Garden EDITS
The Lower Garden and border of Delphinium
staphisagria. The range of plantings throughout
this area means there is always something
interesting to see, whatever the season.
fortunes. Daubeny was a contemporary of
Charles Darwin, a passionate scientist and
a very wealthy man. Perhaps Daubeny’s
most remarkable achievement at the Botanic
Garden was the creation of The Lily House
with its huge tank. In 1849 the Duke of
Devonshire invited Daubeny to join a party
of eminent botanists and horticulturalists at
Chatsworth House to come and see their
plant of ‘Victoria amazonica’. This was the
first time that the Victoria or Giant water lily
had flowered in this country.
As soon as Daubeny saw the plant he stated
he simply must have one and he returned
to Oxford to build The Lily House and the
tank. He successfully grew and flowered the
Victoria in 1851 and then charged the people
of Oxford a shilling to come and have a look.
However, the public not only stayed away but
also wrote aggrieved letters expressing their
concern at paying to see just one single plant.
By 1859 they had stopped growing Victoria
and the plant was not grown at the Garden
again for almost 150 years.
Today they grow ‘Victoria
cruziana’ enabling visitors of
all ages to marvel at the large
round ‘pie dish’ like leaves,
strong enough to support a
sitting child.
The University of Oxford Botanic Garden
consists of both outside areas (The Gardens)
and inside areas (The Glasshouses). In total
the site covers nearly 2 hectares and is
bounded to the north by the High Street, to
the east by the River Cherwell, to the west by
the aptly-named Rose Lane and to the south
by Christ Church Meadow.
The Danby Gateway to the Botanic Garden
is one of three entrances designed by
Nicholas Stone between 1632 and 1633.
It is one of the earliest structures in Oxford
to use classical, indeed early Baroque style,
preceding his new entrance porch for the
University Church of St Mary the Virgin of
1637, and contemporary with Canterbury
Quad at St John’s College by others. In this
highly ornate arch, Stone ignored the new
simple classical Palladian style currently
fashionable, which had just been introduced
to England from Italy by Inigo Jones, and
drew his inspiration from an illustration in
Sebastiano Serlio’s book of archways.
This imposing gateway consists of three
bays, each with a pediment. The largest and
central bay, containing the segmented arch
is recessed, causing its larger pediment to
be partially hidden by the flanking smaller
pediments of the projecting lateral bays. The
stone work is heavily decorated being bands
of alternating vermicelli rustication and plain
dressed stone. The pediments of the lateral
bays are seemingly supported by circular
columns which frame niches containing
statues of Charles I and Charles II in classical
pose. The tympanum of the central pediment
contains a segmented niche containing a bust
of the Garden’s founder, the Earl of Danby.
The Garden comprises three main sections:
the Walled Garden and The Lower Garden,
surrounded by the original 17th century
stonework and home to the Garden’s oldest
tree, the English yew. The Glasshouses,
which allow the cultivation of plants needing
protection from the extremes of British
weather; and the zone outside the walled
area between the Walled Garden and the
River Cherwell.
The range of plantings throughout these
areas means there is always something
interesting to see, whatever the season.
The Walled Garden houses the scientific
collections; The Lower Garden contains the
ornamental collections. A satellite site, the
Harcourt Arboretum, is located six miles (10
km) south of Oxford.
Guided tours are available throughout the
year and there are many family-friendly free
activities to choose from when you visit the
Botanic Garden and Harcourt Arboretum,
including drop-in holiday activities, family
backpacks and insight trails.
Spring flowering plants are making their
appearance slightly early this year – already
the Fern Border is awash with snowdrops
and winter aconites, who beam a golden
glow into the garden at a time when the sun
rarely breaks through the clouds. So as we
bid farewell to the chilling grasp of winter, you
will be well rewarded for charting a course to
Rose Lane and the wonders of nature at the
University of Oxford Botanic Garden.
FURTHER INFORMATION
The University of Oxford Botanic Garden
www.botanic-garden.ox.ac.uk
85
E
E
EDITS xxxxx
86
xxxx EDITS
Perhaps Daubeny’s most remarkable
achievement at the Botanic Garden was the
creation of The Lily House with its huge tank,
in which he successfully grew and flowered
the ‘Victoria amazonica’, or Giant water lily in
1851 and then charged the people of Oxford a
shilling to come and have a look.
87
E
GR
O
CE
IN
OC AL
LY
L
WN S
THIS YEAR OUR RANGE WILL BE BIGGER AND BETTER THAN EVER
WITH OUR OUR WIDEST EVER CHOICE OF PLANTS.
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STUNNING HOME GROWN BEDDING PLANTS REDAY THIS SPRING.
BAMPTON GARDEN PLANTS, BUCKLAND ROAD, BAMPTON, OXFORDSHIRE OX18 2AA
88
Tel: 01993 852233 . [email protected] . www.bamptongardenplants.co.uk
Bampton Garden Plants HOMES
BAMPTON Garden Plants
I can’t believe it will soon be
Spring again but during the
long wet winter we have been
gearing up for what promises
to be a very busy time.
The range of plants Bampton Garden Plants
has increased dramatically yet again ahead
of the new season with an amazing variety
of shrubs and herbaceous perennials, roses
fruit, herbs and alpines etc. …
Now though there is even more reason to
visit: Part of the wholesale nursery has opened
up with a wide range of dramatic specimen
and large, established trees, shrubs and
conifers, and home grown hedging plants. It
really is a magnificent sight and if you want
that ‘finishing touch’ or a starting point when
redesigning your garden layout then this is
the place to be. You are greeted by the sight
of beautiful flowering cherries, big bamboos,
and glorious Italian grown conifers, climbers,
and shrubs. It really is a unique experience
and one not to be missed.
The 30 acre nursery, established since 1979,
now grows and exciting range of hedging
plants and shrubs. So if you are looking lovely
large Laurel and other screening and hedging
plants or that special shrub, then again, here
is where you will find what you are looking for.
Take a break, whilst you are here, in the
lovely café, where you will be treated to some
wonderful homemade food, including cakes,
quiche, soup and lots more. The range of tea
and coffee are second to none.
All in all Bampton Garden Plants is well
worth a visit and is sure to be a great day out.
Be inspired by the range, be inspired by the
choice, be inspired by the service.
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89
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90
Anthony Pettorino HOMES
ARCHITECTURE AND THE SENSES
FORM
Architect Anthony Pettorino continues with his exploration of the
relationship between the built environment and human experience.
Elegance is every designer’s
aspiration, and elegance is
mainly about form
Anthony is a director of Pettorino
Design Ltd in Witney and can be
contacted on 01993 402 993
or by email at
[email protected]
In my previous column on sight, the primary
sense when it comes to our awareness of
architecture, I opened the door for digging
deeper into the many aspects of the visual
world, such as colour, texture, light and
shade. For the first of these, however I have
decided to tackle the most elusive one; form.
Form is hard to pin down. It’s defined as ‘the
visible shape or configuration of something’
and has synonyms such as shape, structure,
construction,
arrangement,
disposition
and appearance. Form is what things are
and how they look. Studying the form of a
thing, however, removes the surface layer of
classification. If a thing looks like a house,
it’s a house. It looks like a tree, so it’s a tree.
But once classification is removed, objects
are no longer ‘houses’ or ‘trees’, they are
simply forms: pure manifestations of nature
or human invention. Only by seeing beyond
classification can form really be appreciated.
I’d like to briefly return to the artistic
development of children, which I mentioned
in a previous article. A fairly common
pattern with children’s drawings is that as
they get older, drawings start becoming
representations of what they think they
see rather than what is directly in their field
of vision. It’s a hand because it has five
fingers. It’s a tree because it has leaves
and a trunk. This is the very beginning of
where classification gets in the way of our
understanding of form.
Detailed form can only be perceived in the
mind’s eye using data sent from just two of
our senses: touch and sight. Both have their
limitations, but on the whole they do a pretty
good job, either separately or together.
In the design of buildings and spaces,
form is at the top of the tree in terms of
importance. Form is what things look
like; the first thing we remember; the first
impression. Our perception of form comes
way ahead of the detail we recognise later
on. It is an instantaneous response, so as we
see something, we either like it, don’t like it,
can’t make up our minds or are enticed to
delve deeper, and it’s due to this response
that unpicking peoples’ reaction to form is
tricky. Culture, memories and emotion all mix
together and tell us whether a form is right
or not. As you can imagine, this is a huge
topic in the world of architecture: it spans
the things we know at the symbolic level,
then the abstract concept of the underlying,
symbol-less visual language for which there
is no dictionary.
The best analogy to help explain this is
language itself. Whether we speak English,
Lithuanian or Esperanto, a door is a door
and happy is happy regardless of the word
(symbol) we use to describe it. Therefore,
underneath the word is the metalanguage:
the meaning that transcends the word.
Form makes us feel something, either
by connecting with a memory or by
communicating an emotion or concept using
the visual metalanguage designers aspire to
grasping.
The famous early modernist adage ‘form
follows function’ was coined by the American
architect Louis Sullivan in the late 19th
Century. In many ways, it came as a relief,
as if all of form’s complexities were now able
to be reduced to a simple rule. It looks like it
looks because it does what it does. The early
days of high rise buildings and the industrial
revolution became a great excuse to just
get stuff done. Ironically, Sullivan’s buildings
were beautifully adorned with ornament and
detail, a sweet glaze over what were largely
commercial office blocks.
In design, form both tells a story and
creates an experience. Elegance is every
designer’s aspiration, and elegance is mainly
about form. Elegance can be simple or
elaborate, but it’s that first impression that
tells you whether it’s right or not and then,
if the detail follows through, the concept has
worked. There are two things I am reminded
of here: the Georgian motto ‘there is virtue
in restraint’, and Apple Inc.’s (or Steve Job’s)
obsession with making the complex appear
incredibly simple.
Looking for an appropriate image to put
alongside this article was difficult. There
were debates with my colleagues at the
office, and the process of what seemed
like browsing through at least a thousand
images, experimenting with search phrase
after search phrase. The images you see
here I had never seen before, and discovered
them through trial and error alone.
It’s a wedding chapel in Hiroshima, Japan,
designed by NAP Architects and Hiroshi
Nakamura. (Images courtesy of the website
Portraits of Elegance: portrel.com).
The chapel consists of two spiral stairs,
lightly embracing each other and then joining
at the top, as will the bride and groom as they
make their own separate ascents as part of
the marriage ceremony. The resulting form is
full of uplifting symbolism, yet remains simple
and truly elegant.
91
H
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H
HOMES National Bed Month
SPOONS OR LOVERS’ KNOT?
The way couples sleep may determine the strength of their relationship
Whether you are in a new
relationship or are celebrating
your golden wedding, according
to experts how you sleep can
speak volumes about the state of
your relationship – in fact partners
may even be better off sleeping in
separate beds altogether.
According to a study by
relationship psychologist Corinne
Sweet, the most common sleep
positions for couples are:
LIBERTY back-to-back without touching (28%)
Connected and secure in themselves, this position shows both closeness and independence
in the relationship.
CHERISH back-to-back touching (18%)
Both partners are relaxed and comfortable with one another – this is often common in new
relationships.
SPOONING front-to-back touching (18%)
A traditional position, where one partner takes a protective stance over the other.
LOVERS’ KNOT face-to-face, legs intertwined for ten minutes,
then separate (8%)
A compromise between intimacy and independence, allowing for the best of both worlds.
PILLOW TALK face-to-face without touching (7%)
This position shows a need for intimacy and close communication.
THE LOVERS face-to-face with legs intertwined all night (4%)
Romantic and very intimate, this position also shows a lack of independence from each other.
SUPERHERO lying in a starfish position with partner hanging
off the bed (2%)
One partner dominates the space, while the other takes a secondary role.
THE ROMANTIC one partner with head on the other’s chest (1%)
Often seen in early relationships, this position represents vibrant, passionate or rekindled love.
National Bed Month runs throughout the whole of March. It is the time of year when
we like to remind everyone of the importance of getting a better night’s sleep and the
role a good bed plays in achieving that.
Abingdon Beds
Outstanding offers for National bed Month
Abingdon Beds
(Offers thrOughOut March)
Outstanding offers for National bed Month
AN EXTRA
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OFF
ANY BED OR
MATTRESS
abingdon Beds, 13 spring road, abingdon, Oxfordshire OX14 1ah
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tel: 01235 555255 fax: 01235W524141
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www.abingdonbeds.co.uk
abingdon Beds, 13 sspring road, abingdon, Oxfordshire OX14 1ah
tel: 01235 555255 fax: 01235 524141
www.abingdonbeds.co.uk
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P A R K I N G AVA I L A B L E O P E N 7 D A Y S A W E E K A N D S O T O B E D . C O . U K
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E
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103
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5
WAYS TO AVOID
THE PITFALLS OF
SELF BUILDING
Self build, custom build... there are so many options. Perhaps all you know for sure
is that you want to build your own home, on time and on budget. Possible?
W
e’ve all heard nightmare stories about the pitfalls of building
your own home. But with a wealth of expert advice on
hand (and so many inspiring TV programmes to tempt us!),
it’s no wonder that so many people are finding their own way to
overcome the desperate shortages of homes available to buy on
the open housing market.
Whether you’re choosing to live in luxury, are a family in need of
a larger home or retirees wanting to relax in style, the opportunity
to build your own home is the ultimate indulgence.
“Self building not only allows you to
decide what your ideal home would
look like, but enables you to create
a home that works for the way
that you and your family live.”
ANDY LEWIS, SENIOR SALES MANAGER, SYLVA
Around 13,000 self build projects
are undertaken every year,
of which approximately 70%
are timber frame homes.
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Until recently, the term ‘self build’
referred to anyone who built
their own home. But 2011’s
Government Housing Strategy
that set to encourage individuals
to build their own homes by offering
short-term finance for independent projects,
has also brought with it the term ‘custom build’. After much debate
across the industry, the building dust has finally settled and new
understandings of the term have been accepted.
Self build refers primarily to those who buy a plot of land and
are directly responsible for the home that they choose to build upon it.
This applies whether they get involved in the actual construction process
themselves, purchase a kit home, appoint a contractor to build their
one-off home, or are part of a community group build programme.
Custom build is one stream of self build where an individual appoints
a specialist developer to create a home on their behalf. The custom build
company then accepts full responsibility for the complete project, taking
the build through to a pre-determined level of completion, depending on
what level of finishing the client wants to do themselves.
What is the difference
between ‘self build’ and
‘custom build’?
For more information or to discuss a potential
project, call Sylva on 01608 819 391 or visit
www.sylvagroup.com
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1
BEST OF BOTH WORLDS
Whoever said ‘you can’t have it both ways’ wasn’t talking
about building a custom build home! The fundamental benefit
of appointing a company like Sylva to build your home for you is that
you have full control over exactly what and where you build, but
without any of the risk. Imagine; working with an integrated team of
architects, engineers and project managers to develop the concept
of what you wish to build, deciding precisely how you’d love to live,
and then leaving the build stress and project management to that
same, highly experienced team. Fast forward to receiving keys to a
fully insulated, watertight shell that’s ready to be completed with
your choice of kitchen, bathroom and interior finish. All the stress,
gone! Muddy site visits, eliminated (unless you want to come, of
course). A cost-certain, time-managed build approach where the
professionals take the responsibility but you still have the control.
This is Sylva’s Concept to Keys® service.
3
GREEN AND SUSTAINABLE
Outstanding energy efficiency is only one part of the story,
these homes are both green and sustainable. Green because
they deliver well insulated energy efficient homes, which help to
reduce running costs and carbon emissions from fuel sources.
Sustainable because timber is the only renewable mainstream
construction material, absorbing and storing carbon dioxide as it
grows. By using timber from sustainable sources carbon can be
locked away for the life of the building and forests are replanted to
continue the cycle.
So, you benefit from low energy consumption and hence
running costs, while also minimising carbon emissions in use and
storing away carbon for life!
2
BESPOKE DESIGN
Unlike many design and build companies, Sylva create homes
to be absolutely individual to you, believing that everything in
your home should be designed and optimised for the way you and
your family live. A young professional couple are likely to have very
different requirements and usage patterns to a large family, who are
different again to a retired couple.
Sylva work with you to understand how you will use your home and
what targets you have for it, such as inside temperature, air quality and
running costs. This is fed into dynamic thermal modelling software, along
with your bespoke layout, to calculate the optimum performance for the
fabric of your home and help select build systems and products to suit.
4
OFFSITE MANUFACTURE
Sylva specialise in offsite
construction and this helps
minimise many of the risks associated
with self building. Fabricating your
home in factory conditions means
not being subject to the weather
and other site conditions; it’s also
safer, improves quality and
minimises waste.
It’s much quicker than traditional
methods of building, and that’s
where the cost savings come from.
A typical home can be manufactured
in just a few days, to be constructed
on site in a fraction of the time of
conventional build methods.
5
LOW RISK
WARRANTEED
CONSTRUCTION
Given that Sylva act as
architect, engineer and
contractor this makes
it very easy to obtain
mortgages and third
party warranties on
these homes. In fact
a self build warranty is
actually included within
their Concept to Keys®
package.
“There needs to be a major revolution in the UK construction industry to solve the
housing crisis, and high-quality, factory-built homes have a major role to play."
GEORGE CLARKE, TELEVISION PRESENTER AMAZING SPACES
the majority of self
builders either project
manage a build team or
use a custom build
company to design and
build their home
How do people build?
very few self builders
opt to go solo
self only
hands on
project manage
shell
turnkey
DESIGN &BUILD
WORKSHOP
FREE
Saturday 19th March
tickets
Discover how Sylva can deliver your self build home
to suit your needs, your budget and your lifestyle.
Speakers include:
FINANCE:
LAND:
DESIGN:
BUILD:
Buildstore
Graven Hill, Oxfordshire
Emission Zero
Sylva Bespoke Design
and Build Solutions
Register for your FREE tickets today at
www.sylvagroup.com/events
or why not book a design and build consultation with us!
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H
HOMES Stacks
Let there be light!
As the dark winter days start to lengthen, our attention turns to windows – the eyes and soul of a
house. Good windows are a bit like having good bones. They can make or break the beauty of a
property, and consequently affect a sale quite dramatically. Windows have to work hard. Aesthetics
are incredibly important, but they also have to perform well, be easy and economical to maintain,
and increasingly function as part of the central heating system.
Bad windows can have a big influence on
the saleability of a property. Window repairs
can be painfully expensive, and the cost of
replacement can run to as much as £2,000
per unit. So while almost any window blight
can be fixed, in today’s cash strapped
environment, it’s a cost that most home
buyers would rather not have to bear. So if
you want to get the best possible price for
your property, my advice would be to rectify
the window problems before you put the
house on the market.
Firstly, decide what material your windows
should be made of. All have their pros and
cons:
• UPVC are long lasting (although not as
everlasting as they were originally billed to
be), and require little maintenance, but the
down side is that they are still considered
the poor relation of windows and don’t look
great in period properties.
• Hard wood is as often considered ideal –
attractive, reasonably robust, easy to double
glaze so they provide good insulation too.
• Soft wood is cheaper than hard wood, less
robust, and while easy to repair they can
start deteriorating quickly.
• Metal framed are functional, utilitarian and
should last way longer than wooden frames,
requiring little in the way of maintenance.
They are the marmite of windows – people
tend to either love them or hate them, and
they have a whiff of the 1950s about them.
But their insulation properties are shocking
and they can be bone-rattlingly cold. They
also need to be in the right kind of property
to look good.
Be careful when selecting your new
windows. It sounds obvious, but they are
there to let the air in, not just the light. So
select a style that opens properly. Some
modern windows only open a few inches.
There’s nothing better than throwing windows
wide open when the English weather allows,
so check they do what they say on the tin.
Double glazing is preferable these days, but
if your property is listed, planning permission
will probably be required.
Windows can be incredibly seductive –
huge sash windows in a beautiful Georgian
house; leaded lights in a country cottage;
or alternatively they can be a great big turnoff – ugly UPVC frames in a pretty Victorian
terrace.
So give your new windows
careful thought to give yourselves
the best chance of a good sale
– they won’t go unnoticed by
potential purchasers.
Specialists in Property
Search & Acquisition
covering Oxfordshire
Stacks has unparalleled
experience in
the UK property market.
Can’t find your
next property?
We can.
Linda Jeffcoat
You want to get it right!
Regional Director
T: 01672 540927
M: 07717 745960
E: [email protected]
www.stacks-jeffcoat.co.uk
18 offices across London & the UK
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5281 Stacks L Jeffcoat Ad V1.indd 1
09/08/2013 12:47
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Studley Wood Golf Club
Oxfordshire’s friendliest Golf Club
PHONE US ON 01865 351144 FOR MORE INFORMATION
ON OUR SPRING/SUMMER GREEN FEE OFFERS
Watch the drone video at: https://vimeo.com/130363755
The Straight Mile, Horton-cum-Studley, Oxford OX33 1BF.
T: 01865 351144 E: [email protected] W: www.studleywoodgolfclub.co.uk
. . . you might even join us as a member
107
Wyndham Hall
CARE HOME
Welcome to Wyndham hall. When you step inside our beautiful state of the art home you
will leave your typical view of care homes behind. Hair and Beauty Salon, Cinema, Coffee Shop,
Pub, Restaurant and Bistro.
At Wyndham Hall our five star service offers residents the highest quality care.
Our team are passionate and dedicated to enable our residents lead fulfilling lives.
Call in and meet the team, passionate about care and passionate about people with a
warmth and compassion that underpins everything we do. Your loved one will instantly
know they are in safe hands.
Wyndham Hall
Care Home
Allotment Way, Launton, Bicester OX26 5AF
Tel: 01869 722767
[email protected]
Caring
In our busy lives, it’s often difficult to find an hour to stop and chat with
friends and colleagues, and there are hundreds of worthy charities that
fight for noble causes all over the country.
Dementia, however, directly affects 850,000 people in the UK,
with millions of family members and friends indirectly affected by this
awful disease. Understanding and fighting dementia is a necessity more
than a single campaign.
Over the next few pages, few months and few issues, OX will be
highlighting the individuals and businesses that are trying to make things
better for sufferers, as well as supporting those who are affected.
Support dementia awareness not just this week, but every week.
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Personalised live-in care
Caremark offers a specialised care service for people who need care and support
with day-to-day life, but want to stay in their own home rather than enter a care
home. Caremark’s live-in care service enables you to remain in your own home, as
independently possible, while being fully supported by a full time live-in Care Worker.
A live – in care service enables you to live in familiar surroundings with family, friends your own possessions,
furniture and pets too! this ensures you have maximum flexibility, and gives you choice and control over your
life. It’s the perfect home care solution.
CARE AT HOME
Before your care begins, we will agree a personal support plan with you, detailing what kind of care and support
you need and what your preferences are. Within the freedom and safety of your own home, you’ll enjoy oneto-one support from a conscientious, friendly and fully trained Care Worker. You’ll be able to relax, knowing that
there is someone there for you, seven days a week, available whenever you need them, but out of your way when
you don’t. They can help with your housework, personal care and shopping, or simply provide good company.
Care that can change as your requirements change.
YOUR SATISFACTION AND HAPPINESS ARE VITAL TO US
We will match your Care Workers to your needs. They will respect your dignity, beliefs and freedom of choice,
and since you will spend a lot of time together, we regard it as paramount that you feel entirely comfortable
with your Care Workers. You will also have a designated Field Care Supervisor who will regularly monitor and
review your care satisfaction with you, to make sure you always receive the high standard of care that you
expect and deserve.
Please call us on:
01993 810 918
to discuss your requirements for live-in services
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Caremark 30a High Street, Woodstock, Oxfordshire OX20 1TG
Email: [email protected] www.caremark.co.uk/westoxfordshire
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CUP OF TEA AND A SLICE
OF CAKE?
And all guilt free!
Bake, donate or simply eat and raise some dough for specialist dementia support nurses.
There are not many of us that are not affected in some way by the curse of dementia.
It is of course a growing issue that
directly affects around 800,000
people in the UK. One in three
people over the age of 65 will
develop dementia, with the figure
set to rise as we continue to live
longer. Two thirds of those affected
by the condition are women, and
millions more individuals are indirectly
affected by the often challenging
tasks associated with caring for
someone with dementia
or Alzheimer’s.
Time for a Cuppa 2016 is a series of tea
parties held all over the country to raise
money to continue their admirable support
for families facing dementia. This will help
recruit, train and support Admiral Nurses.
These specialist dementia nurses give expert
practical and emotional care and support
for family carers, as well as the person with
dementia. They work in the community, in
care homes, in hospices and in a variety of
other settings.
Every cuppa you make and every cake
you bake will help them in their mission to
ensure that there is an Admiral Nurse for
everyone who needs one, and to support
more families affected by dementia. Last year
the events raised an incredible £108,000, and
DementiaUK are hoping to beat this target
this year, with more tea parties being hosted
throughout the nation.
Do you want to host a Time for a Cuppa
event? It’s easy to set one up, and DementiaUK
have a wealth of resources to support those
who do. First you need to sign up to host your
event via the link below. The charity will make
sure to send you a fundraising pack bursting
with tips, recipes and everything you need to
make your tea party a success.
Secondly, you need to find a venue to host
the event – it’s easy to hold one, and your
own home could be the perfect place to bring
family and friends together.
Lastly, invite some fellow tea and cake
lovers – When you sign up for Time for a
Cuppa we’ll send you exclusive invites that
you can send to your family and friends.
Get baking! You can find some delicious
recipes at the DementiaUK site below:
dementiauk.org/
register-for-time-for-a-cuppa
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Simply life enhancing
Smaller images are copyright of Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd.
Welcome
to peace
of mind
Personal Alarm and
Assistive Technology
Available
from as
little as 57p
per day
At Sanctuary365 we are dedicated to supporting
you to remain independent in your own home
through a range of affordable, discreet and easy
to install sensors.
In an emergency technology, such as a personal
alarm with an automatic falls detector, alerts our
friendly and professional team who can provide
reassurance and get the help you need, whether
this is support from a family member, a friendly
neighbour, or the emergency services.
We are on-hand 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
giving you and your family peace of mind that if
you need help, we will always be there.
For more information, please call:
0330 123 3 365
or email:
[email protected]
www.sanctuary365.co.uk
Sanctuary365 is a trading name of Sanctuary Home Care Limited, an exempt charity
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E
EDITS Sanctuary Care
Sanctuary Care
in Oxfordshire
Sanctuary Care has four care homes in the rural county of Oxfordshire
which are located in beautiful settings and provide a range of
residential, nursing, dementia, intermediate and palliative care.
YARNTON RESIDENTIAL AND
NURSING HOME
Rutten Lane, Yarnton OX5 1LW
Tel: 01865 849195
Enjoy a slice of something sweet on
Friday 4 March between 2.30pm and
4.30pm, when the team host a flower
power-themed tea party, where residents
will be proudly showing off homemade
floral headpieces and decorations
they’ve lovingly created for the special
occasion.
IFFLEY RESIDENTIAL AND
NURSING HOME
Making Time for a Cuppa in Oxfordshire
Why not support us to help Dementia UK by
gathering your friends and family to pop along to
one of our Time for a Cuppa events – a fantastic
opportunity to meet our residents and the team
and enjoy some fabulous cakes.
Our devoted staff are carefully chosen for
their warm and compassionate nature and
we believe that kindness is at the very heart
of the care services we provide, with our
teams caring for our residents as they would
members of their own family.
Supporting those living with dementia
Caring for residents living with dementia
in our homes, we also link with our local
communities, supporting families living with
dementia outside our homes; whether it’s
hosting drop-in coffee mornings for carers
who need someone to talk to, or supporting
charitable fundraisers that in turn support
local people.
114
Dementia UK
Dementia UK is a cause close to all our
hearts at Sanctuary Care as the charity funds
much-needed Admiral Nurses across the
country. These specialist dementia nurses
provide a life-line to families as they deliver
the essential care, advice and support which
many local people rely on.
We show our support by uniting all our
homes, from London to Sheffield, to support
Dementia UK’s annual fundraiser Time for a
Cuppa.
From 1st to 8th March, Dementia UK ask as
many people as possible to make Time for a
Cuppa and raise funds by bringing together
friends, family and local communities by
hosting traditional tea parties – and our
homes up and down the country throw open
their doors every year to do just that!
Anne Greenwood Close, Iffley OX4 4DN
Tel: 01865 718402
Why not enjoy a mouth-watering cake
while rolling up your sleeves to create
beautiful bonnets with our residents at
Iffley? The Anne Greenwood Close home
is throwing open the doors on Tuesday 1
March between 2pm and 4pm to host a
spring-themed Time for a Cuppa event,
where the team will be dressed in their
brightest yellow attire for the fundraising
festivity.
WANTAGE NURSING HOME
Garston Lane, Wantage OX12 7AR
Tel: 01235 774320
To help raise funds for Dementia UK,
Wantage Nursing Home will host a
daffodil tea party in honour of the Patron
of Saint Wales on Tuesday 1 March
between 10am and 12noon. There will be
an abundance of cakes to enjoy, as well
as arts and crafts, as the residents will be
creating homemade daffodils.
WATLINGTON AND DISTRICT
NURSING HOME
Hill Road, Watlington OX49 5AE
Tel: 01491 613400
The team and residents are raising the
‘dough’ for Dementia UK by hosting their
own cake sale. From mouth-watering
cupcakes to chocolate muffins there will
be plenty to choose from on Friday 4
March between 10am and 12noon.
You can read all about our home’s
community events and other activities
on our website www.Sanctuary-Care.
co.uk/news
xxxx EDITS
SANCTUARY CARE IN OXFORDSHIRE
‘Keeping kindness at the heart of our care’
Our beautiful care homes include all of the
luxuries you’d expect along with some special
touches that make them true homes.
Residents spend their time enjoying the
things they love; catching up with friends
and family, being pampered in the hair and
beauty salon, taking part in activities or
relaxing in the tranquil sensory gardens.
Carefully chosen for their kind and
compassionate approach, our staff provide
a range of residential, dementia and nursing
care.
Please feel free to contact us at any time.
YA R N T O N R E S I D E N T I A L A N D
N U R S I N G H O M E (pictured bottom left)
Tel: 01865 849195
IFFLEY RESIDENTIAL AND NURSING
H O M E (pictured bottom right)
Tel: 01865 718402
WA N TA G E N U R S I N G H O M E
Tel: 01235 774320
WAT L I N G T O N A N D D I S T R I C T
N U R S I N G H O M E (pictured top right)
Tel: 01491 613400
www.sanctuary-care.co.uk
Contact us for more information on our upcoming community events,
including our fundraisers for Dementia UK’s Time for a Cuppa in March.
Sanctuary Care Limited is a subsidiary of Sanctuary Housing Association, an exempt charity
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Exceptional Care. Exceptional Luxury.
Exceptional Value.
Bridge House Care Home is an exquisite and uniquely-styled
care home in the heart of Abingdon-Upon-Thames in
Oxfordshire, providing high quality residential, nursing and
dementia care in a luxurious but homely environment.
With fees starting at £950 a week, we offer exceptional value
– surely all care homes should be this way.
Call us today on 01235 856 002
to see what life is like at Bridge House.
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Thames View, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 3UJ
www.bridgehouseabingdon.co.uk
xxxx EDITS
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Personalised live-in care
Caremark offers a specialised care service for people who
need care and support with day-to-day life, but want to stay
in their own home rather than enter a care home. Caremark’s
live-in care service enables you to remain in your own home,
as independently as possible, while being fully supported by
a full time live-in Care Worker.
A live – in care service enables you to live in familiar surroundings with family,
friends, your own possessions, furniture and pets too! This gives you choice and
control over your life. It’s the perfect home care solution.
CARE AT HOME
We will agree a personal support plan with you and you will enjoy one-to-one
support from a friendly Care Worker fully trained in all aspects of your care
requirements including Dementia. We will provide care that can change as your
requirements change.
YOUR SATISFACTION AND HAPPINESS
ARE IMPORTANT TO US
We will match your Care Workers to your needs. We regard it as paramount
that you feel entirely comfortable with your Care Workers.
Please call us on 01993 810918
to discuss your requirements for live-in services
Web: www.caremark.co.uk/westoxfordshire
Caremark 30a High Street, Woodstock, Oxfordshire OX20 ITG
Secondhand
Furniture
Superstore
At Oxfordshire’s largest
charity shop you will find a huge
selection of furniture, electricals,
books and collectables.
Opening Hours
Monday-Friday: 9.30am-5.00pm
Saturday: 10.30am-4.00pm
Free collection of your unwanted
household items!
Emmaus Oxford
Secondhand Superstore
Westlands Drive, Northway Estate, Oxford OX3 9QY
Tel: 01865 763698
Emmaus Oxford is a registered charity number 10666618
and a company limited by guarantee 03422350
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The ultimate funeral professionals
Tel: 01865 351010
At Dignity we strive to set the highest standards for the funeral profession in terms of client service and care
for the deceased. We help people through one of the most difficult times in their lives with compassion,
respect, openness and care.
Oxford Crematorium 7540, Bayswater Road, Headington, Oxford OX3 9RZ
www.dignityfunerals.co.uk
119
E
EDITS My Oxford
For the next edition of our My Oxford
column celebrating the characters, artists
and businessmen in our great city, OX
spoke to Bill Heine, celebrated presenter
on BBC Radio Oxford. Bill has worked
for BBC Oxford since 1983, ran two
independent cinemas in Oxford, and also
commissioned the famous Headington
Shark, which is affixed to the roof of his
house on New High Street.
My Oxford: Bill Heine
Hi Bill, thanks for talking to us. Can you
tell us a bit about your relationship with
Oxford?
I came over from Washington DC to read law
at Balliol in the 60s and never looked back.
I introduced Oxford’s first independent art
cinema, the Penultimate Picture Palace, in
1976, and later opened The Not The Moulin
Rouge Cinema in Headington.
Finally,
I decided to give the city I love a gift, and
the ‘Shark’ crash-landed in my roof at New
High Street almost thirty years ago. I’m
a presenter with BBC Radio Oxford and
a regular columnist on Fridays with the
Oxford Mail.
What to you are the most iconic
aspects of Oxford?
I saw an elderly bag lady sifting through
a public litter bin in front of the
Sheldonian Theatre. She was dwarfed
by the gigantic “Emperor’s Heads”
sculptures in Broad Street. She told
me the tin from discarded drinks
cans was valuable and she could
sell it to make money to give to the
poor. I’ll never forget it.
What are your favourite haunts
around the city?
The
Painted
Room
in
Cornmarket near Carfax above
the Betfred shop is a Tudor
gem with yellow and ochre
wall paintings in the front
bedroom of vintner John
Davenant’s house, where
Shakespeare is said to
have stayed during his
travels between Stratford
and London.
120
Where do you eat and drink?
That depends on my mood. If I want Thai,
it’s the White Horse Pub in Forest Hill.
For Lebanese I eat at Al Shami, opposite
the Synagogue in Jericho. The Cherwell
Boathouse is a favourite and never
disappoints. The landlord at the Rose and
Crown in North Parade, Andrew Hall, always
has a very mellow Rioja on tap.
What about Oxford has inspired you or
helped your creative process?
The Dean’s private garden in Christ Church
under the tree where Alice’s Cheshire cat
used to climb and sit and dinner at High Table
at Magdalen College both suggest you are
not too far away from ‘Wonderland’.
What’s the worst or least attractive thing
about Oxford?
Oxford City Council in full flow. I like
councillors individually, it’s just when they get
together that I have a problem because the
smaller the amount of power the greater the
urge to exercise it.
Do you have an area, street or village in
Oxfordshire that is special to you?
Holywell Cemetery is a beautiful wildlife
sanctuary with graves of many well-known
characters and a personal sanctuary where I
once slept when I arrived too late to get back
into my college.
Thanks for talking
to us Bill
MOTORING.
In this issue
Dream Drive
To drive or be driven in?
The Rolls-Royce Ghost II…
The Jeep Renegade
Once again, Jeep impress…
The new Suzuki Vitara S 1.4 Boosterjet
turbo test drive
Chrissie Woodward tells us about getting
hooked…
The new Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer
Here we have a car which is, depending
on the spec, up to 200kg lighter than its
predecessor…
The Infiniti Q30
Loyal Infiniti customers sussed
it pretty early on and have been
smiling ever since…
By Kevin Haggarthy
Suzuki Vitara S available from £20,899
Request a Test Drive today: suzuki.co.uk/sportif
Sportif Suzuki
Witney Road, Long Hanborough Witney Oxfordshire OX29 8BJ 01993 883114
Official Fuel Consumption Figures for the Suzuki Vitara S range mpg (litres/100km) and CO 2 emissions (g/km): Urban 44.8 -44.1
(6.3-6.4), Extra Urban 56.5-56.5 (5.0-5.0), Combined 52.3-51.3 (5.4-5.5), CO 2 emissions 127-128 g/km.
The above fuel consumption figures are based on an EU test for comparative purposes only and may not reflect real driving results. Model Shown, Vitara S 1.4 Boosterjet Petrol available from £20,899
(metallic paint available at £430). For full details contact your local participating Suzuki dealer. Offer subject to availability for vehicles privately registered between 1st January 2016 and 31st March 2016 from
participating Authorised Suzuki Dealers only. Offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offers. All prices and specifications correct at time of going to print. Vitara S Range, Vitara S 1.4 Boosterjet
petrol manual available at £20,899 and Vitara S Boosterjet Petrol Automatic available at £22,249 on the road.
121
M
MOTORING Rolls-Royce
DREAM DRIVE
TO DRIVE OR BE DRIVEN IN?
THE ROLLS-ROYCE GHOST II ENGAGES
BOTH DRIVER AND PASSENGER ALIKE
Right now there is a rather soothing piano concerto playing as background music in the
office. We are mostly silent and focused tapping away at our keyboards, locked into our
own little worlds. Yet mine of course is to share one of life’s most sublime pleasures with
you, and somehow the music couldn’t be more fitting.
That pleasure is the Rolls-Royce Ghost II. It
is anything but ‘a motor car’…but rather ‘an
experience’. One that appeals not only to
those who have a bent for fine motoring, but
to those of us who also appreciate quality,
craftsmanship, and demand only the finest
in our personal and professional lives. RollsRoyce are even bolder in defining the Ghost
customer;
“… a unique, exclusive group
of exceptional achievers who
drive success in today’s world.
They know what they want
and go out to achieve it. And
then, having accomplished
their objectives, they reward
themselves with the ultimate
symbol of success, a RollsRoyce Ghost”
Once seated in the Rolls-Royce Ghost, you
feel very ‘successful’. Cocooned in world
class luxury you are in a haven of peace and
122
tranquillity, even when there’s traffic mayhem
around you. It explains the smile on my face
in early morning traffic whilst looking at the
snarls of others on my daily commute through
the notorious Blackwall Tunnel.
Yes of course it is expensive but that really
isn’t the issue here, price simply reaffirms the
financial credentials of its owner. The privilege
lies in your good fortune to be a custodian of
a great marque, and one you are likely to have
in the family for a very long time, possibly
generations, as many Rolls-Royce owning
families often do.
DISCRETE EVOLUTION
Improvements for Ghost II are subtle indeed;
resculptured bodywork and headlamps,
new optional wheel and tyre specs,
redesigned multi adjustable seats, and subtle
enhancements to instrument dials and clocks,
with an added range of wood and finishes.
If one is inclined to consider detail, a
slight diversion into such technical dithery
reveals a V12 engine producing 593 bhp and
generating 780 NM of torque. The whole car
weighs 2,360 kg – not far off 2.5 tons yet can
rocket from 0-62 mph in 4.7 secs and even
up to a no doubt speed governed 155 mph.
The good news is that Rolls-Royces are still
made in Britain with the same spirit and ethos
that has traditionally characterised the brand.
Charles Stewart Rolls and Sir Frederick
Henry Royce started their partnership in
1904 with a mission to produce ‘the best car
in the World’. From thereon, it was a matter
of taking the best and making it better still.
The current Ghost was originally launched in
2009, and the subtle improvements making it
Ghost II is fitting to yet another Rolls-Royce
maxim characterising the brand, that ‘no
complication should ever distract from driver
or passenger pleasure’.
And it doesn’t, for driving the Ghost is
simplicity itself. The automatic transmission
lever is still mounted on the steering wheel.
Press a beautifully chromed button, start
the car and watch the power metre move to
100% which, apart from a few dashboard
light monitors, will be your only clue the
engine has started, so quiet and subdued is
its tone. It is not unknown for owners to lock
this car and walk away with the engine still
running – yes. It’s that quiet. Engage gear,
press throttle, steer. It’s that simple.
DRIVER’S CHOICE
Yet dare I say this is very much a ‘driver’s
car’ with proper road feel and purpose, with
a surprising amount of punch. Maybe along
with the Wraith, this is a Rolls-Royce you’d
enjoy just as much driving yourself as being
chauffeured in, and we suspect many Ghost
owners spend a lot of time behind the wheel
themselves. If it was mine, there’d be no
chauffeur as I couldn’t rest while he’s having
such a good time. Praise indeed. The driving
enthusiast will probably be shocked at just
how quickly you can punt this very big and
heavy car across country roads; it has real
handling, cornering flat and safe without fuss
into even the most challenging bends. Where
you expect this car to pitch and roll you get
neither.
To drive or to be driven in? That is the
question. The answer lies in this car being
the top seller across the whole of the RollsRoyce range along with the Wraith, and that’s
because you can do both with absolute
pleasure.
xxx MOTORING
PRICES START
AT £187,740
EXCLUDING LOCAL TAXES
123
M
The All New Jeep Renegade
£199 £1,500
Per month*
Jeep Deposit Contribution*
0% APR
Representative*
With touchscreen Sat Nav and Bluetooth, 5 Star Euro NCAP safety rating and legendary 4x4 capability,
winter doesn’t stand a chance. And neither does the competition, with 4x4 Magazine voting the Jeep
Renegade ‘4x4 of the Year 2016’. Call us today to arrange a test drive.
Unity Oxford, Banbury Road,
Shipton-on-Cherwell, Kidlington, Oxfordshire OX5 1JH.
Tel: 01865 565405 www.unityautomotive.co.uk
Model shown Jeep Renegade 2.0 MULTIJET 140hp Longitude 4WD at £23,895 including Special Pastel Paint at £500. OFFICIAL FUEL
CONSUMPTION FIGURES FOR JEEP RENEGADE RANGE MPG (L/100KM): EXTRA URBAN 47.9 (5.9) – 70.6 (4.0), URBAN 32.5 (8.7) – 55.4 (5.1),
COMBINED 40.9 (6.9) – 64.2 (4.4), CO2 EMISSIONS: 160 – 115 G/KM. Fuel consumption and CO figures are obtained for comparative purposes in accordance with EC directives/
2
regulations and may not be representative of real-life driving conditions. *Customer deposit is £5,845. Jeep Deposit is £1,500. Total Deposit £7,345. Optional Final Payment is £11,973. Contract Term is
24 months. Promotion available on Jeep Renegade 2.0 MultiJet 140hp Longitude 4WD at £23,895 including Special Pastel Paint registered by 31st March 2016. Jeep Deposit Contribution only available in
conjunction with Jeep Horizon PCP. With Jeep Horizon you have the option to return the vehicle and not pay the final payment, subject to the vehicle not having exceeded an agreed annual mileage (a charge
of 9p per mile for exceeding 10,000 miles per annum in this example) and being in good condition. Finance subject to status. Guarantees may be required. Terms and Conditions apply. Jeep Financial Services,
124Box 4465, Slough, SL1 0RW. Jeep® is a registered trademark of FCA US LLC.
PO
Jeep MOTORING
THE JEEP RENEGADE
The Jeep Renegade marked a series of firsts in the company’s history. It was Jeep’s first entry
into the small SUV segment, the first Fiat Chrysler Automobiles car to be jointly developed by
Italian and American engineers and the first Jeep to be built in Europe but sold in the USA.
It was the first small SUV to feature a ninespeed gearbox, the first in its segment to
have rear axle disconnect and the first
in its segment to boast a seven-inch full
colour multi-view display in its instrument
binnacle.
The Renegade combines best-in-class
off-road ability with world-class onroad driving dynamics. Inside, functional
details crafted from high quality materials
and using innovative colours ensure the
Renegade becomes a polished addition
to its owners’ lives. It’s a practical one too,
courtesy of best-in-class interior space
and clever, functional storage areas.
Equipment has been designed to boost
on-board comfort. Advanced technology
includes
the
intuitive
Uconnect
touchscreen for infotainment with a
choice between 5 and 6.5-inch screens. A
wide range of options includes the kind of
open air freedom that until now has been
unavailable in the small SUV class. The
unique-to-segment My Sky sunroof has
two lightweight panels that can be easily
removed and stowed in the boot for a truly
panoramic open-air experience.
There is an array of advanced safety features
including Forward Collision Warning Plus
with Crash Mitigation which automatically
prevents or reduces the impact in low-speed
shunts; ParkSense Parallel and Perpendicular
Park Assist that automatically parks the car;
LaneSenseTM Lane Departure Warning Plus;
and Adaptive Cruise Control.
The Jeep Renegade is available in 11
colours with six wheel designs and six
powertrain combinations, each of which
offers a combination of efficiency and
performance. There are two MultiAir II petrol
engines, a pair of MultiJet II turbo diesels and
the 1.6-litre eTorque petrol. There are also
five and six-speed manual gearboxes, the
Dual Dry Clutch Transmission and the ninespeed automatic gearbox. Available with two
or four-wheel drive the Renegade boasts two
new, advanced 4x4 systems: Jeep Active
Drive and Jeep Active Drive Low.
The Jeep Renegade range has four
trim levels; Sport, Longitude, Limited and
Trailhawk…each one oozing the same sense
of adventure and individuality that Jeeps are
famous for. Once again, Jeep impress…so
that’s not a first.
The Renegade combines
best-in-class off-road
ability with world-class
on-road driving dynamics
125
M
M
MOTORING Suzuki Vitara
NEW SUZUKI VITARA S 1.4
BOOSTERJET TURBO TEST DRIVE
...GETTING HOOKED
I have to admit that I’m in a bit of a
quandary right now. As our regular
readers will know I bought a new Suzuki
Vitara S 1.6 petrol just before Christmas
and I love it. Now I’ve made the ‘mistake’
of test driving the Vitara S with Boosterjet
1.4 turbo petrol engine and 6 speed auto
box. I have to say I got well and truly
hooked.
Don’t get me wrong, I do love my own Vitara,
but the pull from the new 1.4 Boosterjet
engine introduced just after I purchased my
car is phenomenal for a vehicle in this class.
The only feature the test car didn’t have
is a sunroof. But that is a small price to
pay for the new engine. Side by side the
two cars are, of course, similar; but it’s
the performance of the 1.4 turbo charged
Allgrip 6 speed auto that makes all the
difference.
Chrissie Woodward
126
With its ultra-sporty looks, this baby
achieves better acceleration than mine, with
stronger power and torque, yet is equally as
quiet at cruising speeds and it beats mine on
CO2 emissions.
The control and handling of the new Allgrip
is a step-up from mine. My Vitara is also
the 2 wheel drive version, and that suits me
just fine as the nearest I go to off-roading is
the odd summer festival field carpark. This
4x4, however, sticks to the road like glue
with virtually no roll, even round the tightest
corners. I also had a play in sport mode
which really helps this fiery red beauty fly.
As a flagship model, the car comes with
all the goodies, such as DAB radio, sat-nav,
reversing camera, leather upholstery, as well
as 17-inch black alloy wheels and silver door
mirrors.
As I said, my new Suzuki is great but the
car with the new engine makes enough of
a difference to justify me ‘changing up’ to
the new model maybe within a year’s time.
Either way I’m locked into this brand for a
while.
So what’s the USP? Well, I traded ‘down’
from a big expensive Jaguar XK and maybe
it’s realising I can have performance,
economy, and practicality as well as minimal
running costs.
I’m loving being in the Suzuki club, and I’m
happy to share the excitement of my brief
but great drive of this latest model with you.
Vauxhall Astra MOTORING
THE NEW VAUXHALL
ASTRA SPORTS TOURER
The long awaited
new Vauxhall Astra is
here! The car is in the
showrooms now and
dealers are already
taking orders.
SMALLER BUT BIGGER
The Astra has long been a popular best seller, but now General Motors have added a little more
spice to its appeal with this new Sports Tourer. It has the same dimensions as the outgoing model,
but offers more space for passengers and luggage alike. Drivers get 26mm more headroom, and
rear passengers benefit from an additional 28mm providing greater all round space and comfort.
You’ll be able to fit in more luggage too, as the cargo capacity is now increased to 1,630 litres.
LIGHTER AND MORE EFFICIENT
Yet it is even more impressive in what the eye doesn’t see; for here we have a car which is,
depending on the spec, up to 200kg lighter than its predecessor with state of the art build
quality. The Ellesmere Port plant shined against world-class competition from across Europe to
build the new car.
Congratulations on sustaining jobs in Britain and boosting the UK supply industry with a car
that has been a mainstay of popular sales.
Being lighter of course, the new car will of course be more economical with petrol and diesel
engine options ranging from 100PS to 200PS, including an all-new 1.4 litre (150PS) ECOTEC
Direct Injection Turbo, and the recently launched 1.6 litre CDTi Whisper Diesel. The 200PS
version of the 1.6 litre ECOTEC petrol engined car will celebrate its world premiere at the
forthcoming Frankfurt motor show.
HIGH TECH TOO
New Astra Sports Tourer owners will also enjoy the benefit of ‘OnStar’, connectivity technology.
Now available across the whole of Europe, OnStar includes high seed 4G LTE mobile network,
emergency response notification, and stolen vehicle recovery alert as well as Apple CarPlay and
Android Auto.
General Motors have read the car buying public well. We want better looking cars with more
space, more technology, that are more efficient, safe, and built to high standards. All you need
now are the directions to your nearest Vauxhall showroom…
127
M
The new Infiniti Q30
THE FIRST EVER
INFINITI Q30
Starting from
£20,550
*
Born to Challenge
infiniti.co.uk
#BornToChallenge
With its sleek and unique design
and assistive technologies, discover
how the new Infiniti Q30 stands out.
Infiniti Centre Reading
25-27 Rose Kiln Lane,
Reading, RG2 0JZ
0118 907 1333
[email protected]
 InfinitiRetailGroup
 @InfinitiRG
www.infiniti-reading.co.uk
Official Fuel Consumption Figures for Infiniti Q30 1.5D (model shown) in mpg (l/100km) Urban 60.1 (4.7), Extra Urban 74.3 (3.8), Combined 68.9
(4.1). CO2 emissions 109g/km. Official EU test figures obtained from laboratory testing, and may not represent real-life driving results (which vary
depending
on driving behaviour, conditions, optional extras and other factors).
128
*Model shown is an Infiniti Q30 Premium Tech 1.5d (80 kW) 6MT FWD at £28,300 On The Road including optional glass roof at £500, metallic paint at £670 and 19” alloy wheels at £700.
115642T
Infiniti Q30 MOTORING
THE INFINITI Q30
Loyal Infiniti customers sussed it pretty early on and have been smiling
ever since. The rest of us tend to be married to the established premium
brands we know and love, yet rarely do we sit down and compare pound for
pound what we actually get for our money. Make such a calculation and you
are likely to find Infiniti pops up on your short-list, especially now they’ve
introduced the Q30, their first medium sized family vehicle.
Infiniti has its own DNA; it is a sporting, stylish
brand seeking to combine performance with
luxury and practicality. Formula 1 fans will
be aware of their sponsorship association
with the Red Bull Formula 1 team, and the
consequent use of a Mr Sebastian Vettel to
tune up the handling of their big Q50; rumour
has it the said Vettel is pretty handy behind
the wheel.
Yet Infiniti’s value for money plays just as
big a part in the brand’s appeal. The Q30
for example, set to be their big mainstream
seller, competes with the Audi A3, the BMW
1 Series, the Mercedes A Class and the Volvo
V40, yet if you stand these models side by
side with identical technical and accessory
spec, you’ll find that many features you’d pay
extra for on the other premium brands come
standard on the Q30 at the quoted retail
price. In short, you’ll be saving in the region
of a couple of grand on the purchase price of
your new car.
CONFIDENT
With the Q30, the intentions are to improve
on volume year on year in the UK and build
on the brand for the future. It is the right
model for these ambitions, especially with the
impressive range of engine and specification
options opening it up to a good share of retail
and fleet sales alike.
There are 4 engine options, two diesel (1.5
& 2.2 litre) and two petrol (1.6 & 2.0 litre) –
all turbo charged, and available in 6 speed
manual or 7 speed semi-automatic Dual
-Clutch Transmission. The Q30 is powered
by the rear wheels, apart from the 2.2 turbo
diesel which is offered with a 4 wheel drive
also.
The test drive impressions we previously
reported on at the car’s launch demonstrated
that the Q30 offered impressive ride quality
combined with long distance motorway
comfort, achieving in our view a good
compromise between ride refinement and
an engaging drive. The comparative ride
refinement of the bigger engined 2.0 litre
cars and the spritely driving dynamics of
the highly competent 1.5 diesel both have
significant driver appeal. Good steering feel,
taking account of the weight and chassis
characteristics of the Q30, was a high
priority for Infiniti, making the driving both
pleasurable and fun.
In terms of styling, we stand by our launch
impression that the Q30 is a fine looker
with the guts to be different without being
offensive, whilst inside offering the cabin
comfort and quality that earns it its badge as
a premium car.
VALUE
Whilst Infiniti may not yet be quite as
established in the UK as the regular premium
brands they are now the genuine alternative,
so as a result you need not have concern
about resale values. Independent value
researchers CAP, predict that the Q30 will
retain 39% of its value over three years and
60,000 miles which is directly comparable to
other premium cars in the sector and ahead
of the majority of the vehicles in this segment;
whilst insurance premiums are as low as
group 13 for the 1.5d.
There is a lot to the saying ‘less is more’,
and the Q30 offers great value whilst leaving
you with a little more in the bank when you
drive away from the showroom.
129
M
E
EDITS xxxxx
And finally……
Where the grass is greener
Esther Lafferty looks at the perks and pitfalls of
Oxfordshire life in our new monthly column
I’ve been living in a small Oxfordshire
market town for eighteen months now,
and along with proximity to a wonderful
delicatessen (The Hare in the Woods which
sounds tempting to dogs but is actually
packed full of tasty treats for humans, and
mustn’t be confused with the neighbouring
Green Dog Deli that sells delicious organic
nutrition for our canine friends), another
highlight of the new house is a giant log
burner. It takes up a good proportion of
the floor space in the living room and,
appealing to his primeval hunting instinct,
is one of The Significant Other’s primary
pleasures.
This log burner can also eat a sawmill’s
annual output in a heartbeat, generating
enough heat that we could dispense with
clothes altogether around the house – though
while I like to think I’m open-minded, such
behaviour would have The Teenaged Children
heading for the hills faster than a hot rod and
could be distinctly awkward for the extended
family at Easter.
I was tucked up by the flickering fire, lightlyclothed and wonderfully naïve one evening
recently, when The Significant Other came
home with the exciting story of a tree that had
fallen down in a colleague’s garden. l didn’t
realise the impact this news bulletin was
going to have on my weekend.
But instead of a Saturday morning enjoying
croissants on a tray with a fresh daffodil (of
course we do this every week; don’t you?)
I found myself in a checked shirt at dawn,
face to face with a seemingly-enormous
tree sprawled full length across another
130
family’s garden accompanied by a man (The
Significant Other) wielding a chainsaw.
Having believed the features in lifestyle
magazines that purport to cover rural style,
I hadn’t realised that ear defenders and old
leather gloves are actually a key part of living
the country dream, though I flatter myself
that my raspberry-pink accessories added a
touch of flair to the proceedings.
And we were off. As Lumberjack’s
Assistant, I was responsible for branch
dragging and log removing, lumbering back
and forth between the diminishing tree trunk
and the car boot. It was like a scene from the
Canadian Outback: I half expected a giant
grizzly bear to materialise from the hedgerow
and a couple of beavers with pearly gnashers
would certainly have been useful.
Now, normally, the boots to excite me
would be designed by Christian Louboutin,
Jimmy Choo or Alexander McQueen and
strut a catwalk, but not that day when Citroen
stepped up to the mark with their practical
Berlingo: I’m rarely pleased that instead
of the electric-blue soft top Audi TT of my
lottery-winning dreams, I drive a practical
family car with enough boot space to stable
a horse or two. Fortunately we don’t have a
horse or two, so there was plenty of capacity
to transport half the great outdoors back
home, with my hair full of twigs as if I’d be
sprawling in the hay.
Because of their size, the logs required
cutting down further, a job I turned down as I
value my feet too much. The Significant Other
was already well-practiced at log splitting on
a smaller scale but these monster cabers
Esther Lafferty is the organiser of
Oxfordshire Artweeks, a visual arts
festival, and the oldest open studios
event in the UK, involving around 1000
artists and over 400 venues each year.
She is married with three children and
lives in Faringdon. This hyperactive
mermaid lists her hobbies as
triathlon, kayaking, dancing, writing,
theatre and cryptic crosswords.
required a larger axe if they were ever going
to fit into the log burner. And that’s when our
rural location came in handy: how else would
I have a farm-dwelling best friend whom,
when asked to borrow an axe, would reply
coolly, ‘Of course. Is that an axe to kill a rat or
an axe to kill a man?’
I just hope MI5 weren’t listening to local calls
for murderous intent and aren’t now tracking
suspicious activity in deepest Oxfordshire
with a spy satellite trained on our house: as
spring sidles in and it gets too warm for a
raging fire in the living room, The Significant
Other won’t let a mere thing like the weather
dampen his incendiary ambition. He’s taken
the winter cover off the chiminea and is
outside dangerously brandishing an iron
poker with extremist enthusiasm. I wonder if
he can be coaxed inside with a flame-grilled
pizza?
131

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