Featuring Sir Terence Conran

life
ISSUE 1 – SPRING 2015
Featuring Sir Terence Conran
1
LARK life – SPRING 2015
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L
arklife. We have given our PC magazine a new name because it really has
taken on a life of its own. We’ve got a Best of British theme focusing on great
design and the arts which are both subjects close to our clients’ hearts.
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The Lark team meet so many inspiring people through the course of their work
that we have decided to share some fascinating stories in our new-look publication.
Sir Terence Conran, founder of the Design Museum, talks to us about his
life-long passion for design and we introduce mechanical engineer
Morwenna Wilson who not only features in the museum’s Women
Fashion Power exhibition but is transforming King’s Cross into
a must-have postcode.
We meet garden designer Jo Thompson who will be
creating a quintessentially British garden for M&G
Investments at RHS Chelsea 2015 and is set to make
natural bathing pools the new cool.
From gardens to houses we will reveal how one of our
clients managed to lure ‘Budapest’ singer-songwriter
George Ezra into her stunning home. And, talking of
talented young musicians, hot off the press is exciting
news about our first Lark Music Scholar Joe Devalle,
plus a warm welcome to our new scholar
Alexandra Lomeiko.
We also keep our eye on investment trends with an
expert view on why buyers are diving to buy natural
pearls and how the rise in buying art online has affected
traditional businesses. We also give a nod to the cruise
industry which has seen the highest growth in the
competitive holiday market.
Keeping in touch with our arty side, Lark is proud to
support a community summer exhibition of art where
guest speaker Dr Ian Collins will enlighten guests
about the life and work of 20th century artist John
Craxton. We hope many of our clients will join us at
this exclusive event and several others highlighted
in our Lark Ascending column.
To discuss your insurance, contact:
Greg Tighe
020 7543 2835
[email protected]
Contact us at [email protected]
with your stories, feedback and to subscribe
for future editions.
Phew!
David Foster,
managing director private clients
WWW.LARKINSURANCE.CO.UK
2
@larkinsurance
Front cover:
Sir Terence Conran,
see pages 4-5
3
D E
S I
G N
DESIGN
A way of life
Sir Terence Conran, 83, says when
you are involved with things you
are passionate about 'you find
energy comes naturally'
Credit: Julian Broad
4
LARK life – SPRING 2015
Sir Terence Conran tells Lark deputy managing director
Lisa Smith how his mother set him on a creative path
and also reveals his favourite means of escape
I
can’t really remember a time when
design wasn’t a serious part of my life.
As a small child my favourite present
was a bag of wooden offcuts and nails
with a pretty basic tool kit.
hotels so I really do know how very lucky I
am that my long career has offered me such a
rewarding, diverse and exciting style of life.
After much pestering, my mother gave me a
space for a small workshop and allowed me
to set up a wood-fired pottery kiln. There is
no doubt this was the point where I began to
develop the curious mind of a designer.
Despite the diversity of my interests, first and
foremost I have always considered myself a
designer because it is where all our activities
meet and encompasses everything we have
ever tried to do. It has been about using design
to create a style of life that people can afford
and enjoy.
My mother was a terrific influence on my
sister, Priscilla, and I from a very early age.
She always encouraged us to express ourselves
and provided us with the means to do so and
if she had grown up in a more progressive era
she would certainly have been an artist or
a designer.
Obviously, as with any designer, I have been
affected by events surrounding me, but I
hope I have remained true to my fundamental
aim. I’m a plain, simple and practical sort
of fellow. What I’ve done all my life, and
continue to do, is design and promote
affordable, useful products.
She made sure that creatively we never wanted
for anything, whether that was materials,
opportunities or guidance. We really do owe
her so much for setting us on a creative path.
The belief that my generation had is that design
can improve the quality of life for everybody
because good design gives you pleasure and
improves the quality of life through products
or buildings that work well, are affordable and
look beautiful.
But I also like to think I also always had an
entrepreneurial side. I remember exchanging
a wooden battleship I had made for a potter’s
lathe and being extremely proud with my side
of the deal.
I’ve always had that spirit in me and it was
no different when the opportunity came to
make a little bit of money and sell some of my
own designs – it’s a strong instinct I have that
drives much of what I do. I have ideas, passion
and want to make things happen.
My lifetime in design has been the most
fantastic journey I could have ever imagined
and continues to give me immense pleasure.
I began my career as a textile designer with
aspirations to become a product designer in a
very grey and austere Britain in the 1950s.
Since then our design group has designed
everything from skyscrapers to cottages and
interiors for anything from airport terminals
and department stores to small shops and
cafes. We have designed cars and teaspoons,
iPod docks, lights, furniture, homeware,
lighting, aircraft and boat interiors.
We have also opened and operated our own
shops, restaurants, cafes, bars, clubs and
Timeless design that endures and improves
with careful use over time is the most
appealing quality and I suppose it is this belief
that has driven me along the way during my
long career in design – the idea that intelligent
design makes the world in which we live a more
interesting, enjoyable and comfortable place.
Great design should be useful, beautiful and
make you smile.
I know I am exceptionally lucky that
everything I do in my business life I would
also do for pleasure. Designing, writing,
eating, drinking, shopping, travelling, visiting
museums and galleries, collecting objects that
I love, gardening – even smoking cigars –are
all connected to my work in some way and
I cannot think of anything else I would
rather do.
When you are involved in things you are
passionate about you find that energy comes
quite naturally. And if I am feeling a bit down
I escape to the greenhouse and smoke a cigar,
read a good book and enjoy a glass of vieille
prune - my long lifetime in design allows me
that small luxury.
5
LARK life – SPRING 2015
N1C
The new must-have London postcode
B
y 2020 there will be 500,000 people
working, living and studying in King's
Cross. The Central Saint Martins College
of Art has already moved in and London's
former red-light district is fast becoming the
capital's red hot cultural and creative hub.
Victorian industrial buildings are being
restored and unique homes being built
– some inside the iconic triple gasholders
which will overlook the Regent’s Canal.
With the best transport links in the
country, King’s Cross is the new must-have
postcode N1C.
It is the first time in more than 150 years that
such a large site in central London has been
developed in one master plan. The 67 acres will
comprise one-third open space with the rest
made up of boutique shops and restaurants,
hotels, offices and residential property.
The centrepiece Granary Building is vast and
embraces the past and future with a mix of
gritty Victorian engineering and shining new
architecture. A pedestrianised public street
runs through the middle symbolising the
King’s Cross mission to be a place for people.
Artist's impression of the gasholder
triplet – 21st century apartments
within iconic Victorian structure
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The powerful property overlooks Granary
Square and its 1,080 fountains leading to
steps that go down to the canal and parks.
Mechanical engineer Morwenna Wilson,
32, has been tasked with ensuring the area’s
heritage is respected and preserved while
former goods yards and stores are transformed
into 21st century cultural focal points.
As senior projects manager for property
developer Argent her assignments have
included overseeing the restoration of the
Great Northern Hotel and the rebuilding of
Gasholder No. 8 which has been a feature of
the King’s Cross skyline for 150 years.
The 25-metre circular frame of 16 cylindrical
cast iron columns and iron riveted lattice
girders was taken down and painstakingly
refurbished by specialist engineering firm
Shepley’s in Yorkshire. It has been re-erected
on the north side of the Regent’s Canal under
Morwenna’s watchful eye and Gasholder Park
will soon fill the frame’s heart.
Morwenna said: “The refurbishment of
Gasholder No. 8 was quite a challenge but
underlines our commitment to preserving the
industrial heritage of King’s Cross and creating
interesting spaces for people to enjoy.
“We did have one puzzle though, how to get
some of the parts back together again – we
realised the Victorians would have sent
children inside the frames to tighten the bolts.
We found a good solution and put bolts on the
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LARK life – SPRING 2015
King's Cross is a model of constructive
conservation that captures the special quality of
London as it has grown over the centuries
English Heritage
outside instead – cleverly-designed so they
would not really show.”
New York to connect Granary Square and
Gasholder Park.
Morwenna is now part of a team working
on the adjacent triple gasholder which
is set to become one of the most soughtafter residential developments in London.
Apartments will be built within the decorative
frames and they will have views over Gasholder
Park and the canal.
Lewis Cubitt Park will feature the UK’s first
natural bathing pond. The King’s Cross Pond
Club will open in April to accommodate more
than 100 bathers in water that will be cleaned
and purified naturally, using wetland and
submerged water plants as a filter.
Morwenna said: “The gasholder has one
common spine so the build will be complicated
but the result should be absolutely stunning.
It will be totally unique. Most decommissioned
gasholders across the country are being taken
down but we are focusing on preservation.”
Canal boats on John Nash’s waterway from
King’s Cross to Regent’s Park no longer bring
coal to the railway stations or grain to the flour
mill (now Kings Place) but the towpath allows
Londoners to walk or cycle to work or use the
transport infrastructure.
More than £2bn is being invested to make
King’s Cross the best-connected hub in Europe
with six underground lines, two national and
one international station, plus Euston is five
minutes’ walk away.
This chemical-free pond is a piece of
experiential art called ‘Of Soil and Water’,
the creation of architects Eva Pfannes and
Sylvain Hartenberg who have worked with artist
Marjetica Potrč to symbolise quality
of life at N1C.It seems everyone will want
to bathe in the next chapter of history at
King’s Cross N1C.
King’s Cross is also home to the London
Sinfonietta and its mission is to place the best
contemporary classical music at the heart of
today’s culture through inspiring performances
and taking risks to develop new work and talent.
Lark is delighted to announce its forthcoming
sponsorship of the London Sinfonietta. Read
more at www.larkinsurance.co.uk
Victorian brick arches where coal was
transferred from rail wagons to road carts
will, in a few years, be part of a pedestrianised
shopping area with boutiques, restaurants,
galleries, markets, music venues and
street festivals.
Fish and Coal buildings along the curve of the
canal were built as offices in 1851 within Lewis
Cubitt’s design for the Goods Yard. Here clerks
monitored incoming freight but in the 1980s
the buildings were gutted in a fire. They now
come under Morwenna’s remit and the Jamie
Oliver Group will be moving in to use the space
as offices and studios with restaurants at
street level.
8
A
s one of few women in her trade, awardwinning Morwenna Wilson was invited
to be one of 27 women to contribute
an outfit to go display at the Women Fashion
Power exhibition at the Design Museum.
She is in good company alongside fashion
icons including architect Dame Zaha Hadid,
singer Lady Gaga and designer Dame Vivienne
Westwood, who all share their personal style
philosophy in the exhibition curated by fashion
commentator Colin McDowell and Donna
Loveday, the museum’s head of curatorial.
Morwenna says she was surprised and
delighted to be chosen and revealed that she
picked up her best tip on what to wear at work
when she was at school.
She said: “I remember one of my teachers
‘Dress for the job that you want, not the job
that you have’ and that is what I do. I always
dress in something that I would feel confident
wearing in the Argent boardroom because you
never know who you will be required to meet.
“I am a creature of habit when it comes to
clothes and I’ve developed a work ‘uniform’.
Jackets are important because I am petite
woman, yet one with responsibility and
authority, often with a team of people more
experienced than me. They give me an air
of formality and maturity, and make me feel
like I have more physical presence and give
me the chance to be bold, through strong
colours and prints.
Morwenna, who subscribes to Vogue magazine,
has a passion for vintage jewellery and scarves.
She wears one or both every day to ‘liven up’
her everyday work outfits.
She said: “For me it’s about the rarity of the
items I own: I know I won’t see them on
anyone else and they often provoke comment.
I search out pieces wherever I can, especially
on holiday. I bought several pairs of early
Chanel earrings and a 1960s Omega De Ville
watch when I was in Tokyo and another pair of
earrings, at a bargain price, in the
South of France.
“I have a collection of vintage silk scarves by
designers such as Gucci, Ferragamo, Hermes,
Dior and Cartier. I love finding them at car
boot sales and antique fairs and so I don’t pay
anything like the price they are when new.
My real favourites are vintage Varuna wool
Liberty of London scarves from the 1980s.
They are huge, like picnic rugs, and I use them
like a coat in spring and autumn to keep me
warm when the temperature drops.”
Morwenna, who is also an accomplished
violinist, and a friend have recently started
to create silk scarves using photographs of
places and events that mean something to
them. She said: “It’s such a buzz wearing
something that is unique. I love being able
to say ‘I designed it’.”
Morwenna Wilson will be a
guest at the Lark private
client Women Fashion
Power event at the
Design Museum
on March 17
Brunel is in the blood
John Nash’s waterway from King’s Cross to Regent’s Park
Mowenna Wilson’s distant relative Isambard Kingdom Brunel was one of the
greatest engineers in British history, designing and building railway lines,
bridges and ships including ss Great Britain.
As senior projects director at Argent, Morwenna, who was a top mechanical
engineering student at the University of Bristol, is charged with renovating
parts of King’s Cross which were designed by one of Brunel’s contemporaries,
civil engineer Lewis Cubitt, in the early 1850s.
The Art Fund has already moved in to the area
and other businesses have confirmed they will
be occupying offices. Louis Vuitton, Google
and BNP Paribas all want to be part of this
central London revival.
The new open spaces and squares include
a Viaduct which will echo the Highline in
Dress for the job
you want not the
job you have
“A bright pop of colour makes people notice
you and when you have their visual ‘attention’
they can be more open to listening.”
She said: “Brunel was an inspiration. It definitely runs in the family because
my grandfather was also an engineer.”
'Of Soil and Water' the natural bathing pond
Brunel would be proud to know his descendant, who worked on the Sainsbury
Laboratory in Cambridge which was awarded the 2012 RIBA Stirling Prize,
is now carrying on with the work he and his peers started.
9
LARK life – SPRING 2015
I want the garden to look
really established with an
abundance of planting;
gorgeous, romantic
tumbling roses and peonies
in a palette of British
garden colours
Jo Thompson is a Registered Member of the Society
of Garden Designers and a member of RHS Gardens
Committee. Picture: Ian West
Artist's impression of The Retreat
Pool of
tranquillity
2015 looks set to be the year for natural
bathing ponds as Jo Thompson creates
a watery haven at RHS Chelsea
J
o Thompson’s exquisite jewel-like
planting has catapulted her into the A-list
of RHS Chelsea garden designers and this
year she will be creating The Retreat on Main
Avenue for show sponsor M&G Investments.
The garden will be quintessentially British
with a large natural bathing pool framed by
masses of ‘soul-stirring’ planting. There will
also be a two-storey oak-framed building
to echo the writing rooms of Vita SackvilleWest and Harold Nicholson in the tower at
Sissinghurst Castle Garden.
Jo, who lives on the borders of East Sussex
and Kent says she has been ‘truly inspired’ by
Sissinghurst. She said: “I always thought how
lovely it was to have such a wonderful place
10
for relaxation and restoration of the soul.
“The Retreat will be a place to unwind; a
private, timeless space, partially hidden by
trees and lush planting. I want it to be ‘a
timeless hang out’ to think, read, snooze or
star-gaze.”
The watery haven will be a first at RHS
Chelsea. No other designer has attempted
a natural bathing pool and Jo is acutely
aware it will be under great scrutiny from
the judges, the 150,000-plus visitors and
2.2m television viewers.
She said: “I am very excited about the pool.
It will take up quite a large part of the garden
but I love the idea of using natural ecology to
create clear, healthy water for bathing.
“It will be absolutely natural – with no
chemicals or filtration systems – just marginal
and aquatic planting to oxygenate and
biologically filter the water. Fairwater, of West
Sussex, are experts and will help me ensure it
looks amazing and inspires visitors.”
timber-framed writing room and curving
bench as well as mellow Purbeck stone for the
paths. The stone will also be highly polished to
bring out its natural colours for seating at the
water’s edge. I lived in Dorset as a child and
just love this special fossilised limestone.
Jo is the first woman in five years to create the
show sponsor’s garden, following in the recent
gold-winning footsteps of Cleve West, Andy
Sturgeon and Roger Platts. She is also one
of only two women designing a Main Avenue
show garden this year.
“Most of the plants will be grown in
Kent. Roger Platts, who runs a nursery in
Edenbridge, will supply the bulk of shrubs and
perennials – he has won a handful of RHS
Chelsea gold medals and so the quality of his
plants is always gold standard!
The single mother-of-two also has a ‘secret
weapon’ at RHS Chelsea - an all-women group
of friends who fly in from all over the world to
help her achieve ‘sublime planting’.
“Simon Sutcliffe at How Green Nursery is
going to supply some annuals including Ammi
magus and Gypsophyla elegant Covent Garden
which I am particularly excited about. No
grasses or cow parsley for me!
Jo said: “These women are dear friends, they
do it for love and that always shows through.
They are the best and I am very lucky as they
understand the exacting standards required by
the judges while retaining my signature style.
“I have chosen soft pinks, lavender blues and
creams with the occasional splash of deep
wine colours from roses Comte du Chambord
and Rosa Chianti. Familiar plants will be
complemented by a few unusual ones and to
bring ‘ooohs’ and ‘aaahs’ from the visitors.
“I want to make the visitor think about
seeing plants in a new way – perhaps a
smattering of the pinkiest orange against
more traditional combinations.”
She added: “There will also be lots of trees.
River birch and acers will bring shade and
elegance while the soft planting will move
from cool woodland to fresh, water-loving
plants to edge the pool.”
Jo will be using craftsmen, materials and
nurseries from the South of England to
create The Retreat.
She said: “There will be Sussex oak for the
Roger Platts, who is a RHS Chelsea judge, will
not be able to vote on Jo’s garden but says he is
delighted to be growing plants for her garden.
He said: “Jo has an extraordinary design talent.
Her gardens are always so inspiring and she is
often very brave with her ideas.
“When she created the DEFRA garden to
highlight the problems of disease spreading
through British trees she used six dead trees!
Her Caravan and Camping Club garden was
a real hit with Doris the Airstream caravan
catching visitors’ imagination. The Demelza
House garden, a children’s hospice, was a full
of jewel-like planting so I am sure The Retreat
will be another RHS Chelsea winner.”
RHS Chelsea opens to the public from
Tuesday, May 19 to Saturday, May 23.
Tickets in advance only from www.rhs.org.uk
Jo Thompson will be a guest at the Lark
private client Women Fashion Power event
at the Design Museum on March 17
11
LARK life – SPRING 2015
Lights,
Camera,
Ezra
Welcome to the
house of fun
Singer-songwriter George Ezra's 2015 tour sold out in 10
minutes. How jealous would his fans be if they knew he had
been having fun in Lark client Caroline Partridge's bedroom?
M
ore than five million people have had
a good look around entrepreneur
Caroline Partridge’s bespoke home.
It’s likely millions more will follow, as
they unwittingly enter her exceptional
contemporary property which has become a
popular location for music videos and luxury
brand film shoots.
Click on YouTube to see four-times Brit Awards
nominee George Ezra playing guitar and
singing in his distinctive angel-cum-Bob Dylan
voice in Caroline’s indoor pool complex, in
the bedroom, in the living room and the black
gloss kitchen where models fool around in the
catchy Cassy O’ music video.
Vogue magazine has also hired the house for a
fashion shoot and Rolls-Royce brought in two
top-of-the-range Ghost II for a recent press
launch. ITV have also been filming and there
are plenty more bookings for 2015.
Caroline, who oversaw the build of the six
bedroom property in 2009, did not sit back
and relax when her £8 million home was ready
for the family to move in.
The former banker quickly realised the
uber-cool house, in the commuter town of
Sevenoaks, in Kent, could work for her.
Caroline said: “I mentioned to a friend that the
house would be great for a film location and
before I knew it a photographer was here and
I went on the books.
“While the children are at university or
working there is plenty of opportunity to use
the house for filming. I give clients almost a
free rein and they are generally very respectful.
“I only have one rule: If you smoke, use
an ashtray.
Brit Awards nominee George Ezra sings
Cassy O’ in Caroline Partridge's kitchen.
Credit: Agile Films
12
“The house has a fun element and is perfect
for entertaining. I love to see it full of people.
It’s on three levels - a basement was created
to house a pool, gym, games room, crash-out
area, cinema and wine cellar. There’s plenty of
room for everyone and clients have use of the
leisure facilities during breaks.
“Actually, I really created this house with the
aim that my children will never want to leave!”
A perfect backdrop for the Rolls-Royce Ghost II
The concrete, steel and glass house replaced a
detached 1930s property and has views over
Knole Park. A huge terrace and balcony wrap
the house overlooking gardens landscaped by
award-winning designer Philip Nash who has
added swathes of grasses and dogwood for easy
maintenance while retaining a magnificent
magnolia tree.
Lucie Knock, of jjLocations, said: “The house
is an incredibly unique property in a very
desirable location inside the M25.
“Caroline has large sections of glass around
the house which let in huge amounts of
natural light.
“The angular design and streamlined interior
are hugely appealing – but what makes all the
difference is that Caroline is very relaxed and
does her upmost to ensure clients get the best
from her property.”
Lark client and risk director Julie Webb said:
“I have worked with Caroline for many years
and if other clients are thinking about using
their property as a film location they should
not hesitate to contact me and I will be
happy to offer advice. Just email me at
[email protected]
13
LARK life – SPRING 2015
PEARLS
of wisdom
By Julie Webb, client and risk director
N
atural pearls have long been objects of desire
and Vermeer's 17th century masterpiece
Girl With A Pearl Earring epitomises their
purity and seductive beauty.
They are also a symbol of wealth and their
increasing rarity, due to sea pollution
and overfishing, makes them all the
more valuable. Exceptional natural
pearls with uniform shape, lustre and
blemish-free skins, do not appear on
the market very often.
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge,
is the latest in a long line of British
royals to favour the lustrous gem
and she often chooses to wear a
string of pearls or drop-earrings.
In turn, pearls have become
highly fashionable and they are
hitting record sums at auction.
Dress jewellery featuring the
finest-quality natural pearls
represent an alluring investment
and buyers are diving in to pay vast
sums if an item is unique or has an
interesting provenance.
Jewellery specialist Patricia Law of
Dreweatts & Bloomsbury, in London
and Newbury, says natural pearls are
‘the original gem’. She said: “There is no
man-made interference like diamonds
which have to be cut and polished.
Natural pearls ‘glow’with a beautiful
lustre like no other gem and they are
achieving headline prices.
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“Nothing much happened to prices over the
20th century but during the last five years
there has been an appreciation of natural
pearls which has been stimulated by the
Chinese and Indian markets.”
Bonhams auction house seen record sales
including a single-row pearl necklace that sold
for £110,000, more than 10 times its pre-sale
estimate of £7,000-£9,000.
Jean Ghika, head of jewellery in the UK and
Europe at Bonhams, said: "Pearls were once
seen as perhaps the preserve of an older
generation, but we've seen a change and a
younger fashion set is now at home wearing
classic pearl earrings.”
X-rays confirmed Jonathan’s thoughts and the
pearl was dispatched to scientists in Geneva
who reported that it was a 33.147 carat natural
gem of rare and exceptional quality.
Jonathan said: “The owner was surprised
and excited when I told him. We estimated
the pearl’s value at £80,000 to £120,000, but
when the auctioneer opened the bidding at
£30,000, a phone bidder offered £300,000.
International jewellery dealership David
Morris secured the pearl for £680,000.”
So, hunt out those old pearls that have been
left in the family jewel boxes – there’s never
been a better time to do it!
It is not just London auction houses selling
high-quality pearls. Woolley & Wallis,
of Sailsbury, in Wiltshire, sold what was
described as "the largest round natural
saltwater pearl offered at auction" for
£680,000 in May 2014.
Jonathan Edwards, head of the auction house’s
jewellery department, looked at a pair of
earrings brought in for valuation and felt that
one could be a natural pearl. He said: “The
pearl was presented in part of a pair but there
was a difference between the two because one
had an outer layer of about one millimetre and
the other seemed to be solid.
“It is difficult to tell if a pearl is natural or
cultured just by looking and you can never be
100 per cent sure unless you have it X-rayed.”
Jewellery expert Marielle Whiting examines the huge
natural round pearl which was sold for £680,000
WHAT IS A
NATURAL PEARL?
WHAT MAKES THE
PERFECT PEARL?
They say that if you irritate
an oyster for long enough,
instead of lashing out, it will
produce a rare treasure!
Specialist Patricia Law says
it is true, natural pearls come
from an oyster at the bottom
of the ocean. They are a cyst,
caused by an irritant which
annoys the oyster - a small
sea creature or drop of sand
catches in the shell and the
oyster smooths over the
small intrusion with the
layers of aragonite and
calcium carbonate that
make up the pearl.
Specialist Patricia Law says
the perfect pearl should be
truly round and high in lustre
and ‘glow’ although there are
exceptions - a pair of pearshaped pearls for earrings
will also be highly prized.
The longer the pearl has been
in the oyster, the thicker the
layer. If it is too thin it can
crack, which is especially
noticeable around the drill
holes where it is threaded
onto a necklace. A thin layer
would also reduce the lustre,
making the pearls little more
than white beads.
CULTURED PEARLS
Cultured pearls are made
through human ‘interference’.
A bead is placed inside an
oyster or a piece of mantel
tissue inside a mussel and
although the pearl will look
similar, its interior will
not have layers. Cultured
pearls were developed in the
late 19th century. Kokichi
Mikimoto (1858-1954) was
granted a patent to develop
round, cultured pearls
from Akoya oysters in
Japan. By the 1950s these
cheaper, cultured pearls
had conquered the
fashion market.
15
LARK life – SPRING 2015
A
P O E T I C
E Y E
Lark is proud to announce its support of the 18th Pilgrims Way
Arts Summer Exhibition in the historic Tithe Barn, in Lenham, Kent.
The exhibition will showcase 30 local artists, potters and sculptors
who will put more than 350 works on display.
Art writer and curator Ian Collins will be the
guest speaker at the exhibition preview and
Lark clients are invited to Dr Collins’ talk,
A Poetic Eye: John Craxton’s Journey from
Kent to Crete.
Year-on-year the summer exhibition has been
attracting more artists and visitors. Hayley
Avis, divisional director at the Lark office
in Maidstone, said: “We are thrilled to be
involved with this popular event.
“The 14th century grade I listed barn is in
a wonderful village and it could not be more
idyllic. It is only used on an occasional basis
and all income from events is used to
maintain the barn so we are very happy
to be associated.
“We know visitors will love the exhibition
and anyone who would like to attend
the preview should
contact me.”
Still Life with Three Sailors, 1980 – 85, Tempera
on canvas, 122x151cm, Private Collection (photo
courtesy Christies). Copyright Craxton estate,
DACS all rights reserved.
Flame of passion
I
an Collins is author of the John Craxton
Monologue and many other books. He has
curated exhibitions including Masterpieces:
Art and East Anglia, a creative survey from the
dawn of time to date, which won the Sainsbury
Centre in Norwich a short-listing as 2014
Museum of the Year.
Dr Collins is working on books and exhibitions
for Yale and for the John Craxton in Britain,
Cyprus and Greece. His Craxton show runs at
Dorset County Museum in Dorchester until
September 19.
Dr Collins said: “It will be wonderful to come
to Kent, a place that was close to Craxton’s
heart; the county lit his passion for art.
“Craxton (1922-2009) painted for pleasure
and lived it, too. He seemed to know everyone
- Picasso, Francis Bacon, David Attenborough
and Margot Fonteyn. He lived a charmed
existence, once cycling with Lucien Freud from
West Malling to Trottiscliffe to visit mentor
Graham Sutherland.”
The Pilgrims Way Artists Summer Exhibition
preview on May 14 is by invitation only.
Contact Hayley Avis at Hayley.Avis@
larkinsurance.co.uk. Exhibition opens from
May 15-25, 10am-6pm (closes 4pm on May
25).Admission is free, exhibition brochure 1.
Homemade teas available and plenty of parking.
More details at pilgrimswayartists.org.uk
Inspired to start buying art? In
many ways there has never been
a better time as traditional auction
houses and galleries step up to the
bar to compete with new online
traders in a market that is worth
an estimated £1bn.
The days of walking in to a gallery to peruse
and buy fine art or spending time at the auction
house are not over but a growing trend for ‘sight
unseen’ buying means traditional auction
houses and galleries are having to rethink
their sales strategies.
Many new buyers, in their 20s, and those who
may have been intimidated by walking into
an art sale are now increasingly browsing and
buying online.
The figures speak for themselves - Christie’s
online auctions rose from seven in 2012 to 49
in 2014 and Sotheby’s saw a 45% increase in
online bidding after its website underwent a
redesign in 2013.
Both auction houses have had to respond to
competition from new online auction houses
such as UK-based
the-saleroom.com which hosted 3,147 live
auctions and sold goods to the value of more
than £74 million.
Research by insurance expert Hiscox reveals
a new generation of buyers with a strong
preference to buy online - 25% buy without
seeing the physical item.
The Hiscox Online Art Report 2014 also
highlights 39% of respondents find buying art
online less intimidating than stepping into a
gallery or auction.
But a bricks-and-mortar presence boosts
confidence with 90% of online buyers having
already bought from a physical space before
buying online. Therefore traditional auction
houses and galleries have an opportunity to
build on their brand and translate it into
online business.
To read the full story go to larkinsurance.co.uk
The Tithe Barn, Lenham
16
17
LARK life – SPRING 2015
It’s been a massive relief to have support from Lark, they
have taken a genuine interest in my development and it has
allowed me to keep working on the music
Searching
for a soul
W
hen potential stars of the music
world leave education without access
to musical instruments most have to
beg and borrow before a performance. More
time can be spent worrying about how to
secure an instrument than actually playing.
By David Foster, managing director private clients
Joe Devalle, our first Lark Music Scholar,
will complete his Master’s in Performance
at the Royal College of Music School (RCM)
this summer and he, too, has been facing
the same fate.
The Lark team have not only witnessed Joe
develop into a fine musician over the past
couple of years but have enjoyed getting to
know him on a personal level.
Joe has worked so hard and made such
incredible progress that it seemed unthinkable
to leave him with such a dilemma so I am
delighted to announce that The Stradivari
Trust has agreed to assist him source a violin
of outstanding quality so he can continue to
perform to the best of his ability.
The trust supports and promotes excellence
in the field of classical music and its chairman
Nigel Brown, has arranged for an expert to
accompany Joe on visits to a number of violin
dealers to look for a good 18th century
Italian violin.
SO WHERE WILL THE MONEY COME?
The cost could be around £250,000 and once
a violin has been chosen, Nigel will contact his
investor network and an individual trust can
be set up.
Joe is now in the process of producing a
biography which will be sent to investors
and, for Lark’s part, we will arrange showcase
concerts to promote Joe’s talent. The first
will be on April 16 at the RCM.
Fortunately, Nigel had already met and heard
Joe play. He totally agreed that we were
‘square-on to a major problem’ if we did not
help Joe find an instrument to take him to
the next level.
Lark Music Scholar Joe Devalle
Picture: Will Tisdall
18
Joe has been talking through everything with
his parents and he said: “When Nigel agreed
to help me look for a violin it was the sort of
push I needed.
“He said I should keep an open mind on what
violin I try to secure but the sooner I can find
one and start building a relationship with that
instrument the better, so I can make
that connection.
“It’s been a massive relief to have support
from Lark, they have taken a genuine interest
in my development and it has allowed me to
keep working on the music - but this continued
commitment and persistence to get me this
back up has been amazing.
”Now all I need is a violin with a soul.”
It all started
with La Cathedrale
R
etired financier Nigel Brown has been
responsible for putting together
syndicates of like-minded individuals
to buy fine stringed instruments for the
exclusive use of exceptional musicians, on the
understanding that they would redeem the
ownership of the instrument over the course
of a 10 to 20-year trust.
Nigel, who has received an OBE for his services
to business, said: “Joe Devalle is a pretty
talented violinist and certainly needs something
to take him to the next level.
Nigel’s first musician-violin match was in 1984
after he had attended a Brahms concerto. Nigel
Kennedy was playing a Guadagnini, made by
Giovanni Batista.
Nigel said he asked Kennedy why nobody had
bought him a Stradivarius.
“Nobody’s offered,” Kennedy told him.
Nigel told Kennedy he would find something and
two years and a half years later he had secured
La Cathedrale Stradivarius 1707.
To read the full story go to larkinsurance.co.uk
Meet our new Lark scholar Alexandra
Lomeiko in the next edition of LARKlife
or visit larkinsurance.co.uk
19
LARK life – SPRING 2015
H
er Majesty the Queen wept openly
at the decommissioning ceremony for
her beloved yacht Britannia. It was
the only time she has shed a tear in public
so what wonderful news, as LARKlife goes
to press, that she has agreed to christen
P&O’s new flagship Britannia, at
Southampton, on March 10.
The 3,600-passenger ship, pictured left and
right, is the biggest built for the British market
and it will be easily recognised with the world’s
largest contemporary version of the Union Flag
emblazoned on her bow plus two distinctive
blue funnels.
Southampton will be the five-star floating
hotel’s home port from where will sail
around the British Isles, the Mediterranean
and the Norwegian fjords before she cruises
to the Caribbean.
Crystal Room with rich wooden dance floors,
glistening chandeliers and collection of dance
memorabilia will put a spring in their step.
More glitz comes in the atrium with a giant
starburst sculpture and spiral staircase.
There’s a seriously stylish spa, theatre with
LED wall, four pools, a gym and a £1m art
collection featuring many new British artists.
P&O is part of the Carnival Group which also
owns Cunard, Princess Cruises, Seabourn
Cruise Line and Holland America Line.
Executive vice president of operations at
Carnival UK, David Noyes, said: “Britannia
is making P&O accessible for new customers.
There is a lot of interest and bookings and
since we launched the new ads, we are on
track for our biggest ever wave for P&O.”
Celebrity chefs James Martin, Marco Pierre
White, Atul Kochhara and Eric Lanlard have
signed up as Britannia’s ‘Food Heroes’ and will
be making guest appearances on the ship as
well as being represented in the restaurants,
cookery school and market café.
For those who love to dance, the glamorous
CRUISE VIRGIN
Richard Branson has stepped into the ring
for a piece of the cruise action. The UK travel
entrepreneur has confirmed the launch of
Virgin Cruises with $1.7m (£1.2m) funding for
two new ships.
It was perhaps inevitable he would enter the
foray to get a full house with Trains and Boats
and Planes, just like the 60s hit.
Branson promises to change cruising for ever
although a start date for operations has not
been announced “for competitive reasons”.
B R I TA N N I A
rules the waves
More than 1.7 million Brits took a cruise in 2013, bringing
£2.5 billion to our economy. It's the fastest-growing holiday
market niche and dazzling new ships are attracting first
time cruisers, writes travel journalist Lesley Bellew
20
The ships will be based in Miami or Fort
Lauderdale for cruises in the Caribbean and
Branson said: “We plan to shake up the cruise
industry and deliver a holiday our customers
will absolutely love. They’ll be sailing on the
latest ships offering great quality, a sense of
fun and exciting activities all delivered with
the famed Virgin service.”
For those who prefer to charter, Branson’s 105ft
luxury catamaran Necker Belle is available
from around £73,000 a week.
STAR TURN
Viking River Cruises also sails into the ocean
cruise market this year with Viking Star, a new
928-passenger ship which will be launched in
Bergen, Norway, in May. The luxury vessel is
proving so popular it has already sold out for
2015 but two more ships, Sun and Sea, are on
order so bookings should eventually become
easier. Viking Star features an infinity pool at
the stern and a chilled room in the spa with
‘real’ snowflakes falling through the air.
THE THREE QUEENS
Ship-spotters should put May 25 in their diary
to see Cunard’s three ships, Queen Elizabeth,
Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria sail in to
Liverpool and rendezvous on the Mersey to
mark the iconic cruise line’s 175th anniversary.
It is reassuring to know there is a doctor on board a cruise ship but check your insurance
before you travel. Contact Lark’s travel insurance expert Mark Fraser on 01206 771 271
or email
[email protected]
For
details
call Mark on 01206 771 271 or email [email protected]
21
LARK
ASCENDING
Lark loves a story
By Julie Webb, risk and client director
I
certainly thought there was something
extraordinary about Morwenna Wilson
when she was featured at the Women
Fashion Power exhibition and, sure enough,
it turned out she is a relative of the late, great
Isambard Kingdom Brunel – no wonder she
has such a talent for engineering!
Having been to Bristol on many occasions I
am in awe of his feats of engineering from the
Clifton Suspension Bridge to the steam ship
Great Britain and salute him as one of the Best
of British in this themed edition of LARKlife.
And how wonderful that Morwenna is
overseeing the restoration of work started by
Brunel’s Victorian peers. I just love finding
those unexpected links.
It’s these stories of exceptional finds,
coincidences and hidden gems that I love to
share in the Lark Ascending blog - I find it is
often such a small world.
Do let me know if you have a story by emailing
[email protected]
I love my job and feel so privileged to be able to
see such amazing things and meet some lovely
people. Therefore, I do hope you will be able
to join us at 2015 Lark PC events listed below.
Just let me know if you wish to attend
by emailing [email protected]
MUSICAL INSTRUMENT
INSURANCE
MADE TO MEASURE
ADVERT
March 17 – Women Fashion Power - Design
Museum, Shad Thames
April 16 – Royal College of Music/London
Business Angels at the RCM
May 14 – Pilgrims Way Artists Summer
Exhibition private view at the Tithe Barn,
Lenham, Kent
May 15–25 – Pilgrims Way Artists Summer
Exhibition open 10am-6pm (to 4pm on May 25)
See the blog at www.larkinsurance.co.uk/
private-clients/lark-ascending or follow me
on Twitter @juliewebblark
It therefore did not escape my notice that a
version of John Constable’s painting Salisbury
Cathedral from the Meadows sold for $4.5m at
Sotheby’s in New York at the end of January.
It probably did not escape the attention of
Lady Hambleden either - she sold it for £2,800
a couple of years back when the artist was
described as ‘a follower of John Constable’ at
Christie’s, in London.
This painting was in a collection amassed in
the 19th century by William Henry Smith,
founder of the High Street stationers. It had
hung in Hambleden Manor, home to his
descendants, until the property was
sold in 2007.
Lady Hambleden sold the contents for a
total of £1.7m, including this painting, but
specialists didn’t spot that the painting
was an original.
We don’t know who bought it at Christie’s
but it was cleaned, restored, researched,
re-attributed and soared in value. I
wonder who had a feeling they were
on to something?
To discuss your insurance, contact:
Claire Sanders
020 8557 2410
[email protected]
WWW.LARKINSURANCE.CO.UK
22
@lark_MI
23
PRIVATE CLIENT BROKER OF THE YEAR 2013 & 2014
INSURANCE BROKER OF THE YEAR 2013
WWW.LARKINSURANCE.CO.UK
24