Indholdsfortegnelse for July 2019 i The Field

FIELD CIRCULATION SUCCESS Latest circulation figures demonstrate that The Field is by far Britain’s biggest-selling fieldsports monthly title, with 170,000 readers every month (source: the Publishers Audience Measurement Company). The figures were compiled by PAMCo for the period January to December 2018 and reflect the combined print and digital readership: 123,000 people enjoy the printed version of the magazine every month and 47,000 the digital edition. CYCLING FOR CHARITY Macnabber and keen rod Orlando Hill is cycling 2,800 miles with four friends to raise £12,500 for the Atlantic Salmon Trust and three other charities. Leaving London on 24 June, they hope to reach Istanbul on 27 July. “It’s going to be a serious adventure,” said Hill, who has just left Newcastle University. To donate, go to: uk.virginmoneygiving. com/London_to_Istanbul SCULPTURE OF…

A TRIO of shire estates land on my desk, prompting a journey from Berkshire, through Oxfordshire and up to Inverness-shire. The total value tops £21m and 1,650 acres. No doubt if Jeremy Corbyn gets in and gets his way that will be sub-divided into 3,300 half-acre allotments. Friends of the Earth campaigner Guy Shrubsole has written a book, Who Owns England?. In it, he claims that half the country is owned by less than 1% of the population. Hardly breaking news but what jars with Shrubsole, not shy about hiding his prejudices, is that among these landowners are “a few thousand dukes, baronets and country squires” as he rails against the inequality of landownership so “heavily concentrated in the hands of a tiny elite”. Apparently, if you divided England up…

CHAFFCOMBE CHARD, SOMERSET This is the opportunity to build a new house within 40 acres of Somerset countryside or to rebuild Chaffcombe House, which burnt down in 2017 and is not listed. The elevated site, with surrounding parkland and landscaped gardens, looks out to the Blackdown Hills. The grounds include woodland, ponds and a large field with stabling. The parkland has an array of mature trees, including a collection of Wellingtonias. There is further land available by separate negotiation. Chaffcombe House is a mile from Chaffcombe and less than three miles from the market town of Chard. Agent: Savills Tel: 01392 455755 Guide price: £1.5 million…

“THE Exhibition of 1851 is to give us a true test and a living picture of the point of development at which the whole of mankind has arrived in this great task…” So proclaimed Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s husband, at the opening of the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations on 1 May in Hyde Park, London. As a showcase for industrial and agricultural products, it would be a resounding success, not only for the British exhibitors but for manufacturers from all over the world. This was especially true of those firms exhibiting firearms. For the sportsman visiting the ‘Crystal Palace’ (the Exhibition was held under 19 acres of glass, the building being erected in less than six months), they were witnessing the beginning of a…

ON the evening of 15 April, The Media Queen and I were in Venice awaiting the start of a performance of La Traviata when we heard a heart-breaking cry from a French couple behind us. They had discovered that Notre-Dame Cathedral was ablaze. Soon all of us were goggling at our various internet news connections. By the end of the opera, the extent of the disaster was apparent. A palpable gloom covered the many nationalities within the room. Rather wonderfully, all of us were as one consoling the French couple. “Civilisation is defined more by its institutions than its buildings,” a modern historian wrote in an article soon after. But I am not so sure. “It is interesting to see how public building design can be affected by the national…

1-31 Hampshire Food Festival More than 100 events, from gin making to cookery masterclasses taking place. Tel023 8073 3830;www.hampshirefare.co.uk 1-7 RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival (non RHS members 4-7) Hampton Court, Surrey. www.rhs.org.uk 5-7 GWCT Scottish Game Fair Scone Palace, Perthshire. Tel0739 588 7412;www.scottishfair.com 9-11 Great Yorkshire Show Great Yorkshire Showground, Harrogate. Tel01423 541222; greatyorkshireshow.co.uk 10-14 Henley Festival Henley Bridge, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. Tel01491 843404;www.henley-festival.co.uk 13-14 The Cotswold Show and Food Festival Cirencester Park, Cirencester, Gloucestershire. Tel01285 652007;www.cotswoldshow.co.uk 13-27 Forde Abbey Annual Sweet Pea Fortnight Forde Abbey, Chard, Somerset. Tel01460 221290;www.fordeabbey.co.uk 17 Lycetts Festival of Hunting East of England Showground, Peterborough. Young handlers class introduced this year. Tel01733 363524;www.festivalofhunting.com 19-11 August Big Butterfly Count Volunteers to spend 15 minutes counting butterflies. www.bigbutterflycount.org 20-21 The Great British Food Festival Knebworth House,…

WAR HORSE Many families, like Herbert and Ellen Orpwood, sent their children to fight in World War One. Jim, Thomas and Jack Orpwood went to France. Jack went to the front on 20 May 1915 and was shot dead on 22 June; Thomas and Jim returned. Twenty-six men from Ewelme joined up; 20 never returned. The devastation for a small village must have been awful. Thomas, who was in the Queen’s Own Oxfordshire Hussars, Winston Churchill’s regiment, took Nancy, his horse, with him to the front [pictured below]. The Hussars were keen to enlist farmers as they knew how to ride and had their own horses. At the outset of the war, the British Army owned 25,000 horses; they compulsory purchased others under the horse mobilisation scheme, shipping out 500…

KINGS END FARMHOUSE RICHBOROUGH, SANDWICH, KENT This six-bedroom property is a Grade II-listed farmhouse dating from the 15th century. It has been restored by the current owners and comes with one acre of land, with a small paddock and a tennis court. Period features include exposed timbers and vaulted ceilings. Agent: Finn’s Tel: 01304 614471 Guide price: £1.1m WINSTITCHEN FARM SIMONSBATH, MINEHEAD, SOMERSET A traditional Exmoor hunting box with farmhouse, cottage and stabling. The Victorian property, built of local stone and currently a successful holiday let, dates back to 1840 and comes with nearly six acres of land, including three paddocks with their own water supply. Agent: Pritchard & Company Tel: 01608 801030 Guide price: £850,000 BLAIRS OF FETTERESSO STONEHAVEN, ABERDEENSHIRE This four-bedroom house, dating back more than 100 years,…

BATSFORD FARMHOUSE RUSHLAKE GREEN, HEATHFIELD This is a late medieval farmhouse set in Wealden countryside at the end of a long track, five miles from Heathfield. The four-bedroom property has been restored with new oak joinery merging with the aged oak beams. Just over half an acre of garden. Agent: Savills Tel: 01892 507000 Guide price: £950,000 This compact rural estate, in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, is on the market for the first time in 50 years. Surrounded by 32 acres, the Grade II-listed house dates from the 17th century. There is also a period barn, a bungalow and a range of farm buildings. Agent: Batcheller Monkhouse Tel: 01424 775577 Guide price: £1.45m PEASMARSH GROVES This six-bedroom house, built in the Sussex vernacular with stone, brick and clay…

“Tackling the ‘associated fishing tackle’ section is akin to climbing soft-snow mountains” WITH every ack emma expedition it’s best to pack the night before, while the mind’s less bleary. It doesn’t always work, of course. I still smart at the memory of pitching up at a charity clay shoot with the boo totally tickety – cap, sunglasses, squibs – only to find I’d left the gun in the cabinet. As a result, I often go through the ridiculous ritual of driving 100yd down the road, pulling into a layby and checking the gear once again. No. Much better to tick off all the clobber calmly the night before, which is never easy with fishing tackle as all the essentials are kept in an ancient fishing vest, its pockets ballooning with…

Much as we’d like to blame politicians (an approach that’s generally valid) it was Mother Nature who mucked up much of last season. The moors were hot when they should have been cool and vice versa, which together with an absence of rain did for many grouse moors. That was followed by a spell of capriciously northeasterly winds when many pheasant coverts are laid out for south-westerlies. Despite these meteorological darkenings of our sport, the usual shooting stars did burn brightly, together with a new sprinkling of those on that meteoric path to fame guaranteed by inclusion in The Field’s Top Shots annual list. We salute, as ever, those who have reached this stellar height and trust that readers, as ever, will let us know whom we’ve accidentally missed out…

Gundog Girls Training days, camps and shooting for women in Nottinghamshire. Tel 07891 232316; www.facebook.com/gundoggirlsbrand Gibbletore A range of training days for different abilities in Kent. Tel 01303 844393; www.stevewanstallgundogs.co.uk FarlaVale Four-day training holidays based at the Newburgh Priory Estate in North Yorkshire; accommodation at Newburgh House. Tel 01904 737148;www.farlavale.co.uk Oakshot Set in stunning scenery at Glenisla, Angus, Graham and Heather Slater offer a series of different training sessions with accommodation. Tel 01575 582740;www.oakshot.com AislablyLodge A favourite with triallers, flexible sessions and accommodation at Aislaby Lodge Cottages in the Esk Valley, near Whitby. Tel 01947 811822; www.aislabylodgecottages.com Kestrelway Near Evesham, a range of training options including live training in the field on special dog-training focused shooting days. Tel 07516 528868; www.kestrelwaygundogs.co.uk Sealpin Based in the Borders on the beautiful Riddell…

MORSGAIL: I had a half-dozen salmon off this bonsai river system when the conditions were hopeless. Off a spate it can be sensational. BIGHOUSE: with 15 miles of the River Halladale, if the fish are in you’ve got no excuse. Exceptional trout fishing on numerous hill lochs is there as a ‘backstop arrangement’, should trade talks with the salmon break down. LAIRG LODGE: the River Shin is a remarkably reliable salmon river. Lairg Lodge has miles of fishing for up to eight rods and more than 50 named pools. For Morsgail, Bighouse and Lairg contact George Goldsmith on 0131 476 6500; www.georgegoldsmith.com GLENCALVIE ESTATE: two Carron beats, Glencalvie and Gruinards, and accommodation in either the luxuriously grand Glencalvie Lodge or the smaller and secluded Diebidale. Lower down the Carron and…

SPORT can help bring nations together, celebrate history, develop teamwork and enable men and women, young and less young, to work together in the pursuit of brilliance. But rarely do you find all this encapsulated in a single event. The King’s Cup, however, a one-of-a-kind race taking place at Henley Royal Regatta (HRR) this July, might just manage it. “The concept has been several years in the making and for me personally, a tally of 138 days away to date building the necessary links, support and confidence that we can make this happen,” says Chris Hartley, chair of the organising committee. “The Henley Regatta Stewards — and Sir Steve Redgrave, who chairs the management committee — have been terrifically supportive.” This race is a reincarnation of the original King’s Cup…

TAKING A BACK SEAT IN STYLE Q I am looking for a back car seat cover, with straps around the head rest, for when our dogs are in the car. We have a Volvo V60. Can you help? GA, Berwickshire A There are many car seat covers on the market but for a fully fitted back seat version for your model of car contact Over The Top on 01455 890998. It offers made-to-measure, waterproof, custom, back seat covers on many models of car, including the Volvo V60 from 2010 to 2018 and now the V60 from 2018 onwards. The covers have a non-slip base and are held in place by clips around the head rest. They cost £149 and will take 10-15 days to deliver. Note that under Highway Code…

I WAS brought up surrounded by a family with a long sporting heritage, from my grandfather – an avid shooter and fisherman who also spent most of his time in the hunting season as a follower – to my father, who is also a keen and good shot and the owner of a game farm. He was studying at the Royal Agricultural College in Cirencester but dropped out to set up a small game-rearing business in 1974. As time has gone on the business has grown and now produces more than 130,000 pheasant poults a year plus a few partridges. Growing up, I spent most of my free time helping my father. I even learnt my basic maths by counting eggs from the laying hens into the baskets, though I…

IT’S a tricky business this winemaking lark. You might think that all you need to do is plant a vine, water it, wait for the sun to shine, the grapes ripen and then pick them, press them, ferment the juice, bottle the result and, voilà, Bob’s your proverbial. Well, yes, that’s it in essence, of course, but it’s a whole lot more convoluted than that. What vines do you plant and where? How do you train them? How do you harvest the grapes? Do you ferment the juice in oak, steel or concrete? In what do you age the wine and for how long? Do you bottle the wine under screwcap or cork? And so on and so on. There’s one heck of a lot to ponder. I would argue,…

Riverfly census shows alarming declines Results of a three-year study carried out by Salmon & Trout Conservation (S&TC) between 2015 and 2017 blamed industrial, agricultural and domestic pollution for the “worrying declines” of aquatic insects in English rivers. Of the dozen rivers sampled in the Riverfly Census, the Camel and Dove came top for water quality and the Welland and Wensum bottom. The Census found a loss in mayfly species of up to 44% since 1998 on Britain’s chalkstreams. Population declines were found on the Itchen of 43%, the Test and Avon of 37% and Lambourn of 44%. “The evidence is clear, our rivers urgently need our help. Current regulation and management are not managing to halt the frightening decline of aquatic insects, let alone reverse it,” said Dr Janina…

MOST VIEWED A nobility of labradors We shared this super picture of the Drakeshead labradors from our archive and asked readers, “What could be the collective noun for a group of labradors?” ‘A nobility’ of labradors received the most likes, with ‘an honesty’, ‘an intelligence’, ‘a confusion’, ‘a legend’ and ‘a libation’ also popular. “I was thinking ‘a regiment’ of labradors,” shared one Fielder, “but my 11-year-old daughter, who has lost many an unguarded snack to ours, thinks ‘a vacuum’ of labradors.” #THEFIELDMAGAZINE British dogs in 1867 One Fielder unearthed The Dogs of the British Islands, 1867, by JH Walsh (aka ‘Stonehenge’), Editor of The Field from 1857-1888, and shared a fantastic, vintage Field advert from the book. Listing all of the topics covered by The Field, readers’ favourite sells…

1 DOUBLE GUNSLIP HICKS AND HIDES Thick, fleece-lined leather with block end for protection and full-length zip, leather flap, straps and brass fittings. Can be unbuckled and used separately. Choose either cognac or nubuck leather, in two lengths. Personalisation available. • Price 51in £315; 54in £329 • Tel 01386 852348 • www. hicksandhides.co.uk • Stand E352 2 THE ‘PEAT’ TWEED SHOOTING GILET MAUDE & FOX Made from fleece-lined brown Yorkshire tweed with slightly dipped back and high collar. Robust two-way zip and large pockets with a bottom gusset gives room for cartridges. Bang on. • Price £320 • Tel 01258 489628 • www. maudeandfox.com • Stand E352 3 12 BORE BOOST SPRAY PURDEY & SLOANE Five-in-one face mist; cools and calms windburn, hydrates and more. One of three innovative products from a new British brand. Keep fair in…

WHAT makes a good landlord-business-community relationship? Sharing the landscape with visitors but ensuring the occupants, locals and non-human residents remain happy. Private estates, with the shoot, farm and stables nicely contained, are terrific but an injection of cash from beyond the march-fence is essential for survival, particularly if there is a significant pile of bricks, mortar and a roof to maintain. Big-hitting enterprises, be they festivals or fairs, can stoke a local riot when the school run and daily commute clash with event traffic in an ugly log-jam of diversions and restrictions. Or, as one senior gentleman ranted about a notable local estate during our most recent parish AGM, visitors coming to see Countryfile Live in all its glory is terrific for an estate but the stampede of 100,000 anoraks…

“The rain had drenched our rooms, my flokati rug warming up nicely to smell of wet goat” IF you were ever to be in my bedroom and thought to open a particular cupboard door, you would be well advised to wear a body protector, air vest and helmet. Or to do it very carefully, inch by inch, while praying, because an avalanche of shoes and boots would likely tumble out and crush you. You’d be Flat Stanley-ed by 150 odd pairs of shoes, a selection of wellies and some silver moon boots, then skewered to the floorboards through the eyeball with a pair of ill-purchased stilettoes. My bedroom is relatively minimalist. The walls are bare, bar an envelope to me from Buckingham Palace (my mate in an office, but looks…

The Queen, and each participating nation, have contributed metal items of historic significance, to be melted down to form a new (yet to be revealed) cup designed in collaboration with Ottewill silversmiths. The prizes have been worked on by apprentices from both the Cutlers and Goldsmiths’ Livery companies. The New Zealand Defence Force team’s donations include tunic buttons from World War One uniforms, and a small amount of metal taken from their original King’s Cup boat. The French are sending four Croix de Guerre — awarded for bravery in each year of World War One. Canada’s donation includes some copper from the highest point of its parliament building; the American contribution includes some metal taken from fittings on the first warship commissioned by the US by George Washington— the USS…

ACCORDING to the Kennel Club’s annual registration figures, the French bulldog is now Britain’s most popular breed of pedigree dog, narrowly pushing the labrador into second place. No doubt M Macron will be pleased at this rare Gallic success, but it’s worrying news for anyone who cares about canine welfare. The French bulldog is one of the most unhealthy of breeds, suffering from a long list of hereditary complaints, ranging from deafness and hip dysplasia to respiratory disorders, spinal problems, eye diseases such as cherry eye, heart disease and joint diseases. Buy one at your peril. Despite their extraordinary popularity (more than 35,000 were registered in 2018), I rarely see French bulldogs. They are urban dogs, seldom venturing into the countryside, so not worthy of consideration in Sporting Dog. I…

THE COUNTRYMAN Johnny Scott is a natural writer, gifted with the ability to enliven even the most jaded country soul. He writes with glistening fluidity – fresh, knowledgeable and sparing. The editorial team at The Field is fortunate enough to talk to the writer. And every time we do so, we are left wiser. There is no lecturing, no hectoring, no soap-boxing. Just talk. Talk that may turn to hunting and politics, the weather, the seasons, salmon, dogs, horses and anything else that takes conversational fancy. In fact, the sort of talk that was turned into columns and features for The Field, and those are now brought together in this seasonal compendium. After an introduction the book is split into four sections: spring, summer, autumn and winter, with subjects spread…