Innehållsförteckning för November 2021 från The Field

‘TIS THE SEASON Make an early start to the Christmas shopping at the Spirit of Christmas Fair at Olympia London (1-7 November). It brings together more than 650 independent shops under one roof (spiritofchristmasfair.co.uk). SHOOT FOR THE STARS Nominations are open for the 2021 BASC Ladies’ Star of Shooting Awards. The categories are: Target Shooting Star for clay shooting, air-rifle shooting, coaching and support; Field to Fork Star, for game cooks and caterers; and Game and Gamekeeping Star, for game shooters or those who help make a day in the field a success (basc.org.uk/ladies/basc-ladies- shooting-awards). BID FOR SALMON The Atlantic Salmon Trust is holding its annual auction to raise funds for its research projects, which track salmon’s migration journey. Among the star lots is a three-day stay in the legendary…

IT may come as a surprise to read that Will Carling – capped 72 times by England and captain on 59 occasions – played professional rugby for less than three years. That’s a lot of matches in three years except, of course, his international career spanned almost a decade. The first seven were spent playing rugby as an amateur. In 1995, exactly a century after rugby was split into two codes, league and union, the game became a professional sport. The significance of this being that players could now earn a living from rugby union. From there, standards went through the roof, as did the quality of the players. In Carling’s final year as an amateur, the average weight of the national team was 84.8kg; by the time England hosted…

Write to: The Editor, The Field, 161 Marsh Wall, London E14 9AP. Email: field.secretary@futurenet.com LETTERS MAY BE EDITED FOR CLARITY OR SPACE SMART THINKING With regard to dressing appropriately in the hunting and shooting fields, Netia Walker [Seeing red, October issue] tactfully suggests that “members of the field, when dressed down, do look more like a rabble”. So true. To be smartly dressed inspires confidence, both in the wearer and the beholder, that they care and know what they are doing, even if possibly riven internally with doubts. Top-quality hunting and shooting attire has evolved to offer maximum protection against the elements and some of the inevitable risks encountered when hunting and shooting. For shooting, tweed once reigned supreme but the best modern shooting jackets are both smart and vastly…

ELMSTREE HOUSE ESTATE TETBURY, GLOUCESTERSHIRE This 117-acre estate borders Highgrove and is on the market for the first time since 1949. The main Elizabethan-style manor house, set in parkland, dates from 1844, while there is a 17th-century four-bedroom farmhouse connected via a wing that was built in 1900. There is a walled garden and a small boating lake, while the range of outbuildings is ripe for development, subject to planning consents. Agent: Strutt & Parker Tel: 07912391202 Offers in excess of £7.5m THE AVIARIES SHEPTON MONTAGUE, BRUTON, SOMERSET A Somerset estate extending to 355 acres, the sale includes full planning permission for a contemporary house, pavilion and swimming pool. The Aviaries forms part of a former Georgian estate, Redlynch Park, and there is also a four-bedroom, Grade II-listed Georgian lodge…

According to Noel Coward, the function of a stately home is to prove the upper classes still have the upper hand. But, really, who cares about having the upper hand? The important thing is the sporting. For example, Historic England notes rather sniffily in its description for Grade I-listed The Stables at Goodwood House: ‘These are more distinguished architecturally than the outside of the house.’ Surely this is hardly worth commenting on? Horses, hounds, gundogs, shooting, fishing and hunting have always mattered more – hence the existence of the stately hut. Sometimes architecturally significant, sometimes simply snug, the stately hut is both idiosyncratic and indispensable to our sporting lives. If you are lucky enough, you will take your shoot elevenses in one, perhaps a Georgian folly conveniently situated within celebrating…

I had always assumed that early man invented weapons to kill his fellow man, as in Richard Connell’s short story The most dangerous game. Now, modern archaeologists tend more towards the theory that man created weapons to hunt the game he was so reliant on – the theory being that, back in earliest times, there were so few humans wandering around that there was little need to fight one another. So, larger armed group meets smaller, similarly armed group; smaller group, anxious to avoid being slaughtered, backs off – much as most armies tried to do until relatively recent times. After all, there was enough space for everyone, even if there was competition for the snuggest cave, nearest the best water and closest, it follows, to the most meat on…

Back in the early days of cycling, among the two-wheeled invention’s most notable fans was the 7th Earl of Albemarle, sometime war minister in the governments of Lord Salisbury and Benjamin Disraeli, and a forebear, of course, of the Duchess of Cornwall. “England may be looked upon as the home of cycling,” Albemarle wrote in his 1887 book, Cycling. “The national habit of organisation which our countrymen possess in an eminent degree, and the national love for every form of strong personal exertion, combine to make it a pursuit in every way adapted to the taste of our people. “The shady lanes of the south country, and the hilly roads of the north, appear to offer equal attraction; and now, though scarcely 10 years have elapsed since the first bicycle…

EVEN though he is one of our most popular sporting artists, John Trickett still isn’t quite sure if he is getting it right. “I have just this moment finally put the brush down on my latest painting and it feels rather nice to take a break and chat,” he says, admitting: “I had been struggling with this one. I have been painting a series of large-canvas Scottish scenes to commission. This latest painting features an elderly stag holding hinds and chasing off a newcomer, although it is really a bit of an excuse to paint the Highland landscape, and I have made it a bit more imaginative – but I kept changing it. Then my wife said, ‘You don’t need that rock there’, and she is right.” So the artistic…

FOR years, I’ve bemoaned the fact that working springer spaniels have got smaller, whiter and more whippety, and about as far removed from the breed standard as it’s possible to go and still call them English springers. I’ve also noted, without enthusiasm, the trend for trialling labradors to become faster, lighter and altogether more racey. However, I’m now having second thoughts. Who really needs a big dog when a smaller one will do the job just as well? My change of opinion was prompted originally by the arrival of Emma the sprocker into the Tomlinson household. She was a small puppy but I assumed naively that, when she matured, she would fill out and become what I would call a proper-sized spaniel. Now, at three, she still weighs a mere…

Freshwater charities are calling for the Government to take urgent action to save British rivers. Noting that only 16% of English freshwater achieves good ecological status and that 13% of UK aquatic wildlife is at risk of extinction, with many more species in decline, Wildlife and Countryside Link has published a blueprint for recovery. The charity’s CEO, Richard Benwell, arguing that, “the government must multiply funding to reduce nutrient and chemical run-off, rein in abstraction, and invest in habitat restoration, so that our freshwaters can become blue corridors, connecting ecosystems and bringing nature into the heart of communities”. And Salmon & Trout Conservation (S&TC) has lodged a formal complaint over sewage discharge with the Office for Environmental Protection, “borne of our continuous frustration at the lack of any attempt to…

Carduelis carduelis In the Middle Ages, the flash of red on a goldfinch’s head was believed to be a symbol of the blood of Christ, acquired while trying to retrieve seeds from the crown of thorns. This association with the Passion meant they were considered as ‘saviour’ birds. The 1654 Dutch Golden Age painting byCarelFabritiusdepictsthe artist’s pet bird chained on a perch; it attracts long queues in the Mauritshuis in The Hague, where it’s part of the permanent collection. The painting plays a central role in American author Donna Tartt’s 2014 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel ProtagonistTheodoreDecker takes it from the rubble after a bomb explodes at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Popular Victorian pets, they were known to perform dexterous tricks, including drawing up water from a glass…

To think too much at the wrong moment and stop mid-swing or as you pull the trigger, may be noted as amongst the cardinal sins in shooting (breaches of safety apart). The Marquess of Ripon, arguably the greatest game shot of all (and a man who had despatched half-a-million birds before he died in the heather shooting grouse in 1923), left this brief but sage shooting advice, quoted in King Edward VII, as a Sportsman, by Alfred Edward Thomas Watson: “aim high, keep the gun moving and never check…” The tendency to hesitate, stop mid-swing and then miss afflicts the most experienced Shots as well as novices (myself included). It may be a habitual or occasional error. (It is also notable that many Guns rush to a stop – rushing…

Grayling have a huge following among the up-and-coming fly generation of ‘kids’ under 40. I’m a wee bit older than them now but I can see their point; grayling are truly, utterly, blissfully wild. They have always existed in spite of – not because of – man’s interference and that makes them fascinating. They are as beautiful, with an elegance trout can only envy, as they are cunning, suspicious of anything we offer them that doesn’t look ‘right’. Their fight is inexhaustible, alternating between hair-raising rushes and long periods of dour, sullen resistance. All grayling are great but it is big ones – the 3lb-plus specimens – that are the Holy Grail among devotees. At 3lb, a grayling becomes a different fish, often black in colour, bull shouldered, a gob-smacking…

How many different reasons there are to enjoy a hedge. Whether it’s to drink in its shade on a summer’s walk, comb its foliage for sloes or damsons in autumn, or – my own favourite – watch a horse browsing for rosehips, young hawthorn, cow parsley or hazel, a hedgerow brings pleasure in abundance. While we all have our own idea of ‘the perfect hedge’, that picture will be coloured by what you want it for: to obscure a neighbour’s trampoline; keep cattle in your fields; attract songbirds; or, simply, as in my case, to go flying over in hot pursuit of hounds. Most of us know the value of hedgerows to wildlife and the environment, acting as corridors, larders and weather shields for species ranging from hedgehogs to dormice…

PHEASANTS KEN HUNT A fine, evocative November scene to set sportsmen day-dreaming of previous shoot days and those to come. This giclee print is a limited-edition of 100, signed and numbered by the artist, Ken Hunt, a renowned engraver of Best English guns. Sold unframed, the size with border is 50cm x 40cm; without border, 41cm x 30cm. Price: £160 Email: info@kenhunt.co.uk kenhunt.co.uk FIELD POPPY ON MUSLIN ROBERT KIME Inspired by fabric found romantically ‘fluttering in a dusty shop in Jaipur’, this timeless and peaceful design on cotton muslin makes airy curtains and works wonderfully on lampshades. A contemplative touch for the 11th month, too. Also in a heavy linen. Width 132.5cm (approx 52in), printed width 129cm (approx 50in), pattern repeat 20cm (7?in), joining width 129cm (just under 51in) Price:…

YOU can tell from where someone is sitting in the saddle when they ride over fences or hurdles whether they have a background in hunting; it gives you the skills to understand where to be and what to do if you do hit a fence, and to get yourself out of a muddle when you’re hanging on for dear life. I grew up a stone’s throw from Fairyhouse racecourse in County Meath, and the first pony I hunted with the Ward Union was a lovely Connemara called Twink. My four older brothers had ridden her previously so she was well schooled and pretty bombproof when I got her. I don’t ever remember being nervous as a child — I suppose I was fortunate always to have nice hand-me-down ponies. When…

THE first couple of days in the new Subaru Outback weren’t a great success. It was like meeting up with an old acquaintance, hoping for a week of fun and laughter, only to find he’s joined a puritan cult. The once free-spirited Outback has been comprehensively shackled by alarms, warnings, beeps, bongs and shuddering steering wheels – although, to be fair to Subaru, this is the way of the world. The ‘face scanning and monitoring system’ is one of the creepiest things I’ve ever come across, although it failed to spot the difference between me checking out the neighbours’ harvest progress and ‘telegraph pole-ing’ the road ahead – so it may have just been shouting “Keep eyes on the road!” at random. Mind you, it did provoke an outbreak of…

After the pandemic almost cancelled the 2020 season, Guns are eager to make up for it this year. The Game Shooting Census, carried out by GunsOnPegs and Lycetts, has revealed that people intend to buy an average of 9.1 days in 2021 (against eight in the past), spending £1,312 more than they did last year. But if there’s a clear appetite for more days, the same is not true of bigger bags. According to the Game Shooting Census, average bag size stands at 120, but about 15% of Guns plan to shoot on smaller days this year. Another survey, run by Savills in association with GWCT, confirms a relative lack of interest in bag size, with only 15% of respondents saying it is a very important part of a day…

LAB LOVE Bacchus the labrador, looking dreamy as he leans against his owner’s leg, charmed many Fielders on Instagram, drawing compliments both for his looks and for the sense of companionship between him and his human. It also tugged at the heartstrings of those who lost their own dog: “I miss my black lab,” wrote a poster. “This photo reminded me of him. That expression. Brutus, the kindest, most knowing dog.” SPICK AND SPAN A portrait of a perfectly coiffed young lady picker-up, immaculately dressed in a fine knit and checked breeks, encountered much praise on Instagram, but also left Fielders puzzled: “How is she not covered in blood, mud and spaniel footprints?” wondered a poster. And an equally sporty ‘Mr Spiffington’ added: “The last time Spiffington hoisted some freshly…

This 42-acre compact country estate in Kirkpatrick Fleming, near Lockerbie, centres around a Georgian mansion built in Dumfriesshire sandstone and scheduled as Listed Building Category A by Historic Scotland. It has two single-storey wings built onto the west end of the house, including stabling. As well as the gardens, there is grazing and woodland, and a field shelter and dressage arena among the equestrian facilities. The property has fishing rights of around 440 metres on Kirtle Water, with rights of access over the surrounding fields. The Solway Firth sits to the south with Galloway Forest Park to the west and the Lake District National Park a short drive away. Mossknowe House is 13 miles from Lockerbie and Carlisle. Agent: Finest Properties Tel: 01434 622234 Guide price: £2m STAR BUY…

It was out with the Bicester with Whaddon Chase, behind former Joint Master Ian McKie, that Irishman Louis Murphy was faced with a solid wooden gate. “I swear to God, I’ve never been so scared in all my life; if you hit a gate, you and the horse are going to have an unhappy ending,” he recounts with theatrical storytelling. For more than 40 years, Murphy and his brother, Bryan, have lured people to their Dunraven Arms Hotel in County Limerick for hunting holidays, to face the fearsome ditches and drains of the Emerald Isle. But it was on this side of the Irish Sea, in the seemingly tame Home Counties, that he found his nerve wavering. “I love the banks and ditches — the bigger the better — but…

TOM AND JERRY have been sparring since 1821. Four days before the Coronation of George IV, Pierce Egan published Life in London: Or the day and night scenes of Jerry Hawthorn, esq, and his elegant friend Corinthian Tom, in which his two characters, Tom and Jerry, live their lives in London moving through the misery of low life set against the prodigal waste and folly of high society. Their namesakes continued sparring in cat and mouse form from 1940. Egan was keen to introduce real figures into his fiction. This illustration by George and Isaac Robert Cruikshank shows Gentleman John Jackson, who had a short boxing career but became even more famous in retirement. He encouraged gentlemen to learn the science of boxing. Here, the fictional Tom, on the right,…

IT is remarkable what gunsmiths of the past could achieve with iron, steel and wood. In the absence of lightweight plastics and metal alloys, they had to be creative when balancing the weight of a gun against its sturdiness, ensuring that their pieces could withstand the wear and tear of a working life. One example in the collection of the Royal Armouries demonstrates an approach by Thomas Turner, a gunmaker active throughout much of the 19th century, mainly in Birmingham. At one time, he claimed favourable reviews from the huntsman to the Emperor of Russia. Unrelated to the Reading-based gunmaker of the same name, Turner was a staunch advocate of the lightweight sporting gun and this was reflected in some of the arms that he produced throughout his long and…

THIS month’s test gun is a London-made 30in .410 side-by-side sidelock by Smith & Torok. It is made on the Purdey-Beesley self-opening system with a rounded action bar. Maker Alex Torok is one of a team of ex-Purdey men who set up independently in 2013. Sadly, Mike Smith died four years ago but Torok continues under the joint name in tribute to his friend and former bench colleague. First impressions are of an elegant small-bore finished to highest London standard. This attractive but not over-gaudy little gun weighs 5 1/2lb. It balances on the hinge pin. It feels more solid than its weight might suggest. The wood is well figured, the silver finished action is decorated with Smith & Torok house rose and scroll developed by Martin Smith (Mike’s cousin).…

AS hardy as most people I meet on shoots are, I am yet to meet a Gun, gamekeeper or guest who does not look utterly delighted at the sight of a steamy dish of food when coming in from the cold. With this in mind, my recipes this month are designed to provide warmth and comfort. The ramen may look time consuming but once you have begun slurping (as is the custom) the silky noodles submerged beneath the aromatic broth you will know the effort was well worth it. If you have a slow cooker lurking in the cupboards, now is the time to dust it off and give it pride of place in the kitchen. Pheasant cooks perfectly in a slow cooker, as do the irresistible, light, fluffy dumplings.…