These beautiful pictures were loved by judges of Bucks Photography and Young Photography Open competition organised by Discover Bucks Museum. Vote in the people’s choice award!
This month saw the launch of the Celebrating Bucks Photography Exhibition at Discover Bucks Museum in Church Street, Aylesbury.
The exhibition showcases stunning photographs that capture the landscape, people, heritage, wildlife and beauty of Buckinghamshire – all taken by talented local photographers. Both amateur and professional photographers of all ages have taken part and were inspired by the theme of Celebrating Buckinghamshire. The team received almost 150 entries and 100 are on show in the exhibition.
The judging panel included Professor Sri-Kartini Leet (Bucks New University) and Richard Carr (Bucks Radio) and the prizes were presented by Cllr Mini Harker (Chairman of Buckinghamshire Council).
A huge congratulations to our competition winners, whose exceptional photos are featured in the exhibition. The winners in each age group are; Bucks Photography open competition (age 18 & over):
• 1st prize: Babes in the Wood by Marie Thorphe • 2nd prize: Brill Windmill at Sunset by Victoria Timms • 3rd prize: Kite Flying in The Chilterns by Jenny Seabrook
Young Photography Open Competition (age 17 & under) Award winner: Playing with light around the bonfire by Tobias Haseldine, age 12 Award winner: Experiencing Autumn by Ibrahim Mirza, age 12 Award winner: Autumn at Stowe – falling leaves by Emilia Skinner, age eight.
Visitors to the exhibition can also vote for their favourite in both age groups in the People’s Choice Award.
The last day of voting will be 21st April and the People’s Choice Awards will be announced at Discover Bucks – Discover Bucks and on social media.
The exhibition runs until 4th May, so don’t miss your chance to experience this visual journey through our beautiful county. Many of the photographs are for sale.
Amersham Concert Club invite you to enjoy a piano recital with one of their most popular star pianists, Viv McLean, on Saturday 22nd February at Amersham Free Church
Viv McLean will make a welcome return to play for Amersham music-lovers this month, with a programme taking the audience on a whirlwind trip from the late Baroque world of Scarlatti to the early Romantic music of Beethoven.
The concert opens with four of Scarlatti’s many sonatas written for the harpsicord and early piano, including Brahm’s intriguing Variations and Fugue on a Theme.
The second half of the concert will start with Mozart’s popular C Major Sonata, followed by Beethoven’s mighty and tempestuous Appassionata Sonata.
Viv won first prize at the Maria Canals piano competition in Barcelona, and since then has performed in all the major venues in the UK as well as throughout Europe, Japan, Australia and the USA. Viv’s concerto work includes appearances with the RPO, Philharmonia Orchestra, LPO, Halle Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, Sinfonia Viva, Orchestra of the Swan, Orchestra of St John’s, Northern Chamber Orchestra, Scottish Concert Orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestra.
In recent years, Viv has played for the club as a soloist playing Beethoven, Chopin and Gershwin, with cellist Anna Neary, and with Shiry Rashovsky and Jessica Duchen in a programme of words and music celebrating Vaughan Williams. Versatile and engaging, his performances never fail to delight.
The Colour Emporium is the brainchild of Katie Holman who creates hand-dipped candles in a rainbow of hues in Shamley Green, with her friend Charlie Hardesty
If you’re in need of a dopamine hit (and who isn’t at this gloomy time of year?!), a quick look at The Colour Emporiumshould do the trick.
Your retinas are sure of a turbo-charged boost thanks to the kaleidoscopic collection of dip-dyed candles and accessories crafted by Shamley Green mum of two Katie Holman who runs The Colour Emporium with her friend Charlie. The idea came after a year of lockdown gave Katie the itch to do something creative.
“Having spent the last five years raising my two children Bodhi and Zephie, I had a lot of time to toy with a lot of different ideas for a business premise,” she says. “Having trained in costume-making before becoming a design and technology teacher, I’ve always felt a calling to do something creative with my time.
“It’s incredibly important to me that the products I create are unique and ethically made, and items you’re proud to display in your home or gift to friends and family.
“I love colour in every shade that it comes and hope everyone can find something to suit your colour palette. All of the candles I make have been hand-dipped in colourful paraffin wax to evoke a fun and joyous feeling when placed in your homes or on the dining table.”
The huge variety of dip-dyed candles includes the likes of Neon Sea; a vibrant marbled concoction, the uplifting zesty Club Tropicana, and the pastel beauties Tender Tulips.
These have won The Colour Emporium lots of interest in interiors magazines and blogs all over the world and the global customer base to go with it, with fans Down Under.
Katie also shares her experiences on social media, including “the mess, the mistakes, the fun bits”. “There is nothing more satisfying than dipping these beauties but I know as much as the next person that we aren’t on here to watch perfection all the time,” says Katie on one video sharing the thrills and spills of her creative process in the family garage.
“I take inspiration from all sorts of places; my garden, the seasons, food, art and more, then work on creating a combination that I feel will work in a variety of settings and bring a splash of colour to your interiors. Because of the nature of handmade products, each candle may differ slightly from one another but I think this only adds to the appeal of having something truly one of a kind.”
Rosalia Ferrara’s capsule collection of colourful organic totes, tea towels, cards, T-shirts & more is a tribute to literary legends
Brontë Bitch is a collection celebrating the legacy of the iconic Brontë sisters and their family.
It’s a homage to the literary trailblazers who shaped English literature with their powerful narratives and complex characters.
Brontë Bitch offers an array of beautifully illustrated designs featuring iconic quotes from their best sellers, that resonate with fans of the sisters and literature enthusiasts alike. The collection includes colourful tote bags, organic T-shirts, premium hoodies, tea-towels, greeting cards, key-rings all adorned with creative designs & quotes that reflect the spirit of the brand.
Amongst the standout items is the must-have popular hoodie, available in three colours, perfect for those chilly days spent reading or exploring the moors that inspired the sisters’ works. Prices for these original pieces range from £4 to £55, making it easy for anyone to own a piece of Brontë-inspired merchandise.
Neurodiversity champion Paula Knall, founder of Sew Assured, chats to us about her journey after being commended in the RAF honours list
School days are often cited as the best of your life, but those who grew up with undiagnosed special educational needs will often tell you the opposite. This is certainly the case for Paula Knall. “I was always very practical,” she tells us, “but I really struggled at school, with undiagnosed ADHD, ASD and dyslexia. I left school with very few qualifications. But I always worked and have been with my current employers for 15 years.”
In fact, such is Paula’s dedication to helping her colleagues that she has just been honoured for promoting neurodiversity in the RAF, a nod to her hard work supporting disabled people to obtain reasonable adjustments and supporting line managers with how to support their staff. Paula, who lives in Princes Risborough with her “long-suffering” husband, standard poodle and three cats, is also reaping the rewards of her newest venture, servicing and repairing sewing machines. She set up Sew Assured last year after finding a gap in the market. “I love to craft,” she explains. “I started sewing in about 2017, when I was given a 1965 Singer sewing machine. I also had a Toyota that I’d made curtains on, when I bought my first home in 1990. I found a gentleman to service them both and he told me that most engineers were of a ‘certain age’ as they were trained by Singer, when they used to have a shop in every town.
“Then, when my machine broke I struggled to find someone to repair it, despite many phone calls, so I decided to learn how to do it myself. Last year, I started to think seriously about how I’d be able to supplement my income and future pension. Knowing my creativity would only ever be a hobby (most crafters will tell you that you can never charge the true cost of what you make, in relation to time, materials and any actual profit) I started to explore becoming an engineer myself. I’ve always been extremely practical and relatively adept at fixing things.”
Paula passed her training and exams – with 100% – and started Sew Assured, at the end of October. “Within a couple of weeks, I’d fixed a few and had several enquiries. I can’t carry out electrical repairs (only mechanical), but I’ve had at least two machines a week in for repair or service and I’ve had great feedback. People are surprised it’s me behind the logo and not a man, but I have an aptitude for technical things and love it. One day I’ll have a machine in that’s 50 years old, the next, something under five. Manufacturers want people to buy new machines but, in most cases, with care and attention, a sewing machine will outlast the user.”
You can find Sew Assured on Facebook or call Paula on 07786 860438.
Emma J Williams, who won last year’s Swire Ridgeway Arts Prize, tells us about her work ahead of the Longwick Art Show this month
Art and wellbeing are definitely woven together for Emma J Williams. As well as making and exhibiting her beautiful artwork, drawings, collages and oil paintings inspired by the local landscape, she teaches art and wellbeing as part of the Bucks Adult Learning team.
The artist and tutor moved to Princes Risborough 12 years ago to raise her children. “I’ve always loved making art,” she tells us. “After leaving secondary school in Rugby, where I grew up, I went to art college and then on to do a degree at Norwich Art School and an MA in London. I create drawings, collages and oil paintings with the local landscape providing me with lots of inspiration. My work usually incorporates maps somewhere as well either using the map to draw on or to collage with.
“I love how close we are to the Chilterns – I can see Whiteleaf Cross from where I live and one of my favourite walks is up on the Ridgeway path to Brush Hill Nature Reserve with the lovely with over Risborough to Bledlow Ridge and beyond to Oxfordshire. I also love walking in the woods behind Whiteleaf Cross and around Pulpit Hill. This is where I get a lot of my inspiration for my ongoing tree drawings.”
Emma won last year’s Swire Ridgeway Arts Prize. The Ridgeway National Trail between Overton Hill at Avebury World Heritage Site and Ivinghoe Beacon in the Chilterns is a historic monument, artistic inspiration, a natural environment and more. To find out about entering this year visit Swire Ridgeway Arts Prize
You can admire work by Emma & others at Longwick Art Show 21st-23rd February at Longwick C of E School in Walnut Tree Lane, HP27 9SJ; visit longwickartshow.co.uk
Emma will also exhibit at the Pop-Up Art Exhibition at the Chilterns Neuro Centre in Wendover in March. “Both are great exhibitions to take part in and to visit,” adds Emma, “with lots of fantastic local art to see and buy and helps raise money. I also regularly exhibit with The Bucks Art Society – I’ve been a member since 2020 and I also open up my studio to the public during Bucks Art Weeks in June.
“There’s so much to enjoy locally. La Crepe Escape on the High Street is a real treat for a coffee and a pancake or a milkshake and Cymbeline Art and Cards is worth a visit for lovely cards and gifts.”
For more info about Emma’s work, please visit Axis | Emma J Williams and follow @emmajwilliamsart on Instagram.
Beaconsfield author John Strafford’s new book Battle for Monte Natale was inspired by the story of his father Ernest after finding his cross at the Field of Remembrance
One evening in November 2011, John was walking through the Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey when he saw a section containing the crosses of his father’s infantry regiment, the York & Lancaster Regiment.
There were, of course, lots of crosses and it was dark so he couldn’t read any names. However he had his camera with him and used the flashlight and zoom. The very first cross he saw was that of his father, Ernest Strafford.
“I was so shocked that tears streamed down my face.” says John, who set himself the challenge of finding out what happened to his father who was killed in action in January 1944. John was only 16 months old at the time and his mother had remarried in 1949. “Fortunately my stepfather treated me as though I was his own son, so I was very happy. I never really felt any desire to talk about my father.”
John was born in Sheffield, but has lived in Bucks for 50 years with his wife Caroline, raising three sons who all went to Thorpe House School and then Dr Challoner’s. John attended Hunters Bar primary and then the Duke of York’s Royal Military School in Dover, which was founded in 1803 for the sons of soldiers. He worked as an accountant for several major companies before starting his own manufacturing business which he sold in 2013.
John and Caroline have played an active part in the local community, including as members of the Gerrards Cross Memorial Centre. John served for Beaconsfield Constituency Conservative Association, of which he is still a member, and he awarded the Cleisthenes Award in 2023 for promoting democracy within the Conservative Party.
The Battle for Monte Natale was part of the bloodiest battle of the Italian Campaign. As part of his decade-long research, John made several visits to the battlefield as well as the National Army Museum, Imperial War Museum and National Archives in Kew to research military records and reports. In 2022 he took part in a television interview shown at the Roman Amphitheatre in Minturno.
“War is terrible and my greatest wish is that conflicts cease and the people of the world learn to live in peace,” adds John. As well as starring at literary festivals this year, John hopes to visit Germany to meet a man who gave him helpful information for the book.
John’s hardback book, containing more than 100 photos and maps, is out now, published by Pen & Sword. His other books include Our Fight for Democracy – A History of Democracy in the United Kingdom.
Hayley Trezise tells us about her new, permanent art installation set within the ancient beech tree woodland of Ipsden Estate where she also lives
This installation is a long-term project that’s very close to my heart,” Hayley tells us. “Every detail has been crafted to create a sacred space where visitors can connect with nature, themselves, and everything around them.
“It’s a healing space, offering people the opportunity to belong, reflect, confess and heal in a setting that encourages profound personal insights. The experience, even in the silence of sitting face-to-face with one of the sculptures, offers visitors a sense of peace and wisdom.”
Hayley is an intuitive multidisciplinary artist. She is also a fashion designer and shamanic practitioner. A true rule breaker and self-taught fashion rebel, her journey began with crafting clothes and rapidly evolved into the establishment of her own fashion brand. Today, she intertwines the diverse threads of her life into a colourful tapestry that encompasses these various realms. Rejecting artificial divisions, she firmly believes in the inherent connection between art and all aspects of existence, even wearable creations.
This installation is part of national project, Time to Connect, led by renowned photographer Alistair Morrison (Alistair Morrison).
At the core of Hayley’s process lies the exploration of liminal realms, a journey that comes to fruition through her mixed media creations. Infused with elements of healing, shamanic journeying, and intuitive expression, Hayley’s art serves to bridge dimensions.
Her artworks exude a sacred essence, stemming from their ritualistic origins. Every piece has an innate healing quality, extending an invitation to viewers to embark on their own journey — “a voyage into uncharted territories” and an embrace of boundless possibilities.
From fabric to machinery, paint and pencil to clay and concrete, Hayley creates intricate art forms, each with the potential for narrative interpretation. The stories encapsulated within these pieces remain open, as Hayley’s intention is to allow personal meanings to unfurl naturally, to awaken curiosity, raise an eyebrow in wonder, spark inquiries, and rekindle memories… As she says on her Instagram (@hayleytresizeart) “Let’s embrace every moment, notice every breath, cherish every interaction, and recognize every opportunity.”
You’re welcome to visit the installation in Ipsden Woods (what3words: resonates.awesome.trickles). For more info about Hayley & her work visit Hayley Trezise
Dad, writer, marketer, podcaster and “accidental mentor” to local young people Saj Tameez tells us about his love for life in Bucks, especially in the winter!
Saj Tameez is proof that the internet can be a force for good, his funny reels on TikTok and Facebook often poking fun at his home town, High Wycombe.
“I adore Wycombe and the greenery around it!” says the 42-year-old dad of three. “I know I make a lot of jokes online about the blunders our local councils and other organisations make, but it all comes from a place of love!
“I’ve spent my life in High Wycombe, and I’m still here! I’ve had the odd fantasy about escaping to some exotic beachside paradise, but honestly, the idea of moving even a few miles out of the Wycombe bubble makes me break into a cold sweat. I’m part of an unquantifiable number of Facebook groups, and somehow. I’ve become an accidental mentor for some of the youth in the community. In another life, I was the go-to for helping young people prepare for their exams, craft CVs, and practise for interviews. I also lend a hand with business ideas, guiding them through business plans and marketing strategies.”
Saj also runs two businesses, Bright Choice Marketing and Design Climb, offering content creation, branding, and web/app design and development. He’s also a business and marketing consultant and a published author. “Right now, I’m working on the third book in my DS Nick Bailey and DC Zoe Hall crime thriller series. The first two books are Perfect Little Lies and For Better, For Worse – Till Death Do Us Part. The third book, Gone in the Night, should be available for pre-order soon.
“I’m also working on a podcast called A Life Worth Living, where we focus on helping young people make smarter decisions to navigate the complexities and challenges life throws their way. I’ll be interviewing local reformed individuals who can share insights on avoiding a life of crime, along with professionals offering valuable perspective across various industries. I feel I’ve gained so much from High Wycombe, and now I want to give back by reinvesting what I’ve learned to help the next generation.
“Walking is one of my favourite activities – you’ll find me wandering everywhere, from Princes Risborough to the stunning Chilterns, happily trekking through any woods I can find. I love the thrill of getting lost and then playing the game of ‘how do I get back?’ I absolutely love the winter season! Yes, strangely enough, I find joy in dark grey skies, rain, thunder, and lightning. I know… please don’t judge me; just pray for me instead!”
Liz Nicholls chats to interior designer, dad & grandad Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, 59, who has helped design Rangeford Villages’ new luxury retirement villages, with his daughter Hermione
Watch the full interview here:
Q. Hello Laurence! How do you like to be addressed?! “Whoa, gosh that’s such a question. ‘Laurence’ is very cool, I’ve always liked being a Laurence… I was nearly a Lancelot; that was a good swerve to be honest. My father, who hankered thoughts that I’d play rugby for Wales, wanted me to be a Gareth.”
Q. Do people constantly misspell your name? “Yes, but I’m very relaxed about it. Y’know, ‘Laurence’ is nothing like as complicated as ‘Llewelyn’ so thank the Lord for small mercies! I regret the fact that Dr Johnson brought in spelling. It would all be much better if we just made it all up.”
Q. Can you tell us how you came to lend your peacock flourishes to Rangeford’s new retirement villages in Surrey & the Cotswolds? “It’s a very organic relationship, happenstance! Rangeford were building in Siddington, on the edge of my village. I work with Hermione and, as an almost 60-year-old myself, I feel the way forward for my generation is to entice people into a relationship with retirement living that’s based much more closely on boutique hotels rather than caravan parks. Just because you’re a specific number, just because you’ve had a specific amount of birthdays, and you have quite so many rings that you can see when you’re cut in half like a tree, that doesn’t mean that the design volume knob should be turned down. Older people are not frightened by design.
This is such an extraordinary odd and Western European attitude! Anywhere else in the world, being senior is seen as a ‘flowering’, as a moment of great accomplishment, a moment when everything you’ve created throughout your life can be celebrated. You celebrate that through colour and commitment, excitement, opulence! Unbeknown to us, that’s absolutely where Rangeford see themselves, too. I found it incredibly refreshing to find a company that understood this. My generation of Boomers who saw the Sex Pistols live don’t want to be shuffled into some ghastly oatmeal trailer park. Actually what we want is somewhere that keeps us active, diverted and alive! So many studies show that the more social contact we have the older we get, the longer we live. So as far as I was concerned it was the creation of a design landscape that drew all its inspiration from contemporary hospitality. I also wanted to reflect a lot of the things I love, especially since this first one was Cotswold-based, and to have a bit of an Arts & Crafts hat on. At the moment people are very interested in this. They see a Brit design legacy that’s not only worth celebrating but ridiculously rare.
We don’t have many things we can put our ‘Britain is Cool’ hat on for, other than William Morris and [Thomas] Chippendale. What William Morris and the Arts & Crafts movement did was incredibly influential throughout the world. It all comes from [Morris’s] love of nature. I think that’s one of the main inspirations from the Rangeford projects: they’re all about the exuberance of nature at its most engorged, its healthiest, its most vibrant, when you get as much chlorophyll as you possibly can. I wanted to create an environment that’s… chlorophyllaceous, if that’s a word! The interesting thing behind all of this, and what’s a big moment for me as an elderly ‘designosaur’ (and also for my business) is the point when Hermione is taking over as that arbiter, that figurehead.
This – we found out recently – is what happened with Williams and May Morris. When May Morris took over the business at the beginning of the 20th century suddenly it became a different and very successful proposition. What Hermione’s been enjoying with the installation in Surrey is that people come over and go “oooh gosh!”. There is that slight assumption that a Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen interior is going to be too tricky to live with, too many notes, too much colour, too stimulating! But this is good in the context of Rangeford. To everyone who’s said ‘ooh I actually love this’ she can say ‘yes that’s because it’s Hermione Llewelyn-Bowen, not Laurence! Hermione believes in a more holistic way. She feels that what she’s doing with my pattern legacy is to create spaces that have energy and vibrancy but aren’t necessarily full of… ‘poisonous looking weedy things’ as she calls them.”
Q. I’ve read that you live with your children & grandchildren, which sounds idyllic! Can you tell us about this multigenerational living arrangement? “In many ways it’s mirroring what I’m doing with Rangeford. They have this brilliant concept which is to encourage their buyers to see what they’re doing not as ‘downsizing’ but ‘rightsizing’. They want their buyers to think about creating a way of living that’s right for the physical resources they have. And, much more importantly, that hardwires the physical resources they’ll have in ten years or 20 years. What’s important for my generation is that you cannot be in denial about growing older. You cannot keep wearing the sportswear you were wearing when you were 20. You can’t keep the Oasis mullet that you sported when you were 20. You have to go with the flow slightly. Noël Coward had the most brilliant expression: he said you have to invite old age in and give it a cocktail. In other words you make it a very gentle transition rather than a point of crisis, a moment when your life is turned upside down.
And that’s very much what we are doing at home in terms of the way Jackie and I live; we’re occupying a fraction of what was a very large space for us on our own, but we’re tailoring it to suit everything that we enjoy. The other side of the house is lived in by Hermione and her husband and their two children and then Cecily and her husband and their two children live in a garage block on the other side of the courtyard. So we are the rock and roll Waltons! We do have that moment of ‘good night john boy’ and all of that stuff. Our grandchildren are an incredibly important part of our daily lives. Our children are intertwined with everything that we do – we work together and Cecily’s husband Dan is our commercial director, and I’m about to do a big publishing project with Cecile. We are literally living above the shop. That feels like it’s such a strange and anachronistic thing in this day and age but I actually think it’s a natural state of grace. This is exactly how families operated in the world, before the 20th century’s obsession with urbanity forced everyone to abandon the nest and leave it to the old crows, only returning occasionally. We are there supporting each other and it means Cecile and Hermione can spread their wings and be who they want to be. They’ve got the incredible safety net and support of Jackie who’s very much there for the children and for them. Meanwhile, of course for us, a stated scientific fact, people live longer and happier when they have as much access to younger people as possible, rather than being confined to somewhere that’s all about you and your generation. My grandchildren are growing up in an incredibly lively, vigorous space when they have cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, all very much a part of the daily tribe.”
Q. I did laugh when I saw your post on Instagram, saying you and Jackie were in Venice, spending the kids’ inheritance! Are you a romantic couple? And will you be celebrating Valentine’s Day this month? “We are incredibly romantic. And no, Valentines Day isn’t a big deal. I always feel that if you wait a year to do something romantic and thoughtful you’ve got something wrong there. We’re so lucky, we met each other at 19. So many people we know, in their sixties, they’ve only just met ‘the one’, but they haven’t got much of their life to spend together. We’ve done everything together: we’ve grown up together, we’ve built businesses together, we’ve taken risks, not doing programmes, doing other programmes, putting out product ranges, relaunching wallpaper in 1999, in the absolute teeth of the wallpaper depression when no one was buying wallpaper… I’ve always felt empowered, stabilised to do these things because I had my life, my real life, my home life. I was going home to an incredibly safe and secure environment so I felt safe. It encouraged me to be more ‘me’. This is something my daughters have said: they are now making some exciting decisions about who they are, what they a re and what they do. They’ve got this stable, rock-like foundation to be whoever they want to be. A lot of their friends, people their age, they’re querulous and very uncommitted to trying new things, because they’re still looking for that great relationship. Get on with that! Find the right one who allows you to be who you are!”
Q. You won our hearts on television. Do you watch much telly? “It makes me laugh with my sons-in-law because they have these enormous televisions, as their generation is wont, which we’re always trying to find concealments for when we’re doing interiors. And yet all these enormous televisions play is Peppa Pig and Bluey: they’re not there to watch international sport or nature documentaries at all. They’re being wasted on computer-generated animation. I rather like Bluey. I find it hard not to watch Bluey without having a little tear. I’m often being crawled on by grandchildren and we all find it very emotional – it’s a powerful watch! Of course, at the moment, we’re all over Jilly Cooper’s Rivals which is about where we live.”
Q. Yes! Rutshire, haha! Do you know Jilly? “Yes! I was sitting next to her a couple of nights ago, trying to convince her that she was almost certainly related to Daisy May Cooper, which would be two polar opposites here in the Cotswolds. Jilly and I have always got on very very well. I’m ashamed to admit I’ve never read any of her books. Rivals is not only set where we live and reeks horribly true on many social levels but it’s also giving me the most phenomenal PTSD from the 1980s. That was very much an era when Jackie and I were at these parties and doing that naughty thing, and it’s brought it all back, rather…”
Q. Speaking of the 1980s, I wonder whether you think there is such a thing as ‘good’ and ‘bad’ taste? “Basically, there is no such thing as good or bad taste. This is peculiarly British obsession, one that was created – if you want to be very boring about it – by the Earl of Burlington in 1720. That aside, it’s a class obsession because there was a general indoctrination that supposed that the ‘posher’ you were, the better your taste was, which is absolute rubbish! Particularly if you live in the Cotswolds; the poshest people have the most terrible taste most of time. Taste should always be subjective, in fact taste is a word I’ve never used. Taste suggests, etymologically, that it’s decided by committee. Style is a much more interesting word: it comes from the Latin ‘stylus’ which means pen. It implies that style is something you write, you change to suit yourself, and I think finding your own style is a much more important obsession than trying to achieve good taste. Half the time, particularly in Britain there’s an obsession with taste and avoiding bad taste so that you end up with no taste at all, and that’s absolutely what happened in the ’90s!”
Q. What’s the favourite interior you’ve ever visited, Laurence? “Oh, big question. I mean, I’ve just come back from Venice, as you say, which has a lot to see. I get very excited by interiors that tell stories, unlike the mass-produced ones with delusions of blandeur! When you see the same kind of colour scheme and the same kind of irritating inability to engage, they’re very unstimulating spaces. Inevitably historical rooms tell you a lot. Venice is a very interesting place because style was always unhindered. You never had to worry about being attacked Barbarians or Goths here because you were in an island in the middle of a lagoon. So you were allowed to show off as much as you bloody well wanted! There was no upper limit to showing off. Meanwhile, you were fantastically wealthy, you had access to incredible craftsmen, incredible artists, incredible materials. So a Venetian room is an act of a self-aggrandisement. And I find it very difficult not to fall in love with that kind of expressive aesthetic.”
Q. If you had a magic wand, what would you wish for? “For everyone to have a magic wand.”
Q. Do you have a favourite piece of music? “I like a lot of contemporary film music and gaming music, weirdly, including classical and opera. I continue to be very fond of artists like Goldfrapp. I tend not to like too much pop but my playlist is bonkers and eccentric; it’s like a dressing up box of extraordinary stuff from here there and everywhere.”
Q. Final question! You dress beautifully, including today. Are you always dapper or do you sometimes just chuck a pair of joggers on!? “No. I will put on pyjamas and a dressing gown which I think is very appropriate. But the current obsession with ‘comfort’, I don’t really understand. Wear clothes that suit you, fit you, and you can keep them on. The idea that you’re just going home to watch Gogglebox is appalling… that was the taste police talking, wasn’t it!”
