Period Features

Country Living Christmas Fair, 11-15 November

Immerse yourself in the magic of Christmas at the Country Living Magazine Christmas Fair where you’ll discover a whole range of inspirational and unique gift ideas from over 380 craftspeople and small businesses, all showcasing their original festive wares.

The Christmas Fair is the perfect place to pick up gorgeous gifts or a treat for yourself. You’ll find hundreds of stands selling beautiful hand-made decorations, stunning jewellery, traditional toys, unique home accessories and stylish clothing all under one roof. 

www.countrylivingfair.com/xmas

Aga/Rayburn

Any Aga/Rayburn or cast iron range cooker owner will probably tell you that they would never want to switch back to conventional ovens. Many people covet owning a classic Aga or cast iron range cooker. However, there are often concerns from prospective purchasers about how economical or environmentally friendly this stylish addition to their home would be. Things have changed significantly in recent years with Aga/Rayburn introducing new appliances and features as well as items that can be 'retro-fitted' in order to make existing appliances more in keeping for an age in which green issues are at the forefront of everyone's minds. Aga, celebrating its 300th anniversary this year, with a range of free cookery demonstrations in its Aga shops, has introduced a system called AIMs (AGA Intelligent Management System).This allows your AGA to slumber when you're not using it to cook, but to be ready to use when you need it. The system was introduced in 2006 and has proved so popular that in the first two months of 2009 over half of all AGAs sold were AIMs models. It can also be retro-fitted to some existing models and offers a reduction in energy usage and consequent savings. Aga has also developed a biofuel ready cooker which can currently run on oil or diesel but with a minor modification will be able to run on biofuel as soon as it is readily commercially available. And as Aga enthusiasts will never tire of telling you AGAs are never found on scrap sites, are made from scrap metal in the first place, reduce your need for small electrical appliances and give a lifetime's service which means that you are not creating landfill either. For more information about AGAs including their running costs visit the AGA website at www.aga-web.co.uk The much overlooked sibling of AGA, and nowadays made by the same company, is the Rayburn. Rayburns are very similar in appearance to AGAs and some models offer the controllability of a conventional oven. Rayburns can be either cooking only models or provide central heating and hot water. The new Rayburn 380CD is the only range cooker with an 'A' efficiency rated central heating boiler built in. The boiler has been awarded this rating after being independently tested. Tests have shown the boiler is more than 90% efficient. As well as pioneering condensing technology, the Rayburn 480 CD also uses modulating technology which ensures it only produces the output required for the size of home. This means it can heat a two-bedroom property as efficiently as a five-bedroom home. For those looking for a carbon-neutral solution to reducing their footprint, Rayburn offer solid fuel models and for a more recent innovation the Rayburn Heatranger can now be combined with Solar Thermal Collectors to enable the sun to provide up to 65% of a home's hot water needs and achieve fossil fuel savings of up to 60% a year. For more information on Rayburn visit www.rayburn-web.co.uk

Great Peak District Fair at Pavillion Gardens Buxton 17th/18th October

Held at the Pavilion Gardens, in the historic spa town of Buxton. The Fairs take place in the Octagon (an extravaganza of cast iron and glass). Plenty of parking and easy access. Celebrating locally produced foods, arts and crafts. 10am - 4pm daily. For more information visit http://www.visitpeakdistrict.co.uk

 

 

14 Sep to 1 Nov - Beyond Limits 4 Chatsworth House

Following the enormous success of the Beyond Limits exhibitions in recent years and the ever rising profile of monumental sculpture, Chatsworth is delighted that Sotheby's have returned once again this autumn for a fourth installation of Modern and Contemporary sculpture set against the stunning backdrop of Chatsworth.

Beyond Limits will run from 14 September to 1 November 2009. One of the star attractions of this autumn's show will be a life-size maquette for the world renowned Angel of the North by Antony Gormley, the hugely recognisable landmark in Gateshead in the North of England, which continues to receive so much acclaim and attention. A broad range of work by other leading international sculptors will also feature.

Visit www.chatsworth.org/whats-on/14-sep-to-1-nov-beyond-limits-4 for more information.

Newark Antiques Fair - October 8th & 9th

Europe's largest antiques event takes place in Newark, Nottinghamshire. Stallholders and buyers from around the globe come to the Newark & Nottinghamshire Showground every other month to take part in this internationally renowned trading event.

With up to 4000 stalls the fair holds quite possibly everything you could imagine from furniture, rugs, paintings and textiles, to sports memorabilia, toys, grandfather clocks and antique maps.

The Newark fair has to be experienced to be believed. It's a treasure trove of possibilities
for your interiors. Here you'll find everything you could possibly need to decorate and stylise your home.

Newark & Nottinghamshire Showground, Winthorpe, Nr Newark, Notts, NG24 2NY www.dmgantiquefairs.com/fairs/newark

Carbolic Soap

We have just had a fresh delivery of carbolic soap this week and the shop is full of its wonderful distinctive smell.

From gardeners to cleaners, bird enthusiasts to farmers there are so many people who speak of the benefits of carbolic soap. One thing is for certain, if you have used carbolic soap before the distinctive smell will bring back memories. Carbolic soap used to be used extensively in hospitals, and all other places where hygiene was considered important, hence it's widespread use.

In England it was used in state schools at least up until the 1970s. A bar of carbolic soap on every washroom sink. The smell is very evocative for whole generations of children. In the 1960s teachers in England were allowed to use corporal punishment in the classroom, so along with the cane, a child who swore in class might be made to wash their mouth out with carbolic soap.

Carbolic soap used to be available in every hardware shop in every town and village in the country but now seems to be so hard to get hold of. When cleaning with carbolic soap people tell us that they are left with a feeling of being thoroughly, and hygienically clean.

My top tip for cleaning floors using our large household bar - using a sharp knife scrape thin shards into a bucket of boiling water. Agitate the mixture until the soap has dissolved and you get a lovely foamy head. Apply using a traditional mop and watch the grime lift off! I usually finish with a clear rinse of really hot water which will pick up any soap residue left behind.

4 to 6 September - The Chatsworth Country Fair

The Country Fair is one of England's most spectacular annual outdoor events, held in Chatsworth park, and it attracts large crowds from all over the country. Massed pipe and military bands, demonstrations and parades, hot air balloons, parachuting and over 300 varied trade stands and rural crafts make this a memorable event with something for everyone.

An exciting Grand Ring programme takes place over the weekend, with displays ranging from a vintage car parade to the hot air balloon races and terrier racing. A sporting clay pigeon shoot takes place and the bouncy castle and old time fairground are always popular with children.

Many of England's heritage of Country Sports and pastimes are on show including Armed service displays, horse shoeing, Ferret racing, archery and sheep dog trials

Antiques in the Street - 6th September

Visit the beautiful market town of Ashbourne, Derbyshire for their annual event  'Antiques in the Street' on Sunday 6th September at 10.00am to 4pm. A good event with great atmosphere and a chance to find a real bargain!

RHS Show Tatton Park

Over the border from Period Features, in Cheshire, the RHS Show Tatton Park takes place from 23 - 26 July 2009 (public days) from 10am - 6.30pm (5pm on Sunday). Featuring the latest 'innovative creations from up-and-coming garden designers, vibrant floral displays and non-stop gardening inspiration there's plenty to see'. The show features acres of stylish gardening accessories, seasonal plants and a rich crop of ideas to make your garden grow. It's also a great day out for all the family as children go free (up to two children aged 16 and under go free with an accompanying adult). Tickets cost £24 on the day and £22 in advance. For more information and tickets see the RHS website www.rhs.org.uk

ASHBOURNE ARTS 1999-2009

The small market town of Ashbourne is situated at the southern end of the beautiful Derbyshire Dales and is locally known as the gateway to Dovedale.  Its population, slightly more than 7000, serves the outlying areas of the southern Dales and parts of the Staffordshire Moorlands and East Staffordshire.  Its rural situation is attractive to tourists, but potentially isolating for local communities.

The Ashbourne Arts steering group came together as a result of the enthusiasm of members of the Ashbourne Youth and Adult Community Centre Management Committee, local artists, craftspeople and people from the communities surrounding Ashbourne.  Its original directors and members, largely unchanged today still perform their roles in a voluntary capacity, a unique situation for a festival of this size within the East Midlands.

The members of the steering group of Ashbourne Arts represent a remarkably diverse range of talents, but all possess a desire to see art and culture in the area flourish, primarily through the medium of an annual festival, which aims to encourage community focus and generate interest from both the local population and visitors alike.

Ashbourne Arts and Ashbourne Festival are celebrating their tenth anniversary in 2009. Ashbourne Arts is now a Charitable Company whose primary function is to organise a two-week long Festival during June and July each year.  The Festival continues to grow in stature, now attracting support from major funders and internationally known performers to this charming rural area.  But not forgetting its community origins, it continues to provide for the cultural needs of the town and surrounding area.

Visit www.ashbournefestival.org for more information.