WALKING along the Chelsea Embankment in 1983, admiring the colourful array of vessels bobbing off Cadogan Pier, art dealer Martin Summers was asked by his young daughter the inimitable question: ‘Daddy, why don’t we have a boat?’ It sparked an idea.
Having discussed some options with his friend Scott Beadle, an artist and experienced mariner, Mr Summers began to scan through magazines advertising boats for sale until one caught his eye. Moored deep in the Camargue and in a state of considerable disrepair, her elegant lines were nevertheless arresting. Better still, she had been built for the British speed-record breaker Sir Malcolm Campbell and, at £12,500, appeared to be cheap.
The pair ventured to the port of Le Grau du Roi in the Gard, where another chapter in her history was revealed: the American vendor thought the boat might have been involved in the evacuation of Dunkirk. Bearing a new name and in a shabby condition—no one had stepped aboard for more than a year —she was, nevertheless, Campbell’s Bluebird.
The powers that be thought such a historic boat couldn’t be left at the bottom of the sea
Denne historien er fra June 30, 2021-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra June 30, 2021-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
