IN the spring of 1960, 30-something interior decorator David Hicks did not intend to buy a country house. An advertisement in The Times for Britwell House in Oxfordshire changed his mind. Still at the start of his career, Hicks had already established a signature style, described at the time as 'a world of beautiful things, of gay whimsical colour combinations, of rich materials, of subtle lighting'. At Britwell, the attraction was quite different: 200 acres of greensward, an obelisk in the park and, in the hall-the first space the visitor enters a Baroque chimneypiece of leviathan proportions, dominated by a handsome broken pediment.
Throughout his career, Hicks repurposed classical details in a manner that was sophisticated and high in impact. Pediments-triangular or segmental gables, placed above an entablature on columns or a cornice—were first used structurally in Greek architecture and subsequently employed decoratively: both externally, as in Palladio's soaring pediment on the façade of the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice, Italy, and internally, to crown doors, windows, chimneypieces and niches, from the grandest examples, including the carved and gilded pedimented doorcase of the Saloon at Houghton Hall in Norfolk, to homelier examples in the halls and drawing rooms of country rectories across England.
In the double-height drawing room of a new house in Portugal in the 1980s, Hicks topped the chimneypiece with a tall, pedimented mirror frame that raises the eye to the ceiling, maximising the wow factor of the room. In other instances, he used pedimented furnishings to add elegance and symmetry.
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A Nose for Nature -With an uncanny ability to detect elusive species in the wild, dogs are poised to play a vital role in conservation and biosecurity.
Ꮓiba seems to be the perfect colleague: hard-working, efficient and fun to be around. However, Ziba isn't a person; she's a conservation detection dog, especially trained to sniff out the presence of rare bats and birds. The sixyear-old German shorthaired pointer is one of an increasing number of dogs helping to conserve wildlife. Similar to sniffer dogs employed to detect drugs or explosives, these detection dogs are using their extraordinary sense of smell to identify anything from great crested newts to pine martens.
Duck and Cover - With a comical and heart-warming call, the eider or 'cuddy duck' is a convivial bird that was highly favoured and protected by Northumberland's patron saint, says
Anyone who has spent time on the rugged, castle-fringed coast of Northumberland will be familiar with the call of the eider duck. The male emits a fluty 'ahoooh' that sounds amazed and a little censorious. The female responds with a throaty cackle-Dame Barbara Windsor to the drake's Kenneth Williams, if you like. There's something good humoured, fond and comforting in the eiders' calling. It evokes feelings of nostalgia even in those hearing it for the first time.
Not to be sneezed at
The ritual and performance of snuff, the 'titillating dust' that has fuelled creativity and enhanced social situations since the 16th century, is still popular today, discovers
Where her tears fell, asters grew
Small-flowered asters, with their quiet beauty and clouds of starry blooms, are the final shout of autumn, advises
You had me at Merlot
The British wine industry is growing at a rate of Nebuchadnezzars, altering the palate of the countryside market, finds
And they're off!
Four historic country houses with long-standing racing credentials come to the market in prime sporting areas of Berkshire and Oxfordshire
Hooked on classics
A new generation of designers is learning the language of Greek and Roman architecture, finds
England at its best
The Exmoor National Park Authority is celebrating its 70th birthday. Kate Green recounts what makes this 'high country of the winds', of deer, dark skies, tough ponies and resilient farmers, so special
Once upon a time in the west
Having returned to the fabled Grimersta lochs and streams of Lewis for the first time in 40 years, our correspondent finds himself reliving the glory
Meet the tusk force
The Chinese water deer, with its distinctive tusks and delicious venison, has thrived here since escaping from deer parks in the 19th century. Paula Lester stalks one for her supper
