Navigating the summer Season can be a social minefield. Luckily, Rupert Uloth is on hand with 39 steps to guide us through England’s time to shine–even if the sun chooses not to.
CAN you tread in with those?’ demanded Ruby Wax incredulously, pointing at a pair of stiletto heels as small as 5p pieces. The owner of the super-fashionable footwear and the well-chiseled calves that arose from them swung her bouncy blonde hair our way and looked quizzical. ‘Well… er…’ I spluttered.
I had been explaining to a group of newcomers to polo at the Cowdray Gold Cup how important it was that we went out to ‘tread in’ the divots of earth thrown up by the galloping horses with one’s heel. However, as the straight-talking comedian identified, spectators at many events in the Season aren’t necessarily there for the sport.
Some observers of the magical few weeks in high summer when the great and the good gather at various events might conclude they’re a series of Champagne-drinking festivals, often in fancy dress. and now, en fin, we can drink our own bubbly and make the whole thing as English as possible.
Royal Ascot is strict about its requirements in the Royal Enclosure: top hat and tails or dresses that fall just above the knee or longer and no fascinators. Smoked salmon and rare beef are the bills of fare at picnics. We go with friends who have a berth in the hallowed number One car park—in reality, a rectangle of grass near the Windsor/ ascot junction. They’ve done a deal with their neighbors to come on different days, so there’s space for a full-blown lunch with silver and best crockery.
Once, our hosts held up the gazebo in a howling wind as we launched underneath. Only amid an English summer would a couple dressed for a royal wedding be acting as guy ropes.
Denne historien er fra May 08, 2019-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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Denne historien er fra May 08, 2019-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.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
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
