Their ponies were cheerful little shitlands. The children – mainly girls – grew up to manage careers and families and anything else that needed sorting out. The adults ran around…
THE FIELD
EJ Churchill Hercules gun review
This month we look at two EJ Churchill Hercules guns. The guns, a 12-bore and a 20-bore, are over-and-unders made in association with Battista Rizzini in northern Italy but benefit…
A full-bore experience Bettws than the rest
A WARM WELCOME Entering the courtyard with its pheasant sculpture centrepiece, all of a sudden, the many months of anticipation become very real. You have finally arrived at Bettws Hall,…
Sporting Diana: Captain Amy Cooper
At two years old I remember being sat on a little grey pony named Smokey. It was a far cry from the King’s Troop. I haven’t wanted to get off…
Hugo Meynell The Father Of Modern Foxhunting
Dig into the history of hunting and one of the names most commonly unearthed is that of Hugo Meynell, widely regarded as the father of modern foxhunting. Deciphering the tale…
The most remote churches and chapels
There is something so intensely moving about remote churches and other places of worship. Perched on the top of a cliff, nestled into some isolated hillside or buffeted by sea…
The Perfect Lawn Tractor
There comes a moment in many a life when a person finally says “Enough.” My mowing ‘enough’ moment came last summer, prompted by our loyal, 20-year-old Westwood sit-on lawn tractor.…
The River Tweed – a journey from source to mouth
In October 1938, shortly after declaring that there would be “peace for our time”, Neville Chamberlain repaired to the River Tweed for some fishing; much-needed respite following the travails of…
Muntjac – why do they need to be culled?
While out in the countryside, I am sure that an ever-increasing number of you have heard that little rustling noise and then spotted a small, tan-coloured figure with a white,…
The Arch, Fonthill – a pitstop in Wiltshire’s best sporting country
The Arch at Fonthill is cartoon grand: a soaring masterpiece built in 1755 to mark the entrance to the original Fonthill estate and welcome a steady flow of Georgian A-listers…