Bristol’s first Annual Open Exhibition returns for 169th year

The RWA (Royal West of England Academy) is delighted to announce that submissions are now open for the 169th Annual Open Exhibition: artists can apply to be in the exhibition until the 14 August 2022.

Anyone can enter their work for this mixed discipline show and work is judged purely on its own merits, anonymously, rather than on the artist's CV. Entries are open to artists across the UK and beyond and there’s no age limit: previous exhibitors’ ages have ranged from 15 to 100 plus.

The exhibition includes painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, film, sculpture and illustration by artists ranging from leading professionals, to emerging talent, from across the UK and beyond. 

A selection panel assesses every entry and all work is for sale; with the exhibition attracting art-lovers and art-buyers from far and wide.

This year’s Annual Open will run from 8 October – 8 January 2023. There are a range of prizes for artists, including a £5k cash prize. For more info and ways to apply head to rwa.org.uk.

OUR AUGUST ISSUE: OUT ON TUESDAY

Our August magazine features a collection of great reading by our team of wonderful writers as well as beautifully presented advertising by Bristol's best businesses. We hope you enjoy the read!

15,000 copies are delivered door to door, and you can pick up a copy at many places around town – including our stands at Waitrose, John Lewis, House of Fraser and Harvey Nichols.

Read the digital version of our current issue here!

And if you would like to have a copy sent in the post every month, then we offer a postal subscription for just £33 for 12 issues, £18 for six issues or buy a copy for just £3.95. UK mainland prices. For Euro and World zone subscription prices – see our website. 

Summer escape

Gloucester Road Books is jam-packed with an overabundance of escapist books this summer. In our July issue, the team suggest five brilliant reads for wherever you may find yourself whiling away the sunny season…

Read the full feature on thebristolmag.co.uk

Georg Jensen Bloom Botanica stainless steel vase

This striking Botanica vase from the Georg Jensen Bloom collection is designed by Danish Helle Damkjær, and is based on one of her unique hand-made designs in clay.

The minimalist, organic form of the vase captures a tender flower in mid-bloom, creating an interesting contrast to the intensity of the stern, mirror-polished steel. The vase is an eye-catching and stylish piece, whether it stands empty or filled with fresh flowers. 33cms high. | £175

Click below to see this and more Georg Jensen homeware pieces at Mallory.

Lush Naked Mascara

Beautifully formed, the Lush Naked Mascara uses butters and waxes to create an iconic, solid product, which creates a lovely effect on the lashes and the planet. 

The Naked Mascara has been specially formulated to stand up for itself (quite literally on your dressing table!) and requires no plastic packaging.

Available in four shades, Orca (black), Earth (brown), Reef (coral) and Ocean (blue), the Lush Naked Mascara adds a subtle tint and lift to the lashes. | £10

Available in store at Lush Bristol, 73 Broadmead, Bristol BS1 3DX or online at www.lush.com

Above: Lush Naked Mascara in Orca 

Slipfree Isabella Shoes

Slipfree Isabella are a non-slip, soft and flexible shoe that gives its wearer that barefoot feeling. This style has a multi-colour leopard print design on the upper. | £14.95 

Available from soleution.co.uk

Curated by Daniel McCabe

Family Portrait is pretty much what it sounds like – a photography magazine with family and relationships at its centre. But we're not talking just family snaps here. 'Family' is a concept explored through a series of visual essays in this substantial and thoughtful magazine which examines how we grow, change and relate to our kin, with intimate and personal insights from a range of impressive contributors. | £14

Everyman Bristol: Where The Crawdads Sing

Adapted from Delia Owens' best selling novel of the same name, Where the Crawdads Sing follows social outcast Kya, who has been being accused of murdering an ex-flame. 

Where The Crawdads Sing – starring Normal People's Daisy Edgar-Jones – is released in cinemas today (22 July).

Book tickets to see the page-to-screen hit at Everyman Bristol: everymancinema.com

Credit: Sony Pictures/AP

Portishead Summer Show, 30-31 July, Flowershow Field, Portishead

• Arena, Horticultural, Handicrafts, The Hogg Show, Shetland Performance Display Team, Mobile Farm, Aldabra Tortoises, Companion Dog Show and music from Chicken Teddys, Micky Finn & Barnacle Buoys, Trade Stands, Refreshments, Horse Box Bar and Stone Baked Pizzas – and much more

Advance Tickets: Adults £7.50, Weekend Tickets £11 | Children under 17 Free | Free Car Parking 

Find out more at the Portishead Summer Show website: portisheadsummershow.com

Free antique and object valuation from Lawrences Auctioneers, 29 July

On Sunday 29 July, 9am-5pm, valuer Andy Sagar will be available to value your objects and antiques throughout Bath and Bristol.

Free valuations are also available via email, phone, and WhatsApp, or through the Lawrences website.

To make an appointment, call 01460 73041 or email andy.sagar@lawrences.co.uk | lawrences.co.uk

Featured image: CONRAD WISE CHAPMAN (AMERICAN, 1842-1910) Elegant Figures at the Beach Signed, dated 1878, oil on panel (2)

SS Great Britain: Dishes of Discovery, 23 July – 4 September

Embark on a global voyage of taste without leaving Bristol this summer at Brunel’s SS Great Britain with ‘Dishes of Discovery’.

Brunel’s SS Great Britain is inviting visitors to ‘Taste the World’ this summer, as it offers visitors the chance to sample delicacies inspired by Victorian voyages to destinations visited by the ship in the 18th Century.

Visitors will taste historic recipes from Mumbai, Cape Town and Crimea – discovering how the world’s first great ocean liner connected people and places around the world.

The dishes have been created by Bristol-based social enterprise, Travelling Kitchen, whose team worked with the ship’s archivists to explore historic recipes from around the globe. They include a zingy melon and ginger jam from Cape Town, traditional Borsch from Crimea and a tropical green coriander and coconut chutney from Mumbai – and are typical of those that passengers would have encountered as they disembarked in the faraway destinations.

Tickets to the culinary experience are available at the SS Great Britain website: ssgreatbritain.org. For further updates, Follow the SS Great Britain at @ssgreatbritain on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Valley Fest, 4 – 7 August, Chew Valley Lake

Valley Fest, the best-tasting music festival in the South West festival, takes place alongside Chew Valley Lake, near Bristol, this August.

Travis, Clean Bandit, Faithless (DJ set), Roni Size with Dynamite MC, Kosheen and The Craig Charles Funk and Soul Club will headline. Valley Fest has also joined forces with Arcadia: the performance art collective best known for their iconic, 50ft fire-spitting spider at Glastonbury. At Valley Fest, they are bringing the Afterburner stage – built from a Rolls Royce jet engine.

There’ll also be food from Josh and Holly Eggleton, Rob Howell of Root and many more – plus a family friendly area, spa area, and new ‘regeneration’ area to showcase all things regenerative: from food, farming, gardening, beauty and drinks.

Read the full line up by clicking here.

Expect hedge-to-hedge Somerset sparkle and plenty of nonsense with a spectacular soundtrack and magnificent menu. Tickets are £170 (plus booking fee), available at the Valley Fest website: valleyfest.co.uk. 

Image credit: Ania Shrimpton 

Aerospace Bristol: Summer of Rockets

Get ready to blast off on a rocket-fuelled adventure at Aerospace Bristol, with daily rocket activities to enjoy throughout the summer holidays. 

The rocket-themed fun includes launching water rockets, testing your aim on the rocket firing range, and helping to build and decorate a giant rocket. Plus enjoy fascinating talks and science shows, and learn more about Bristol’s amazing aerospace history, before stepping aboard the incredible supersonic Concorde.

Adults £18, children (aged 4+) £10, under-4s FREE. Family discounts available and all tickets include free return for 12 months.

Hayes Way, Patchway, Bristol, BS34 5BZ | aerospacebristol.org

Pony Chew Valley reveals opening plans and launches crowdfunder

Sibling restaurateurs Josh and Holly Eggleton have announced plans for the opening of the Pony Chew Valley, alongside a one-month Kickstarter crowdfund which will help complete their vision for a reimagined produce-led restaurant, event venue, cookery school and kitchen garden.

The crowdfunder will offer Pony Chew Valley guests the exclusive opportunity to be the first to host private events and to dine at the venue. 

Further rewards include private dining experiences from award winning Bristol chefs including Root’s Rob Howell and Bianchis Group’s Ben Harvey; The Pony Chew Valley team cooking for you at home; an exclusive Christmas and Boxing Day hamper – and many more. With a £100,000 target, the funds raised will help to complete the build of the new venue spaces. 

Bookings will be available via theponychewvalley.co.uk from August. Early access to bookings can be made through the Kickstarter crowdfunder.

17m zero-carbon office development taking shape

The South West’s first Net Zero Carbon in operation out-of-town development is fast taking shape.

Commissioned by CEG and delivered by Beard Construction, 1000 Aztec West in South Gloucestershire near Bristol will create a new benchmark for office spaces, and South Gloucestershire council leader Toby Savage has visited the site to see the rapid progress of the £17m transformation.

The structure’s existing 1980s footings, frame and building structure have been retained, saving some 1.7 million kg of carbon and creating a pathway to a Net Zero Carbon Development. The savings have been made by a clever conversion of the existing steel frame and much of the preparatory work was devoted to shot-blasting a cement fire treatment from the steel, which was then given a rust-proof coating.

With the steel skeleton work complete, Beard is now removing the existing roof to create a new floor and roof, which will see the capacity of the building grow from 38,000 sq ft to 80,000 sq ft, creating space for an 850-strong workforce.

More information is available at: 1000aztecwest.co.uk

Martian House arrives at Wapping Wharf

On Wednesday 20 July, something out of this world arrived in the centre of Bristol.

'Building a Martian House' is a public art project that has made a prototype of a real Martian house. The project has been conceived and led by local artists Ella Good and Nicki Kent, who – for several years now – have been exploring how we live today and stimulating visions for new ways of living here on Earth and on Mars with the help of fellow creatives, scientists, architects and engineers.

We heard from Ella and Nicki back in 2020; read the feature at thebristolmag.co.uk

buildingamartianhouse.com | @buildingamartianhouse

Image: The Martian House | Credit: Amanda Nicholls 

Iona House, Clifton, Bristol BS8

Offered for sale by Peter Greatorex Unique Homes

This is a most impressive Victorian freehold property in the heart of Clifton with five bedrooms, five bathrooms, four reception rooms – spread over four floors. The property is set back from Pembroke Road and offers off-street parking for several vehicles and private gardens to the rear.

Benefitting from high ceilings, stunning ceiling cornices, a breath-taking staircase, beautiful bay windows and marble fireplaces, Iona House has a layout that offers flexible and easy living. The house is situated in a prime residential address overlooking Clifton College grounds and Clifton Observatory; it's near to luscious walks around the suspension bridge area, is a short walk away from Whiteladies Road and central Bristol.

Walking through the front door, there is a light and spacious lobby area with intricate tiling, perfect for hanging coats and taking off shoes. Through the second door, you are welcomed into a grand entrance hall with an impressive staircase and doors leading to a dining room, drawing room and study which all feature fireplaces with marble surround and slate hearths. The dining room is the perfect space for entertaining with the traditional “dumbwaiter” lift from the kitchen, panelling, space for a large table and a glass door that leads onto a stunning veranda with ornate, cast-iron detailing overlooking the blissful, private gardens. Further down the hallway, there is a utility room and a separate cloakroom. The drawing room across the hall is another substantially sized room with continued elegance and features three sash bay windows.

The lower floor features a fantastic kitchen/breakfast room that has been thoughtfully designed and extended to create the heart of the home. This bespoke kitchen area has an island, vast WOLF oven with eye-catching focal arch above, ample countertop space, cupboards above and leads onto a cosy breakfast area with room for a large table, sofa and dresser. The French doors open on to a gorgeous outdoor seating area in a beautiful garden. On this floor, one will find a cosy yet spacious sitting room with wood burner, a separate snug, shower room and two handy storage rooms under the stairs, one of which is a pantry.

On the half landing is a second study overlooking the garden. The first-floor features two spacious bedrooms; the master suite and the guest bedroom. They both have ensuite bathrooms with additional walk-in showers whist the spacious master bedroom also includes an extensive dressing area with built in wardrobes. The second floor features a lovely landing with large sash windows either side. This floor features three further double bedrooms, all with built in cupboards and a family bathroom with additional walk-in shower.

Outside is a wonderful, private, south facing walled gardens, with flowers and bushes running around the boundary and a beautiful veranda overlooking it, it is a typical “English garden”. Towards the back of the garden is a gate that leads to two private garages. Offers in excess of £3,250,000

To find out more about this splendid Clifton property click here to see it on the Peter Greatorex website.