Bath-based landscape architecture practice Grant Associates has been awarded the Gold Medal at the 2021 Chelsea Flower Show for its Chinese-inspired Guangzou Garden, which shows how cites of the future must be considered as landscape cities.

Designed by the practice's director Peter Chmiel and senior associate Chin-Jung Chen, 'The Guangzhou Garden: Guangzhou China' takes inspiration from Guangzhou, a port city northwest of Hong Kong on China's Pearl River. The ambitious design showcases numerous planting species and aquatic designs that were perfect for the first autumnal show in Chelsea's 108 year history, with The Guangzhou Garden including one of the largest volumes of water ever to feature in a Chelsea show garden.

The pair's Chinese-inspired garden pays homage to Guangzhou’s philosophy which gives equal consideration to the needs of people and wildlife through sustainable city planning strategies, reconnecting people and nature in a mutually beneficial relationship. Originally set to be delivered in 2020 before the pandemic led to the cancellation of last year’s event, the pair’s design was subtly adapted to best showcase the more mature plants and trees.

It was a huge challenge to effectively capture and convey the essence of vast and vibrant Guangzhou into a 20mx10m garden, but we are thrilled with the finished result," says Peter Chmiel, director at Grant Associates. 

Grant Associates are one of the firms included in the Bath Unlimited group of world-class organisations in Bath.

See more images and the full story here. 

grant-associates.uk.com; rhs.org.uk; bathunlimited.org

As always, our next issue has a collection of great reading by our team of wonderful writers as well as beautifully presented advertising by Bath's best businesses. We hope you'll enjoy the read!

Every month we deliver 15,000 copies door to door, but if you don't get a copy at home then you can pick up a copy at many places around town and from our floor stands at: Waitrose, Sainsbury [Green Park], M&S Foods in Twerton, Tesco in Weston Village, and at The Holburne Museum. 

You can also enjoy our September issue here. 

Mix up elements from Georg Jensen’s Fusion collection. Designed by Nina Koppel, the collection has a choreographed pattern, with three basic components in giving endless combinations of 2, 3 or more interlocking rings in yellow, rose or white gold and diamonds to mix up and collect to create new looks. 

Beautiful yet simple as well as a tribute to the craftsmanship of Georg Jensen’s metalsmiths.
Georg Jensen Fusion 18ct Rose Gold End Ring - £925.00
Georg Jensen Fusion 18ct White Gold Centre Ring - £1,025
Georg Jensen Fusion 18ct Yellow Gold End Ring - £925

See more combinations of the Fusion designs at Mallory. Click here to browse...

Wild is the new refillable natural deodorant delivered straight to your door. Aluminium free with compostable, plastic-free refills and a 100% effective formula. All of our products are used through our innovative reusable deodorant container, which we currently have in six available colours alongside a scintillating selection of natural, fresh scents.

Bath based See+QUIN has been creating embellishment concepts for designers like Tory Burch and J.Crew and high street names such as Anthropologie and ASOS for almost a decade. Now, for the first time, they have launched their own collection of embroidered sweatshirts direct to women who value sustainability, comfort and style. Known for their bold designs with a playful touch See+QUIN have brought their signature look to the range of beautiful sweatshirts. For launch there are six designs across five sizes, XS to XL, and with more designs coming soon women are set to discover their new go to piece.

Each piece is designed in Bath and embellished to order in the UK. Orders for the first limited run close on 27 September, head to seeandquin.co.uk/shop to order. By offering a made to order service See+QUIN ensure stock levels across all sizes and make sure the production is managed in a non wasteful way. A sustainable process is key the to the whole ethos of the range from the suppliers and materials to process and packaging. The gorgeous sweatshirts are a classic raglan style in a supersoft certified organic cotton (85%) and recycled polyester (15%) quality loopback fabric and the manufacturer is Fair Wear audited.

You can find out more about their ethical practices here: seeandquin.co.uk/ethicalpractise

Ollie Fox will make his first Gallagher Premiership start when Bath Rugby host Newcastle Falcons at the Rec on Saturday.

The scrum-half, who has four league caps to his name thus far, featured for an hour in Round 1 and partners Orlando Bailey at half-back, another player promoted from the bench. 

The duo are two of three changes from the narrow loss to Sale Sharks with Juan Schoeman coming in at loosehead prop after scoring his first try in Blue, Black and White at the AJ Bell Stadium.

He is joined in the front row by homegrown hooker Tom Dunn and tighthead prop Johannes Jonker who will make his home debut.

A dynamic trio of Miles Reid, Sam Underhill and Josh Bayliss link-up in the back row while Mike Williams and Charlie Ewels continue in the lock positions.

Fan favourite Semesa Rokoduguni will earn his 175^th outing in a Bath jersey, nine years following his maiden appearance in the LV= Cup.

The 34-year-old impressed from the wing last weekend, expressing himself with ball in hand alongside Will Muir and Tom de Glanville. The back three combination accumulated 202 metres against Sale.

Max Ojomoh and Jonathan Joseph threatened as a pairing in the midfield and strike up a partnership once more.

On the bench, D'Arcy Rae and Jaco Coetzee could appear at the Rec for the first time while Academy graduate Will Butt could earn his Premiership stripes.

Kick off 3pm; bathrugby.com

As the city prepares to welcome The Great Bath Feast this weekend (24–26 September), we catch up with Malaysian food expert Ping Coombes, winner of Masterchef 2014, to ask about her cookery and what we can expect at The Great Bath Feast. Ping will be appearing on the Chef Demo Stage at 12pm on Saturday 25 September.

What makes Malaysian food so good?

It's diverse, fun and varied and there is always something new to discover even for a Malaysian like myself.

What do you love about teaching and passing on your skills?

I love helping my students discover ingredients unfamiliar but accessible to them to produce unexpected results. I love inspiring them to try something new.

What will you be doing at the Great Bath Feast?

I will be doing Malaysian Black Beef with Curry Leaves which is one of the signature dishes at Ping At Home [a meal service created by Ping inspired by her home country Malaysia].

Profile on the Great Bath Feast website: greatbathfeast.co.uk

3 October, 10am – 3.30pm, Ashton Court Mansion House

An Aladdin's cave of fine jewellery, china, furniture, paintings, memorabilia, vintage clothing, retro items and so much more – available to browse at Ashton Court Mansion House on 3 October. With 40 indoor stalls plus a café serving light bites and cream teas, there's truly something for everyone. Entry: £2, under 16s free. Main car park: Kennel Lodge Entrance via Portishead Road. 

Contact: anniehawksley@blueyonder.co.uk for more information.

14 October, 7:30pm

The legend of the screen and stage, and one of the most recognisable faces in showbusiness, is celebrating her new book, My Unapologetic Diaries. Join Dame Joan in conversation with Christopher Biggins as she reveals some of the exciting, funny (and often outrageous!) stories and secrets from her long career.

Book tickets here: tickets.artist-tix.com. Alternatively, enter the competition below to win a pair of tickets!

Bath & North East Somerset Council's Film Office has been shortlisted for an internationally recognised award for its work on hit television period drama Bridgerton.

The Location Managers Guild International (LMGI) award celebrates exemplary work above and beyond the usual service expected from a Film Office.

Bath Film Office's small team coordinated numerous requests from the Bridgerton production for council services such as road closures, street furniture removal, street lighting removal and parking, as well as the use of the Assembly Rooms and rooms at the Guildhall.

Bridgerton shot four blocks of filming in Bath between August and November 2019, filming more than 70 scenes which was television filming on a scale not seen before in Bath.

Most of these were exterior street scenes but there were also big ballroom sequences filmed at the Assembly Rooms and the Guildhall. Two shops were converted into the Modiste dress shop and Gunter's Tea Rooms in the drama, with the Holburne Museum also used extensively for filming.

Bath Film Office is up against five other Film Offices including Liverpool Film Office and Screen Queensland, Australia for the Outstanding Film Commission award.

The LMGI awards are a celebration of the outstanding contributions of location professionals in feature film, television and commercial advertising. They spotlight creative use of filming locations that set the tone, enrich the character and inspire the storytelling narrative.

The 8^th annual LMGI Awards take place on 23 October. Read more about the nominees here and find out more about Bath Film Office.

This archive photograph of St Saviour’s Road is one of a series of views of Larkhall in The Year of Pageant, which was published by Akeman Press in 2009. They accompany reminiscences of life in the village before the First World War, recorded by the late Bruce Crofts in the 1970s, which provide a vivid insight into how much has changed. This, for example, is how Mr Dangerfield of Brooklyn Road recalled his childhood: "I left school in 1909. There were no playing fields. There were watercress men in the streets. The roads were mud in wintertime, dust in the summer. We played marbles in the cart tracks. In summer there were outings to Kensington Gardens."

Harold Horsell, another Larkhall resident, recalled that, because of the lack of playing fields, "if we wanted to play cricket or football we had to carry the gear to the top of Little Solsbury." He also remembered that "Francis Garraway, the schoolmaster, ran a club for boys over 14 in a building behind the White Lion in the square. He started a bible study class there, and it was there I saw the first aeroplane fly over Bath." Today, the White Lion, whose sign can just be seen here in the distance, is now home to Larkhall Butchers.

The Year of the Pageant by Andrew Swift and Kirsten Elliott is available from www,akemanpress.com.

akemanpress.com

Based in Lansdown, but available online, Weaver & Steele are a small but ever-growing British workshop, who take pride in designing and creating all their pieces by hand. Taking inspiration from the timeless design of the Mid Century style and adding their own contemporary twist, each piece is truly a labour of love. Their growing collections range from the popular 'LULU Lamps', where their own bespoke frames are hand wrapped in 100% British cotton. To the unique seamless design of the 'Block Desk', bringing a colourful elegance to any home or office. Always happy to help, Weaver & Steele would love to hear from you to discuss your every idea.

Shop here: weaverandsteele.co.uk

This is a detached property presently being built by Malcolm Lippiatt Homes, a renowned local developer and is situated in a quiet cul-de–sac on the edge of this attractive and sought after village of Norton St Philip, near Bath.

Designed in a traditional manner and set amongst this superb development of larger homes which are spaciously laid out, the property benefits from well proportioned accommodation throughout. 

In brief the property consists of a ground floor with a large kitchen/dining room with a range of floor- and wall-mounted units with integrated appliances and Corian work surfaces, bi-folding doors lead to the rear garden. There is a fabulous sitting room to the rear which is light and airy with bi-folding doors to the rear garden, a generous entrance hall and large shower room.

At first floor level there are 2 generous double bedroom both with en-suite facilities, the master having a walk-in wardrobe. The property also has the benefit of a single garage with boarded area and loft ladder, plumbing for washing machine and ample driveway parking laid with brick pavers. This attractive property has been built to a superb new build quality and is set within this highly regarded development and benefits from a 10 year NHBC warranty.

Additional features include a solid oak handrail, spindles and banister to the staircase. Also an electronically operated garage door with boarded loft space, loft ladder and lighting, priced at £560,000.

For further details contact Bath estate agents Cobb Farr or find out more about the property by clicking here to visit their website.