Latest news with #ModernBritish
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Somerset pub with ‘idyllic' beer garden among top UK pub gardens
MUDDY Stilettos have published a new list of the top beer gardens with the best views across the UK with a pub from Somerset described as 'idyllic'. In a new list published by Muddy Stilettos on June 4, 2025, the Muddy Stilettos team named the UK's 'most sought-after' pubs with the most 'gorgeous views'. The named pubs are their recommended top pub gardens across the counties. In the article, the spokesperson said: 'As summer rolls through we all naturally flock to the UK's most sought-after place, the pub. So why not drink in style with gorgeous views? 'Here are our top pub gardens across the counties where you can make the most of the rays.' READ MORE: Rising Sun pub near Taunton unveils new gardens READ MORE: Landlords to step down from Woods Bar & Restaurant after 21 years READ MORE: Somerset pub crowned Rural/Borders Pub of the Year 2025 The Wheatsheaf, located in Combe Hay, near Bath has been named one as having one of the top beer gardens in Somerset. This pub has been nestled in the village of Combe Hay since the 1500s with views across the Somerset countryside. The owners of the pub said: 'The Wheatsheaf is a relaxed and charming traditional country pub, perfect for all seasons, open for food and drink. 'Enjoy lazy lunches in our beautiful, terraced gardens or cosy up by the open fire as the days draw in.' The pub is also dog friendly and offers the option to make a getaway out of your visit by booking a room. A spokesperson for Muddy Stilettos said: 'The views from the terrace across the verdant, undulating Somerset countryside are idyllic; the Modern British menu using fresh produce from their kitchen garden is excellent; and if you can't bear to tear yourself away then stay the night in cosy, stylish rooms in The Shed and The Wendy House to extend the pleasure.'
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The incredible ceramics collection with a very surprising owner
Among the students of Oxford University, Sylvanus Sydney Denton was a name to be conjured with. For many years, he made his money selling bicycles to students, while simultaneously developing a passion for modern and contemporary ceramic art. He amassed a collection of over 220 examples which he kept in a specially built kitchen extension. Denton died last year at the age of 90 and his collection has gone on view at Sotheby's this week prior to being sold at the end of the month. It is estimated to fetch as much as £1.7 million. It is not known exactly when Denton caught the ceramic bug, but it was probably not until his late forties. Having done his National Service in Kenya he found work back home in Oxford fixing bikes and refurbishing caravans before investing in a bike and toy shop. By 1982 he had four shops and was displaying his ingenuity buying vintage 19th century bikes on which he posed for the local press. Sotheby's believes his journey to ceramics began with Modern British art (Henry Moore, LS Lowry and Barbara Hepworth) before he discovered more affordable ceramics by the likes of 1930s refugees from Nazi Germany, Hans Coper and Lucy Rie whose pots were beginning to be seen as fine art and superior to craft. According to the sale catalogue, one of Denton's earliest acquisitions was a work by Coper which he bought in 1988 at the trailblazing Oxford Gallery, which presented contemporary ceramics with avant-garde modern art by the likes of Terry Frost and Patrick Heron. Two works he bought there in the 1990s were by Edmund de Waal, the ceramicist and author of The Hare with Amber Eyes, long before he was swept up by the upmarket Gagosian contemporary art gallery. Denton also shopped at auction and in 1997 bought a Black Cycladic Form Arrow pot by Coper at Bonhams for about £9,000. To give an idea how Coper's prices have moved, another Cycladic Form Arrow pot bought by a different collector in the 1970s for £250 sold in 2018 for £381,000. Denton's example at Sotheby's is a comparatively tame £100,000 (check). Sotheby's describes Denton's collection as 'one of the finest collections of studio and contemporary ceramics in private hands'. Apart from Coper there are several delicate works by Rie in the £25,000-50,000 range, and a standout work by Elizabeth Fritsch, who is currently enjoying a high-profile exhibition at The Hepworth Wakefield museum near Leeds. Denton bought Fritsch's 20-inch, vividly coloured 'Spout' Pot (1998) for a double estimate record £10,160 at Bonhams in 2004, since when her record has risen to £51,400 last year. The estimate for Spout Pot has now doubled to £12,000-18,000. Another auction buy was a playfully twisted 'Monumental Body Pot', by Joanna Constantinidis which Denton bought for a record £1,600 at Bonhams in 2002, two years after she died. Posthumously, her prices have crept up to £15,000 for another Body Pot in 2021 so Denton's example, now estimated at £4,000-£6,000 should make more. His favoured method of acquisition, however, was to buy directly from the artists themselves; he was very popular with potters. One was Dame Magdalene Odundo, the British Nigerian who was the subject of an impressive exhibition at The Hepworth Wakefield in 2019. Three burnished terracotta pots by her in the sale all date from 1990/91, before she was famous. There is no record of their cost, but by this point art dealers were charging £5,000, compared to £250 in the 1970s. Since then, her prices have been multiplying. At auction in around 2010 they were selling for £10,000-£15,000, but after The Hepworth Wakefield show was announced and she was signed up by leading contemporary art dealer Thomas Dane, wealthy collectors like fashion designer Jonathan Anderson (who has been announced as the new head designer at Dior) began buying her work and at auction they soared to a record £533,400 for one of her pots in 2023. The estimate on that work was £100,000, a record for Odundo at the time. Now Sotheby's has gone a step further with two from Denton's collection estimated at £150,000 each. This is, though, a collection of value extremes. While most of the value is concentrated in just a handful of artists, the majority of lots are estimated at under £3,000 each, some with no reserve minimum price. Other artists include Janet and David Leach, the wife and son of the influential potter Bernard Leach, and Richard Batterham, a student of Leach who died in 2021 the same year that a pair of his pots hit a record £20,000 at auction. So, for fledgling ceramic collectors it's time to get on your bikes and bid. The sanctions that were imposed on Russian businesses after Putin's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 put an end to the regular art sales, worth millions of pounds, which London used to stage mainly for the benefit of Russian buyers. Russian art auctions in London went from being worth over £100 million a year to nothing. But last year, Sotheby's held a sale – unnoticed by the press – entitled Fabergé, Imperial & Revolutionary Works of Art, which included Russian paintings, and it exceeded its £2.9 million estimate to make £3.9 million. And this November they are planning a repeat. So what is going on? According to analysis conducted by advisory group Overstone Art Services, Russian art continues to appear, but in different sale categories – from Old Master and 19th century to Modern. Russian art can be bought and sold, so long as the client is not a Russian passport holder or on a sanctions list. This April, for instance, Sotheby's included two paintings by the 19th century artist Richard Zommer, who worked in Central Asia and would previously have been sold in a Russian art sale, in its sale of Orientalist art together with a variety of European artists. One of his paintings, a depiction of a chaikhana (or meeting place for travellers) on the Silk Road, was estimated at £20,000 and sold for a record £114,300. Trade sources believe the Russian art market is buoyant within Russia, better than property, and that Russian buyers are still active in the West but operate under a dual nationality, as Ukrainian, say, or Belarusian. In a statement released to the Telegraph last week, Sotheby's said: 'Today there is a significant diaspora of Russians who collect. As ever, we have worked to ensure that we are complying with sanctions and other restrictions placed on Russian clients and property of Russian origin. Where appropriate, we have also been offering Russian paintings in international sales across various selling locations. While the international auction market for Russian art remains significantly smaller than it was, we have seen areas of positive momentum.' The statement echoes Overstone's observation that while sale totals are down, average hammer prices for Russian artists have increased, indicating that 'growth is already beginning to occur. If this trend continues, it seems likely that the accessibility of the Russian paintings market will increase, thus allowing for the market to grow again when the situation is more settled.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Much-loved country pub saved from closure weeks before it was set to shut
A much-loved country pub has been saved from closure just weeks before it was set to shut. The Farmers Arms in Goldcliff, Newport, had been scheduled to close after Mother's Day, causing sadness among locals. A Facebook post on March 4 announced the pub would not be shutting and is preparing to launch a "brand new concept" in early April. The post read: "We couldn't let it close. "Our lovely pub will remain open, being run by the original owners. "Craig Leith will be our chef. "Our amazing Sunday lunches and afternoon teas will continue exactly the same, with lots of exciting ideas coming in the pipeline - quiz nights, live music and events. "April 3 will see the launch of our brand new concept: Modern British Barbecue and Grill." The news has sparked relief among customers, who have expressed how "great" it is that the pub will not be closing. One regular even shared that they had been "in mourning" over the potential loss of the pub's popular food. Others have called it "the best news ever," adding they are "buzzing" with excitement. The Facebook post has received more than 100 comments, expressing delight and well wishes. Many comments express joy that they will still be able to enjoy the Farmers Arms' Sunday lunches. The reaction to the Facebook post also shows that the pub's owners are popular within the community, with many of the well-wishes aimed at them. This includes people saying "you deserve to keep it going" and "so pleased for you." The Farmers Arms will remain open on Goldcliff Road, Newport, with a new menu concept officially launching on April 3.
