NF01 November/December 2023

NF01 November / December 2023 

thenearfield.com 

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NEW BEGINNINGS • NEW BEGINNINGS • NEW BEGINNINGS • 

NEW BEGINNINGS 

It’s a fresh start for Bristol Beacon and Cleveland Pools 

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE 

Vintage shops • Reclamation yards • Food and drink • What’s on in the southwest

Welcome 3 

Cover illustration: Joe Waldron 

Simon Tapscott 

Co-founder and commercial director 

Jack Horner 

Co-founder and creative director 

Chris Parkin 

Editor 

Sam Freeman 

Art director 

Clemmie Millbank 

Listings editor 

Camilla Cary-Elwes 

Subeditor 

Ellie Stratton 

Emma Castle 

Marketing executives 

With special thanks to Vicki Cheadle, 

Jonathan Knee, Lee Bater, James 

Cornwell and Electric Bear Brewing Co. 

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Flash in here flash 

in here flash in 

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Copy in here copy 

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here 

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CBPXXXXXX 

Xxxxx Num venda vel 

moluptaquo eost acita 

dolenim usamento dignis 

nonserehenet mod maio 

Xxxxx Num venda vel 


dolenim usamento dignis 

nonserehenet mod maio 

WELCOME 

SORRY IT TOOK US SO LONG, 

BUT NOW WE’RE HERE YOU 

CAN SAY FAREWELL TO FOMO 

Without a killer guide to tell you what’s on, how are 

you supposed to get your kicks on route, um, A431? 

Well, that’s why we’re here. nearfield is, we hope, the 

companion you’ve been waiting for – a three-headed culture 

beast of searchable events website, weekly emails, and this, 

the magazine in your hands right now. As fate would have it, 

we’re launching at a hugely exciting time for the region, with 

a major cultural institution reopening and a Georgian landmark 

back to its sparkling best. In this first issue we celebrate fresh 

starts for Bristol Beacon and Cleveland Pools; dip into the 

world of vintage; and cherrypick the best happenings, and 

tastiest food and drink. If you want even more, visit 

thenearfield.com and sign up for our weekly emails. 

nearfield team 

editorial@thenearfield.com 


@the.nearfield 

LAUNCH ISSUE • LAUNCH ISSUE • LAUNCH ISSUE • 


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Contents 5 

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IN THIS ISSUE NF01 

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FEATURES 

36 Carrying 

the Torch 

How the Bristol 

Beacon used its 

▒░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 

radical past to inform 

its next chapter 

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45 Classic Frock 

The best vintage 

clothing shops 

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50 Cold Comfort 

Charm 

Meet the cold-water 

swimmers diving into 

the UK’s oldest lido 

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REGULARS 

THE LIST 

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07 Field Notes 

Love Saves the Day, 

spoken-word open 

mics, radio action 

with A For Alpha, 

mummers and more 

50 

15 Food and Drink 

Italian cuisine with 

a Bristol twist, dining 

done differently, and 

the cookery classes 

bringing change 

69 Your Field 

A quickfire guide to 

Lansdown in Stroud, 

The Cure play Moles, 

Field Trip #1, and film 

director Keith Kopp 

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Photo: Gareth Iwan Jones 

21 What’s on in the 

southwest through 

November and 

December, plus 

we meet Bristol’s 

outernational gig 

promoters Worm 

Disco Club and 

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sensory chocolate 

man Carlos Ayala 

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THIS ISSUE’S 

57 Learn the 

Yard Way 

A guide to the 

southwest’s 

reclamation yards 

61 Outside 

Influence: 

IceBreakers 

Our first community 

takeover comes from 

a group focusing on 

male wellbeing 

Writers: Hayley Joyes, Amanda Nicholls, Natalie Paris, Priyanka Raval 

Photographer: Gareth Iwan Jones 

Illustrator: Joe Waldron (front cover illustration) 

Want more? 

Find us 

online at 

thenearfield. 

com 

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CONTRIBUTORS 

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FIVE SPEED 

OFF TO THEIR NEXT 

ADVENTURE 

THE FAMOUS FIVE © 2022, Hodder & Stoughton Limited. All rights reserved. 

Get to your next adventure 

quicker with GWR. 

Book now at GWR.com, or on our app.

Field Notes 7 

FIELD NOTES 

Find more 

music, more 

exhibitions, more 

of everything at 


Photo: Xxxxxxxx 

LOVE SAVES THE DAY… AGAIN 

Team Love are Bristol’s busiest festival throwers right now. In 

2024, they’re bringing us the cross-venue eclecticism of Simple 

Things (23-29 February), Love Saves the Day (25-26 May) and 

Forwards. Co-founder Tom Paine explains what drives them 

We try to run the same ethos 

through all our festivals. And 

that’s sustainability, community 

and festivals for good. With 

Love Saves the Day we really 

focus on sustainability. 

The festival pushes the 

boundaries of what people 

expect from a day festival. 

We’re making some changes 

this year, including a new stage. 

There’s nothing else out there 

like Simple Things. In terms 

of bands alongside crazy 

electronic music, and a huge 

range of musical styles and 

production. It’s one where I see 

the most music, so selfishly 

I’m excited to bring it back. 

We’re close to confirming 

our Forwards headliners. The 

feedback we get from bands is 

that they love the crowds and 

feel aligned with its values. 

We love experimenting with 

how city centre festivals work. 

And how they might help 

facilitate positive change. It 

might sound grandiose, but it’s 

not meant to. It’s just a belief 

that doing very small things 

can elicit positive change. 

nfld.io/lovesavesday 

nfld.io/simplethings 

DOM-DA-DOM, 

DOM-DA-DOM 

If the sound of the Doctor 

Who theme doesn’t send 

you scurrying behind a sofa, 

then Weston Museum’s 

Adventures in Time and 

Space: 60 Years of Doctor 

Who Art (until 27 January) is 

the place for you. The largest 

exhibition of Doctor Who art, 

ever, features work spanning 

book and VHS tape covers, 

paintings, and illustrations 

from annuals, comics and 

graphic novels. Of course, 

the Timelord has visited 

Somerset before. Revenge 

of the Cybermen was filmed 

at Wookey Hole in 1975, and 

the exhibition takes place in 

the hometown of artist Ian 

Burgess, whose portfolio of 

200-plus design projects for 

Doctor Who includes his first 

ever job – painting the 

Wheel in Space book cover. 

nfld.io/drwho 



8 Field Notes 

RADIO ACTION 

We showcase the local 

radio shows and DJs 

pepping up our airwaves. 

First up: A For Alpha. 

Where can we hear you? 

“SWU.FM, Friday 5-7pm.” 

What will we hear? “House, 

garage, jungle, hip-hop, 

neo-soul. Most tracks are 

from the 1990s and early 

2000s, but I play a few new 

and unreleased tracks. I do 

a club mix every show.” 

Control by Sally C 

A wicked techhouse 

groover 

Pep Talk by 

Bahamadia 

Cool drum ’n’ 

bass from the 

Philadelphia 

rapper 

Keep Movin’ by 

Sunday Klubb 

A rare late 1990s 

garage track with 

the best groove 

Appletree by 

Erykah Badu 

The classiest 

beat, with her 

beautiful voice 

Rank by Artwork 

Original dubstep 

Pad & Pen by 

A Tribe Called 

Quest 

My favourite 

hip-hop group 

How long have you been 

on SWU.FM? “Since the 

relaunch in September. 

I was also a resident before 

it closed down. So pretty 

much its whole existence!” 

Who else should we check 

out? “Felix Joy’s breakfast 

show will give you the right 

energy to start your day. 

Milly On Air takes you on 

a euphoric proggy trip. 

Yemz seamlessly jumps 

from genre to genre. Lily 

Huu focuses on Bristol bass 

music. And Devil’s Work with 

Farrell – that’s Chris Farrell 

who used to run Idle Hands 

– is great for underground 

dance music.” 

Where will we find you at the 

weekend? “Strange Brew or 

The Love Inn. Both spaces 

are heavily focused on the 

music and the atmosphere.” 

rinse.fm/channels/swu 

A FOR ALPHA’S PLAYLIST 

Nassaur Bassed 

Party by Ron & 

Roland 

A fun acid track 

from 1996 

Locked 34 by 

Dylan Fogarty 

A hardgroove 

track I’ve been 

playing all 

summer 

HIGHER OR LOWER? 

Two regional beers. One 

boozy, the other not so much 

LOWTIDE 

The beer: Wild Juice 

Chase, DDH pale ale 

(0.5%) 

The inspiration: 

“We love those big, 

thiol-forward beers 

breweries such as Beak, Track 

and Verdant produce. This 

pairs very subtle additions of 

mango and passionfruit with 

talus and citra hops,” says 

Lowtide co-founder Rob. 

Where to drink it: “At Wiper 

& True’s tap events, where 

they serve phenomenal 

Japanese food. Take it easy 

by adding it between 

full-strength beers.” 

ELECTRIC BEAR 

The beer: Bowie 

or Bowie, pale ale 

(4.2%) 

The inspiration: 

“Bowie, of course! 

A lot of our inspiration comes 

from what we’re listening 

to in the brewery,” explains 

Electric Bear’s Libby. “This 

one derived from Flight of 

the Conchords’ Bowie. It 

also sparked a conversation 

around how you pronounce 

Bowie. Bowie or Bowie?” 

Where to drink it: “Our 

taproom regulars are 

particularly partial to a fourpint 

pitcher while watching 

sport on our big screen. It’s 

easy-drinking and juicy, with 

a crisp red grape finish on the 

back of your tongue.” 


Field Notes 9 

FREE SPEECH 

CURIOSITY CORNER 

Add some ritual tradition to your 

Christmas. The Marshfield Mummers 

– or Old Time Paper Boys – have been 

performing their play every Boxing 

Day at 11am since reviving it in the 

1930s. Join them outside Marshfield’s 

Lord Nelson Inn. 

With LGBTQ+ poetry night Hear My Voice 

returning to Bath’s Rondo Theatre on 

23 November (nfld.io/myvoice), host, poet and 

slam champion Emma Taylor has some advice 

for anyone who wants to take the mic. 

“Just go for it. The spoken-word community is 

a space of acceptance. Everyone in the room 

is rooting for you. Absolutely, it’s scary! But ask 

anyone who’s felt the fear but got up anyway, 

and they’ll tell you the more you do it, the less 

you’ll feel like you might pass out.” 

Emma’s favourite poetry and 

spoken-word events 

Chimes 

The Bell Inn, Bath 

“A brand new night 

hosted by Hear My 

Voice regular, Ash 

Manganaro. It’s a small 

and intimate affair.” 

End of November 

The Poetry Spa 

Bath Spa 

University 

Student Union 

“Hear My Voice’s new 

sister event, run by 

poet extraordinaire 

Kathryn O’Driscoll.” 

14 November; 

16 January 

Satellite of Love 

John Sebastian 

Lightship, Bristol 

“Poetry? A boat? 

A bar? Cal Wensley, 

Aiysha Humphreys, 

Helen Sheppard, 

and Sophie Dumont 

hosting? I love it.” 

Last Wednesday 

of the month 

Want more 

poetry nights? 

Check out 


Bath City and Chippenham Town continue 

their battle for regional supremacy in the 

National League South this Boxing Day and 

New Year’s Day – first at Hardenhuish Park, 

Chippenham, then at Twerton Park, Bath. 

Chippenham Town Bath City Draws 

6 

5 

LOCAL RIVALRIES 

Results 

Yellow cards 

1 

4 

3 

25 

Goals 

12 

1 1 

Red cards 



Field Notes 11 

MEET 

THE 

MAKERS 

MAKERS’ YARD 

FROME 

Located in a Victorian tannery in Frome, 

Makers’ Yard is an artist-run creative hub with 

studios, an event space and an emphasis on 

local grassroots creativity. Co-founder Ryan 

Todd introduces four artists and creators who 

are part of the Yard’s growing network. 

Makers’ Yard’s 

Christmas Market 

takes place on 

2 December. For 

more info, visit 

nfld.io/makers 

OLIVER JUSTICE 

Oliver’s architecture 

practice is dedicated 

to low-carbon, ethical 

approaches. His team 

focus on crafting 

spaces that benefit the 

wellbeing of occupants, 

while challenging 

conventional, oil-based 

construction. He has 

a studio at Makers’ Yard. 

oliverjustice.com 

Photos: Emma Todd 

HOLLY BROWN 

After 15 years as a children’s book 

illustrator, Holly started to teach 

herself oil painting. She now 

exhibits her work throughout the 

year, drawing inspiration from the 

objects, stories and places she 

visits. She also runs oil-painting 

courses at Makers’ Yard. 

holly-brown.co.uk 

PETIT PRESS 

A new member 

of our creative 

network, Petit 

Press is a risograph 

studio in Bath. They 

collaborate with 

some of our favourite 

artists and we were 

lucky enough to have 

them selling their 

prints at Yard Sale – 

our pop-up market. 

petitpress.co.uk 

CHARLOTTE MACMILLAN-SCOTT 

As a relative newbie to working 

professionally as a visual artist, 

Charlotte is constantly pushing 

her work in exciting ways. 

Unconfined by a singular process 

or client base, it’s inspiring to 

see her develop work across 

typography, portraiture, murals 

and surface design. 

charlottemacscott.com 



12 Field Notes 

GOING OUT 

FIND YOUR FEET 

Meet the Bath running club that’s more 

interested in participation than PBs 

“We started BathFitFam Run Club two years ago based on an 

ethos of inclusivity,” says co-founder Andy Watson. “We’ve 

had 1,500 runners this year, ranging from a seven-week-old in 

a pram to my dad, who’s 78. No distance is too short, 

no speed too slow.” 

Join BathFitFam Run Club in Victoria Park, Bath, 

on Sundays at 8.55am 

On Cloud X 

A low-profile 

running trainer 

perfect for gym 

workouts and 

short runs. 

Running Bath’s trainer picks 

Hoka Clifton 9 

This neutral shoe 

with rocker sole 

is suitable for 

anything from 5ks 

to ultras. 

runningbath.co.uk 

Asics Gel 

Trabuco 11 

Multi-terrain shoe 

for trail running on 

mixed surfaces, 

with superior grip. 

The Outdoor Swimmers’ Handbook 

Kate Rew Rider, £19 

Kate Rew brings the welcoming spirit of her 

Outdoor Swimming Society to the pages of 

this indispensable guide to getting started, 

staying safe and finding joy in wild swimming. 

STAY TOASTY 

Ed Bartlett, the founder of 

Bristol-based sustainable 

cycling brand Kostüme 

(kostume.cc), gives us his 

guide to technical layering 

Base layers 

It should be skin tight to move 

sweat away from your body. It 

needs to sit under at least one 

outer garment to evaporate 

moisture away. And synthetic 

fibres are lighter and more 

breathable than merino wool. 

Manchester’s Lusso make 

great technical apparel. 

Warmers 

Due to the speed cyclists 

move, arm, knee and neck 

warmers are arguably the 

most important items of 

clothing right now. Forget thin 

‘shields’ and go for thermal 

fabric. Our Kostüme Warmers 

are ultra-ergonomic and made 

from 100% recycled fibres. 

Gilets 

A gilet is designed as 

a thin outer layer to protect 

your core from the worst of 

the wind chill without you 

overheating. An ultra-thin layer 

will be enough to stop the 

breeze, and is easier to stow 

in a pocket. Like Rapha’s 

Brevet gilet. 


Field Notes 13 

STAYING IN 

BOOK SMARTS 

The booksellers that know recommend their favourite reads of 2023 

Discover book 

readings and 

author talks at 

nfld.io/booktalks 

The Whalebone Theatre 

Joanna Quinn 

Winstone’s Hunting Raven 

Books, Frome 

This perfect intergenerational country house 

novel sweeps readers from a makeshift theatre 

on the beach into the bloody theatre of war. 

Lucy By the Sea 

Elizabeth Strout 

Bailey Hill Bookshop, Castle Cary 

The story of Lucy and her ex as they 

share a house during lockdown. It brilliantly 

portrays the isolation we all felt. 

Matrescence 

Lucy Jones 

Bookhaus, Bristol 

Jones explores the physiological, 

psychological and sociological metamorphosis 

experienced in childbirth, and recognises it as 

one of our most extreme transformations. 

Ordinary Human Failings 

Megan Nolan 

Toppings, Bath 

An exploration of loneliness, lost hope, 

and the oversimplification of feelings and 

behaviours that, actually, we can learn from. 

CHRISTMAS DAY WINE FLIGHT 

Great Wine Co’s Tom Bleathman wants us to “drink less but drink better” this Christmas 

FESTIVE 

BREAKFAST 

LUNCHTIME 

LIVENER 

THE MAIN 

EVENT 

AFTER-DINNER 

PICK-ME-UP 

£18.80 £12.95 

£35 

£35 

Copenhagen 

Organic Sparkling 

Vinter Tea 

Spiced chai and 

Earl Grey blend with 

Riesling wine for 

a drink that tastes of 

gingerbread, allspice 

and cardamom. 

Picpoul de Pinet 

Roquemolière 

A crisp white will help 

get the palette going, 

and this is the perfect 

aperitif. Zesty and 

fresh with flavours 

of tangy citrus and 

grapefruit. 

Saumaize-Michelin 

Pouilly-Fuissé 

This white Burgundy 

complements turkey 

or goose perfectly. 

For red, Varvaglione 

Papale Oro Primitivo 

(£33) is bursting 

with flavours. 

Peller’s Ice Cuvée 

Sparkling 

Made in Canada, 

this sparkling adds 

sweet icewine in 

the winemaking 

process for a touch 

of sweetness and 

complexity. 



BOOK HERE 

IN NEED OF SOME REJUVENATION? 

Book a 60-minute Ritual and we’ll tailor a 

bespoke treatment to you to revitalise 

your mind, body and soul. 

Get 20% off your first treatment 

valid until 30th November 

Available: Monday - Friday, 9:30am - 7.00pm 

Please contact us for later appointments on request. 

15 Great Pulteney Street, Bathwick, Bath BA2 4BS | 01225 807015 

guesthousehotels.co.uk | no15.spa@guesthousehotels.co.uk 

@guesthousehotels

Food and Drink 15 

FOOD 

AND 

DRINK 

Not full? Find 

more foodie 

inspiration at 


Italian cuisine with 

a Bristol twist; awardwinning 

dining experiences 

with a difference; and the 

community cookery classes 

empowering migrants to 

chase their dreams and 

pass on their culinary skills 

WORDS AMANDA NICHOLLS 

Photo: Ed Schofield 

Go for the cathedral, 

stay for the modern, 

veg-led sharing plates 

served at Root Wells 




FLAVOUR OF THE MONTH 

The team at Bianchis Group are 

energising their Italian cuisine with 

a city’s worth of dining influences 

PAZZO 

89 Whiteladies Road, Bristol 

Just round the corner from where their beloved 

first restaurant Pasta Loco recently stood is the 

biggest venture yet from hospitality don Dom 

Borel, chef brothers Ben and Joe Harvey, and 

their assorted crew. Together, they’re paying 

homage to their roots with a next-level evolution 

encapsulating everything the Bianchis Group 

has learned since day dot. The space previously 

housing Bar Humbug has undergone an 11-week 

transformation, and now comprises a series 

of warm, elegant dining rooms with flagstone 

floors, shelves lined with fine wine, and low-hung 

brown paper lanterns that cast you and your 

tablemates in a satisfyingly flattering light. 

Each room at Pazzo (‘crazy’ in Italian) is named 

after a town or village in Lake Como and dotted 

with monochrome photographs of friends – 

mostly chefs – from around Bristol, emphasising 

the sense of extended family, and the city’s 

diverse heritage. Their Italian fare is influenced 

by the many cultures that have settled here, with 

its open kitchen dealing in curried goat tortellini 

with jerk butter and parmesan dumpling; Cornish 

crab pappardelle; hogget with San Marzano 

tomatoes, potato aligot and chimichurri; and 

Delica pumpkin with sage and honey. 

Contained in its own breadcrumbed package in 

a shallow pool of spinach cream, with a couple 

of ears of romaine lettuce for fresh contrast 

and crunch, the perfectly portioned cacio 

e pepe lasagne is a contender for Bristol’s best; 

light enough to leave room for a few puffs of 

fried zeppole with lemon curd, blackberries 

and pistachio to finish. We recommend getting 

acquainted with the Bianchis Group’s new crazy. 

Mains £17-£24 

pazzobristol.co.uk 



TOP-LEVEL DINING 

WITH A DIFFERENCE 

Want Michelin awards 

with none of the faff and 

fustiness? We’ve got you 

Photo: Ed Schofield 

ROOT 

12 Sadler Street, Wells 

The veg-led menu at Root’s Somerset 

outpost is, all by itself, worth the trip to 

this bijou city. Combine with a wander 

around Wells’ stately cathedral, spotting 

blue-robed choristers on cobbled 

streets, for a dreamy day out. Rob 

Howell has elevated his hometown’s 

culinary offering with the likes of 

burrata with blood nectarines, and 

Basque cheesecake with plum and 

orange, although a standout snack 

– fried cheddar and Marmite puffs – 

steals the show. Expect Tuesday night 

openings this season, a French-themed 

evening, and takeaway pizza for Wells 

Carnival (17 November). 

Small plates £9-£17 

rootwells.co.uk 

QUEEN OF CUPS 

10-12 Northload Street, Glastonbury 

Welsh-Jordanian chef Ayesha Kalaji doesn’t insist her 

distinctive dishes of laverbread falafel and lavenderbraised 

lamb are authentic. They’re an interpretation. 

“Food that feels true to myself, my area, my ideas.” 

Having read the semiotics of Middle Eastern food 

and spent summers with her grandma in Jordan, 

Ayesha set up in this 17th-century coaching inn in 

2021, introducing a quirky aesthetic and regular drag 

nights. She knows her stuff, and her suppliers, who 

grow Aleppo chillies and Syrian za’atar just for her. 

Hot dishes £7.25-£21.50 

queenofcups.co.uk 

OSIP 

1 High Street, Bruton 

Don’t expect anything so 

limiting as a menu at this 

Michelin-starred jewel, 

which promises an element 

of surprise. Merlin Labron- 

Johnson asks you to put your 

faith in his capacity to curate an 

experience that “celebrates a time and 

place in Somerset”, using whichever ingredients 

arrive from his nearby plots. Evenings involve 

preserved vegetables with fresh breads and broth, 

plus larger plates and sweets. Osip 2.0 is being built 

for spring at the foot of a forest in the Bruton hills. 

Full menu £120, shortened menu £69 (lunch only) 

osiprestaurant.com 




A CLASS ACT 

We visit the social enterprise giving migrants and 

displaced people the confidence to pass on their 

culinary traditions and find their own path 

Photos: Migrateful, Fede Rivas 

From asylum-seeker to head chef 

of a London Lebanese restaurant: 

that’s the kind of career path 

we love to see, and the kind that 

this social enterprise helps to 

make possible. Counting Yotam 

Ottolenghi, Jamie Oliver and 

Meghan Markle among its fans, 

Migrateful is a Bristol/London 

outfit supporting integration and 

independence for people who find 

themselves displaced. Chef Negla, 

for example, fled the war in Sudan 

ten years ago, while Mansura came 

from a northern Ghanaian town 

with the biggest slave market in 

West Africa, where women don’t 

have much of a voice. Dolores, 

meanwhile, made the trip to the UK 

from Jamaica alone in 2001, before 

having her immigration status 

taken away in 2005 and finding she 

was no longer allowed to work. 

“Migrateful brought joy into my life. They make 

me feel I can fulfil my dream of cooking” 

– Sereh, Migrateful’s Gambian chef 



Left Sereh brings Gambian 

flavours to her Migrateful 

cookery lessons 

Right After fleeing war in 

Sudan, Negla is passing on 

her culinary skills 

Challenging stereotypes, with 

the aim of correcting and 

rewriting harmful narratives about 

immigration, Migrateful’s public 

cookery lessons and tailored 

socials take place at its cookery 

school, in people’s homes, or 

online. Migrant home cooks are 

trained to teach classes in their 

own traditional cuisine, be it Indian 

or Iranian, Nigerian or Nicaraguan, 

before hosting – head-of-thefamily 

style – a sit-down meal for 

their students. 

You might be serving up spiced 

potato dumplings in yoghurt, 

and deep-fried lamb and bulgur 

wheat with Syrian chef Sultana 

at Coexist Community Kitchen, 

or knocking up coconut plantain 

stew at St Werburghs Community 

Centre. Split into sub-groups, 

with each responsible for creating 

one of the dishes on your evening 

menu, you’re encouraged to move 

around and chat during class, to 

learn about the other dishes being 

prepared, while your teacher 

shares stories about their food 

and culture, and imparts cookery 

tips and tricks. It’s a good choice 

for a pre-Christmas get-together 

that gives something back and 

promotes a more understanding 

local community. 

Classes £45pp 

nfld.io/migcook 



americanmuseum.org 

December

The List 21 

THE 

LIST 

For loads more 

performances, 

events and 

experiences, visit 


A selection of events taking 

place across the region in 

November and December 

COMPILED BY 

CLEMMIE MILLBANK 

To promote 

your event on 

these pages, 

email simon@ 


Can’t get enough of 

chocolate? Check out 

Carlos Ayala’s sensory 

workshops on page 32 



NEARFIELD • NEARFIELD • NEARFIELD • NEARFIELD • 

22 The List 

WORM 

DISCO 

CLUB 

The Bristol-based 

purveyors of cosmic 

jazz and outernational 

sounds explain the 

thinking behind their 

eclectic DJ and 

gig nights 

We play the best records we can 

find from a mad mix of cultures, 

times and places. We book 

incredible bands and musicians 

we love from all over the world. 

We put out new releases by upand-coming 

artists we rate. And 

we give other DJs a platform, 

and generally try to bring people 

together to make them wriggle. 

Attention to detail and a sense of 

openness make our nights unique. 

There is no set music policy other 

than “does it groove, is it funky, is 

it good?” 

The southwest music scene 

is all about collaboration. It has 

become quite a melting pot. The 

creativity, festival crews and music 

brands Bristol is known for now is 

really impressive. 

An epic DJ set is when everyone is 

getting down properly, lost in the 

moment. The DJs are on top form, 

doing spontaneous things, playing 

a mix of music that’s both familiar 

and unknown. Not many places are 

set up right to allow for the magic 

to happen, especially for vinyl DJs, 

so when it does, it feels special. 

Worm Disco Club presents 

Anatolian psych-rockers Derya 

Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek at Strange 

Brew, Bristol, on 25 November; 

and Zamrockers W.I.T.C.H at Lost 

Horizon, Bristol, on 4 December. 

nfld.io/strangebrew 

nfld.io/losthorizon 


The List 23 

GET A WRIGGLE ON 

Worm Disco Club’s 

music tips 

Best southwest 

record shops 

“Wanted, Friendly, Disk Frisk, 

and Centre For Better Grooves 

in Bristol. Regionally, we 

love Longwell in Keynsham, 

Resolution in Bath, Raves From 

the Grave in Frome, and Sound 

and Klang Tone in Stroud.” 

Best venues 

“La Bomba, The Jam Jar, Lost 

Horizon, The Love Inn and 

Strange Brew in Bristol. And 

SVA in Stroud. All these places 

have great stuff going on.” 

Best new artists 

“TC & the Groove Family, TLK, 

Marla Kether, Snazzback, Moses 

Yoofee Trio, corto.alto, GOkU.” 



24 The List 

PROMOTED 

Trip the Light Fantastic 

Bristol Beacon 

Witness a space reborn, as sound and light 

collide in this extraordinary show. Produced 

by Paraorchestra in collaboration with Bristol 

techno artist Surgeons Girl, conductor Charles 

Hazlewood, and light artists Limbic Cinema, 

this audio-visual experience has been specially 

commissioned to reopen Bristol Beacon. 

30 November bristolbeacon.org 

LIVE 

Hoptoberfest 

Propyard, Bristol 

Bring on the bratwurst, 

the lederhosen and 

the oompah band: 

Bristol’s best Bavarian 

celebration is back 

by hop-ular demand. 

Serving up steins 

full of locally brewed 

craft ales and ciders, 

and soundtracked by 

thumping headline 

DJ sets from house 

legend Norman Jay 

MBE on Friday and 

IDLES’ energetic 

frontman Joe Talbot 

on Saturday. 

10-11 November 

nfld.io/hoptober 

New Soundz 

Festival 

Arnolfini, Bristol 

Prepare for an 

auditory awakening 

at this celebration of 

South Asian music. 

Witness jaw-dropping 

performances from 

sound artist and 

beatboxer Jason 

Singh, and sitar player 

Roopa Panesar, plus 

a brand-new piece 

from sarod virtuoso 

Soumik Datta. The 

artists will also be 

discussing their 

creative journeys. 

10-12 November 

nfld.io/newsoundz 

Photos: Bristol Beacon 

Sound Records: 

Flamingods 

The Goods Shed, 

Stroud 

Sound Records have 

something special 

lined up for their fifth 

birthday celebration 

– and it arrives in 

the shape of genredefying 

psych-pop 

travellers Flamingods. 

They’ll be dropping 

by with a synapsefrying 

blend of musical 

influences that 

includes psychedelia, 

1970s rock ’n’ roll and 

ravey electronica… 

and that’s just the 

first song. 

18 November 

nfld.io/flamegod 

Gorilla Tactics 

Xmas Party 

Cheese & Grain, 

Frome 

Join Gorilla Tactics 

for a proper West 

Country dub session, 

with original reggae 

selector and legendary 

broadcaster David 

Rodigan MBE 

headlining the annual 

festive party. More 

than capable support 

comes in the bass 

bin-rattling shape 

of Prince Fatty 

& Horseman. Oh, 

and don’t miss the 

afterparty at 23 Bath 

St either. 

22 December 

nfld.io/gorillatacs 

The Women Who Gave No F*cks 

Front Room Theatre, Weston-Super-Mare 

Be inspired by Irish pirate queens, Japanese 

sun deities, Greek pig-wife belly goddesses, and 

Magyar domestic warriors on this whistle-stop 

tour of history’s most imperfect females, who use 

their wit, cunning, courage, righteous rage and 

(occasional) superpowers to reach greatness. 

A theatrical demonstration of exactly what can be 

achieved when women give absolutely zero fucks. 

1 December nfld.io/nofks 

Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of 

the Baskervilles 

Arnos Vale Cemetery, Bristol 

Get lost on the moors with this eerie retelling 

of Conan Doyle’s spine-tingling mystery. The 

atmospheric Anglican Chapel at Arnos Vale will be 

transformed into 221B Baker Street, where Holmes 

and Watson will bang their heads together to solve 

the mystery of the diabolical supernatural hound. 

15 November to 1 December nfld.io/sherlock 


For all your festive Wines and Spirits 

The Great Wine Co. 

The finest wines and spirits since 1983 

The Great Wine Company, 

Wells Road, Bath BA2 3AP 

Shop - Open to public 

Customer car parking 

www.greatwine.co.uk

26 The List 

ART 

When Dreams Confront 

Reality: Surrealism 

in Britain 

Victoria Art Gallery, 

Bath 

Originating in Paris after 

the brutality of the First 

World War, the influence 

of surrealism stretched 

far beyond its birthplace. 

This exhibition delves deep 

into the origins of the 

movement and its impact 

on the British artscape, with 

paintings, collage, drawings, 

ceramics and sculpture 

by artists such as Max 

Ernst, Julian Trevelyan, 

FE McWilliam and Man Ray. 

Until 7 January 

nfld.io/dreamart 

Photos: The Sherwin Collection, Leeds, UK / Bridgeman Images 

Right John Banting 

(1902-72), The Couple, 

c.1932-33, oil on board 


The List 27 



SOUTH WEST 

BUILDING OF THE YEAR 

Image: Accommodation pod 3 at sunset, credit Jesse Roth 

NOW SHOWING: 

Common Thread, works by Lyn Barlow and Grayson Perry 

16.09.2023-01.01.2024, daily 10am-5pm 

GALLERY & EXHIBITIONS 

UNIQUE PLACES TO STAY 

RESTAURANT & SHOP 

ARTISTS & PRINT STUDIO 

HANDMADE PAPER MILL 

EVENTS & EDUCATION 

@eastquaywatchet 

eastquaywatchet.co.uk 

Watchet, Somerset

The List 29 

ART 

Elias Sime: 

Eregata 

Arnolfini, Bristol 

A big one, this. 

The first major solo 

European jaunt for 

one of Ethiopia’s 

leading contemporary 

artists. Sime’s 

ethnographically 

inspired stitch, yarn 

and button series, and 

large-scale ceramic 

installations explore 

material topography 

and ideas of serenity, 

and the plausibility of 

such a thing. 

Until 18 February 

nfld.io/eregata 

Place Portrait 

Spike Island, Bristol 

An invitation to 

deeply connect with 

your immediate 

surroundings, this 

exhibition holds 

a magnifying glass 

to the Spike Island 

neighbourhood. It 

features a central 

wooden installation 

evoking the masts and 

cranes of its skyline, 

plus interviews with 

local characters, 

ambient sound, still 

and moving portraits, 

and found and newly 

created materials. 

Until 14 January 

nfld.io/spikeplace 

Gruppenausstellung 

Hauser & Wirth, Bruton 

A platform for discovery and interaction, this 

exhibition is inspired by the traditional pop-up 

art galleries called Kunsthalle, which brought 

groundbreaking art to broad audiences across 

German-speaking Europe. Gruppenausstellung 

features over 20 artists presenting playful, 

immersive installations, solo works and free 

fortnightly film screenings. 

Until 1 January nfld.io/kunst 

Albert Paley: Heavy Metal and the 

Art Nouveau 

Messum’s West, Tisbury 

Spanning 35 years’ worth of metal work, from 

tiny pieces of intricate jewellery to bold 30-foot 

sculptures the size of houses, this exhibition is 

a rare opportunity to see American artist Albert 

Paley’s work in the UK and learn more about his 

creative process. 

Until 14 January nfld.io/metalart 

Photo: Phoebe d_Heurle 

30th Anniversary Screening: Jurassic Park 

Bristol Museum & Art Gallery 

Join Bristol Film Festival as it hosts early evening 

and late-night screenings of Steven Spielberg’s 

dino thriller among the museum’s life-sized models 

and skeletons. Plus, enjoy a pre-show meet-andgreet 

with the movie’s main stars. No, not Jeff 

Goldblum or Laura Dern, but a slightly terrifying 

T-Rex and velicoraptor from Raptors World. 

14 November nfld.io/dinos 



30 The List 

SEASONAL 

PROMOTED 

Winter Solstice 

Dining Experience 

Horrell & Horrell, 

Sparkford 

PROMOTED 

Winter Wonderland 

American Museum & Gardens, Bath 

The clue is in the name for this one. If it’s 

a festive, handcrafted Christmas experience 

you’re after, look no further. The Georgian 

manor house will be festooned with 

decorations, plus a twinkling, 18-foot fir tree. 

Book in for one of the Christmas workshops, 

or treat yourself in the deli. 

1-31 December americanmuseum.org 

Treefest 

St Mary Redcliffe Church, Bristol 

Support local charities by taking a stroll through 

a festive display of Bristol creativity. Each of the 

Christmas trees has been supported and decorated 

by a variety of local people and organisations to 

create a magical forest inside the gothic beauty of 

St Mary Redcliffe Church. 

6-10 December nfld.io/treefest 

PROMOTED 

Beat the winter 

chill with a dining 

experience like no 

other. Hosted by Jules 

and Steve Horrell 

(previously of Roth 

Bar & Grill), guests 

will be greeted at 

the Old Apple Barn 

before enjoying four 

courses of gardengrown 

bounty, cooked 

over fire and served 

in the centre of a long 

sharing table. 


nfld.io/solsdine 

Joy! A Seasonal 

Celebration 

of Craft 

New Brewery Arts, 

Cirencester 

You can get in 

a fluster about 

Christmas shopping, 

or you can swing by 

New Brewery Arts for 

a selection of unique 

handcrafted gifts for 

family and friends. 

Find everything from 

homeware through 

to cards and prints 

from talented UK 

craftspeople. 

28 October to 


newbreweryarts. 

org.uk 

C 

M 

Y 

CM 

MY 

CY 

CMY 

K 

Photo: Article Studio 

Christmas 

Wreath-making 

Bath College, City 

Centre Campus 

Get into the spirit 

this December by 

making a Christmas 

wreath under the expert guidance of Bath 

College’s floristry tutor, Andrew Baker. 

Courses sell out fast, so don’t hang around. 

7, 8, 15 December bathcollege.ac.uk 

The Little Match Girl & Happier Tales 

The Lucky Chance, Frome 

Join Wise Children theatre company at its 

new home in Frome for 12 performances of 

this intriguing folk tale. Weaving in well-known 

stories such as The Princess and the Pea and 

The Emperor’s New Clothes, expect puppetry, 

mysticism and a generous sprinkling of dark festive 

magic. Cheesy panto? Oh no it isn’t. 

8-23 December nfld.io/matchgirl 


BRISTOL 

BRISTOL 

BATH 

CREATIVE 

PLACES FOR 

CURIOUS 

MINDS 

TCNUK.CO.UK 

Find your next 

creative workspace 

in the heart of the South West

32 The List 

Third-generation 

Italian-Ecuadorian 

chocolatier and founder 

of Bristol’s Vicolo Sei 

Chocolates Carlos Ayala 

has the lowdown 

Despite common 

misconceptions about 

chocolate negatively 

affecting dental health, 

recent studies have shown 

that dark chocolate may 

actually help prevent cavities. 

Which is very good news. 

Photo: Luca Tsouloulis 

THINGS 

YOU 

DIDN’T 

KNOW 

Cacao-based products 

like dark chocolate and 

cacao nibs are abundant 

in essential minerals and 

antioxidants, which can 

help support heart health 

and prevent other illnesses. It 

can also boost serotonin levels, 

contributing to improved mood. 

Raw organic cacao contains 

160mg of calcium per 100g, 

compared to 125mg per 

100ml in cow’s milk. Time 

to swap the flat white for 

a couple of squares of 

dairy-free raw chocolate? 

Cacao is a good 

source of easily 

absorbed iron, 

ABOUT 

which makes it 

a valuable addition 

to a vegetarian or 

vegan diet. 

CHOCOLATE 

Cacao is the purest 

and most natural 

form of chocolate. 

Although derived from 

cacao beans, cocoa is 

processed in a way that 

alters its health benefits. 

Join Carlos at TEDxBristol on 

18 November, or at one of his 

immersive sensory chocolate 

workshops 

nfld.io/tedxbriz 

nfld.io/sensorychoc 


The List 33 

THE REST 

Beaver Moon 

Glow Swim 

Vobster Quay, 

Upper Vobster 

Lighting up this 

beloved open-water 

swimming spot like 

a trail of confused 

out-of-season fireflies, 

the hardiest cold-water 

bobbers will be coming 

together under the 

light of November’s 

full Beaver Moon 

before defrosting with 

a bowl of cassoulet 

around the roaring fire 

pit. Non-members 

are welcome. 


nfld.io/beamoon 

PROMOTED 

Feasting at Pennard Hill Farm 

East Pennard, Somerset 

Pennard Hill Farm is flinging open the doors 

of its brand-new feasting barn this winter. 

Expect a celebration of wild food, regenerative 

farming, cosy bonhomie and some of the most 

delicious produce Somerset has to offer. 

11 November, 2 & 9 December 

pennardhillfarm.co.uk 

Story Slam 

The Wardrobe 

Theatre, Bristol 

From the disgusting to 

the hilarious, the tragic 

to the heartbreaking – 

you’re never quite sure 

what you’re going to 

hear at Story Slam, 

where all the stories 

are offered up by 

members of the 

audience. Put your 

name in the hat for 

a chance to speak, or 

simply sit back and 

listen to everyone 

else’s tales. 

26 November, 


nfld.io/storyslam 

Medicinal 

Mushrooms 

42 Acres, Frome 

Start your day with 

a forage through 

42 Acres’ on-site 

woodland and learn 

to identify various 

fungi while learning 

about their medicinal 

properties. After 

a tasty lunch from 

their ‘Soil to Gut’ 

menu you’ll explore 

ways to preserve 

mushrooms and 

master the basics of 

drying, powdering, 

and making tinctures. 


nfld.io/shroommed 

Tara Wigley: How to Butter Toast 

At the Chapel, Bruton 

TEDxBristol 

SS Great Britain, 

Bristol 

TEDxBristol is 

back for the first time 

in four years! Some 

of the southwest’s 

most innovative 

thinkers and bold 

idea generators are 

set to climb on board 

the SS Great Britain 

for three mindopening 

sessions. 

Hear from activists, 

artists, educators and 

adventurers on how 

they plan to change 

the world. 


nfld.io/tedxbriz 

Food writer and Ottolenghi collaborator Wigley 

drops in to talk about her latest foodie tome, How 

to Butter Toast – a cookbook that doesn’t offer 

recipes, but answers common culinary conundrums. 

Like, how long should you boil an egg? What’s the 

best way to crush garlic? And how do you make the 

perfect cup of tea? All the essential questions Siri 

has been getting wrong for years. 

29 November nfld.io/taratoast 

The Churchill Lecture: David Olusoga 

American Museum & Gardens, Bath 

As part of The Churchill Lecture series, the 

American Museum marks the 60th anniversary of 

Martin Luther King Jr’s famous “I Have a Dream” 

speech with a very special talk from British- 

Nigerian bestselling author, award-winning 

presenter, documentary maker and historian, 

Professor David Adetayo Olusoga OBE. 

24 November nfld.io/davido 



New Beginnings 35 

NEW 

BEGINNINGS 

Looking back to move 

forward – how Bristol 

Beacon is tapping into its 

lesser-known past to find 

purpose; where to unearth 

the best vintage clobber; 

meet the cold-water 

dippers diving into the UK's 

oldest lido; and discover 

the joy of reclamation yards 

Photos: Gareth Iwan Jones 

Into the blue again: 

Cleveland Pools is all 

prepped for some 

winter sparkle 




36 Bristol Beacon 

As Bristol Beacon gets ready to remove its dust 

sheets ahead of reopening, we find out how the 

venue is honouring its rich and radical history 

WORDS PRIYANKA RAVAL 

PHOTOGRAPHY PAUL BLAKEMORE 

CARRYING 

THE TORCH 


Bristol Beacon 37 

Bristol Beacon’s much-publicised 

five-year revamp extends far 

beyond a £132 million rebrand 

and glitzy makeover. “More than 

a venue,” so it hails itself, Bristol 

Beacon is out to inspire and 

empower the city's creative minds, 

just as it has done throughout its 

156-year history. 

Nailing this mission to its wall is the 

Lantern Heritage Project, a fact-finding 

mission shedding light on the untold 

stories this transformed venue is aiming 

to take its cues from. Its findings have 

been illustrated by Northover&Brown, 

in collaboration with inclusion and 

diversity consultant Ngaio Anyia, on 

a 12-metre-long frieze adorning the 

Lantern Hall. 

Left Bristol Byzantineinfluenced 

artwork 

by Giles Round 

Above A flight of 

fancy: the new spiral 

staircase in the foyer 

of the Lantern Hall 

Much like the venue’s mix of original 

features with state-of-the-art acoustics, 

the frieze represents change through 

continuity. A thread that carries on, too, 

through community outreach projects 

inspired by the progressive role the 

venue has long played in the city. 

We sat down with the creator, producer 

and Deaf disability activist Cathy Mager, 

who led the Lantern Heritage Project, 

and Bristol Beacon artistic director Todd 

Wills, to understand how the venue’s 

illustrious past will inform its future. 




Left Num venda vel 


dolenim usamento 

dignis nonserehenet 

mod maio 

Right Num venda vel 


dolenim usamento 

dignis nonserehenet 

mod maio 

BOOKING AHEAD 

Don't miss these at nfld.io/beacon 

Lankum 

1 February 

Fall under the spell 

of these doom-folk 

purveyors. 

Fatoumata 

Diawara 

6 February 

Malian singersongwriter 

who 

reinvents traditional 

African music. 

Jonathan Pie: 

Heroes & Villains 

20-21 February 

Tom Walker's ranty 

correspondent 

gives his enemies 

both barrels. 

Fever Ray 

29 February 

Moody electro-pop 

from the Scandi 

experimentalist. 

Photo: Cathy Mager 

Above 

Creator, 

producer, 

Deaf activist 

and head of 

the Lantern 

Heritage 

Project, 

Cathy 

Mager; 

Bristol 

Beacon's 

Sound 

Lounge 

WALL STORIES 

In large bold letters emblazoned above 

the information desk, WELCOME is the 

first thing you see when walking into 

Bristol Beacon from Trenchard Street. 

“It wasn’t part of my brief, but I came up 

with the idea,” Cathy tells me, pointing to 

the sign. “With accessibility, small tweaks 

can make a difference. It’s about trying 

to make the space welcoming to people 

who might feel alienated from it.” 

Opposite is the Sound Lounge, a cosy 

cubby hole bedecked with vintage 

posters, a lyric wall, video screen and 

reference library. Cathy repurposed 

the space from an unused cupboard 

to better represent the city’s diversity, 

and “for people to occupy; a community 

artwork curated by people and artists”. 

The main chunk of the Herculean brief 

Cathy took on three years ago, though, 

was to unearth the venue’s lesser-known 

radical history. Trawling digital archives 

through the pandemic she discovered 

the stories that are now immortalised on 

the Lantern Hall's frieze wall. 

Over coffee she regales me with tales 

of flying monkeys, giant water tanks, 

a canine orchestra, and palm trees 

looming from the orchestra pit. When 

the circus came in 1933, the auditorium 

had to house elephants, kangaroos and 

bears. “And there was Doll Land – 3,200 

dolls handmade by local people, which 

sounds quite creepy,” laughs Cathy. 

She speaks of legendary characters, like 

Carlos Trower, the Black acrobat from 

the 1890s who’d walk over the audience 

on a tightrope, cooking a beefsteak. 

There were Bristol divas, Clara Buck, 

Elsie Griffin, and Eva Turner – “the 

Kardashians of their time!” And Alfred 

Hollins, the blind organist who would 

perform mashups of songs called out 

by the crowd. 


Beautifully designed coworking spaces 

that go beyond being a place to work. 

gather-round.co


ACCESS ALL AREAS 

Cathy Mager picks out a few of the region's 

accessible spaces 

Royal West of England 

Academy 

RWA offer sensory bags 

for neurodivergent visitors, 

accessible activities, 

special tours for adults with 

dementia, and the calming 

Youngwood Room. 

rwa.org.uk 

The Watershed 

They offer a range of 

options such as masked 

and socially distanced film 

screenings, and sessions 

for visitors with autism. 

watershed.co.uk 

Rondo Theatre 

The Stolen Winter Light 

(13-24 December) is a fully 

accessible festive show 

with BSL and captioned 

access, touch tours, and 

‘screaming’ performances 

for babies and children. 

nfld.io/stolenwinter 

The Wave 

Their adaptive surfing 

sessions are tailored to 

access requirements, 

whether physical, learning 

or sensory. 

thewave.com 

There have been more meaningful 

incidents, too: “I wanted to highlight 

the resistance and activism, without 

shying away from more uncomfortable 

episodes,” Cathy says. “In March 1934, 

the British Union of Fascists’ leader 

Oswald Mosley gave a talk here. But 

6,000 people demonstrated outside, 

and some hid in the stalls to disrupt 

the meeting.” Similarly, in May 1909, 

suffragettes Vera Holme and Elsie 

Howey waited in the grand pipe of the 

organ to interrupt a political speech by 

Augustine Birrell. 

More recently, of course, the venue's 

name has been a subject for debate. 

In 1998, Massive Attack announced 

they would boycott the venue as long 

as it bore the name of the slave trader 

Edward Colston. In 2017, plans for 

a name change were under way, and 

expedited after the resurgence of the 

Black Lives Matter movement in 2020. 

“We’ve tried to communicate Black Lives 

Matter as a continuation of a long- 



Left A revamped 

Beacon Hall prepares 

for a fresh start 

Below Illustrator Mel 

Northover working on 

the Lantern Hall's frieze 

running movement,” Cathy explains. 

“From the Bowie brothers, a Black 

banjo duo from the 1880s who would 

sing anti-slavery songs, to Akua Naru's 

performance in 2015, talking about the 

need to do more than talk about racism.” 

“The final panel shows these 

shockwaves, the vibration of the 

activism, the explosion knocking Colston 

off his plinth, bringing us up to now. We 

have Vanessa Kisuule’s poem, Lady Nade, 

Big Jeff, the Bristol Reggae Orchestra… 

The idea is every time you walk past, you 

notice something new. I’ve learned it’s 

crucial to keep reinvestigating history.” 

As a Deaf creator, Cathy’s approach 

to accessibility, in collaboration with 

neurodivergent artists, has brought this 

history alive in a multi-sensory, almost 

synaesthetic way: “The intention is that 

it feels like a piece of visual music,” she 

tells me. The frieze is accompanied by 

an audio description guide for low-vision 

and Blind people, and a sign language 

film by Deaf hip-hop dancer Raffaella. 

Cathy is hopeful that this focus on 

accessibility will expand: “The mistake 

"I wanted to highlight 

the resistance and 

activism, without 

shying away from more 

uncomfortable episodes" 

people make is thinking access is 

fixed, that you bring in the expert and 

tick the boxes. To be inclusive is to be 

receptive to new ideas, new people, new 

disabilities, new ways of seeing.” 

HOMEGROWN TALENT 

New ideas are at the heart of artistic 

director Todd Wills's vision, too. 

Bristol Beacon is unusual as a concert 

hall. Instead of acting as a receiving 

house it programmes half of the content 

itself, allowing for a more curatorial and 

inclusive approach. “It’s a tough balance, 

hitting targets,” Todd says, “but we don’t 

want to be a stationary monolith in the 

centre of town.” 

“We want to nurture emerging talents,” 

Todd continues. Crucial to this are the 

education spaces, rehearsal rooms, 

recording equipment, and performance 

space in the renovated Cellars. “The 

ideal is to work with them in the Cellars, 

take them into the Lantern, which is our 

500-capacity space, then eventually into 

the main hall,” Todd says. 

Photo: Northover&Brown 

Bristol Beacon already has outreach 

projects in Filwood and Southmead, and 

has partnered with local radio station 

Ujima and youth-led creative collective, 

Rising Arts Agency. And from these 

grassroots, the stories of the venue’s 

next 150 years will doubtless emerge. 



INTERVIEW • INTERVIEW • INTERVIEW • INTERVIEW • 


SWITCHED ON 

Paraorchestra conductor Charles Hazlewood and Bristol techno 

operator Surgeons Girl pull back the curtain on their Bristol 

Beacon-opening performance with light artists Limbic Cinema 

WORDS CHRIS PARKIN 

What does Bristol Beacon’s reopening mean to you? 

Charles: This is Bristol – and there couldn’t be a more 

musical city, right? For its cultural hub to have been 

missing all this time is a bit like a body operating 

without a heart. And for its heart to be reinstated, and 

for it to be world class, is so important. 

Photo: Plaster 

rom Goldie conducting the 

BBC Concert Orchestra to 

old-school ravers welling up to 

Haçienda Classical’s stringsladen 

reworks, the boundaries 

between classical and dance 

music aren’t always rigid. Even 

so, the coming together of 

Bristol’s ensemble of disabled 

and non-disabled musicians 

Paraorchestra with techno artist Sinead 

McMillan, AKA Surgeons Girl, and light 

artists Limbic Cinema, promises to defy 

all categorisation. Here we chat to 

Sinead and Paraorchestra’s artistic 

director Charles Hazlewood about 

rebooting Bristol Beacon’s rep for 

boundary pushing sounds with their 

Trip the Light Fantastic performance. 

How do the old and new halls compare? 

Charles: We loved the old one for lots of reasons, 

not least for big, banging amplified music. The 

sound had a thuggish kind of weight to it which was 

exciting. Although I have to say, if you were playing 

acoustically with an orchestra, it was less satisfying. 

But for big, banging amplified music, which Sinead’s 

piece absolutely is, it’ll be straight between the eyes 

in the new hall. 

Sinead: I’ve seen so many amazing concerts here, 

from piano concertos to people like Flying Lotus, but 

I’ve never played anywhere this big. I’m used to clubs 

and their sound, which is much flatter. 

What can people expect from the show? 

Charles: It’s going to be earth elemental, powerful, 

intricate, surprising, euphoric, bangingly good. It’s 

about that (hopefully) sublime interface between the 

worlds of techno and orchestras. I think the first myth 

to debunk is the idea that an orchestra is only one 

thing, that it’s just about violas and oboes. Of course 

“For its cultural hub to have been 

missing all this time is a bit like 

a body operating without a heart” 



calling the responding composer, Oliver Vibrans, who 

takes Sinead’s core materials and explodes them out 

of the orchestra and then sends them back to Sinead. 

Like an endless echo loop. 

it can be just about those things. But it 

can also be something which reaches 

out and embraces worlds of music 

beyond the traditional orchestral. 

At Paraorchestra, we’ve always been 

excited to explore what you might 

call the sweet spot between where an 

acoustic instrument ends and Sinead 

walks into the frame. 

Sinead: There’s always a challenge 

when an orchestra meets techno, that 

it could sound a bit like ‘daddy at the 

disco’, which would be so lame, right? 

Nobody wants to see that. 

Charles: It’s all thanks to Sinead’s 

genius, but also the person we’re 

And you’re also bringing the piece to life visually… 

Charles: With Bristol’s Limbic Cinema. They’re leaders 

in projection mapping, and Sinead’s music is the 

perfect seedbed for it. In fact, they’re going to be 

taking feeds directly from your instrument. 

Sinead: We’re going to experiment with how we 

generate dynamics in the visuals, and make them 

completely at one with the music. But also fill the 

space with orchestral instruments as well. 

You said there isn't a more musical city than Bristol; 

what else should we check out? 

Sinead: Strange Brew. To be more specific, their Livity 

Sound, Psychotherapy Sessions (PTS), and Accidental 

Meetings club nights. There are also great festivals 

like Machina Bristronica, Simple Things and En Masse, 

and a cool new night from Dare to Club, which brings 

the spirit of Berlin to Bristol with big names in techno. 

Trip the Light Fantastic takes place on Thursday, 

30 November, in the Beacon Hall nfld.io/triplight 

Above Sinead 

McMillan, AKA 

Surgeons Girl, 

pushing buttons 

Right Fully kitted 

out for live R&D 

rehearsals 

Photo: Paraorchestra 

thenearfield.com

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Vintage Clothing 45 

CLASSIC 

Breathing new 

life into preloved 

clothing is 

better for your 

pocket, and the 

environment. 

Here’s where 

to find your 

vintage fits in the 

southwest… 

WORDS HAYLEY JOYES 

FROCK 

WORDS HAYLEY JOYES 



46 Vintage Clothing 


thical brand directory 

and experts on 

sustainable fashion 

Good On You describe 

‘fast fashion’ as, 

“Cheap, trendy 

clothing that samples 

ideas from the 

catwalk or celebrity 

culture and turns 

them into garments 

at breakneck speed.” 

Sounds great! Affordable styles 

that keep you on trend. 

Unfortunately, this comes at 

a cost. Not to your bank balance, 

maybe, but for the environment 

it’s like going deep into an 

overdraft that’s already maxed 

out. Research from the Geneva 

Environment Network and the 

UN Economic Commission for 

Europe shows that the fashion 

industry is responsible for 10% 

of our carbon emissions, plus 

there’s all the water usage, 

pollution and exploitation of 

workers to factor in. Systemic 

issues that aren’t going away. 

Fashion Revolution’s 2023 

Fashion Transparency Index 

reported that “99% of fashion 

brands do not disclose 

a commitment to reduce the 

number of new items they 

produce.” They also explain that 

“just 12% of brands publish 

a responsible purchasing 

code of conduct”. So while the 

responsibility for fixing the 

fashion industry shouldn’t lie 

primarily with consumers, we 

can help influence supply and 

demand by shopping elsewhere, 

opting instead for vintage looks 

and re-edits of preloved and 

secondhand items. 

It’s something more and more 

people are choosing to do. 

There’s been a spike in popularity 

for reselling apps like Depop, 

Vestiaire Collective, Vinted and 

even Facebook Marketplace. 

TikTok search terms like 

#upcycledfashion, #thrifting 

and #secondhand are in their 

billions, and fashion influencers 

are including #thrifthaul and 

#charityshophaul in their posts 

to tap into the trend. IRL, in 

the southwest, we’re seeing 

an influx of events like Bristol 

Thrift Market, whose first market 

saw 1,000-plus people come 

through the doors at Document, 

Bristol, recently. Co-founder 

and organiser Hannah explains 

the importance of closing the 

loop and why thrifting is also 

important for the local economy. 

“Buying secondhand not only 

keeps clothes in circulation,” 

she tells us, “but it also supports 

local businesses and fellow 

thrifters in the process. There’s 

also not a lot that matches the 

thrill of sifting through countless 

rails of dreamy vintage clothes 

and finding the perfect one-off 

piece at a bargain price.” 

As the cost of living crisis drags 

on (and on), this bargain-seekers’ 

thrill has gone up a few notches. 

And, as you’ll find in our handy 

guide, there’s nowhere better to 

find it than the southwest. 

GILMOURS GARMZ 

Warminster, BA12 9AN 

Harry Gilmour, 

owner: “I’ve always 

had a quirky passion 

for clothes; loving 

vintage and goodquality 

branded 

clothing. For me, 

sustainable fashion is 

the way forward, and 

I have a shop full of 

amazing handpicked 

clothing right in the 

heart of Warminster.” 


Vintage Clothing 47 

SWAN VINTAGE 

Bruton, BA10 0AH 

OF THE 

BEST 

TIME AFTER TIME 

Stroud, GL5 1AJ 

THE REWORK ATELIER (IN SPARKS) 

Bristol, BS1 3DS 

Poppyella Oakey, co-founder: “We stock 

a range of indie designers from the West 

Country, like Material Response and Bees 

Knees. Our products are all expertly crafted 

from deadstock, offcuts, and secondhand 

and vintage fabrics. Our mission is to keep 

materials and clothing in the loop, reducing 

the need for more production.” 

VINTAGE ABS 

Bath, BA1 1RG 

Zoe Ford, owner: 

“I love to source 

pieces that 

are individually 

interesting and on 

trend, in excellent 

condition and 

wearable today. 

I focus on women’s 

fashion and my shop 

presents a feminine, 

comfortable and fun 

shopping experience. 

I’m passionate about 

items made using the 

best natural fabrics, 

and bringing quality 

luxury and glamour to 

the high street at an 

affordable price.” 

David Philip Ireland, co-owner: 

“With over four decades of 

experience in the vintage and 

antiques market, we offer an 

expertly curated selection 

spanning from the mid-1800s to 

pieces from designers like Ossie 

Clark, Biba, Chloe, Prada and YSL.” 

Abigail Ewles, director: “Our 

reworked clothing is something 

we’re really proud of. Each piece 

is made by a local seamstress 

who creates one-off items out of 

damaged garments that would 

have ended up in landfill.” 

LETHAL POSTMEN 

Shepton Mallet, BA4 5BE 

Claire Goodman, owner: “I sell 

men’s and women’s vintage clothing 

from the 1920s to the 1990s. I love 

colours and patterns, and have 

everything from 1940s wedding 

dresses to 1980s sportswear 

crammed into my tiny shop.” 



48 Vintage Clothing 

FIX UP, 

LOOK 

SHARP 

SWIFT THRIFTIN’ 

A guide, from 

Sophie Saint, AKA 

@saint.thrifty 

CYANOTYPE ON FABRIC 

Bristol Folk House 

Upcycle an old tee 

with some cyanotype 

printing, and feel 

smug about splashing 

your creativity over 

something destined 

for the chazza. 


nfld.io/cyanfab 

SEWING FOR BEGINNERS 

Sewing Shed, Stroud 

Repair your items or 

embark on creating 

something from 

scratch. Pick up 

tips on everything 

from dressmaking 

to operating an 

overlocker. 

DARNING WORKSHOP 

Berdoulat, Bath 

Add longevity to your favourite garms 

by learning how to repair them. From 

beloved knitwear, to moth-bitten socks. 

7 November nfld.io/darnwork 

MAKE:SHED MONTHLY WORKSHOPS 

Remakery, Frome 

Join the community powered Remakery 

team and learn valuable skills to breathe 

life into all your making projects. 

THE GIANT SHEPTON FLEA MARKET 

Bath & West Showground 

Meet like-minded thrifters at this iconic 

and super-friendly flea market. Sellers 

from all over the region congregate to 

offer their best secondhand items. 

10 December nfld.io/shepflea 

VISIBLE MENDING MASTERCLASS 

Bristol Folk House 

Alterations that stand out. Repair wellloved 

clothes with hand embroidery, 

applique, darning and needle felting. 

26 November nfld.io/visimend 

“Online is convenient 

but there’s something 

special when it comes to 

physically rifling through 

a vintage shop. You get to 

feel the fabrics, inspect 

the quality, and see if 

and how it fits.” 

“The thrift hunt can take 

time and it’s easy to feel 

overwhelmed when faced 

with racks upon racks 

of clothing. My top tip is 

to pull together a list of 

items you’ve got in mind, 

and focus on hunting out 

those. It can stop you 

from making frivolous, 

unnecessary purchases.” 

“If something catches 

your eye, though, try it 

on. The magic of thrifting 

is that sometimes you’ll 

find a stunning item that 

will spark infinite joy and 

become an integral part 

of your wardrobe. And if 

it’s a quality piece, you 

can potentially pass it 

down the generations.” 


Our courses offer you 

the opportunity to 

rekindle an interest, 

discover a new hobby 

or develop new skills. 

Leisure Courses 

SCAN 

FOR 

COURSES 

We offer: Art for Beginners • Drawing & Painting • Life Drawing 

Sewing Skills • Sculpture • Jewellery • Journalism 

Pattern Cutting • Glass Techniques • Floristry • Printmaking 

Philosophy • Digital Photography • Languages & more!

50 Cleveland Pools 

COLD 

• NEW BEGINNINGS 

NEW BEGINNINGS 

• 

• NEW BEGINNINGS 

CHARM 

What’s it like swimming in a pool in a wetsuit? Now the UK’s oldest 

lido is open for a winter of cold-water swimming, we can find out… 

WORDS CHRIS PARKIN 

PHOTOGRAPHY GARETH IWAN JONES 


Cleveland Pools 51 

For more 

activities to 

get your heart 

pumping this 

winter, head to 


COMFORT 

Above Swimmers 

acclimatising themselves in 

Cleveland Pools’ unheated 

water before winter 

temperatures plummet 




ids skiving off school in the summer. 

Jehovah’s Witnesses baptising one 

another with a dunking. A baboonkeeping 

Victorian-era superintendent 

called ‘Captain’ William Evans performing 

daredevil diving stunts. Women and men 

segregated. Trout doing, err, trouty things. 

If the walls of Cleveland Pools’ crescented 

caretaker’s cottage could talk, they’d 

probably never stop yammering away, not 

with a history that goes all the way back 

to 1817. Yet, left abandoned after its brief 

stint as a fish farm in the 1980s, this Bath 

lido became a thing of myth, its memory 

vanishing almost entirely. But thanks to 

the determination of the Cleveland Pools 

Trust, a cast of volunteers numbering 

hundreds, and a restoration project 20 

years in the making, the UK’s oldest lido is 

back. And in a nod to its past when it was 

river-fed and chilly, the pools will remain 

unheated right through winter for anyone 

seeking a frosty endorphin rush. We 

decided to meet a few of those who are. 

“When the cold-water workshops came 

up at the pools, me and a friend decided 

to give one a go. It was interesting to hear 

about the kit you should have, and none 

of it costs a huge amount of money – like 

a hot water bottle. It was all about being 

sensible, and making sure your hat and socks 

are next to your hot water bottle. There’s 

nothing better than hot socks. There’s a lot 

of chocolate cake, too; what’s the point in 

doing this otherwise?” 

“I don’t like leisure centres. I don’t like the 

noise, the heat, the smell. You don’t get any 

of that here. You get in, you swim. It’s a lovely 

atmosphere, and even better if it’s raining. 

The air around you is so much nicer. I’m 

planning to swim all the way through winter.” 

Growing up, Megan Jones would spend 

countless hours every summer at Cleveland 

Pools – not that her parents or teachers always 

knew this. Now, like many others who remember 

the pools before its long period of disrepair, 

she’s back in its waters and has added it to the 

list of cold-water swimming spots she dips in 

with a friend every week. 

“I used to swim here as a child, so I was really 

pleased to see it open again. It was river-fed 

back then and the water was green! But it was 

a good place to skive-off school – and then it 

closed and they turned it into a trout farm.” 



Peter Brown and his daughter Ellie, both from Bath, are 

at very different stages of their cold-water swimming 

journeys. Peter has been shivering in rivers and seas 

all his life, while Ellie is a complete newbie. Now they’re 

steeling themselves for a winter of icy dipping. 

Peter: “Whenever I get 

a chance, I go in. Rivers, 

seas, wherever. But this 

is just amazing. The 

stuff going into rivers 

isn’t nice, so this is 

transformational. There’s 

sunshine, trees, nature, 

all of that compared to 

being in an indoor pool. It 

is exercise, but for me it’s 

all about awakening your 

senses. I’ve got a hat and 

boots, I’ve got gloves, I’ve 

got a wetsuit, and as the 

winter comes along I’ll 

wear more of that.” 

“You can swim next to 

a complete stranger – 

like last week, when it 

was blowing a hoolie and 

pouring with rain – and 

you’re both grinning 

away because it’s so 

exhilarating. Other people 

are like, ‘What, they’re 

heating it in summer and 

not winter?’ You can see 

them thinking that makes 

no sense. My wife says to 

tell her when it’s switched 

on and she’ll join us; she’s 

not bothered by us saying 

how great it is.” 

Ellie: “This is only my 

second time here. Dad 

has been trying to get 

me to go cold-water 

swimming for years and 

now this is open I don’t 

have any excuse. When 

I put my head under for 

the first time I felt my 

body go into a kind of 

shock, but you get used 

to it and find a sense of 

calm. It’s about those 

happy hormones.” 

“It is exercise, 

but for me it’s all 

about awakening 

your senses” 

GET IN! 

A few other amazing 

places to dive in 

Portishead Open Air Pool 

Portishead, BS20 7HD 

With its striking mix of blue, white 

and orange, this iconic lido is open 

for cold-water swims all winter. 

portisheadopenairpool.org.uk 

Cromhall Quarry 

Cromhall, GL12 8AA 

A filled-in quarry just north of Bristol 

specialising in open-water swimming. 

You’ll need a wetsuit. 

cromhallquarry.com 

Weston Marine Lake 

Weston-Super-Mare, BS23 2BE 

A 200-metre-long infinity lake at the 

north end of town full of welcoming 

cold-water bobbers. 

westonmarinelake.co.uk 

Westbury Swimming Pool 

Westbury, BA13 3BY 

Prefer something warmer? Switch icy 

immersion for visual bedazzlement at 

Westbury’s incredible Victorian pool. 

wiltshire.gov.uk 




A COOL HEAD 

Helen Webster is an open-water 

swimming coach and runs regular coldwater 

workshops in the region. Here are 

her top tips for staying safe. 

1 

“Gradually immerse yourself, and only 

start swimming once you are calm and 

your breathing is under control.” 

2 

“Exit the water while you still feel good; 

shivering or loss of motor function are 

signs you’ve been in too long.” 

Nat Johnson lives on a boat, and cruises 

back and forth between Devizes and Bath. 

And when she’s not navigating water or 

sleeping on it, she likes to be in it. Moored 

on the Kennet and Avon Canal, a few 

metres’ walk from Cleveland Pools, she’s 

making them an exception to her blanket 

ban on swimming pools. 

“I don’t do lane swimming or go to 

swimming pools, so this is the closest I’d 

get to that. It feels outdoorsy enough. I feel 

the same about indoor pools as I do about 

supermarkets – they make me feel cooped 

up. It’s different here, and it’s clean! Last 

year, I got into cold-water dipping. I’d go for 

a swim in the river, but wouldn’t want to put 

my head in the water. This year, I’ve started 

learning to swim properly, doing it for 

exercise and fitness as well, so coming here, 

or to Vobster Quay or Cromhall Quarry, is 

somewhere I can do more of that.” 

3 

“Neoprene gloves, boots and caps can 

make things much more comfortable. 

Put a wetsuit on, too, if you prefer.” 

4 

“Enjoy being in nature, share the experience 

with friends, and never swim alone.” 

5 

“Get dried and dressed quickly. Due to 

the ‘afterdrop’, we feel chilliest around ten 

minutes after swimming. So no faffing!” 

6 

“Eat cake after your swim. Always.” 

Find Helen on Instagram at 

@helenwebster_swimcoaching and 

helenwebsterswimcoaching.com 



“Last year I didn’t swim in a wetsuit. 

I was more into the freezing-cold 

skin-burn and not being able to think 

about anything else. But I thought with 

proper swimming and longer distances, 

I probably couldn’t hack that.” 

Warleigh Weir, Farleigh Hungerford, the Irish 

Sea. Georgie Bassford prefers to be in the water 

and, for the most part, for it to be skin-prickly 

c-o-o-l-l-l-d. That’s why she’s pulling on her hat 

and gloves for Surfers Against Sewage’s Dip 

a Day in October fundraiser. 

“I don’t mind swimming in rivers, even when 

they’re dirty – I just don’t put my head under. 

But this is a great option. You’ve got a bit of 

both. In the middle of winter when the rivers 

are in flood and I can’t get to the sea because 

it’s too far away, this is great for a cold dip.” 

“I feel the 

same about 

indoor pools 

as I do about 

supermarkets 

– they make me 

feel cooped up” 

“It’s easy to say now in October, but the plan is 

to go right through. Last year I did a few cold 

dips, and I have cold 

showers, too. I’m keen, 

but it’s not easy. I’m 

a bit of a wimp, really. 

Anyone who does coldwater 

swimming, no one 

finds it easy do they? 

People who don’t do it 

are always like, ‘How do 

you do it? I’d find it so 

cold.’ I’m like, ‘But I find 

it cold!’” 

To book a cold-water 

swim at Cleveland Pools, 

download the Fusion 

Lifestyle app 




Reclamation Yards 57 

LEARN 

THE 

YARD 

WAY 

Statues of patron 

saints, headstones 

and sturdy 

school furniture – 

reclamation yards 

have it all 

WORDS NATALIE PARIS 

A 

morning wander around a reclamation yard, past rows of 

dusty furniture, sifting through door knobs and inspecting 

garden ornaments, is a rite of passage for today’s doerupper. 

You may have a head full of plans or you could be 

short on inspiration, but at a rec yard you’ll find materials to 

suit every project and pieces to kickstart a design theme. 

Happily, the southwest is packed with yards whose ethos is to 

reuse, rather than chuck away. 

If you’re lucky, you may 

unearth some surprising 

treasures. Visit Frome 

Reclamation, for example, and 

you could leave with a statue 

of Joan of Arc or a model of 

a giant trainer which was once 

used in a roadside advert. 

“I export a lot of my stuff to 

the States,” Karl, who owns 

the yard, explains. “I supply 

Amazon, Netflix, movie sets. 

I’ve supplied Versace with a lot 

of stuff in New York. They built 

an English Georgian house in 

central New York.” 

If it’s good enough for Versace, 

then it’s got to be a good 

way to inject some character 

into your own home. Reusing 

items salvaged from other 

properties or businesses can 

reduce refurbishing costs 

too, as they’re generally more 

affordable than something 

brand new, and often more 

solid and dependable than 

modern, off-the-shelf items. 

It’s win-win-win, we reckon. 

So if you’re ready to join the 

southwest yard core, we’ve got 

you covered. 



58 Reclamation Yards 

FROME RECLAMATION 

Frome, BA11 1RE 

WELLS RECLAMATION 

Wells, BA5 1RQ 

One of the oldest yards in the UK. Its treasures sprawl across 

a vast five acres and currently include handsome pieces like 

a 17th-century chest of drawers, a Victorian rocking horse 

and a cream leather art deco sofa. It also stocks vintage and 

antique furniture, reclaimed building materials, fireplaces, 

flooring, enamel signs, and its own wooden, freestanding 

kitchen units. These traditional country-style units are sold 

alongside shelving made from crates and old bread oven 

doors. Particularly special finds are regularly posted on their 

Instagram and website, so you can browse online before 

making the trip. wellsreclamation.com 

The quality of stock here 

attracts customers from far 

and wide, including from 

Utah, in the US, where there’s 

a theme park complete with 

a whole graveyard supplied 

by Frome Reclamation. The 

yard specialises in reclaimed 

roof tiles and bricks, while 

the assortment of fireplaces 

and period doors – stored 

vertically so you can swing 

them and imagine them in situ 

– is particularly good. 

fromerec.co.uk 

BRISTOL WOOD RECYCLING PROJECT 

Bristol, BS2 0RG 

Restore your home 

sustainably with a visit to 

this social enterprise, which 

saves nearly two tonnes of 

waste wood from landfill 

every day and reuses it 

within the community. The 

centre trains volunteers to 

make furniture and accepts 

orders for bespoke products. 

Salvaged timber in boards of 

all sizes are sold in the wood 

shop, which offers a cutting 

and planing service. You can 

also buy pre-built storage 

boxes made from recycled 

planks – perfect for a log 

store or a wheelie bin cover. 

The centre is located next 

door to St Philips Reuse and 

Recycling Centre, too. Handy 

for anyone having a bit of 

a clear out first. 

bwrp.org.uk 


Reclamation Yards 59 

“Anything to do with 

death sells. Coffins, 

that type of thing” 

– Karl from Frome 

Reclamation 

OLD JOY 

Jamie Graham, from interiors experts 

Graham & Green, explains the allure 

of reclamation yards 

“People are moving away from that cookiecutter 

aesthetic of wanting everything 

new. They’re open to finding furniture 

and homeware from all over – vintage and 

secondhand, antiques, items found on 

travels or in reclamation yards – and they’re 

conscious that these pieces stay with them 

and sit among each other. It’s what we stand 

for, too, and why we’re curating a collection of 

vintage pieces from India, built up over years 

of travelling and buying there, in our 

Elgin Crescent store next April to 

celebrate our 50th anniversary.” 

Jamie’s top tips for 

treasure hunting 

“Don’t be put off if you don’t find something 

every visit. Just walking around can provide 

inspiration and inform your next trip.” 

“Meet the owners. They’ll be your best 

source of advice and can help you source 

things, or offer restoration services.” 

“Rummage around. The best pieces 

aren’t always front and centre.” 

“Consider repurposing pieces for alternative 

uses. Could a sculpture become a lamp base?” 

GLASTONBURY RECLAMATION 

Glastonbury, BA6 9LE 

In typical Somerset fashion, 

Glastonbury’s reclamation yard has 

an orchard and makes its own cider 

– labelled Salvage Cider. You can also 

buy cheesemaking equipment to 

accompany it. With a tidy garden and 

polytunnels to stroll through, this is 

somewhere to consider for beams, 

wood flooring, bathroom fittings and 

country-style pine furniture. The 

majority of stock is sourced within 

Somerset, with schools offloading old 

workbenches from their science labs. 

glastonburyreclamation.co.uk 



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Outside Influence 61 

OUTSIDE INFLUENCE 

ICEBREAKERS 

Every issue, we give our pages over to a local community, group or 

organisation making things better in the region. First up, IceBreakers 

PHOTOGRAPHS FELIX RUSSELL-SAW 



62 Outside Influence 

W 

e’ve 

Still in the throes of the pandemic 

and all that social disconnection, 

we started weekly dips in the 

river. It was important to make it 

accessible and free, with as few 

barriers as possible. Now we have 

over 150 members in Bath, 70 in 

Brighton, and we launched a Bristol 

group in October. 

hosted various wellbeing retreats at Campwell Farm since 

2017, but following the loss of a male friend to suicide, and 

hearing stories of other male friends who were suffering in 

silence, we came up with our Man Kind Day in October 2020, as 

an experiment in bringing men together for a day of connecting, 

reflecting and being in nature. This was the start of IceBreakers. 

It’s a magic formula of community, 

nature and immersion in cold 

water. While we keep our practice 

simple, the stories from men who 

have found this ritual critical for 

maintaining their mental wellbeing 

keep on coming. There is growing 

evidence to back up the various 

elements of our approach; 

from cold-water immersion to 

breathwork. Recently, Harvard’s 

longest study on human happiness 

showed that positive relationships 

and community are what make 

for a healthy life. And we’re often 

happiest when we’re out in nature; 

it can reduce stress, make us 

happier and inspire creativity. 

Our retreats can run for one, 

two or three days, and integrate 

open-fire cooking, walks, games 

and a lot of sitting around huge 

fires, sharing stories. Phones are 

checked into a box on arrival so 

the group is fully in the zone, 

without distractions. 

Written by IceBreakers co-founder 

Tim Bowles 

JAMES 

“I’ve done two retreats. The first, 

amid grief, legal issues, marital 

strife and growing a business, was 

a hard reset, and I left with a sense 

of calm and clarity. The second, 

this year, was a real detachment 

from a lot of stress. It’s an amazing 

community and I’d encourage 

anyone to get involved.” 

DINESH 

“I’ve learnt to share my fears and 

personal challenges, and as a result 

I have my mojo back. The impact 

has been so positive. It’s helped me 

reconnect with myself, my family 

and my friends, but also provided 

me with the opportunity to give 

back. I’m grateful for my amazing 

brothers at IceBreakers.” 



“The stories from men who 

have found this ritual critical 

for maintaining their mental 

wellbeing keep on coming” 

Above An 

immersive 

experience: 

IceBreakers keep 

calm in the waters 

below Dundas 

Aqueduct 

Left After the 

wet, the wild 

– breathwork 

and open-fire 

cooking in nature 

are central to 

IceBreakers’ 

meets 



ewild yourself 

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THE ICEBREAKERS WAY 

Arron Collins-Thomas explains the group’s approach 

Over the past few years we’ve 

been developing an approach 

we call The IceBreakers Way. It 

had to be simple, something 

anyone can pick up, but also offer 

benefits and structure around our 

meetups and dips. I teach qigong, 

and many of the movements 

we use are drawn from this. We 

incorporate breathing techniques, 

too, and use both movement and 

control of breath to enable us 

to get into rivers, regardless of 

the temperature. 

There are three stages to our 

weekly river meets: 

1 

The Warm In 

We prepare for cold 

exposure by connecting 

our breath to our body, 

followed by a gentle 

movement specific to the 

season. We build in some 

movement and dynamic 

breathwork to lift energy 

levels and prepare us for 

the cold-water exposure. 

2 

The Dip 

We dip together with 

a focus on breath control 

and entering the water 

safely and under control. 

Depending on the weather, 

experience levels and water 

temperature, we spend 

between one and 15 minutes 

in the cold water. 

3 

The Warm Up 

Once we exit the water 

we perform specific 

movement patterns 

coordinated with breath 

to bring heat back into our 

bodies and warm us up from 

the core. We finish with a few 

qigong movements to boost 

our energy and leave us 

feeling amazing. 

Join IceBreakers 

Men of all ages 

are welcome. 

IceBreakers meet at 

Warleigh Weir every 

Wednesday morning at 

6.30am, and on Sundays at 

8am. Extended introductory 

sessions take place on the 

last Sunday of every month. 

IceBreakers are hosting 

a one-day retreat on 

12 January, followed by 

a weekend retreat on 5 April. 

For more information, visit 

nfld.io/icebreakers 



Hybrid Health Physiotherapy situated in our 

NEW location on Milsom Street in Bath, is a 

cut above the rest. Our concept, the “Hybrid 

Approach” has been shaped over 17 years 

of leading industry experience. 

Treatments include: 

• Running Analysis • Acupuncture 

• Sports Massage • Dry Cup Therapy 

• Swedish Massage • Lymphatic Drainage 

Book now or visit the website for 

more information: 

www.hybridhealthphysio.com 

www.carladiogo.com

A 

PLACE 

TO CALL 

WORK. 

BRISTOLOFFICE.CO.UK 

BATHOFFICE.CO.UK

NUTCRACKER CANDLE 

POURING WORKSHOP 

£45 

Shop in store! 

G I F T VO U C H E R 

Book on here! 

Join us on Thursday and Friday evenings from the 

2 nd November - 23 rd December for our enchanting 

Nutcracker Candle Pouring workshops. Each ticket 

includes a warming mulled wine, mince pie, and a 

range of limited edition festive fragrances, ensuring 

your senses are immersed in the magic of the season. 

DESIGNWORKSCOLLECTIVE.CO.UK 

2 New Bond Street Buildings, Bath, BA1 1BL 

Art and Life in 

London and Paris 

21 October to 

14 April 2024 

‘One of my shows 

of the year.’ 

Waldemar Januszczak, 

The Times 

14 July to 7 January 

Gwen John (1876-1939), A Corner of the Artist’s Room in Paris, 

oil on canvas, 1907-09, ©Sheffield Museums Trust 

‘sheer pleasure 

everywhere you look’ 

Ali Smith, The New Statesman 

Bowl 1977 

@ Estate of Lucie Rie

Your Field 69 

YOUR 

FIELD 

Klang Tone Records’ Sean Roe 

celebrates Lansdown in his 

hometown, Stroud 

Want to 

big up your 

neighbourhood? 

Email editorial@ 


Sean describes Klang Tone as 

Stroud’s underground record 

shop. With a penchant for weird 

sounds and outsider musicians, 

the shop stocks a wild array of 

records alongside his partner 

Ritsuko Hidaka’s selection of 

mid-century ceramics, textiles 

and art. They recently moved 

into a new space in their 

spiritual home of Lansdown. 

“It’s the street I live on, so it’s 

a bit like coming home. It also 

has some of the best buildings 

in Stroud. It has a ‘downtown’ 

vibe to it.” 

Here are a few of Sean’s favourite places 

RO Frames 

“They always show 

incredible attention to detail, 

despite the huge amount of 

work they take on. Though 

their space is small and 

compact, they make room for 

a mini exhibition.” 

Humphries & Begg 

“Our near neighbours. 

Their clothes have a unique 

handcrafted feel; loose and 

comfortable, with vibrant 

designs screen-printed onto 

100% natural fabrics by 

a small team in Jaipur, India.” 

Lansdown Hall 

& Gallery 

“This gallery is funded by 

artists who book the space 

for a week at a time to exhibit. 

They also host live events, 

screenings and workshops 

for adults and children.” 

Strangeness 

& Charm 

“A vintage clothing (and more) 

shop on Gloucester Road 

run by our friend, Rebecca. 

We often bump into her at 

antique fairs and flea markets 

at 6am in the morning when 

we’re out looking for records.” 

Sew & So 

“I’m always amazed by 

how early they open! They 

were really nice when we 

needed to get material for 

our old shop. It’s a great 

place to look for textiles, 

with so many styles and 

patterns for sale.” 



70 Your Field 

FIELD TRIP 

FRIARY 

WOOD 

CIRCULAR 

The founder of 

Bath 5k Map, Annie 

Legge, leads us on 

a festive schlep 

from the Inn at 

Freshford, via Iford 

Manor and back 

again, to blow 

away the cobwebs 

1 

Starting with your back to the 

Inn at Freshford – pre-walk 

snifter optional – take a right 

through the gate to the top of 

the woods, taking the first left 

and trekking down towards 

the banks of the River Frome. 

2 

Pass through a gate on to 

Rosemary Lane, swing right 

and take the first lane on your 

left. After passing Dunkirk Mill 

Cottage on your right, veer 

left along the lower edges of 

Friary Wood, continuing to the 

hamlet. Re-up on local eggs 

and honey. 

3 

Head through Friary Wood 

until you come to a large field 

next to the riverbank – a great 

place to let dogs burn off 

any festive frustrations. 

4 

Turn left at the gate for a view 

of the Georgian-style Iford 

Manor, and cross Iford Bridge. 

Stop at Iford Manor Cafe & 

Kitchen for sourdough bread, 

tea, cake or cider. Check their 

website for seasonal hours. 


Your Field 71 

Freshford Station 

Freshford 

The Inn at Freshford 

1 

The Tyning 

Freshford 

Mill 

Avoncliff Wood 

6 

Rosemary Lane 

2 

Iford Lane 

5 

Iford 

Manor 

Cafe & 

Kitchen 

Friary Wood 

River Frome 

Friary Wood Lane 

3 

Iford Bridge 

4 

5 

Head 600m along Iford Lane 

until you reach a stile tucked 

away in the hedgerow. Follow 

the well-trodden path along 

the edge of two fields until 

you’re just above the houses 

at Freshford Mill. 

6 

Follow Rosemary Lane to the 

entrance of Freshford Mill. 

Pass through the kissing gate 

on your right into the field 

next to the river, and follow 

the flow back to the Inn at 

Freshford. Bag a fireside seat. 

Get a round in. Relax. 

The Bath 5k Map was created 

by Annie Legge to promote 

ways to improve mental 

health wellbeing through 

accessing the outdoors 



72 It Happened Here 

IT 

HAPPENED 

HERE 

The Cure headline Moles 

before conquering the world 

A few months after this photo of The Cure 

playing Moles was taken on 28 July 1983 – not 

a Friday, fact fans – things would go bananas 

for Crawley’s big-haired banshee-pop heroes. 

Absent from the setlist that night, as the band 

warmed up to play Cornwall’s Elephant Fayre 

alongside the likes of Roy Harper, Benjamin 

Zephaniah and Ivor Cutler, was a song they would 

release just three months later, and which they 

would never escape from again: The Lovecats. 

45 YEARS OF MOLES 

To mark its 45th anniversary, Moles recently 

received a grant from Arts Council England and 

the National Lottery to programme 45 artists over 

15 live events, with tickets set at £4.50 per show. 

Neat theme, right? You can still catch the following: 

Photos: Raven Cozens-Hardy 

Squidge 


TSPSI 


Seneca 


nfld.io/moles45 

Snake Eyes 


Sadface: Emo Drag 


October Drift 



It Happened Here 73 



74 My nearfield 

MY NEARFIELD 

Keith Kopp 

After recognising a few locations in his new film Translations, 

we asked the Bath-based filmmaker how the area inspires him 

Within ten miles you have a city with 

modern and quirky architecture from 

most time periods, and then a large town 

with Georgian structures. The people 

here also help create a tone and feel that 

transfers so well to screen. 

I 

moved 

to the UK 15 years ago and have spent most 

of that time in the West Country. My better half was 

born in Bath and, after a tour of service in the army, 

we fell in love and decided to make it our home. 

I found that between the southwest and 

Wales, you can film almost anything. 

There are so many different landscapes 

and tonal differences between urban 

spaces and rural areas. This is why half 

of my work has been filmed here. I spend 

a lot of time walking my collie dog in 

the hills and wood patches of northeast 

Somerset, and just outside Bristol. It 

helps me clear my head but it’s also 

been helpful for film locations. I’ve used 

spots in Lansdown and Leigh Woods that 

I’ve found hiking. It’s the same with the 

urban contrast between Bristol and Bath. 

“THE PEOPLE HERE HELP CREATE A TONE AND 

FEEL THAT TRANSFERS SO WELL TO SCREEN” 

I’m a bit of a history buff too, and find it 

important that a film location has some 

thematic connection with the material 

I develop. Sometimes this happens by 

accident. I’ve been developing a film 

with my screenwriter and he suggested 

a walk on the Somerset Levels to discuss 

the story. While we were walking we 

found a spot outside Athelney, perfect 

for a scene where our central character 

faces extreme odds. I didn’t realise it was 

also a place where King Alfred faced his 

greatest challenges against the Danes. 

I believe these textures are felt by an 

audience, even if they can’t consciously 

verbalise the feeling. 

Translations will be released on digital 

platforms in late autumn 


MUSIC 

liGHT 

DAY 

NIGHT 

All together now for the 

opening of Bristol Beacon 

Thu 30 Nov 

Principal transformation partners

lordarchitecture 

b e s p o k e a r c h i t e c t u r e & i n t e r i o r s 

7 - 9 N O R T H P A R A D E B U I L D I N G S B A T H B A 1 1 N S 

www.lordarchitecture.co.uk | info.lordarchitecture.co.uk

NF01 November/December 2023

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