5 WELCOME GLEN & CLIVEDEN MAGAZINE CHEWTON Welcome 2016 is undoubtedly set to be a milestone for many reasons - however none are more important than the two big birthdays in the family! Cliveden, home over the years to an earl, three countesses, two dukes, a Prince TAKE THE of Wales and the Viscounts Astor, will celebrate its 350th anniversary. The more observant may realise that the present house was actually only built in 1851, after the first two houses burnt down: in 1795 and 1849. Today Cliveden provides the most decadent ‘home from home’ for guests from all around the globe who appreciate the fact that they are always made PATH LESS to feel more ‘house guest’ than ‘hotel client’. The recent multi-million pound refurbishment has only added to the rich layers of history that make this iconic property completely unique in the hotel world. I would also argue that today’s house guests at Cliveden are luckier than ever when it comes to culinary delights. Although the gastronomic heart of the house is still ‘below stairs’, there is nothing old-fashioned about the state-of-the-art kitchen that André Garrett TRAVELLED now has to help him make the very most of his talents. André’s cooking style could not be more appropriate for such a salubrious venue, and like the new interior design he is not trying to be fashionable. The ‘Stop Press’ news is that Cliveden has been awarded the coveted title of AA Hotel of the Year. This is testament to the vision and deep pockets of its new owners and, of course, the team at Cliveden who have put so much energy and passion back into the house. I like to think that we can safely say that Cliveden is well and truly back on the map! Simultaneously, Chewton Glen is embarking on its 50th year as a hotel, although as a private residence it dates back almost 300 years to 1732, when a house first appeared on the site. Chewton Glen the hotel started life on 1st January 1966. Founder Martin Skan vividly recounts his first morning when he discovered his only chambermaid in bed with his only guest. Although he admits he had no hotel experience, he did have morals, and after asking both to leave immediately, he and his brother Trevor started their new business with no staff and no guests. For many Chewton Glen was and still is the original country house hotel, and its unique balance between heritage and evolution has maintained its popularity over the years. Stories from the early days, along with anecdotes and recipes from the past five decades, have been captured in a commemorative book to mark this auspicious occasion. Chewton Glen’s only previous literary link was in 1847 when Captain Frederick Marryat published his last novel, The Children of the New Forest, inspired by visits to Chewton Glen when it was owned by his brother George. Ultimately it is the relationship between place and people that has brought both houses to life, particularly those characters who have over the years made history themselves. Natalie Livingstone’s new book, The Mistresses of Cliveden, charts the lives (and loves) of those remarkable women who made the house famous through three centuries of scandal, power mongering and intrigue, from the Countess of Shrewsbury to Christine Keeler. Thankfully scandal appears to be a thing of the past, although both properties are still full of talented characters whose only desire is to make every house guest long to return. Birthdays, anniversaries, proposals, marriages, deals, decisions and meetings, and artistic premieres are a daily occurrence and history continues to be made at Cliveden and Chewton Glen every day. Andrew Stembridge Managing Director Silversea Cruises sails to over 800 destinations on all 7 continents. For more information please call Silversea on 0844 579 6729, visit Silversea.com or contact your travel agent. Chewton Glen advert_Aug15.indd 1 17/08/2015 12:42 7 12 18 CONTENTS GLEN & CLIVEDEN CHEWTON Chewton Glen Hotel & Spa New Milton, Hampshire BH25 6QS Telephone: +44 (0) 1425 275341 Fax: +44 (0) 1425 272310 Email: [email protected] www.chewtonglen.com 32 ChewtonGlenHotel @chewtonglen 40 52 @chewtonglen Cliveden House & Pavilion Spa Taplow, Berkshire SL6 0JF 48 Telephone: +44 (0) 1628 668561 Fax: +44 (0) 1628 661837 Email: [email protected] 68 72 90 www.clivedenhouse.co.uk ClivedenHouse @Cliveden_House @clivedenhouse Managing Director: Andrew Stembridge Magazine Project Director: Angela Day CLIVEDEN GIVES UP ITS SECRETS 6 HEIGHT OF GOOD TASTE 52 Scandal, intrigue and power André Garrett has put Cliveden mongering are at Cliveden’s heart. on the foodie map. THE LIFE AND TIMES OF A INVEST IN HAPPY 58 COUNTRY HOUSE HOTEL 12 Experiences are the new holiday – As Chewton Glen celebrates 50 years, the world of bespoke travel. Martin Skan reminisces. Chewton Glen & Cliveden magazine is published and printed by bh Publications Ltd. RESTORATION MAN: THE MCQUEEN PARADOX 18 GEORGE CLARKE 62 bh Publications Ltd 30 Freshwater Road, Friars Cliff, Embracing contradictions is big Making castles of our homes and Christchurch, Dorset BH23 4PD business for Alexander McQueen. homes of our castles. Telephone: +44 (0)1425 278597 www.bh-publications.co.uk Editor: Emma Caulton THE ORIGINAL PARTY HOUSE 22 THE DRIVE OF YOUR LIFE 68 Sales Director: Louise Dykes 350 years of making history at Cliveden. How to invest in vintage Production Director: Gemma Cammidge vroom, vroom, vroom. Designed by: Kirsty O’Mahony With thanks to: Michelle Emmerson, Natasha Hughes, FOREVER SUMMER 32 Paula Kerr, Caroline Phillips, Colours of the French Riviera are reflected SUPER SIZE YOUR LIFESTYLE 72 Edward Piper, Alison Porter, Samantha Scott in Cartier’s latest jewellery collection. The world of the superyacht. Chewton Glen & Cliveden magazine is published once a year and is distributed within Chewton Glen and Cliveden and also nationally EXPEDITION TO THE EDGE 36 WINE, WOMEN AND WORK 78 and internationally to clients. Each issue has an estimated readership of 30,000. The next issue will be out in October 2016. The Russian Far East is probably not From MS to MW – women have a For all advertising and editorial enquiries please contact even on your travel wish list. taste for the world of wine. bh Publications Ltd. Whilst every attempt has been made to ensure that the content in this magazine is accurate, neither bh Publications nor Chewton THE OARSOME JAMES CRACKNELL 40 PASSAGE FROM INDIA 86 Glen and Cliveden can accept, and hereby disclaim, any liability to any party for loss or damage caused by errors or omissions resulting The Olympic hero is on a mission The Festival of India at the V&A explores from negligence, accident or any other cause. All rights reserved. the country’s influence on designers. No part of this magazine can be reproduced, stored in a retrieval to improve our health. system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior PERMISSION TO PLAY 90 written permission of bh Publications Ltd. Information is correct at FIRST STEPS TO A FITTER YOU 44 time of going to press. The inspiring story behind Chewton Glen’s The urge to create is enjoyed at Every effort has been made to trace the copyright holders of St Ives School of Art. material used in this magazine. If any copyright holder has been new Fitter, Stronger health programme. overlooked, we will be happy to make any necessary arrangements. bh Publications, Chewton Glen and Cliveden do not endorse any A LIFE OF LUXURY 48 SAVE THE DATES 94 advertisements or opinions expressed within this magazine. The desirability of ‘Brand Britain’. Family-friendly highlights of the Season. Cliveden Cover: Uli Weber 9 SCANDAL & INTRIGUE SCANDAL MISTRESSES OF CLIVEDEN CLIVEDEN GIVES Harriet Georgiana Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland UP ITS SECRETS SCANDAL, INTRIGUE AND POWER MONGERING ARE AT CLIVEDEN’S HEART, AND ARE EXPOSED IN NATALIE LIVINGSTONE’S IMMENSELY ENJOYABLE BIOGRAPHY, THE MISTRESSES OF CLIVEDEN Augusta, Princess of Wales t was the portraits that did it. The faces of from the women as possible to paint an accurate Cliveden’s former mistresses staring down and animated impression of who they were and from its walls caught Natalie Livingstone’s what they stood for. imagination and inspired Natalie, historian and “I enjoyed every moment of the process, perhaps Iwife of Ian, who with his brother took on the lease more so because of the personal connection.” and responsibility for Cliveden in 2012, to write The Natalie is a historian, however she specialised Mistresses of Cliveden. in 20th century Russian history at Cambridge and “Anyone who has visited Cliveden will have admits she knew little about some of the earlier experienced firsthand just how awe-inspiring the periods covered in the book. house is, but it was coming face to face with the “I had to go right back to the beginning and portraits of the former mistresses of the house and teach myself rudimentary facts about everything feeling an overwhelming sense of responsibility to from the Restoration, the Glorious Revolution, tell their stories that really inspired me and spurred Georgian Britain and the reign of Queen Victoria. me on to write the book. Although this was quite an onerous task, my “Although Cliveden had always been on the aim was to take the reader by the hand and periphery of my consciousness as a picturesque lead them through the various aspects of history landmark and site of the infamous pool around that I was simultaneously educating myself which the drama of the Profumo scandal unfolded, I about, and perhaps that helps the book to be was lamentably ignorant about the fascinating and more accessible.” various lives of the house’s residents.” The book also reassesses women’s roles politically What Natalie has produced is a page-turner that and socially.