August 2024 – Toovey’s Blog

There is Nowhere More Beautiful than the Sussex Downs on a Summer’s Evening

Nature and farming in concert on the Angmering Park Estate

It was a beautiful summer’s evening as we set out on the South Downs Way walking west from Chantry at the back of Storrington.

The path was alive with the thrum of insects on the evening breeze. Comma butterflies danced between the ragwort, wild marjoram and harebells. As we arrived at the restored dew pond the sky was reflected in the still water and flocks of beautiful Goldfinches and Larks sang in chorus together. After the terribly wet start to the year and the problems that presented to our farmers it was good to witness the wind playing across a fine field of golden wheat.

It is impressive how the Angering Park Estate has been proactive over many years in balancing the need to produce food with the needs of nature and conservation. They work at scale investing in technology whilst articulating long term stewardship of the land. They work hard to achieve a balance between maintaining the fertility of the land and producing food for the nation, with close attention to the preservation of nature. They have become increasingly sophisticated in analysing the environment in their fields and in the nature corridors of woodland and hedgerows which they are continuing to create.

As we headed North our approach sent a huge flock of crows skywards from the newly harvested field. We passed red soldier beetles in the rows of cow parsley. Delicate blue field scabious and an abundance of wild flowers greeted us at the Chantry Hill Cross Dyke. We were greeted by a view I have known all my life with Storrington beneath us and the Weald and North Downs beyond. The late Bronze Age/Iron Age dyke is easily distinguishable. It is thought that these dykes were territorial markers and for defensive purposes. It is located on a north eastern promontory on the ridge of the Downs. Here the first cinnabar moth caterpillars of the season with their distinctive yellow and black stripes were enjoying the ragwort. We were delighted to find lots of seven spot native English ladybirds too.

Turning east with the Sussex Weald below us we looked up to the ridge to see a herd of happy grazing cattle.

We are so blessed to have free access to this extraordinary landscape where sustainable farming is successfully working to feed the nation in concert with the needs of nature.

This precious, familiar walk not only provides markers in the changing seasons of the year but also to the procession of my life.

Parham A Jewel Amongst Country Houses

The Long Gallery, © Parham/Rupert Toovey

Since building began in 1577 only three families have lived at Parham. It is a jewel amongst the country houses of the British Isles, the more special because it is still a home stewarded and loved by its current custodians Lady Emma and her husband James Barnard.

Parham is a fine example of an Elizabethan H-plan centred around the traditional Great Hall. It is constructed of sandstone known as Amberley Blue. Stone from Pulborough, Caen and Bath are also employed for the quoins and dressings beneath a Horsham stone roof. Interestingly the house was probably lime washed. Many of the timbers date from the 1570s.

Lady Emma’s great grandparents, Clive and Alicia Pearson, fell in love with Parham as soon as they saw it. The house was in a poor state when they bought it in 1922. They employed the architect Victor Heal to supervise the work and together oversaw the restoration with great attention to detail. Victorian additions were removed and the rooms returned to their original Elizabethan form. The character of the house is also defined by the wonderful collections of paintings, textiles and antique furniture which speak into the English Country House taste. The interiors are comfortable, eclectic and layered giving voice to the passions and interests of successive generations. The pieces were collected for their association with Parham and its story. Clive and Alicia installed heating, electricity and contemporary plumbing.

The Great Hall, Parham © Parham/Jonathan James Wilson

The Great Hall’s original Tudor oak panelling is subtly limed and bathed in light from its tall mullioned windows which face south to the Sussex Downs. It is at the heart of this beautiful home. The fine portraits, the Tudor and later furniture and the four hundred year old narwhal tusk (they were sold by Tudor sailors as Unicorn horns) speak into the procession of our island history and the family which saved and furnished this wonderful house.

The Long Gallery is a remarkable space The famous theatrical set and costume designer, Oliver Messel, painted the ceiling in the Long Gallery which was put in by the Pearsons in the 1960s.

Clive and Alicia opened Parham to the public in 1948, not out of need but out of a genuine desire to share their home with others, a tradition continued by Lady Emma today.

This optimistic place provides a window onto our past and our future, an historical narrative from the first Elizabethan Age to today. Parham house sits confidently and quietly in its landscape and gardens. A visit is the perfect summer holiday treat. To find out more go to www.parhaminsussex.co.uk.

Toovey’s Strike Gold with Australian Sculptures

A mid-20th century Australian varicoloured gold and gem set figure group, titled ‘Satin Bower Birds Ptilonorhynchus violaceus’, by S.A. Schagen

Toovey’s have just sold two Australian gold sculptures of two Satin Bowerbirds and a Koala for £238,500 in their August specialist objects of virtue sale.

These finely modelled sculptures were entered by a Sussex based private collector. He had inherited them from his late father, a proud Australian, who purchased them new in the1960s. Art has the power to unite us with our roots, heritage and home. Over the millennia silver and gold have been used to create the finest objects of virtue. I am often asked what an Object of Virtue is. The term comes from the French Objets de vertu and describes pieces made in gold, silver, enamel, bronze, ormolu, glass, porcelain, semi-precious stones, etc which are valued for their artistic virtuosity.

There was virtuosity in the impressive mid-20th century Australian varicoloured gold figure group, titled ‘Satin Bowerbirds Ptilonorhynchus violaceus’ by S.A. Schagen which was very finely modelled. The detail and composition was superb. The sculpture measured 52cm wide and made £200,000. It depicted a courtship display between a male dancing with wings outspread, and a female bird standing in her nest or bower made of a bed of sticks. The scene was given life with a scattering of shells, opals and agates, and two platinum and sapphire feathers. The Satin Bowerbird is a native of the forest habitats of Australia’s East Coast and New Guinea. Mature males have violet-blue eyes and are uniformly black in colour whereas the female birds are a distinctive green-brown.

A mid-20th century Australian gold model of a Koala bear by S.A. Schagen

The emblematic Koala, a herbivorous marsupial, lives in the coastal regions of southern and eastern Australia. Although often called Koala Bears they are actually closely related to Kangaroos and other marsupials with pouches to nurture their young. Remarkably they feed on poisonous eucalyptus leaves. The endearing sculpture of a seated Koala was also beautifully detailed. With his typical fluffy ears he had a slightly surprised look on his face. Measuring just 10cm high he realised £38,500.

Australia was cut off from the rest of the world for some 30 million years which allowed so many unique species to evolve, species which speak into Australia’s identity like these sculptures.

Toovey’s specialist, William Rowsell, is delighted with the results for these sculptures. He is already looking forward to his autumn Objects of Virtue sale and inviting entries.

Parham’s Gardens a Place of Beauty, Blessing and Encounter

There are many beautiful gardens in these sceptred isles but very few have the unique and exceptional voice of Parham’s walled gardens.

The gardens are going through a renaissance thanks to the vision of Head Gardener Andrew Humphris and the patronage of Lady Emma and her husband James. It is more than 30 years since Lady Emma and James came to Parham with their young family and made it their home. They follow in the footsteps of Lady Emma’s great grandparents, Clive and Alicia Pearson, who fell in love with Parham as soon as they saw it. The house was in a poor state when they bought it in 1922. Lady Emma and James’ time has also been marked by renewal and long-term stewardship in this ancient, generous place.

Parham’s famous shimmering blue and golden borders enfold the visitor and engage all your senses. Their rich scent. The thrumming of bees and other insects accompany the bird song as butterflies dance in the heat of the late afternoon. It is exciting to see so much life in these abundant gardens. The light and breeze moves playfully through the exquisite planting where the groupings of plants create flowing compositions of colour and texture. In the blue borders the white umbellifers amplify the upright purple salvia leading your eye and your heart through the borders. The planting is still naturalistic and, reassuringly, instantly recognisable as being in the tradition of the ‘Parham way’ and yet there is something new too. A vital expression of the timeless qualities of this place, and yet fresh and evolving.

Parham’s exquisite blue border with the Dovecote and park in the distance

Away from these borders clouds of soft white hydrangeas and veronicastrum lead you to the Wendy House. It gives the impression of having been part of the walls for centuries but it was designed by Victor Heal and built in 1928 for Clive Pearson’s daughters Veronica, Lavinia and Dione. It is a child-sized cottage with a finely made oak front door beneath a beautiful wrought iron balcony. It provides a wonderful space for children to lose themselves in their imaginations away from their ‘i-Things’. Other borders set off the ancient walls with rich colour.

The garden at Parham is a place of beauty, blessing and encounter and the perfect place to visit as a summer holiday treat. Whether you are visiting for the first time or returning to an old friend, as I often do, Parham’s gardens never fail to delight. Visit www.parhaminsussex.co.uk to find out more and book your visit to the gardens.