Wisteria transforms homes with its cascading, fragrant lavender blooms. This vigorous climber provides excellent shade and architectural interest, adding timeless elegance. So how to keep it looking its best and prevent it taking over? When and how to prune wisteria Wisteria is best pruned twice a year in January/February and…
This test gun is a London-made 30in .410 side-by-side sidelock by Smith & Torok. It is made on the Purdey-Beesley self-opening system with a rounded action bar. Maker Alex Torok is one of a team of ex-Purdey men who set up independently in 2013. Sadly, Mike Smith died a few…
This review focuses on the aesthetically modified, version of the well-established and popular Beretta EELL over-and-under. Designated the 687 EELL ‘Classic’, the gun under the spotlight is a 20-bore with 30in, multichoked barrels. It weighs in at 6lb 3oz, so might be classed as a lightweight by modern standards. The…
Early one evening in late July I found a struggling stag beetle in a bowl that had filled up with water, on an apron in front of our open woodshed. I was so excited that I photographed it in my hand, then carefully carried it to the nearest of our…
Rare plants, exotic trees, stunning sculptures – money can purchase all these things but it can’t buy wildlife. This is what makes creating your own private nature reserve so special. You don’t need a fortune to do it, nor do you require countless acres. What you do need is land…
The Yildiz Pro 20-bore in depth This test looks at a type of gun that I have long used for much of my own game shooting: a 32in 20-bore over-and-under. This one is made by Yildiz, a Turkish firm best known in the UK for its well-priced, lightweight, alloy actioned…
The saying ‘An Englishman’s home is his castle’ suggests a desire to shut the door on the world but there is no such attitude from the Welshwoman residing at Belvoir Castle. The Duchess of Rutland is renowned for her passion for sharing the heritage of her home alongside treasuring her…
The test gun is a 28-bore Purdey Trigger Plate, or PTP, over-and-under. It has 28in steel-proofed, Teague-choked barrels and a narrow, subtly tapered, solid sighting rib. The non-selective single trigger is detachable with a release catch to the rear of the trigger-guard. This PTP is a demonstrator with laser engraving;…
I spent our first dawn at The Gleneagles Hotel sodden, semi-sheltering under dripping trees as I prayed that the puppy would decide to pee. An hour later it became apparent that this Scottish dawn was particularly dreich and dire, and that a six-month-old labrador wants to do nothing more at…
It’s mid-morning on a blustery early summer’s day, and all six foot five inches of Tommy Beresford is thundering towards me, dark glasses on, to say he has one more chukka to play before he can break. We’re on the silky green pitches at Manor Farm on the Cowdray estate,…
