“I grew up a showground brat and absolutely loved it,” laughs Simon Brooks-Ward in his typically unstuffy manner. “My identical twin James and I were born on the first night of the Horse of the Year Show at Wembley in 1963, and my father Raymond Brooks-Ward was one of the…
It is in an unassuming corner of his stately Palladian mansion, away from public eyes, that the 9th Marquess of Hertford prefers to hang his most treasured accolades. Two are certificates: one awarding him fellowship of the Royal Agricultural Society of England (RASE); the other from the late Queen appointing…
It is impossible to talk about Sam Heughan without mentioning the television phenomenon Outlander. Based on the romantic novels by Diana Gabaldon, the drama follows the story of a Second World War nurse who, while on honeymoon in Scotland, falls through ancient standing stones and travels back in time to…
Alan Titchmarsh was fascinated by nature from an early age. He talks to Caroline Bankes
Throughout his rugby career, whether playing for Leicester Tigers, England or the British & Irish Lions, Tom Croft was encouraged to uphold the sport’s core values of teamwork, respect, discipline and sportsmanship. Just as he may not have foreseen the success that would come his way when he first picked…
“I’m a strong person and don’t muck about with what I need to say,” warns Dame Kiri Te Kanawa who, as a world-renowned soprano, is foremost associated with the gentility of opera. Her eyes sparkle warmly. “I put it down to my Māori heritage. My blood tribe, the Ngāti Porou,…
Given his reputation for humility, it comes as little surprise that three-time Formula One (F1) world champion Sir Jackie Stewart happily credits a long line of others for his success. What may raise an eyebrow, however, is the importance this energetic octogenarian sporting legend places on shooting. “It made my…
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…
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,…
Dame Jilly Cooper grew up in the countryside of Yorkshire. Apart from a brief spell in Camberley during the war, where she amused herself feeding “wartime carrots” to the Staff College horses and learning the names of wild flowers with her mother, she grew up around Ilkley, where her family…
