The ancient and beautiful stately home at St Germans will open this spring and into summer for a new series of special events.

Among other things there’ll be Easter trails for children and after-dark tours by candlelight.

Set in more than 100 acres of woodland gardens and park, Port Eliot will open for 100 days, from 11 March-6 June and then again from 10 June-15 July.

On each day, visitors will also be able to roam the woodland gardens and the park – created by landscape gardener Humphrey Repton – which stretches down to a secret estuary of the river Lynher, beneath Brunel’s railway viaduct.

Despite being one of the poshest places in the country, visiting Port Eliot can pan out cheaper and greener than a drive to Eden.

Thanks to the old Lord of the Manor ordering a train station built by his front door, you can take a day trip there and anywhere else in the Duchy by rail for a tenner or less.

The House at Port Eliot has been lived in for over 1000 years and is the oldest continually inhabited dwelling in the UK.

Augustinian monks were there from the year 937, while the earliest remaining evidence of a dwelling on the site is a 1500-year-old glazed tiled floor, dating from the late Iron Age.

The Grade I-listed medieval priory and house were remodelled in the 18th century by John Soane.

Port Eliot remains a family home, crammed with the accumulated treasures of its long history.

The collection includes fourteen portraits of the Eliot family by Sir Joshua Reynolds, spanning forty years of his career, and ten from the Iconography series by Van Dyck.

Among the many distinctive pieces of furniture are a Louis XIV Boule armoire (which now houses the family’s record collection); a Carlton House desk by George Hepplewhite; an extremely rare 18th century gesso and gilt Queen Anne wedding chest; and a circular carpet which began life in a Russian palace, was later sold by revolutionaries and found its way to a spot under the central dome of Brighton Pavilion, before ending up in perhaps the most notable room at Port Eliot, the Round Room.

Regarded as one of Sir John Soane’s masterpieces, the Round Room is 13m in diameter, 5.5m high and stands over former monastic dormitories and an abbot’s lodge.

Soane raised the ceiling of the Round Room, changed the position of the windows and constructed a very shallow and curved plaster domed ceiling.

Today, the room is dominated by celebrated south-west artist Robert Lenkiewicz’s masterpiece ‘Riddle Mural’, created over twenty years and depicting ‘the Condition of Man’.

A captivating addition this year will be Marking The Line, a new exhibition by a group of leading contemporary potters and ceramicists, aiming to inspire lovers of art and architecture.

Following a run at the Sir John Soane’s Museum, the exhibition will open from 22 May – 15 July at Port Eliot, before completing its run at Soane’s weekend ‘dream house’, Pitzhanger Manor in Ealing, west London.

Catherine St Germans said “We are pleased to open our home to new visitors, particularly at a time when the festival is having a year off and we’re able to organise new events.

“As you make your way around Port Eliot, it is possible to detect the hands of many architects but none more so than Soane, who made the House the way it is today; so we are excited to be bringing Marking The Line, an important new exhibition with a clear Soane influence, into a house which shows powerful evidence of the range of his design talents.”

SPECIAL EVENTS AT PORT ELIOT

31 March – Easter Egg Hunt and family Easter Egg Trail across the ancient estate. From 2pm.

13 April – Port Eliot House & Gardens open in aid of Cornwall Blind Association. From 2- 6pm, Port Eliot will be exhibiting a collection of historic items which can be handled by visitors, a rarity in a stately home.

14 April – Classic Car Rally drive-through. Up to 85 magnificent cars will snake around the estate in the afternoon; a great chance to bring a picnic and enjoy a special day out.

11 May – Port Eliot Dog Festival in aid of Children’s Hospice SW. The return of a riotous annual event in which Port Eliot’s resident whippets, Roo and Lark, invite dogs of all stripes to their home for a party. Held in aid of the new Little Harbour hospice in St Austell, the event will be a day of dog shows, competitions, agility training, horse and cart rides, music from local bands, food and a spectacular whippet tea party, in which dogs take over Port Eliot and have the run of the gardens.

From 11am-4.30pm. Adults £3; children under 11 free. All dog show classes £1 entry.

12 May – Pony Country Canter in aid of Children’s Hospice SW.
Full details to follow soon.

18 May – Museums at Night. A beautiful candle-lit evening as Port Eliot opens its doors for a rare visit after dark, tours of the tunnels under the estate and music from pianist and composer Paul K Joyce in Soane’s Round Room.

18 May – Summer concert – Haydn, Handel and Mozart, St Germans Priory Church
East Cornwall Bach Choir presents the first of two summer concerts featuring an exciting pair of vocal and orchestral works, separated by Mozart’s Divertimento for Strings, K136. The earlier of the choral pieces is number nine of the eleven Grand Anthems which Handel wrote for the Duke of Chandos, O Praise the Lord With One Consent. The main work is Haydn’s Nelson Mass (1798), the best known of the six great orchestral Mass settings he composed between 1796 and 1802, and which seems touched by the atmosphere of tension and drama associated with the turbulent events of the Napoleonic Wars. Conductor: Paul Ellis; Orchestra: Divertimento

Times: 7-9.30pm. Tickets: From Liskeard Tourist Information Centre and www.ecbc.co.uk
Adults £16.00; Full-time students £8; Children under 12 free.
Two-for-one entry to Port Eliot for people attending the concert, either before or after the performance.

22 May-15 July – Marking the Line: Ceramics and Architecture. A group of leading contemporary ceramic artists will fill some of Soane’s finest rooms with brand new works inspired by the architect, his creations and collections. New installations, abstract architectural ceramics and sculpture will provide a compelling complement to Soane’s signature convex mirrors and domed ceilings in the new exhibition. Curated by international ceramics authority Joanna Bird, the exhibition presents innovative new works within Soane’s dramatic and idiosyncratic settings. Ceramicist and trained architect Nicholas Rena’s simple but powerful abstract yellow, orange and red forms will sit alongside Christie Brown’s reinterpretations of Soane’s family portraits; Brazilian ceramicist Carina Ciscato’s delicate yet tactile ceramic vessels will give a nod to Soane’s architectural quirks, while the British artist Clare Twomey will introduce 1000 bone china bowls decorated with gold and probing the subject of legacy. Taking Soane’s own artistic legacy as her starting point, each of Twomey’s bowls will carry a quotation outlining the impression that a man would like to leave on the world. The collected new work offers a captivating and intricate look towards the future in a historic setting. Throughout its run, the exhibition will host a whole series of free educational workshops for local communities and schools, including family workshops and evening tours.

VISITOR INFORMATION Port Eliot, St Germans, Saltash, Cornwall, PL12 5ND
Opening times: 2-6pm. Last admission at 5pm.
Port Eliot Tea Room open from 12.30pm for homemade lunches and cream teas.
Admission prices: House and gardens: Adult £8.00 (season ticket £20.00); Child (16 & under, accompanied by a paying adult) £4.00; children free during the run of the exhibition – 22 May-15 July.
Concessions – groups/seniors/students/eco: £7.00. Groups are a minimum of 20, eco travellers should arrive by bus, train or bicycle.
Gardens only: Adult £5.00; Child £2.00
Family season ticket: (2 adults & up to 4 children) £50.00.
Public/Green Transport Discounts: Visitors arriving at Port Eliot by rail, bus/coach, boat or bicycle qualify for a discounted ticket as follows: Adult: £7.00; Child: £2.00 (children free 22 May-15 July).
Further visitor information www.porteliot.co.uk 01503-230211 or info@porteliot.co.uk
Private guided tours are available. For more information please call 01503 230211 or email jo@porteliot.co.uk

Did You Know?

The Eliot family has lived at Port Eliot since 1565. The estate is called Port Eliot as it was once a busy monastic port, known as Port Priory. Water flowed right up to the front door and the house could only be approached by boat, across what is now the park. In the 18th century, the Eliots built a dam to divert the estuary away from their home, employing Repton to create the park and gardens. Almost certainly responsible for securing the monastery for the family was Henry VIII courtier Sir Thomas Elyot, who compiled what is considered the first English dictionary, championing the use of English ahead of Latin and contributing many new words, including the word ‘democracy’ to the English language.
The House itself covers many centuries: there are 9th century foundations, 10th century walls containing 13th century lancet windows and the distinctive and ingenious 18th century design details of Soane. Today, Port Eliot is home to the 10th Earl and Countess of St Germans.
There will be no Port Eliot Festival in 2013; it will return in 2014, running from 24-27 July. The year off will be a chance for the gardens to thrive and for the Port Eliot organisers to plot for 2014.

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Surf-rocker October will be playing at the Eden Café in St Austell on Friday, October 26.
 
October is returning to the café after a successful show in August.
 
The singer songwriter has secured a firm fan base across the UK .

The multi-instrumentalist has played venues such as Princess Pavilion in Falmouth and the legendary Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in London.
 
She’s also a regular on the festival scene at Glastonbury, Relentless Boardmasters and the Red Bull Break 5 Water Sports event.
 
She often plays as part of a three-piece collectively known as October.

As part of the group, she has toured with the likes of Scouting for Girls, The Kooks and INXS.
 
October will be supported by a soon-to-be-announced special guest.
 
Eden Café Manager Ashley van Dyke said: “October wouldn’t be complete without a performance from the eponymous singer herself and she’s ready to raise the roof.”

“To celebrate Halloween, visitors to the café are invited to dress up in their most crazy and creative costumes – and we’ll have prizes for the best efforts.”

Tickets cost £5 or £4 for concessions and tickets bought at the café beforehand.

Doors open at 7pm, music starts at around 8pm and goes on until late.

There will be fresh, homemade food on offer until 10pm and an all-night bar.


For more information on the Eden Café, click HERE

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The BBC is pretty much unfit for political purpose these days, at least on domestic issues, leaving us all trawling BBC4 and the movies section for pretty pictures and diversion.

A History of Art in Three Colours paints just such a pretty picture you might desperately hunt out for the lack of any proper news or analysis.

Professor James Fox, who has the art of whispering in libraries down to its own massively important fine Art, speaks well, writes well, and all this, because he hasn’t been told by some daft cunt at the BBC to plant both feet on the ground, breathe deeply, enunciate consonants like bullets, slurp vowels like leaky porridge and drown dipthongs so that no matter what you’re saying you sound as if you’re trying to insult the intelligence of a spoon.

Despite it’s derivative title, James Fox’s take on the history of art is really interesting.

Fox has a great pop script and is as good a specialist broadcaster as the many great communicators and entertainers who the public have dug out of the dead slots the BBC tries to kill off any talent with, and forcibly raised to prominence.

The young academic takes blue, gold, and white to educate ignorants clods such as yours truly about some of history’s maddest and most talented artists and architects.

There’s little point in going through the whole thing: just know that white is the best one.

It’s the best one partly because when old Prof Fox gets whispering in the library it gives you the sort of sensation I imagine a cat gets when you tickle it under the chin, a sort of comatose numbing almost as powerful as a girl whispering in your ear.

It’s also as good as the others in that the producers, uncaring of any budget – although they couldn’t resist the apparently untamable BBC urge to stick Philip fucking Glass under everything – also throw in some of the best bits of the soundtracks of Barton Fink, Layer Cake, and – I think – Ronin, to score it.

But it’s mainly the best because it raises a really interesting question about Art – which is this.

Can Fascist Art be good?

Anyone who’s anyone knows of course that it can. Just because an artist is a bastard, they don’t draw any less of a perfect circle.

To lie – and say a great painting or sculpture is shit because it served an evil purpose – is of course stupid, and almost fascistic in itself.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t try and dissuade dodgy political art from its purpose.

Fox is sufficiently erudite to be able to put Mussolini’s renaissance of Antique White (for a start he’s already explained there wasn’t very much antique white anyway) in context.

So when he damns Mussolini’s pure white fascist precinct outside Rome – architecture I rather like – you trust him that he’s not mindlessly spouting some – ironically – White City directive, but just kindly reminding you you wouldn’t really have liked to live in Mussolini’s Corbusier-inspired future town, because you’d have been constantly filling in forms to avoid being beaten up or lynched.

Pity no-one at the Corporation’s up to pointing out we’re about two statute books away from living in a fascist society today isn’t it?

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Rif Evans, who scores the short movies as ‘Riffy Raffy Evans’ or Evco, and film-maker Joanne Clement have four highly accomplished works to their name and are looking to break out at this years

Escape from Joanne Clement on Vimeo.

Rif, 27, is from Truro and Joanne, who’s 23, also lives in the capital although she hails originally from South Africa.

Rif explained “I’m influenced mainly by the ocean, everyday life and personal experiences with people and surfing.

“The rules of composition don’t always have to apply in music- it can be a feeling that comes from within- and my music reflects these emotions.”

Kennelvale, Cornwall from Joanne Clement on Vimeo.

Joanne is just starting out after graduaing from Falmouth college of Arts with a degree in Marine and natural history photography.

She wrote her film ‘Escape’ as both a homage to Cornish surf culture and a commentary on its commercialisation.

The movie’s been entered into Novembers film-fest, and in the coming months tracks from Rif’s score will be released as an EP called Gentle Waters,

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Maelstrøm – The Fish Factory’s Summer Show Opens 21st July 7pm

While we endure the lush but less than enjoyable July weather, we can look back on the many times the sun set over the marina in the spring, while barbeques, parties and art events bubbled away in Falmouth’s largest art space. A bulging calendar of themed art events carries on into July with Maelstrøm, the Fish Factory’s Summer Show, which runs from 21 July until 22nd September, showcasing a selection of artists’ work. All are invited to join the opening celebrations on Saturday evening from 7pm as the show is unveiled to the public.

Work on display will include photography, painting and installation. Some artists have exhibited previously at the Fish Factory such as in the Light Object Light Show, which was held in the Spring.

Alongside some of her own photography work, contemporary pieces by Anthony Neale, Lee McIntyre and Beth Hutchison will dominate the space, which is currently being transformed into a whirlpool of creativity.

There will be work for sale as well as gallery pieces and the opening of this show coincides with the launch of a new and improved Fish Factory shop selling affordable prints, artworks and art supplies. The gallery and shop are open between 10am and 6pm Monday – Saturday.

As more artists take up residence in the new studios in Fish2, the regular themed exhibitions curated by Rose will continue to expand in creative diversity. The Fish Factory gives artists a unique chance to try out different ideas and ways to visually express themselves and be part of a growing community of working artists, free from some of the commercial constraints put on artists in high street galleries.

Look out for upcoming visiting exhibitions over the summer in the Fish Factory’s second exhibition space ‘The FishTank’ which hosts local and international guests and is also available to hire. Kicking off the summer season sculptor Martiens Bekker and painter Caroline Cleaves will be opening their show in the FishTank on 27th July.

Go to Fish Factory Arts for more information on Maeltrøm and the rest of the Fish Factory’s summer line-up.

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Published in 1925, there was no need for the deep vein of political orthodoxy that runs through modern film and art in general like the Brighton through Greene’s famous Rock: obviously it’s injected through the film under the auspices of ‘bringing it up to date’. But it’s not all bad.

In John Curran’s 2006 movie, Edward Norton and Naomi Watts make the fairly handsome partners of a loveless marriage, although if there’s one thing you can say for Edward Norton , he’s not afraid to embrace the role of an at first less than attractive bacteriologist, even if he does morph into a heroic leading man. China is beautiful, Erik Satie writes very pretty vignettes, and Toby Jones is a great character actor. But the 21st Century sanitisation of Maugham’s acerbic piece, which takes in unrequited love, bitter hatred, general arkwardness and hateful sex in the way only a 1920s book about conventional people written by a screaming homosexual can, is bloody depressing and totally pointless.

Maugham’s Painted Veil seems to have been drawn from a real Hong Kong society couple, the Fanes, who sued his first publisher for the then grand sum of £250. In the book, Walter Fane is a smitten intellectual who falls hopelessly for shallow and beautiful Kitty – who, in a cracking Maugham insight into the sex he sympathised with and knew so much more about than the average bloke for obvious reasons – marries him simply to outdo her sister.

The accident soon happens in the form of Kitty spurning her adoring hubby and spreading ‘em gleefully wide for a hunky, married assistant colonial gadabout who, if the second lawsuit to hit Maugham was anything to go by, may have been based on some turn of the Century stud revelling in the name of AGM Fletcher.

Walter finds out, is crushed, and takes his vengeance by threatening divorce and scandal unless his pretty socialite wife follows him into the depths of a Cholera epidemic.

This is where the action of the film takes place, and it’s also where the obligatory veil of saintliness and all conquering female wisdom is clumsily thrown all over Kitty who, in growing up and realising what a wonderful chap her husband is in the wider scheme of things, gets to deliver previously unheard of lines about the world according to girls, to which Walter dutifully agrees. This is the depressing bit, and Maugham hardly needs this overkill, as he’s always overwhelmingly behind the ladies team anyway, which is probably why when you do occasionally find people old enough to still have him stacked on the shelves, they’re invariably old ladies rather than old men.

Anyway, we all know people die horribly in Cholera epidemics and so it all goes.

It’s not a bad movie by any means. If you didn’t know it was based on a better book, it would be all the more impressive. But it is, so after you’ve watched it free online, do yourself a favour and splash out £3.50 on Amazon for the original.

The book blows the movie away.

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Falmouth’s Fish Factory is heading from strength to strength!

And this month we still have a few of our awesome Fish Factory 2 riverside studios available at just £50 a month.

So what better way to check them out than a party!

We have three tip-top Indy bands playing at Fish Factory 2 this Thursday for anyone who’d like to come along.

Joie De Vivre and Football have come over from the States to play the UK and Sunday League hail from a little closer to home up North in Newcastle.

Entry to this ‘studio warming’ party will be available by purchasing a prize draw ticket from The Fish Factory through me (Lee) in person or by good old fashioned email.

We will have some pretty neat prizes up for grabs so don’t miss out and tickets will be on sale on the night.

About the bands:

Joie De Vivre(USA)

A slice of 90′s style indie, twinkley, dreamy and bittersweet. For fans of The Promise Ring, American Football and Mineral. You can listen to their releases HERE

Football, Etc (USA)

Introspective 90′s style indie, this will likely be your new favorite band. 
Check them out HERE

Sunday League(Newcastle upon Tyne)
Gruff-party-emo. Yes! It exists. 
You can get a quick blast HERE

About the space:

A warehouse unit housing 16 new artists studios nestled in the heart of an industrial wharf on the outskirts of Falmouth.

Due to increased demand for affordable studio space The Fish Factory has expanded into an adjacent building in Falmouth Wharves(just off North Parade). 

Getting there? 

From Truro;

Take the first turning off the Macdonalds roundabout, head towards Falmouth Marina and The Greenbank Hotel. Continue on for around a 1/4 of a mile, on your left you should see a sign marked ”Fish Factory Art Space” follow down the drive and look for the party.

From Falmouth;

Head out of town past Jam & Hand Bar, continue to follow the coastal road past The Greenbank Hotel, at the top of a drive on your right you will see a sign marked ”The Fish Factory Artspace” continue down the drive, hurrah!

£5 per ticket, entitles you to entry into the ‘Art Punks’ prize draw and the chance to win some pretty sweet art punk goodies.

Bring your friends, it’s going to be fun party!

For more information contact danceofdays@hotmail.co.uk

Note; The show will be finished by 10pm in time for last buses but you are welcome to stay after and hang out.

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The unknown raver (linked above) was snapped succumbing in epic style to the ravages of last weeks Masked Ball at Porthleven.

Now the footage, which shows the lone waster literally knocked for six by a night of relentless fun, is doing the round on the web – but still without a clue as to who this party legend is.

Ball spokesman Nigel Pengelly said: “Everybody at this years event had great fun, there was a great atmosphere, no-one was injured or hurt or anything.”

He added: “Obviously the gentleman in this video partied hard with the best of them!”

Cornwall’s Masked Ball is in its fifth year and has firmly placed itself at the top end of the South West party scene.

The bash raised cash for Porthleven Christmas lights, and Pants – a charity that raises awareness of gynaelogical and testicular cancer.

Organiser Kelvin Batt said: “This year was an awesome event without injury or mishap.

“We used local artistic and musical talent to design a festival that was intimate and adventurous.”

“In the Bedlam Marquee partygoers walked in through a wardrobe door and were handed pyjamas to wear as they ventured into a giant bedroom with beds, pillows, cuddly toys and tea trolleys.

“Once the party was in full swing, the air was a mass of feathers from ruptured pillows and cuddly toys of all description flew through the air.

“Another area called the Snowdome had real snow falling from inside the marquee.

There were three name acts on the rosta of more than 30 DJs and performers.

The Stanton Warriors played on the outside Inflammaball Stage to a full crowd and a full moon.

“Over in the ballroom notorious raconteur and former party animal Brandon Block played out to just as packed a crowd.

“Friendly Fires, nominated for best British group at the Brit Awards, also played a DJ set in the main ballroom.

Brandon said after the party: ““This is the best small festival I have ever been to.

“I cannot believe how up for having fun the people here are; it’s all so good-natured.””

The DJ roster representing the Duchy included:

Timbo Symmons
Snatch The Wax
Lee Palm
Jac The Disco
Sir Vinyl
Freerange DJs
Nigel Pengelly
Kevin Godden and
Jamie Giddens,

Head honcho Kelvin added: “There is so much talent in Cornwall and it’s good to good to get local artists and businesses involved in putting on a superb event.

“I’’d like to thank all those who contributed in one way or other, and especially those who came along and joined in the spirit of the
occasion.”

If you fancy a slice of the Masked Ball fun this Autumn you can snap up tickets for the October 27th event for just £20 with CCN.

Just click through to Masked Ball website – and tell em who sent you!

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Pictures by Mark Falmouth. The DJ is Brandon Block. If you’d like shots of your own – just Drop ‘Em A Line!

 This Saturday 5th May from 7pm an exciting new illustration exhibition will be unveiled at the Fish Factory Art Space in Falmouth.

All are welcome to come and witness the ‘Human Beast’ – a show which will be on display for two weeks and which features both local and international professional artists.

The Human Beast is a new and upcoming bunch of young illustrators with a strong bond to cartoon culture, street wear and freaky children’s animation series.

The exhibition is trying to unite a very interesting young wild horde of local Cornish illustrators who want to jazz up Cornwall big time.

No more boring white wall exhibition spaces and no awful college restrictions; wild and pure and definitely not serious, that is what to expect.

 The exhibition will include illustrators like Plymo, drawing surreal and neo gothy fantasy tales Diggy, drawing and painting dreamy and fantasy inspired creatures from another world – Max K, owner of the rising Cornish streetwear label Guillotine Lize Meddings  who draws uber-cute girlie characters Phil Macgee who paints romantic and crazy landscapes and Cathy Hookey who draws funny monsters 

Everybody is very welcome to the festive opening night on Saturday the 5th of May from 7 pm at the Fish Factory Art space, Falmouth Wharves, North Parade with free drinks and the spellbinding accordion virtuoso Michael Milner who just recently played St. Michaels Mount and the Falmouth Library

For more detailed info just click through to our website at Fish Factory Arts

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Up and coming Cornish Promoters Skank n Stomp have got them selves some serious festy action going down this summer.

The Falmouth based lads are playing slots in many a field from Scotland down to Gweek.

Skank n Stomp take over the main Bar at this years Boomtown
Fair, and are inviting along Cornish Funk supremos Hong Kong Ping Pong spreading the Fal town vibes up in what dubbed to be ‘The Worlds Maddest Party’.

Joining in the party are Cornwalls premier Swing duo Kernow Swing Collective who have been booked to play in the Electro Swing Club’s mini venue.

Other festivals on the Skank n Stomp agenda are Maker festival on the loverly Cornish Peninsular, Eden Festival way up in bonnie Scotland, Shambala, Hodge Podge and they are also running the dance tent at this years Holifair in Gweek.

Watch live video from eatmusiclive on Justin.tv

You can catch Skank n Stomp gigging around the south west most weekend, they have a monthly live night at Watermans in Falmouth showcasing the finest in upcoming talent, Aceeater and Genuine Rat both do regular nights at Toast and Qbar. And If you like your ska heres a lil secret- They have Neville Staples of The Specials coming to play Princess Pavillions in the autumn.

So look out for the belt and braces black and white check extravaganza going on at your favourite festival this Summer and if you’re a CCN reader – pop up and say Hi!

Do you have gigs coming up or are you a local promoter? Just ping us your news and we’ll tell our readers in the CCN music section.