Gardens Scheme
The foundations for the National Gardens Scheme were laid in 1926, by Miss Elsie Wagg a council member of the charitable Queen’s Nursing Institute, whose idea it was to open private gardens to the public for the charity. The following summer, more than 600 gardens raised more than £8,000 for the Institute.
The idea grew in popularity and today 3,500 richly diverse gardens open annually, from stately homes, such as Blenheim and Sandringham, to tiny backyards, opening collectively to provide the 45 minutes of interest required by the scheme.
Some gardens, open throughout the year, give a few days to the scheme, other volunteers work for months for one opening.
In 2002, the scheme’s 75th anniversary, a record £1.65 million was raised for various charities, which still include the QNI, as well as Macmillan Cancer Relief and Marie Curie Cancer Care.
The National Gardens Scheme charitable Trust is at Hatchlands Park, East Clandon, Guildford, Surrey GU4 7RT (01483 211535). The "Yellow Book", Gardens of England and Wales Open for Charity, is on sale from mid-February, price £5.99, from all good bookshops.
Postal voting
This years local council elections have been put back to 10 June to coincide with the European Parliamentary elections. With ward boundary changes introduced to even out the number of voters between wards, all 84 Council seats are up for grabs at one go, making a political change of council leadership a real possibility.
Under the boundary changes the city moves from 29 to 28 wards and we lose three of the 87 council seats we presently have. Most wards are affected in some way, and our existing ‘Dore Ward’ loses parts of Lower Bradway and gains parts of Whirlow. It also changes its name to ‘Dore and Totley’, conveniently forgetting Bradway and Whirlow sensitivities.
This year the Government has decided not to pursue electronic voting here, preferring to concentrate on postal voting instead. There is no doubt that postal voting increases election turnout, as people can vote at home at their own convenience and simply pop the envelope in a post box when they go out. Without the need for polling stations the changes to Sheffield’s ward boundaries will also be easier to introduce.
Stop those calls!
Are you bothered by unsolicited sales and marketing calls? The ‘Telephone Preference Service’ (TPS) helps you to make sure your telephone number is no longer available to organisations who may telephone you with offers and information you do not wish to receive.
Under Government legislation introduced on 1 May 1999 it is unlawful to make unsolicited direct marketing calls to individuals who have indicated that they do not want to receive such calls. You can either do this by contacting companies directly and asking them not to phone you or you can register with the central service ‘Telephone Preference Service’ to stop all such calls.
It is now a legal obligation for anyone making direct marketing calls to ensure they do not call individuals who have registered their wish not to be called!
You can register with TPS by phone on 0800 398 893 or online at: TPSonline.org.uk
A history of Cameos
Cutting in cameo is an ancient craft with its origins deep in history. Each cameo is a work of miniature sculptural art. Only quite recently have we come to associate the name cameo with profiles of pretty females, in actual fact the range of subjects that are available carved in cameo is enormous.
The earliest known engraved stone dates as far back as 15000 BC, used to record and communicate. The next step towards the cameo was the seal, examples of which have been from 3000 to 4000 BC, made from a variety of materials, including wood ivory and stone. The intaglio, a design cut into the surface, was pressed onto soft clay or wax to seal a letter, cask, jug or doorway. As long as the seal was unbroken the contents were seen to be safe.
The most well known ancient seal is the Egyptian scarab. The image of the beetle was carved on the domed top of the stone, and the flat base engraved with symbols of luck and good fortune, prayers for the dead, spells and names. The art form found its way from Egypt to Greece, Crete and Cyprus.
By the golden age of Greek classical art in the 5th to the 4th centuries BC, the engravers worked in hard precious and semi- precious stones, choosing them for their colour and the ability to transmit light. They used, amongst others Chalcedony, Jasper, Turquoise and Malachite. In the 3rd and 2nd century BC, The cameo, a carving in relief, was developed using coloured multi layered sardonyx.
The cameo made a picture in the lighter, upper layers of the stone, standing out boldly from the lower darker layers. They used simple belt driven drills, carving finer details with hand held bronze or iron gravers. Although ancient myths and legends were still used as subjects, the portrait now found its way into the repertoire of the cameo sculptor
As the balance of power moved from Greece to Rome, hundreds of Greek artisans came to satisfy the desire for cameos of all kinds. During the dark ages when Rome and the ancient civilisations fell to conquering barbarians, the knowledge and ability of cameo carving was lost.
With the Renaissance the ancient skills were gradually redeveloped, it is thought that sailors from around the Bay of Naples took to carving on shells during long sea voyages, similar to scrimshaw carving on whalebone, so beginning the tradition of carving cameos in sea shell.
The main centre for the manufacture of shell cameos is the Torre del Greco area on the Bay of Naples, Italy, where the traditional art of cameo cutting has been handed down through the generations. Sadly fewer and fewer people choose to be apprenticed in to the trade which takes four years to complete
The two forms of Cassis shell are mainly used in cameo carving giving different pinky brown backgrounds against a white to creamy relief, some pink cameos can be found but they are not common.
These shells have three layers. The outside layer has a warty appearance and is usually cleared, unless used for special effect. The middle layer is white or cream and is the layer into which the design is carved. The third interior layer provides the contrasting colour against which the design is shown in relief.
Only part of the shell is used for carving. A skilled operator cuts away the unwanted part using a steel saw, the best coloured pieces are then roughly smoothed and trimmed by a grinding wheel and finished by hand. The hand carving begins at first with a small hand drill to make a rough outline, then with a steel graver for the fine detail. As more and more detail is added, the carver uses progressively finer and finer points.
Each cameo design has to take into account all depressions and protuberances on the shell, with no two exactly alike. No machine can replicate this skill, so every shell cameo is genuinely hand carved and unique.
These same skills are found in Germany, the main area for the hand carving of hardstone cameos, using Onyx, Sardonyx Comellian etc. These stones are often dyed or stained to highlight the beautiful designs and carvings.
Cameos are as popular today as in ancient times; these beautiful miniature carvings are very collectable and could be a worthwhile investment for the future.
David Smith, D.W.Garret |
