Gavin Gardiner Ltd’s first auction of 2014 of Fine Modern and Vintage Sporting Guns and Rifles comprises over 200 lots including a rare pair of 12-bore Hammer Ejector shotguns by London-maker James Purdey & Sons, that were built in 1895 for the Hon. Harry Stonor. Estimated to fetch £20,000-30,000, the guns will be part of the auction, which will take place on Wednesday April 16th 2014 at Sotheby’s, 34-35 New Bond Street, London. Read more…
Sir Joseph Nickerson, Joe to his friends, was an extraordinary man, and I was therefore delighted to be asked by Robert Jarman, the editor of The Vintage Magazine, to write an ‘Appreciation’ of him in this, the centenary year of his birth, which seems particularly fitting.
As his youngest daughter I sadly only had the privilege of knowing him for 21 years, but he moulded me into the person I am, introducing me to shooting and conservation from a young age, instilling the importance of etiquette on the field – and off it.
With the first recorded round of golf taking place in Edinburgh in around 1456, Brits have a deep and long-lived passion for this sport. At first glance, the idea of a golf lover taking a cruise appears to be the strangest of matches – however look a little deeper and the opportunities a golf cruise offers become clear.
Followers and non followers alike of classic yachts have a special place in their hearts for the mighty J Class. The history and romance of their original era from 1929-1937 and their use by wealthy egotistical men on both sides of the Atlantic, in the pursuit of the most iconic and desired sporting trophy in the world, The Americas Cup, is well known and well documented. Shamrock, Endeavour, Enterprise, Ranger, Rainbow are names that immediately conjure up images of yachts with such grace, beauty and power, that for many they remain unsurpassed in yacht design and aesthetic. Many a bedroom, study, boardroom and yacht club wall is adorned with fabulous images from the contests between these Leviathans.
Pure Powder is proud to be the UK’s leading heli-skiing specialist with over 30 years of experience. Pure Powder organises more heli-skiing trips than all the other UK heli-ski operators put together!
When The Field magazine published a feature on the 75 best game shots of 2012, eight of them (over 10%) were female, a situation which did not exist even a few years ago, and which reflects the increasing numbers of ladies who shoot, and shoot well. However, women were not always so willingly accepted on the Shooting Field, and Queen Victoria once opined ‘Only Fast Women Shoot’!
Meanwhile Sir Joseph Nickerson once famously, and accurately observed that, ‘A woman only knows she is a good shot when the men stop telling her she is’ – this quote is taken from his daughter, Rosie Nickerson’s book on shooting etiquette entitled, ‘How to be Asked Again’, published in 2009 by Quiller.
One of the most enjoyable events in the South of France calendar is ‘Les Voiles de St Tropez’, and it happens in late September, and early October when all the summer crowds have gone home, and the holidaymakers are back at work, and all the plastic gin palaces have been removed from one of the most famous harbours or ports in the world, St Tropez.
I was recently lucky enough to be invited to a Fly-Fishing day as a guest of Orvis, who have a wonderful beat on the River Test at Kimbridge. So, on 1st October, the first day of the pheasant shooting season, I duly arrived at the appointed hour, to find a happy group of fellow guests and some very helpful staff from Orvis, whose primary concern was to give us an enjoyable day’s fishing on one of the best beats on the Test.
The 7th February 2014 will see the opening of the 22nd Winter Olympic Games, which will be held in and around the resort of Sochi in Western Russia. They will be the largest and most expensive winter games ever, with a record 98 events in 15 winter sports disciplines. New to the Olympic programme will be Parallel Slalom for snowboarders and something called Slopestyle, a development of freestyle, in which young people on skis or snowboards hurl themselves off artificial ramps and perform various gymnastic contortions in mid air, with marks awarded by judges.
Roxtons are the leading providers of the finest fishing and shooting opportunities around the globe.
‘For the quality of the whole experience, the smooth efficiency with which it is organised and the stunning nature of the sport they provide, Roxtons lead the field’
This quote from the respected shooting journalist, John Humphries, reflects their strong reputation which is based on their passion for field sorts.
