The Field

Published by Time Inc. (UK) Ltd The Field is a monthly glossy magazine dedicated to those brave souls who shoot, fish and hunt way beyond the call of duty. Since 1853, its staff has selflessly brought its readers the cream of rural life, be it pheasant shooting, dry-fly fishing or the distinct merits of Cheval Blanc. If you love field sports, errant terriers and very foxy friends at hunt balls, The Field is for you.

The Field

All for one, and one for all • With shooting likely to face continuing challenges, Editor Jonathan Young asks for all involved in field sports to work together and treat each other with respect

Art in the field • Debbie Harris’s atmospheric oil paintings have won her a legion of admirers. Janet Menzies finds out about her artistic journey

Field Notes

In brief

The Naked, Strewth • A MONTHLY EXPLORATION OF THE BRITISH FONDNESS FOR REMOVING CLOTHES IN A GOOD CAUSE

DIARY DATES: DECEMBER

#TheField • MONTHLY ROUND-UP OF WHAT’S HAPPENING IN OUR WORLD ON SOCIAL MEDIA

New in the field • Our monthly guide to everything covetable in the coverts, tremendous on the Test and bang on in the butt

Letters

Get a grape deal for Christmas • A new, eco-friendly home with wine on the doorstep, or a top vineyard itself should prove a solution to festive wine consumption, finds Rupert Bates

TAKE 3 – NORTH EAST FARMHOUSES

Country estate of the month • NONSUCH HOUSE, BROMHAM, WILTSHIRE

TAKE 3 – THATCHED PROPERTIES

WRECK OF THE MONTH

Quick, quick – slow • Shooting is about the experience, not the numbers, says Editor Jonathan Young. ‘Slow shooting’ can be far more memorable than notching up numbers

For whom the bells ding dong • Determined to make it a special Christmas, Eve Jones starts eyeing up the decorations. Or will the Mrs Santa outfit and a large dollop of mistletoe do the trick?

The resurrection of Graythwaite • After 20 years shooting has resumed at this estate in the Lake District, where birds were well forward on a November day last season

In the wake of 1,000 years of history • The owners of Courteenhall estate can trace their roots to Hereward the Wake, but when it comes to shooting their outlook is egalitarian

Shooting style • An ungainly technique will usually result in poor shooting. Elegance and accuracy go hand in hand

Made for bustards • This gargantuan gun was once used to shoot massive Plain’s game. Happily, the latter have been re-established in the UK

THE FIELD FROM THE ARCHIVES • The great bustard roamed the pages of The Field long after its disappearance from our landscape

Bespoken for • Huntsman has been making bespoke suits on Savile Row now for a century. To celebrate, the firm has introduced the Bespoke 100

DUELLING PISTOLS • The name of one gunmaker recurs repeatedly in tales of the most infamous duels – Robert Wogdon

ENTICING LINES OF HUNTING COUNTRY THAT I HAVE EVER SEEN • Testing ditches and the fabled Marsh give the Berkeley country a well-deserved reputation. So is it hunting’s Elysium?

Yellows on the Orange • South Africa’s longest river winds through a harsh environment yet offers incredible sport and specimen fish – if you can stand the heat

You must go shooting with both eyes open • Many guns close an eye, forcing them to guess where the target is. A lesson at Pennsport will remedy this and improve your performance significantly

BOTH EYES OPEN

THE FIELD Christmas • There is something about Christmas traditions that transcends even the most Scrooge-like demeanour. Whether in town or country, there are some that a proper Field Christmas cannot be without. Alexandra Henton picks the best of this season’s festivities

FANTASTIC...