Meet the Masons
Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason and actress wife Annette are opening the gardens of their Corsham home for charity, says Helen Blow
WHEN Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason opens up his gardens to the public this weekend in aid of charity, it will be hot on the heels of a whistle-stop tour of Europe with his new band. Along with Saucerful of Secrets fellow band members, which include former Spandau Ballet’s Gary Kemp, Nick has been reproducing the hits of Pink Floyd to fans in venues across Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands.
But this weekend he’ll be back at his 18th-century pad in Corsham, Middlewick House, to welcome visitors to a special open day in aid of two charities – the Wiltshire Air Ambulance chosen by him and his wife Annette, and a second by the home’s former owner, the Duchess of Cornwall.
The couple, members of Britain’s pop royalty celebrity set, became the new lord and lady of the manor when they bought the Grade ll-listed Cotswold stone house from Camilla Parker Bowles and her former husband, Tom, in 1995.
When they decided to open the gardens for the first time five years ago, Annette sent Camilla a jar of honey from her own bees and a note telling her about the charity open day.
“I asked her if she had a particular charity she would like to benefit from the event in the hopes that she might come down to pay us a visit during it,” said Annette, an actor and playwright.
Camilla chose the Wiltshire Bobby Van Trust, that helps people over 60 who have been victims of crime, and did indeed grace the inaugural event with her presence, wandering through the gardens and woodland with the Masons, sampling the stalls and admiring the animal-loving couple’s sizable menagerie.
Over this year’s two open days on August 3 and 4 (Saturday and Sunday), members of the public will be able to stroll through some of the 100 acres, which includes a lake, broadleaf woodland and a paddock that not only houses Annette’s beloved horses, but also a miniature donkey, black Welsh mountain sheep, a herd of Dexter cows and a pair of New Zealand Kunekune pigs called Porky and Bess.
“We have some new calves to show off too,” said Annette. “Perhaps we could run a ‘name the calf’ thing too, that would be fun.”
Annette and Nick rely on Bobby Van charity director Jennie Shaw for much of the organisation of the open day. “I was introduced to this wonderful woman, Jennie, who used to run Harvey Nichols. She creates Harvey Nichols in our garden, only with cake and plants stalls rather than designer clothing.”
Husband Nick also puts a few of his impressive collection of classic cars on display, which could include a Ferrari, Aston Martin and a Bugatti among others.
“Nick’s cars attract people from further afield, but it’s more about doing it for the local community,” said Annette, who divides her time between Middlewick and the couple’s home in Hampstead, London.
“It’s nice to see local people because if you’re not there all the time, you’re seen as a weekender, so it’s really important to get involved in things like this and to give something back to the area.”
Middlewick House began as a weekend and holiday bolt hole for the family when their children were growing up and in school in London, but now they spend more time there, with and without the now grown-up visiting offspring in tow.
“We spend a lot of time there in the winter as we are very fond of winter sports, and spend hours walking through the woods with the dogs, as well as riding my horses. I sometimes come down mid-week, or we’ll both travel down on Wednesdays and stay for the weekend.
“Wiltshire is a completely different way of life from London. You meet the whole of Middle England there. It’s like London is a different country, and I like both.
“Sometimes, my sons will go there with friends and I’ll go down to see them, which I love,” said Annette, who has two boys with Nick; Cary, 27, and Guy, 29, who are both at university in New York. “Cary is doing a master’s in film and Guy is doing a doctorate in immunology. I don’t mind them being over there, but I love it when they’re back here and we all go down to Middlewick.”
The rather grand Georgian-style house wasn’t quite what Nick and Annette had in mind when they were searching for a country hideaway 25 years ago.
“We were actually after a country cottage and spent two or three years looking but hadn’t found what we liked. It was
either dilapidated estates that were massive and falling down, or cottages that were too small.
“A mutual friend of ours said Camilla was selling Middlewick, but it hadn’t gone on the market, so we went down to have a look. Camilla gave us a lovely roast chicken lunch and I fell in love with the place.”
When I point out Middlewick is a tad grander than your average country cottage, Annette laughs and says: “It is much bigger than we first intended to buy, but there is a cottage on the grounds as well – it’s just there’s a large house next to it!”
Annette was particularly pleased that the house came with the stables and paddock, as both she and Camilla share a love of horses and riding. “To have that already in place was ideal for me.”
Although initially known for her acting, Annette now has a bevy of other interests, including flying – she and Nick both often fly down to the house and share a tiny airfield in Cirencester with another couple – and classic car racing. She has just taken part in the Festival of Speed at Goodwood in West Sussex.
She is also a keen sculptor and is currently building a studio in the ground of Middlewick, where she can turn fallen trees into little sculptures or garden seats – or both.
“I mainly do outdoor sculptures. I use fibreglass, but it doesn’t last forever, so I prefer clay or bronze, although you have to be careful with bronze because it’s valuable and that means people steal it.”
Alongside Annette’s work, Middlewick is home to several sculptures by the internationally renowned British sculptor, Simon Gudgeon.
And while Nick is out galivanting across Europe with his band, Annette has also been busy writing a TV script, although she won’t let on what it’s about. “I’m thinking of doing it as a one-woman show, but there’s part of me that thinks it’s so much nicer to ride horses in the country and throw clay about, than trying to get a job.”
She does admit, however, that Nick isn’t quite living the private jet lifestyle on his current tour. “It’s hard work for him, he’s no spring chicken any more. It’s not private jet everywhere, they’re travelling from venue to venue overnight on a bus like the old days of bands, sometimes three nights on the trot, but he’s absolutely loving it.”
But come the open garden weekend, they will both be back at Middlewick, ready to welcome hundreds of visitors to their home to browse stalls filled with home-made cakes, and plants grown by the Masons’ gardener, as well as others with local artisans showcasing their wares.
“What’s fantastic about doing this charity day is that it not only makes us do everything that we need to do in the garden, it’s actually tidier when they’ve all left, so we’ve got to thank the charity and visitors for making our garden so nice!”
» Middlewick House Open Gardens, in Corsham, runs on August 3 and 4 from 11am to 4.30pm. Entrance on the gate costs £7 and children under 12 go free.