Celebrating the summer

ENGLAND
My fair lady: with the
right hat, anyone
can enjoy a day at the
races in 2009
Belle of the ball
athryn Griggs, 26, is a fund-raiser for the University of London.
During the summer months, her diary is full of social engagements, and there are very few events of the English season she
hasn’t visited. Here she talks about living the high life at a low price.
“I went to Glyndebourne for the first time last summer. It’s a lovely
setting, and it was a glorious day with a real sense of occasion.
The main event is the picnic before the evening opera. People
make a real effort with their hampers, bringing strawberries and
champagne, rather than soggy sandwiches. Very formal dress is
required, so I was careful not to
A C L O S E R L O O K
spill anything down my ball gown.
Princess Michael of Kent
Organizers are trying to promote
was named Baroness Marie
the festival to a younger crowd, so
Christine until she married
we got under-30 tickets for £40. I
Prince Michael of Kent, a first
could never afford to go if it
cousin of Queen Elizabeth II,
weren’t for this special offer.
in 1978. Until the mid- to late
“Henley Royal Regatta always
20th century, women in
attracts a young crowd. I’ve been
English-speaking societies
three times. The enclosures are
were often addressed fornice if you can get in; but there
mally by their title and their
are plenty of places to watch from
husband’s full name — for
along the banks, so you don’t
example, Mrs Roger Smith.
have to spend a lot.
K
M. Secchi/Alamy
Celebrating
the summer
Wo trifft sich die feine Gesellschaft im Sommer im Raum London? REBECCA PERL weiß es und
gibt Tipps, wie man sich unter die Blaublütigen und Betuchten mischen kann.
n a wet spring morning, I stood near the gates of
the Hurlingham Club, an exclusive sports club in
south-west London, and spoke to 80-year-old
John Clarke. Clarke, it seemed, was on a pilgrimage to his past. As a small boy in the 1930s, he had
spent many days playing football in the street outside the
club. He remembers watching the polo ponies arrive on
summer afternoons for tournaments.
“To a child, it was unbelievably exotic — Indian maharajas in beautiful riding clothes, the gleaming ponies,”
Clarke said. “Of course, to a working-class boy, it was a
closed world.” At that time, it was unthinkable that the club
would let in someone not on its exclusive membership list.
Times have changed, and so have institutions like the
Hurlingham Club. A hundred years ago, “the season” was
still an established part of the upper-class English calendar. The young, rich and privileged would come into Lon-
O
22 Spotlight
Kathryn Griggs at
Henley Royal Regatta
medium
p lu s
don from their country estates and meet at society events —
polo at the Hurlingham Club or horse racing at Royal Ascot. Two world wars put an end to the season, but not to
the events, which over the years have had to appeal to a
wider demographic. So, this summer, the Hurlingham Club
will open its gates to the general public for a polo tournament — the first at the club in 70 years. John Clarke has
already bought his ticket. “It wasn’t exactly cheap,” he says,
with a sparkle in his eye, “but it’s the chance of a lifetime.” If, like John Clarke, you want to enjoy the special atmosphere of England’s summer celebrations, we’ve chosen
five of the best events to attend.
Opera: The Glyndebourne Festival
Do you enjoy opera? Why not spend an afternoon relaxing
in the gardens of a historic house, drinking Pimm’s in full
evening dress, followed by an evening of world-class
5/09
singing? Glyndebourne in East Sussex is the ideal destination. This year marks the 75th anniversary of one of the
world’s most famous opera festivals. The event was begun
by the owner of the Glyndebourne estate, John Christie, and
his wife, Audrey Mildmay. Inspired by visits to Salzburg
and Bayreuth, Christie built a theatre next to his home
near Lewes in East Sussex and began with a season of
Mozart in the summer of 1934. Since then, almost every famous name in opera, from Luciano Pavarotti to Cecilia
Bartoli, has sung in the theatre. To celebrate this year’s anniversary, Glyndebourne will be staging operas by Purcell,
ˇ
To attract visitors younger than 30,
Verdi and Dvorák.
tickets for some performances will be available for £10. The
beautiful gardens are opened a couple of hours before each
performance, so you can come along with your own food
and furniture for a meal on the lawn. Remember, though,
that the dress code is formal, preferably black tie. 21 May
to 30 August; www.glyndebourne.com
The sport of kings: Polo in the Park
Polo competes with horse racing for the title “the sport of
kings” — probably because you need the wealth of a king
to pay for the team, the ponies and the lifestyle. You won’t
find many of the great unwashed in the grandstands. That
will change this summer, when London’s elite Hurlingham
Club puts on a three-day event in the park next to the club
A
C L O S E R
L O O K
Chukkas are periods of about seven minutes. Eight of them make up
a game of polo. The game itself is not difficult to understand: two
teams of four riders try to score goals by hitting a small ball along the
playing field and into a goal using a long-handled mallet.
5/09
“You don’t have to ‘be someone’ — you can just go along and enjoy the atmosphere. I’ve visited Royal Ascot on Ladies’ Day, and have
also worked at the event. One year, I worked in the Royal Enclosure
bar and served Princess Michael of Kent a bitter lemon. I didn’t get
very good tips from the royals, as they don’t carry money with them.
I’ve also worked at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, which attracts
real vehicle enthusiasts. The grounds of Goodwood House are
beautiful, with lovely views of the Downs.”
grounds. One of the most enthusiastic supporters of Polo
in the Park is London’s mayor, Boris Johnson. He hopes it
will “inspire people to take up this fast-paced and exhilarating sport”. It will take more than a few chukkas to
t
LIFESTYLE
ball gown ['bɔ:l gaυn]
bank [b{ŋk]
compete with sth. [kəm'pi:t wð]
country estate ["kÃntri 'stet]
demographic ["demə'gr{fk]
diary ['daəri]
Downs [daυnz] UK
evening dress ['i:vnŋ dres]
exhilarating [g'zləretŋ]
fast-paced [fɑ:st 'pest]
fund-raiser ['fÃnd "rezə]
gleaming ['gli:mŋ]
Glyndebourne ['glandbɔ:n]
grandstand ['gr{ndst{nd]
grounds [graυndz]
hamper ['h{mpə]
lawn [lɔ:n]
Lewes ['lu:s]
mallet ['m{lt]
mayor ['meə]
pilgrimage ['plgrmdZ]
Purcell ['p«:səl]
score [skɔ:]
social engagement
["səυʃəl n'gedZmənt]
soggy ['sɒgi]
sparkle ['spɑ:kəl]
spill sth. [spl]
stage sth. [stedZ]
the great unwashed [ðə "gret Ãn'wɒʃt]
tie [ta]
tip [tp]
tournament ['tυənəmənt]
vehicle ['vi:kəl]
Ballkleid
Ufer
mit etw. wetteifern
Landsitz
Teil der Bevölkerung
Terminkalender
baumloser Höhenzug
Abendgarderobe
aufregend
temporeich, schnell
jmd., der Mittel beschafft
glänzend
Tribüne
Gelände
Picknickkorb
Rasen
Schlaghammer
Bürgermeister(in)
Pilgerreise
schießen, erzielen
gesellschaftliche
Verpflichtung
durchgeweicht
Funkeln
etw. verschütten
etw. aufführen
das einfache Volk
Krawatte
Trinkgeld
Turnier
Fahrzeug; hier: Automobil
Spotlight 23