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Wealden Times Magazine is the monthly lifestyle magazines for Kent & Sussex. Discover beautiful homes and interiors, read about their owners, find recipes for every occasion and delve into our pages on horticulture. Feel inspired by our fashion features and get the latest on health and beauty.

Education Directory

Our Education directory, focuses exclusively on Kent, Sussex and Surrey, introducing some of the south east's best and brightest preparatory academies, specialist colleges, independent schools and boarding schools.

Time To Shine

Liz Cruttenden has updated a much loved listed family home with her own skilled eye for interior design I’m not sure why this is, but country dwellers seem to use the back, or side entrances, to their homes rather than...

The G Plan Clan

A 20th century house in Rye has been made over with fabulous mid-century flair – groovy, baby In recent times, the ancient town of Rye has become something of a centre for home style, with lots of fabulous shops and...

Meet the Captain

Meet Ludo Kolade who balances sport, learning and a position as Captain of School at King’s School Canterbury What is your role as Captain of School? My role largely consists of coordinating my team of Purples (prefects) and acting as...

Forever Colour

Give your garden’s hues true staying-power by selecting blooms that will provide a vibrant display all summer Where have all the flowers gone? It seems like only last week that the borders were full of colour, and now they’ve faded...

Glorious Geum

Sue Whigham delves into the background of this hardy perennial  Bearing in mind what sparkle and zing the bright flowers of geums bring to the garden, I’m wondering why we don’t have more of them here but the three G....

Early Days

We talk to local schools to find out the best ways to start out a child’s educational journey Junior King’s - Fun and excitement nurture a love of learning for life Tell us about your early years provision. Our Pre-prep...

Subjects Matter

We ask Tom Lawson, Headteacher at Eastbourne College, how to navigate the crossroads that every child faces when choosing GCSEs and A Levels Any parent wants to support their child with making GCSE and A-level choices, guiding them but ensuring...

Sporting Stars

There is so much wonderful talent in our schools’ sports programmes – it’s time to celebrate! Nothing but Net - ACS Cobham hosts first-of-its-kind beach volleyball tournament for schools across England Students from across England gathered in London to compete...

Meet the Head – Fraser Halliwell, Head of Radnor House 

Fraser Halliwell, Head of Radnor House tells us about his work and inspirations What inspired you to teach? BBC wildlife documentaries and specifically, David Attenborough. Attenborough, like all great teachers, is a master of inspiring curiosity. I thought I wanted...

Extra Help

We explore how tutoring can support a child’s studies 11+ Ready - Established local tutoring company, Griffin Teaching, tell us about their service What kind of tutoring do you offer? We offer our support in weekly club sessions, taught in friendly...

The Game of Life

PSHE has to evolve to reflect contemporary issues. We find out how schools are adapting Mayfield Mayfield School tell us about how their Lifeskills programme helps students ‘meet the needs of the age’ At Mayfield our aim is to develop...

That’s a Wrap!

Wraparound childcare is priceless to busy parents, providing extra care on top of normal school hours, so how does it work? Dulwich Prep Cranbrook explain their flexible care Dulwich Prep Cranbrook has an extended day programme, which is highly tailored,...

On Your Mind

New Beacon’s Headmaster, Mike Piercy, tells us about their recent mental health conference Our influence as educators has never been more important than it is right now. We are all concerned with academic achievement, educating the whole child, stimulating every...

The Great Outdoors

Get kids outside to enrich their education with the help of nature Space explorers Somerhill uses its grounds to benefit work, sport and play Outdoor learning is a large part of Somerhill’s ethos, which is not surprising considering their 150...

Rediscover your inner zen 

Sarah Maxwell shares how she finally found calm in the middle of a forest No matter how hard I try, I can only manage three minutes of meditation before I’m utterly distracted, bored or find myself doing something else. My...

Nourish to Flourish – The relationship between physical and mental health

Nutrition & Lifestyle Coach Charlotte Lau explores the relationship between physical and mental health Quite often when we talk about ‘improving our health’, we make specific choices about the food that we eat or the amount of exercise that we...

Pamper & Preen 

We take a look at the relaxing treatments and experiences on offer at some truly memorable retreats and spas The Spa at Green Farm, Shadoxhurst Set amongst idyllic ancient woodland and meadow pastures, Green Farm is a wonderfully rejuvenating place...

Not just for wrinkles

We take a look at some alternative uses for Botox® Botox® relief for excessive sweating available from Dr Kim Prescott, aesthetic doctor and medical lecturer For anyone who suffers from excessive sweating, injections into the sweat glands can dramatically reduce...

Wild at Heart

Wedding florist, Becky Morris, celebrates the glories of the natural world in her village family house The morning drive through the springtime High Weald countryside, to this house in the village of Mayfield, is one of the most beautiful I’ve...

The New Contemporary

We explore Mill House, a project that demonstrates a new wave of contemporary family kitchens Inglis Hall, known for their honest and authentic approach to crafting kitchens, was the perfect choice to create a truly modern kitchen in which contemporary...

Plum’s the word

Ligneous Kitchens show us around one of their favourite projects From its clean, sleek lines to the spacious island and luxurious use of materials, this kitchen belongs on your moodboard if you're inspired by modern minimalism. What was this kitchen's...

Super Tiling!

We ask three industry experts what trends to look out for in bathrooms  Time for Terracotta “Terracotta is a real trend, warm, organic, and full of character. But natural terracotta is rather absorbent, so not ideal for wet areas. Fortunately,...

Meet the Skincare Saviour 

Natalie Hughes – founder of eco-luxury circular skincare brand, Sacred – explains why her small-batch products should take pride of place on your revamped bathroom shelves  How did you get involved in skincare?   People have such an emotional relationship...

Maker’s Motif

Relocating from Surrey to Kent, Alec and Sarah stumbled upon a beautiful barn conversion – not a style that they had been on the hunt for – and fell in love with its space and character Frittenden, that pretty village...

Get your life back on track! 

Sarah Maxwell gives a very personal account of her perimenopause and menopause coping strategies For many women during the three menopause stages it’s common to experience mood changes such as irritability, sadness, lack of motivation, aggressiveness, problems focusing, stress, difficulty...

Nourish to Flourish – Food choices to support the ageing process

Nutrition & Lifestyle Coach Charlotte Lau gives her advice on food choices to support the ageing process Eating a well-balanced diet is an important part of staying healthy as you age, but getting one well-balanced meal on the table every...

Wild Wine

Foraging expert and self-sufficiency instructor Michael White explains how to reap the rewards of making your own wine – no grapes required!  Do you enjoy drinking wine? Of course you do, but have you ever considered making it yourself? Very...

Cottage Garden Style

Jo Arnell explains how to create your very own country haven with cottage garden plants for a dreamy summer look Arches festooned with romantically billowing roses, paths lined with lavender and borders bursting with colourful perennials, the cottage garden is...

Quiet Command

A family home that keeps things cool, calm and collected  Sometimes it’s not what you put into a house that makes it special – but what you leave out. In the Staplehurst home of interior decorator Esther Bauer and her...

See my vision

Meet Reinhard Alexander Weiss, director of 3s, the architects behind this award-winning Greek paradise Can you tell us about a memorable project that you’ve worked on?  As well as individual houses in the UK, we sometimes design holiday homes abroad....

Finding the Plot 

So you’ve decided to set out on the adventure of building your dream home. Step one, before you can begin designing and building, is finding your land. SJD tell us how When should I think about using a professional land...

Case Study: Prefabulous

We find out what goes into building an eco-friendly, low-energy home like this Sussex prefab haven    A luxury Baufritz villa sitting on the edge of the South Downs National Park, built using pioneering, prefabricated construction technology. Skyhouse Sussex is...

Easy being Green

Mark Sait, CEO and founder of sustainability and money-saving experts, SaveMoneyCutCarbon (SMCC) shares advice for building new homes or doing renovations in a way that will benefit the planet and your bank balance The placement of the thermostat has a...

Follow the leader

We talk to Neilson Projects, a long-established property consultant practice to find out what makes a project manager so valuable What are the benefits of hiring a project manager?   Most clients begin their focus on the intricate design of...

Case Study: The Chocolate Factory

Because who wouldn’t want to live in a chocolate factory? This new development by Sunningdale House is a real treat Where is it located?  In Quarry Road, Tunbridge Wells within the exclusive TN1 postcode, on the old factory site of...

What’s the plan?

The experts at SJM Planning explain how a planning advisor can assist your project Why hire a planning consultant?  Anyone can make a planning application to a local planning authority, but the application process system can be very challenging and...

Meet the Trade: Managing Director of Brook Security Limited

Meet Terry Roffey, Managing Director of Brook Security Limited What do you specialise in?  Brook Security has a wealth of knowledge and experience in creating layered security solutions. We specialise in the design, installation, maintenance and monitoring of electronic security...

Case Study: Restoration

Two projects running in tandem on joined properties provided an irresistible challenge for LJ Fletcher Builders What was the project brief?   We were actually working on two joined properties at once, so we had two sets of clients, both...

Adoorable!

Claire Manton, furniture artist and founder of Claire’s CraftHouse, shares her guide to sprucing up your front door A front door isn’t cheap to replace but, whether you have a solid wood door or composite, you can freshen it up...

Beam us up!

Many an old English home is filled with glorious characterful beams, but this also means that, for rejuvinating an old property, beam restoration is often top of the to-do list. We have spoken to A T Palmer Ltd, specialists in...

New Shores

Social worker Ashia Redhead explains how her house renovation has been the outlet for her creative energy, embellishing her passion for interiors and antiques into a warm family home with character It was the start of the hottest weekend of...

Nourish to Flourish

Nutrition & Lifestyle Coach Charlotte Lau recommends small changes for a more sustainable diet A sustainable diet is one with a low environmental impact and helps contribute to the security of food and nutrition for the present as well as...

Meet the Head: Louise Lawrance, Headteacher of The Granville School in Sevenoaks

Meet Louise Lawrance, Headteacher of The Granville School in Sevenoaks What inspired your career in education? Being able to make a difference. I grew up in South Africa and used to volunteer at a school for street children. I saw first-hand...

Strike a Balance

Family legal issues can be complicated and emotive, so it’s always good to put a face to the name of the expert who is guiding you through the process. We get to know a little more about Joanna Pratt, Senior...

Garden Glory

If you’re planning a garden visit or two this year, then be sure to explore the wealth of horticultural delights the South East offers, as recommended by Sue Whigham Kent Gardens Trust is affiliated to The Gardens Trust and was...

On the Wild-ish Side

Jo Arnell gives her tools a well earned rest and lets the garden do what it does best – embrace nature  Stop weeding. Stop mowing. Dig a pond and plant a tree – then relax while the wildlife looks after...