The gilded age

WHEN an email arrived from COUNTRY LIFE suggesting that I attend a gliding course, my heart raced. I am not good at heights and had to give myself a strict talking to: you only regret the things you didn’t do—that sort of thing.

Actually, they wanted me to learn gilding. However, the relief was short-lived. I would soon discover that the art of laying gold leaf onto a frame is frightening, breath-holding, ethereal and, when you get it right, utterly thrilling. Much like gliding, except on terra firma.

Roger Newton has been putting decorative finishes on furniture and works. Mr Newton trained at Colefax and Fowler, set up his own workshop on London’s King’s Road in the 1960s and, 20 years later, founded a school on Guernsey that runs intensive courses for aspiring young professionals.