A Brief History

Our foundation bitch was bought from Judith Hancock and Jimmy Cudworth in 1973, Hawkhill Tranquillity was a sweet character, fair show dog and super brood bitch. She produced some lovely puppies for us, most of which went to pet homes where they were loved just for being themselves. From her first litter, mated to the late great Sh Ch Hawhill Connaught we kept Ardencote Tapestry who became a show champion in 1979. 'Tap' never gained her full title and caused me considerable embarrassment when trying!!!

I was an officer of the parent club at the time and decided that rather than going to the show spaniels field day, which was in those days run in fields of sugar beet, I would go to the ESSC field trial and run her qualifier in the lunch break………….. well!! What a silly idea that proved to be! I was known to most of the competitors as I usually attended the trials in my official capacity, they were not openly amused at my non field trial animal in amongst their working dogs but I do think that we lightened the mood of the day.

'Tap' quartered well, flushed her bird and sat beautifully to shot, I was so proud and felt that the critics of show dogs would have to eat their words, even if her style was not quite what they were looking for she had done the job. I sent her out and she had obviously marked her bird well as she knew just where she was going, fantastic! However, I relaxed too soon, she was quite a distance away and despite my whistle and eventually resorting to calling her she was not coming back, so we started to walk in to where we felt she was, that's when we saw feathers flying everywhere! Tap was happily plucking her bird! She did not get her qualifier and I never tried her again.

Hawhill Tranquility produced us another show champion from her second litter (a repeat mating of the first) a dog this time, Ardencote Autosport who I had intended to keep, unfortunately when he was about four months old I had popped out and Linda Barber called round on the off chance to see if I had anything for sale, my then partner now husband was in and proudly sold her the puppy that I had told him we still had because I couldn't sell him! That taught me not to make excuses in future.

'Tap' was eventually mated to Ch Cliffhill Julius and from her one and only litter came two champions my Mum's Sh Ch Ardencote August Love and my Ch Ardencote Alexander who proved to be quite an influential sire/grandsire through two son's Sh Ch Chaigmarsh Sudden Impact and Ardencote Assurance who in turn sired Sh Ch Ardencote Astute himself a top winning stud dog and co-owned with Anne Corbet. Astute came from the last litter of ESSs that I bred as I had found it increasingly difficult to live with, or travel in the car with the effect that their coats had on me. Mum kept Astute's siter who sadly had to be put to sleep in 2008.