Jeffrey Archer
A footnote to the many obituaries of Jeffrey Archer. He used to come to events at the National Portrait Gallery a lot while I was there and, indeed, bought a work from the artist Stuart Pearson Wright when it was exhibited as part of the BP Portrait Award in 1999 (I see from his obituaries…
Rob Perkins
Rob Perkins came into my life by way of Daphne Astor, who he had known somehow in Boston; but then Daphne knew everyone. It turned out later that he had overstayed his welcome in Cambridgeshire, so Daphne had recommended he come and visit us. I think his father had been a banker in Boston, he…
Newcastle (3)
I went for a morning walk along the quays at Newcastle. The old part of the town, south of the railway station, feels unexpectedly well preserved, with steep steps and alleyways down to the quays and the great bridges of the Tyne overhead:-
