I went to the barber today and noticed for the first time, which I should have noticed before, the elaborately carved inscription over the window. It was apparently an advertisement for the wood turner’s craft alongside the ornate brick decoration and, once upon a time, rich plasterwork in the interior. Nothing could be nicer or more therapeutic than a haircut and capuccino as the sun rises over the back streets of Tyburnia.




Is Tyburnia a recognised place (the whole course of the river, perhaps?) or just a Saumerism?