Redruth to London- 100th Birthday

Rain, Steam and Speed - The Great Western Railway by William Turner in The National Gallery

October 2025

I think it was my sister who suggested that we should meet as a family to celebrate what would have been our Dad/Papa's 100th birthday in October and my brother's that we should meet at his birth place near Clapham Common. All a revelation to me as we posed in front of a now very smart terrace of mansion flats which retail at £750,000 for a two bedroom apartment. In 1925 the Harris family rented a modest flat there before moving to West London. We then enjoyed a jolly, extended Italian lunch remembering Dad and building a picture of his early life, followed by a gentle amble to the pond on Clapham Common where he would have played as a young child.

We decided to extend our stay and give ourselves some London time for culture, food and meanderings. All of which we did with great delight! If you have never visited the Sir John Soane Museum in Lincoln's Inn Fields, I so recommend it. Like the 'Lost' Gardens of Heligan, it too is now 'found' and we had to queue to get in. I've been visiting since the 1980s when it was always delightfully empty. Well, I say 'empty' ... It is rammed with Soane's own vast collection of paintings, objects, many Roman and Ancient Egyptian, books including Napoleon's description of Egypt in the original. In each room is a highly knowledgeable invigilator and storyteller who will happily share the objects back story. When I was younger I did some study around the former strongman and excavator of Egyptian artefacts Giovanni Belzoni. In the museum is the sarcophagus of pharaoh Seti 1st which Soane bought off Belzoni's widow; a common practice he used to acquire his collection. He was a successful architect in the early nineteenth century who designed the Bank of England and, among others, the stables at Port Eliot. His collections contain many fragments from ancient buildings which his students would copy. The Napoleonic wars at the time would have prevented them from doing their own 'grand tour'.

Roman statuary and tomb of Seti 1st, Belzoni discovering the tomb and Napoleon's books which were to be opened the evening we were there - staff only, sadly.

After a tasty lunch of Vietnamese banh mi, like a filled baguette, we were fuelled for more meanderings and happened upon Tim Hunkin's hilarious Novelty Automation Museum in a small shop filled with interactive, ingenious and hilarious automata. The most beautiful being a piece by Cornwall's Paul Spooner.

Then around the corner we happened upon the Conway Hall and the Small Publishers Fair. Couldn't resist and to my delight I met up with Luke Thompson from Guillemot Press from Lostwithiel who was doing a roaring trade with his beautiful books. The whole place was buzzing in a frenzy of book chat and sales.

We were also very lucky to see some great theatre such as The Weir written and directed by Conor Mcpherson and The Maids by Jean Genet adapted and directed by Kip Williams. However the audience experiences were very different. The former at The Harold Pinter Theatre was not comfortable from the rafts of security guards kettling us into the theatre, to Tony not even being able to get his legs into the seat area. We were in the Dress Circle and so far away that any sense of being in an intimate pub setting was lost and we were aware that those in the more expensive seats were all laughing when we were silent as we couldn't hear. It was completely the wrong setting for that play. You shouldn't have to pay over £200 a ticket in order to be able to see and hear ... Very frustrating and disappointing. The Maids was at The Donmar and even though I decided to stand, it was a brilliant experience. The play was much nastier and an assault on the senses in pink and lip filler with vast tic toc videos. However, everyone in the theatre was engaged in the action.

I can't not mention the food and the vast range that we observed, marvelled at and tasted. From Vietnamese, Indian, Turkish and Italian to an Honest Burger and English parsnip soup in the cafe in Hilly Fields park. We even saw a Uyghur Restaurant. Walking down Deptford High Street on a late Sunday afternoon revealed vegetables that I have never even seen before, let alone eaten. Then there was the pleasure of the London pub especially the Dog and Bell and pints of Beamish. As well as coffee in the café in Drury Lane supporting ex-offenders and a cinema in Barnes. Have come home now to digest but what a feast while it lasted!

On our final morning we visited our 'old friend' The National Gallery where we picked out favourite paintings to visit but were inevitably waylaid by a wonder that we had forgotten or had never encountered. My highlights of the day were three portraits. One by Jan Van Eyck which they described as the 'first self portrait on canvas' and two young men, side by side by Sandro Botticelli and Antonello di Messina. Although painted 600 years ago, I felt like I knew them.

Jan Van Eyck Portrait of a Man 1433. Sandro Botticelli Portrait of a Man 1480-85

Such a stimulating trip. The train journey was perfect, though some of the seats are getting a bit worn with protruding metal ... And even got to use my bus pass on the buses! Thank you to one and all for company, hospitality and memorable moments.

Currently re-reading Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood which is a compelling travel read, if a bit heavy to lug around.