On the first day of the May Day Bank Holiday Weekend – and a red hot one at that – Lester Hillman (St Catharine’s) took us on a historical mystery tour. In a little over 1.5 miles he managed to cram in a huge range of locational anecdotes and references, real and imagined, including the novel ‘The Woman in White’, presently showing on TV. Regency Prime Minister Spencer Perceval (Trinity) had strong local links. He was assassinated in 1812 and subtle links to an assassination attempt on another Prime Minister were teased out. The walk passed through ‘Rebel Roost’ a London haunt of Confederate supporters in the American Civil War.
Pausing on the steps of Hampstead Town Hall the assembled group learnt of the marriage there of Max Wachtel, a WWII German V1 terror weapon launch site supremo. In 1947 he had taken time out from his debriefing nearby to marry his Belgian fiancée. The wedding reception was held in the flat of his RAF minder, From a former home of Cold War traitor Kim Philby we gazed down the road to Edith Tudor-Hart’s home, once dubbed the ‘grandmother to the Cambridge Five’ spies. Lurking under Belsize are deep tunnels designed for troop accommodation in WWII, above the tunnels lived author Agatha Christie. Alongside her in the iconic Isokon flats were a host of colourful and dubious characters. The walk paused at the charming gallery which is part of the Grade 1 listed block, soon to have a blue plaque. The gallery was visited and additionally, it being the bicentenary of the birth of Karl Marx, some took a short troll to see where Marx had lived for several decades.
Most stimulating, as are all Lester’s walks. We look forward to the next one.
Organised by David Peace and Lester Hillman