Letter from Lucinda

I tried to switch on my old laser printer so I could print some labels for a DHL pick-up. There was no response whatsoever - it was completely dead. Believe it or not, despite being a teckie I only very rarely upgrade for the sake of upgrading, and get rather annoyed when technology dies.  It's not just the expense, but it's the hassle of the disposal and hassle of the set-up.

Anyhow, I managed to delay the pick-up by 3 days, and ordered a reconditioned laser printer on a 2 day delivery. Thankfully the label printing and package pick-up went according to plan.

However, I had not tested out the scanning facility. I thought it might be nice to scan-in a hand-written letter from my parents (now deceased) but instead I found a hand-written note from the wonderful Lucinda Lambton. As a teenager I was intoxicated by her TV documentaries on Victorian architecture. My father was also a fan. As far as I can recall, she first burst onto the screen with a documentary on the Victorian lavatory, and appeared to giggle over 50% of the soundtrack. It was a breath of fresh air.

While my love of architecture was already latent, when someone so publically rejoices in a common enthusiasm, it somehow emboldens one to embrace that passion.

In 2007, I invited Lucinda to attend a party at Balintore Castle to celebrate the success of the compulsory purchase of the building. The legal work had been an 8-year long nightmare, so finally getting the chance to save a Victorian building which was perilously close to dereliction, was definitely something to celebrate. The invite was a way of thanking her.

The note is a snapshot in time from when I was working for the games company Realtime-Worlds in Dundee. 

Sadly, Lucinda could not make the party, but the note was such a delight in itself that receiving it was the very opposite of a disappointment. Making a "no" feel like one has been bestowed an honour is an object lesson in good etiquette. :-)

The architectural illustration is the old rectory where Lucinda resides. Her husband Sir Peregrine Worsthorne passed in  2020. I see Lucinda is still writing copiously for the Oldie Magazine. Her TV programs are still around on iPlayer, and will reward the time spent viewing them many fold.