Scope and Content
"Thank you for your postcard of Nottingham Castle. I am reciprocating with a postcard of Kingsgate Castle, in Kent, [see ref. AU10/102/1/60A] which, you will be surprised to hear, is going to be my future home! It's a long story, but I think I told you that in view of poor Miss Florence's departure to Roehampton Priory, it was obvious that I could not stay on in this big house alone, even if I had wanted to, which I don't. I have a lot of my furniture here, and books, etc. and I could have sold up and gone off to my little house at Villefranche: but I was anxious to keep a foothold in England, and I did not know what to do, as it seems quite impossible to find an UNFURNISHED flat in London nowadays. However, a friend of mine who has just retired from the Navy told me that they were dividing Kingsgate Castle, near Broadstairs, into 32 flats for sale freehold. He suggested I should buy one adjoining the one he had decided to buy, and that we should share the services of his manservant. I went to see the place, and quite approved of it. So, to cut a long story short, we expect to move in sometime next month. My friend has a yacht, on which I have made several trips: so we shall not have far to go to get afloat! Our flats consist each of one large sitting room, one bedroom, one kitchen-dining-room, one small spare room, one bathroom. So I shall have to get rid of a great deal of my furniture, and I am now in process of weeding out my books, and getting rid of the accumulations of rubbish I seem to surround myself with wherever I go. Our flats, by the way, are not visible on the enclosed picture, as we are on the landward side. This will be an advantage when the east winds and gales blow, as we shall be sheltered from the full blast. I have been over several times, and I quite like the place and the surrounding country. So I shall move into the Canterbury Diocese, and I shall put myself on the Occasional Duty Register, as I am here in Southwark, to help where help is needed. Anyway I expect to be over in France half the year. This house will be put up for sale when I have moved my things to Kingsgate. I shall of course come and see poor Miss Florence at the Priory when I am in London: though she did not know me last time I went. She has gone deeper into the shadows since she went there, but so far as one can make out, she is quite happy. At any rate, she could not be in a better place. I get very upset when I see her. It is so terribly sad.
Sorting out my books, I came across this one about the Haynes Grange Room which I bought some years ago when I was at Ampthill. I wonder if you have ever seen it. It is a most interesting story, and you will see that it was due to Professor Richardson seeing the room, and deciding that it must have come from Houghton Towers, that it got into the V and A Museum. Sometime when you are in London, you should go and see it. Anyway, I expect Andrew will be very interested in it, if he has not seen it.
I have had two surprises connected with Ampthill lately!
The first was about two weeks ago, when I was just about to enter the Fortune Theatre to see "Joyce Grenfell requests the pleasure" when I bumped into Victor Gillett, who was apparently having a week's holiday in London and doing two theatres a day. We met during the interval and had a short conversation, but I had to hurry away after the performance as I had an appointment.
The second was last night when there was a ring at the door, and a fair young man (who looked to me exactly what Eric Houfe might have looked like about 30 years ago!), stood there asking if I knew who he was. Eventually it came to me that he was Graham James, who was about 17 when I saw him last, and is now 24. I must say he has grown into a very smart, intelligent chap. Cambridge seems to have done a lot for him. He is now in some estate agent's office in Hanover Sq. and is sharing a furnished room with another chap in Kensington. He says he comes home every other weekend. We had a long talk about old times. He even said he could remember some of the lessons I gave (on the rare occasions I came!) in the scripture period at school!
At last I have had an invitation to come and preach at Ampthill!! Your Rector wrote to me a few weeks ago, and asked if I could come either at Harvest or Patronal Festivals. I had to refuse, as I told him I was on the move from here, and my movements for the next few months will be very uncertain. However, perhaps some other time .... I hear the Reverend Arthur Higginson has not taken the Ampthill duty after all. He wrote and told me he had taken a living somewhere in Leicester Diocese I believe. Do you every hear anything about Clifford Thomson?
And how did you get on with your first term at school under the new orderings?
How odd that you should be at West Bridgeford. Miss Eagles' sister Ada lives there, all alone, with her big dog. She is well over 80. The other sister, Constance, lives at Kempston. She is 84. It is such a pity they won't get together and live under the same roof, as they could be of such help to each other now. But I think they tried it once and it didn't work. I have never seen Ada, and Constance for five minutes, on our return from S.Africa. You may remember Miss Di fell ill, and she sent for Constance, as we arranged she should if anything happened.
Graham told me your father still keeps us his interest in aviation!
With kindest regards,
Yours sincerely,"
"P.S. Vernon's new film is called "Paris Affair" or something like that. He is supposed to be Alec Guiness's son. The film company he works for have renewed his contract for ten years so they must think him good. He is an extremely nice, modest lad, with an utter lack of the bounce and conceit most film actors have."