pumpkinstrokemarrow

There was also a sewage farm at Wisley, a bit of a coincidence as we had only been saying a day or so ago that one does not often see the things. Had they been moved underground by some EC waste water directive or other? To which the answer, in part at least, turns out to be no.

Lunch at the Anchor. A large place which appeared to have been built in the mid-thirties and to which a very posh extension has recently been added. None of your white plastic. Proper exposed oak beam job, the sort of the thing that the National Trust owners of the neighbouring canal would probably approve of. Good class of young person serving, perhaps reflecting the poshness of this bit of Surrey. At the end of lunch discovered, as we were sitting outside, that if you lift up one of those up-side-down flower pots used as ash trays, you release a cloud of lingering evil smell. Presumably the evil smell leaches out of the fag ends, getting stronger over the hours, all ready for release by an inquisitive FIL who did not know that the thing was for.

On the way we had called in at a place called Dorich House, also built in the mid-thirties, for a Latvian sculptress and her Honourable English husband. Presumably he brought the money into the menage which paid for the house - £3,500 including the land at the time. Presumably fetch a million or so now, although we will never know because it has been taken on by Kingston University who use it for something or other and who open it from time to time as a museum. A large house built of brown brick with a relatively small garden. Super house for an arty couple with arty friends, with two very big & high rooms on the first floor - a reception room and the studio - a handsome flat on the second floor and a flat roof for raves and snoozes. Lots of her bronze figure & portrait sculpture which I found impressive, and some of her paintings which I found less so. Lots of Russian objects collected by the husband. Furniture, caviar spoons, various pots old and new and a bunch of icons from the 17th century to the present. These last being interesting to see close up, but not the sort of thing I would want on display particularly.

Flat roof was rather good and included a shelter under which one could eat. Great place for chilling out. Which led me to wonder why flat roofs, which were quite common in houses of this period, are not very common now? I would have thought that a properly built asphalt roof would last as long as a pointy roof and not require more maintenance particularly. You get the fun of the roof plus more usable space inside for a given height of house. So what's the catch?

We had a flat once which had an asphalt roof, from about the same time. The part which sloped, being the reverse of the pretend pointy roof which you saw from the road, was not too hot as the asphalt had flowed down hill a bit. But the flat part was OK apart from a few small volcanoes, presumably the product of hot summers. But one could deal with this by some suitable cover, as they have at Dorich.