Surrey
Never pour scorn on Croydon
Much derided as a philistine wasteland, the borough has an extremely distinguished history and could serve as a microcosm of Britain itself, says Will Noble
Did the Duchess of Windsor fake the theft of her own jewels?
When Wallis’s jewellery collection disappeared from under the bed one night in Surrey in 1946, was this a misfortune, or carelessness, or planned fraud?
Real life
‘Come on, let’s get a move on with filling in all the forms and we could have this done and…
Real life
As I slapped a rude note on a car parked outside my house, I realised that nature was taking its…
Real life
Having loaded the last sack of working dog food in Surrey into my car, I slammed the trolley back into…
Real life
The cyclist was on the wrong side of the road coming towards me head-on. It was a winding country lane…
Real life
Everything is well and truly burned to a crisp, and we are piling through hundreds of pounds of hay a…
Low life
I’m staying for a week in an 1850s house in the Surrey hills that looks-wise might have been built for…
Real life
‘That will be £7.50 please,’ said the girl in the bakery to the cyclist in black Lycra after he put…
Real life
As he grouted the last tile, five years after the bathroom was finished, I knew the game was up. ‘I…
Real life
If you want to understand Surrey, look at the house names. Keepers’ Copse, Meadow View, Weavers, Highfields… What do all…
Real life
‘A diary?’ said the lady in the chintzy gift shop, pronouncing the word very much as Edith Evans said ‘handbag’…
Real life
After most of Islington moved to Wales, it was foolish of me to think about following. But the need to…
Real life
An angry text exchange between me and a former Tory councillor after she lost her seat has got me thinking.…
Real life
The cyclist pulled into our gateway, got off his bike and grabbed hold of the electric fencing. Installing game cameras,…
Real life
As I scoffed down a fabulous supper in a candlelit room full of ecstatic diners, it struck me that this…
Real life
The Volkswagen Passat was parked next to my field gate, sticking out into the lane, blocking larger vehicles from getting…
Real life
‘Have you met the man who keeps his horses in this field?’ said one silver-haired lady to the other, as…
Real life
The most exciting place on earth I have ever been to is the village where I live. And I don’t…
