When the National Liberal Club, where The Oldie usually hosts it literary lunches, was refurbishing their kitchen, what better excuse than to go on tour.
First stop was in the homeland of James Pembroke, the Publisher of The Oldie - the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset, surrounded by the Jurassic coast. Nearby St. Nicholas Church in Worth Matravers was in desperate need for funds for a new church roof, which was ‘about to fall onto the congregation’s heads’. Within days, James Pembroke had organised a charitable literary lunch at Kingston County Courtyard, sponsored by our friends at Noble Caledonia who organise the very best cruises.
The line-up of speakers was a triumph: Andrew Lownie, publisher and historian; and Sasha Swire, an MP’s wife and diary writer; The Oldie’s Editor and Latin expert, Harry Mount;
Tuesday 14th March was a spring-like day with blue skies and the cherry blossom trees at Kingston County Courtyard in bud. Guests arrived for pre-lunch drinks and to meet the authors for book signings, before they settled into a fun afternoon of lunching on goats’ cheese mousse, sea bass and rhubarb crumble. 133 guests filled the room, sitting underneath fairy lights in the barn.
Lord Phillips, former President of the Supreme Court, opened proceedings, explaining about the Purbeck stone roof of the church, which had once been thatched. Thanks to The Oldie lunch, the target had almost been reached. Harry Mount, Editor of The Oldie, introduced the speakers and as is the tradition at Oldie lunches, Harry remembered the late and great Barry Cryer and his advice from Willie Rushton: never go to a doctor who had dead plants in his waiting room and never go to a dentist with blood in his hair – noted!
Andrew Lownie spoke about his latest book, The Traitor King, his study of Wallis and Edward VIII after the abdication. Andrew Lownie has a talent for unearthing archives and had discovered some interesting secrets about the couple. Wallis bullied Edward and called him her ‘mosquito’ – he was always buzzing around. Lownie has campaigned for freedom of information from archives – as many archives are being mysteriously hidden. Andrew’s next book will be about another Andrew - Prince Andrew. Mine’s an American Hot from Pizza Express in Woking, please! We can’t wait to read it.
Harry Mount gave the audience anecdotes from his latest book ‘Et Tu, Brute? The Best Latin Lines Ever’, co-written with John Davie, with hilarious tales of Roman love lives, language, graffiti and jokes. We aren’t too dissimilar to the Romans and Harry’s book tells all. There are so many Latin phrases in everyday use: 'Carpe diem'; 'Stet'; 'Memento mori'; 'Et tu, Brute'. Often these phrases are also used in English translation: 'The die is cast'; 'crossing the Rubicon'; 'Rome was not built in a day'. Harry explained the background to each quotation, helping make Latin accessible to all.
Sasha Swire was the last to speak and was interviewed by Harry Mount. She is married to former MP Hugo Swire. She wrote a tell-all book, The Diary of an MP’s Wife. Her Samuel Pepys style diaries make for avid reading with insights into David Cameron and his now-famous remark about Sasha’s scent setting off his ‘pheromones’ and making him want to push her into the bushes and give her one!
She spills the beans on Michael Gove and Jeremy Hunt. No one goes unscathed, but she assures us that her insights help their political careers by giving them a more ‘human’ side. Politicians are humans after all – well most of them.
Sadly, the lunch came to an end, with stragglers ending up at The Square and Compass pub overlooking the sea for a pint of Moonlight, and those forlorn Londoners catching the 4pm train home, leaving the hills and white cliffs of the Isle of Purbeck behind them, hading back to the big smoke. Everyone agreed that this should be a yearly event.
The next charitable Oldie lunch on tour will be in Hastings on 26th April – please see our website for further details and to book tickets to hear Craig Brown, Mary Killen and Giles Wood and Harry Mount.
