March 2012
Will Dell has been building brick walls man and boy so he seemed an ideal choice to repair the wall which borders Piccotts End Road down to the Link Road roundabout. The brick and flint wall dates back around 200 years but has been allowed to fall into disrepair. Knowing that our cash-strapped local authority wouldn’t be interested in restoring it, I decided to do it myself and enlisted Will’s help. Most of the detached flints and bricks were buried in the undergrowth so it was a case of digging them out and setting Will to work.

A couple of weeks later the wall is back to its best. We didn’t have quite enough of the half-round bricks which give the wall its distinctive top but the plan is to locate some more and finish the job later in the year. Will, who has lived in nearby Redbourn all his life, used a traditional lime, sharp sand and cement mix to ensure that when set there is still sufficient flexibility for the flints to move without breaking apart.

St Mary’s Church in the Old Town was packed for the funeral of Robin Corbett. His wife Val was determined to make this a joyous occasion and indeed it was. Robin’s longtime friend and political ally Lord Bruce Grocott (they were newly elected MPs in the Wilson government) paid a moving and witty tribute while Val bravely got up and recounted their happy life together. Afterwards the congregation were invited back to the Marchmont Arms where Robin would have been mightily impressed by the many libations in his honour!