Testing time for the girl with an L plate

THe old Land registry being used as the Halcyon Hotel in the TV series brings back memories of the midSixties when a colleague and i shared an office on the ground floor of the nuffield college (part of the royal college of Surgeons of england) overlooking the side of the Land registry. From our large windows we could see down into part of the lower ground floor of the Land registry where there was an office — and similarly the clerks there could see up into part of our office. Our secretary had to be accommodated in another room, and her habit of peering through the frosted glass window in the door before entering resulted in her acquiring the nickname ‘Bisto’ — like the children featured in the gravy advertisement. One morning Bisto was given time off in order to take her driving test and we were delighted when she came back and said she had passed. Staff from adjoining offices came in to congratulate her and there was jubilation — which intrigued the male clerks watching from the Land registry below. eventually, curiosity got the better of them and one of the clerks gesticulated to ask what it was all about and pointed to his ring finger to ask if she had got engaged. Bisto shook her head and indicated the clerks should wait a moment. She then drew a very large ‘L’ on a sheet of paper, showing it to them before dramatically tearing it in half — to applause from the clerks. Later, Bisto was in the office when two of the clerks walked up the concrete path which ran between the Land registry and the nuffield college and tossed into the open window a box of chocolates with a note saying ‘congratulations’. it was such a lovely gesture, and so appreciated we even forgave the clerks for their habit of throwing the crusts from their lunchtime sandwiches out of their window onto the path between our buildings! Pamela Clarke, MBE., Hon.

FDSRCSEng., Worcester Park, Surrey.