We roared! I've suddenly, after enjoying The Hinternet for some years now, that one of the reasons I love it is that it reminds me of Maurice Richardson's Engelbrecht (the Surrealist Dwarf) stories. As The Hinternet has read everything, I am sure He (it? They?) knows these, which afforded some of us quite the education:
Happy to oblige! Especially since it turns out to be about the building of New Delhi (where I currently live):
"Perpetually unwell and nervously exhausted, he signed off drawings without realising that the gradient of the approach road meant that the dome of the Viceroy’s House would frequently disappear from sight on the way up to the Government buildings on their plateau. Baker’s vast administrative buildings, the twin Secretariats, also sited on the plateau, had gained the advantage of permanent visibility. Lutyens became obsessed with Baker’s ‘trick’ and fought tenaciously and fruitlessly until 1922 to have the gradient altered. He saw it as an act of spite on the part of his colleague and erstwhile friend. Characteristically punning away his misery, he called the episode his Bakerloo."
This was hilarious and brought a tear to my eye, thank you. Bless Kate and the little lion, wherever they are.
Nice piece…the dedication at the end really brings it all together
We roared! I've suddenly, after enjoying The Hinternet for some years now, that one of the reasons I love it is that it reminds me of Maurice Richardson's Engelbrecht (the Surrealist Dwarf) stories. As The Hinternet has read everything, I am sure He (it? They?) knows these, which afforded some of us quite the education:
https://shepherd.com/book/the-exploits-of-engelbrecht
I keep hoping someone will jump in in the comments and give us an exact quote from the LRB piece about “Bakerloo”.
Which, I suppose I should clarify, is real.
Happy to oblige! Especially since it turns out to be about the building of New Delhi (where I currently live):
"Perpetually unwell and nervously exhausted, he signed off drawings without realising that the gradient of the approach road meant that the dome of the Viceroy’s House would frequently disappear from sight on the way up to the Government buildings on their plateau. Baker’s vast administrative buildings, the twin Secretariats, also sited on the plateau, had gained the advantage of permanent visibility. Lutyens became obsessed with Baker’s ‘trick’ and fought tenaciously and fruitlessly until 1922 to have the gradient altered. He saw it as an act of spite on the part of his colleague and erstwhile friend. Characteristically punning away his misery, he called the episode his Bakerloo."
https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v25/n08/gillian-darley/mcned
So much more fun to read about than to have been there.