Last Sunday, my friend Charles Brooking, founder of the Brooking Collection, held an elegant and select birthday bash blessed by uninterrupted sunshine.  I mention this simply because Charles founded the Brooking Collection of architectural details, that amazing and comprehensive collection of the bits and pieces that we too often take for granted in the buildings we inhabit – from window catches to staircases. Charles’s collection dates back over the centuries and is a national asset that deserves to be fully recognised, while Charles himself is a leading authority on architectural details and their history.  Those histories form the history of the buildings where we all live and work.

Three cheers for Charles!