Son Of Alfred

We went to the most amazing place I've been to for a very long time... (Desist with the obvious "dead center of Bristol" jokes, thank you!).

This is Howard Utting, whose father, Alfred served as the last superindendent of Arnos Vale Cemetery when it was under private ownership, until his death in 1982. Howard grew up there and we were fortunate to meet him as he was on volunteer duty in the visitors' shop.

He gave us such a warm welcome and a personal account of all sorts of things about the place. The cemetery was subject to a massive public battle in the nineties to keep it open, they won a massive legal battle and now it is such a vibrant place to visit. (If you go, give 'em a shekel or two; they mainly subsist on public donations).

The Atrium Building houses a brilliant café and on the day of our visit, we basked in the sunshine on their terrace and had the most amazing wild garlic and dolcelatte soup. See extra.

Oh, and note to a very good friend - he showed us a picture of his dad's lovely Vauxhall Cresta. And he played good blues in the shop. What's not to like?