Second Cousins in the Lake District

Cumbria, UK. Saturday/Wednesday 16/20-August-2025.

We had a great weekend with my Scottish second cousin Effie, up from her home in Bournemouth. We had a fabulous time showing her our favourite places and discovering some new ones. Our packed itinerary: 

Saturday 16: Morning for us was parkrun as usual. Effie arrived after lunch and I walked up to the station to collect her as we are only 7 minutes walk away. We spent the afternoon relaxing at home and catching up. We then went for supper dinner at Villa Bianca, our local Italian, with friends Sarah and Andrew.

Sunday 17: We took Effie on a drive around to show her the lakes as it was her first visit to this area. We drove around Ullswater then onward past Brothers Water to the scary Kirkstone Pass and down The Struggle on to Ambleside, a steep, single track road with passing places. Then on to the far side of Windermere passing Esthwaite Water. There we visited Hill Top - Beatrix Potter's home for many years.  

The interior was fascinating with lots of rooms set out as when Beatrix lived there with informative displays. Out in the garden were signs featuring illustration from the books next to their exact locations.

Heading back we had an abortive trip down another single track road. Lots of cars coming the other way meant I had to keep reversing back into a passing place. After several of these I thought "sod this for a game of soldiers" and did an approx 25 point turn and chose a better route. This included another first - the Windermere Ferry. A lovely sunny crossing with no queue.

Once home I lit a barbecue ready for the arrival of mutual friends who drove down from Glasgow to surprise Effie. An afternoon of food and chat. When the friends left we took Effie to our "local" and rounded off the day with a beer in Fell Bar.

Monday 18: A leisurely start with brunch booked at Bassenthwaite Lake Station with time to relax afterwards in their bird hide. Mostly ducks but the butterflies were out in force: Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell (in photo) and Peacock (too fast to photo).

This was followed by another scary road up to the stupendous Surprise View overlooking Derwent Water. This was a place Mary had read about and wanted to visit for some time. It lived up to its accolades.

Then back to Keswick for a spot of wandering and shopping, a beer at Craft Beer Keswick and a light supper of tapas at Bar eS. 

Our second highlight that day was the excellent comedic production of Pride and Prejudice at Theatre By The Lake.

Tuesday 19: We took Effie for a gentle wander around Penrith town. After lunch it was a visit to Brougham Castle, Brougham Hall and Tebay Services. Effie was keen to visit Tebay having seen the TV programme "A Lake District Farm Shop". 

Supper was at the excellent Four and Twenty taking advantage of their mid-week set menu deal. As usual we went with their recommended wine pairings.

Tuesday 20: Effie caught the train back to Bournemouth. Now time for a rest!

Amelia Long - a Timeline

Introduction

Having written Everything I know about my grandmother I realised that was not quite true. There were still some unanswered questions so I decided to do a deep dive into ancestry.co.uk and see what else I could dig up.

Trying to reconstruct the timeline of someone’s life from genealogy records is a kind of biographical join‑the‑dots. Not helped if you’re missing some of the points. There is a little bit of speculation regarding the missing years from 1901 to 1921 but there is a consistent pattern of name, ages and places of birth that give me confidence. After that the electoral rolls are very informative in tracking her movements.

Summary.

Amelia "Millie" / "Mildred" Long was born in 1885 into a Victorian, working class family in the East End of London. She went into service as a housemaid (later waitress) for 20 years until she married her husband, James Kennedy McLellan in 1921. She had one son, Michael, at the age of 39. They lived in various places in and around London: Battersea, Harrow, Muswell Hill, and later as a window, Kensington. James died in 1933 after 12 years of marriage. As a widow with a child she struggled financially on a small pension from her husband (£2-10-0d per week). In her latter years she mostly lived with her son until her death aged 74.

The early years. 

The first 15 years of Millie‘s life are clear. She was born in 23 Digby Terrace, Manly Road, Wanstead on the 12th of August 1885 as attested to by her birth certificate. She appears in the 1891 census at 11 Chester Street, Leyton as scholar age 5. In 1899, the school leaving age was raised to 12. The following year her father dies. At that time many working-class girls would have gone into service and as expected she appears in the 1901 census age 15 working as a nursemaid / domestic in Leatherhead. 

The missing years.

Then she drops off the radar for 20 years. There is no Amelia Long, born 1885, in either the 1911 nor 1921 censuses. There is no point looking at the electoral rolls as women did not get the vote until 1928.  She reappears in 1921 as Mildred Long, born 1888, according to her marriage certificate. 

Working backwards a search for Mildred Long born in 1888 in the East End of London throws up a couple of hits for the missing decades. 

The 1911 census had Mildred working as an Under Housemaid at The Mote Park, Maidstone, Kent the country estate of Marcus Samuel, 1st Viscount Bearsted. 

The 1921 census has Mildred Long back in London working as a waitress and gives her age as 32 years and 10 months which suggests that she had kept her birthday as the 12th of August and simply took three years off her age.

1921 Census address - 4 Buckingham Street, Marylebone, London.

1921 Census Occupation and Age Waitress Spiers and Pond, Aldersgate Street.

I still don't know who the American woman my father writes about was nor exactly when and where but my money is someone at Mote Park in 1911.

James Kennedy McLellan moved down from Scotland and first appears in the 1919 electoral roll at 46 Richmond Road, Islington. He then met Millie / Mildred and they married in 1921 with his address on the marriage certificate still the same.

It may just be coincidence but my father noted that James belonged to the Freemasons in Scotland and Spiers and Pond, who Mildred worked for at the time of the 1921 census, had a Masonic function room at their Holborn Viaduct Hotel. Could this be where “Mildred” met her husband-to-be?

The married years.

It is impossible to tell how long the newlyweds lived at 46 Richmond Road (assuming Millie moved in with James because JKM does not appear on the electoral rolls for 1922 to 1924. At some point during those years they moved to 66 Cambridge Mansions, Battersea, where their son, my father Michael, was born on the 10th of March 1925 when Millie was age 39.

They lived there for a couple of years and sometime between 1926 and 1927 they moved to West London at 231 Northolt Road, Harrow. How long they were there is not recorded but they were still there in 1929 so several years at least.

They then moved to 135 Colney Hatch Lane, Friern Barnet in North London sometime between 1929 and 1933 but there is a gap in the electoral registers to tell us exactly which year. Michael went to nearby Tollington School in Barnet. This leads me to believe they moved in 1929 or 1930 when Michael was four according to a note he wrote. 

In 1933 James died leaving Amelia with seven old year Michael. 

The widowed / war years.

Millie and her son Michael continue to live at 135 Colney Hatch Lane up until 1945.  Like many other London children when war broke out he was evacuated to the country to avoid the blitz, in his case to Huntingdon. His mother, not wanting to be separated from her teenage son, found work nearby in Keith House, Waldens Road, Huntingdon as a "Housekeeper (Private House)" according to the 1939 census, much to his embarrassment. She had reverted to Amelia, born 1885.

Michael described the evacuation as one of the happiest times of his childhood. Once he reached 16, he moved back into London to continue his schooling and then started studying architecture at the North London Polytechnic. Presumably Millie followed him back to 135 Colney Hatch Lane and she was still there in the 1945 Electoral roll. 

Michael wrote about Christmases during this time:  "We often, after my father's death and the outbreak of war in 1939, went to my Aunt Kit's at Southend where I had a male and female cousin of about my age"

In 1946, she appears for one year living in Earls Court Square, Kensington having given up the Friern Barnet flat while Michael was away serving in the Royal Navy for three and a half years (May 1943 - September 1946). In 1946 Michael was demobbed. For the next six years, she lived at 19 Cornwall Gardens, Kensington with Michael living at home while he continued his architectural studies and was courting his fellow student Geri. 

The mother-in-law years.

What the electoral rolls show is that although Millie lived with Michael for the rest of her life in each case he moved first and she then followed on a year or two later.

Michael married Geri and moved out of Cornwall Gardens in 1951 and Millie continued to live in there on her own for a couple of years before moving in with Michael and Geri in Lewisham. 

Michael then moved to Coventry for work and lived in rented accommodation for a year until he could sell Spencer House and buy a home in Kenilworth. Millie then moved in with them in 24 Southbank Road until her death in 1960.

Full timeline:

• The early years. 
• 1885 Age 0: 23 Digby Terrace, Manley Road, Wanstead Birth certificate - 12-Aug-1985
• 1891 Age 5: 11 Chester Street, Leyton Census - Scholar
• 1901 Age 15: 6 Garlands Road, Leatherhead, Surrey, England Census - Nursemaid / Domestic
• The missing years (speculative identification).
• 1911 Age 23 (?): The Mote Park, Maidstone, Kent - Census - Under Housemaid - Age 23 - Birthplace Stratford, London
• 1921 Age 32 (?): 4 Buckingham Street, Marylebone, London - Census - Waitress at Spiers and Pond Aldersgate Street, London - Age 32y 10m - Birthplace Leytonstone, Essex
• The married years.
• 1921 Age 32 (?): Millie's address 36 Greenham Road, Muswell Hill / James' address 46 Richmond Road, Islington, England - Marriage Certificate
• 1922-1924 address unknown 
• 1925 Age 36 (?): 66 Cambridge Mansions Battersea, Surrey - Birth certificate of son Michael.
• 1925-1926: 66 Cambridge Mansions Battersea, Surrey - Electoral Roll - Mildred and James.
• 1927-1929: 231 Northolt Road, Harrow, Middlesex, England - Electoral Roll - Mildred and James
• 1929-1933: address unknown. 
• 1933: 135 Colney Hatch Lane, Friern Barnet, Middlesex - Husband's death certificate
• The widowed / war years.
• 1939: Michael evacuated to 45 Silver Street, Buckden, Huntingdonshire
• 1939 Age 54: "Keith House", Waldens Road, Huntingdonshire - Census 1939 - Housekeeper (Private House)
• 1941 Age 56: Michael age 17 starts at the Northern Polytechnic
• 1942 Age 57: Michael called up for the Royal Navy
• 1945 Age 60: 135 Colney Hatch Lane, Friern Barnet, Middlesex Electoral roll
• 1946 Age 61: 20/22 Earls Court Square, Kensington, London, Michael demobbed
• 1947-1951: 19 Cornwall Gardens Court, Kensington Electoral Roll also Michael listed
• The mother-in-law years.
• 1951: Michael and Geri marry and move to 23 Dartmouth Row, Lewisham
• 1952-1953: 19 Cornwall Gardens Court, Kensington - Electoral Roll
• 1954 Age 69: 23 Dartmouth Row, Lewisham. Moves in with Michael and Geri
• 1956 Age 71: Michael and Geri move to Bradnick Place, Coventry in rented accommodation for about a year. My earliest childhood memory is of the garden there.
• 1957 Age 72: 23 Dartmouth Row, Lewisham. Now on her own.
• 1958 Age 73: 24 Southbank Road, Kenilworth. Michael and Geri move into their new home and Millie moves from Lewisham to live with them until her death.
• 1960 Age 74: 24 Southbank Road, Kenilworth. Dies on 10-July-1060.

That as much as I can find out online.

See also:

• Maybe it’s because I’m a Londoner…
• Amelia Long (12/08/1885 - 10/07/1960)

Amelia Long (12/08/1885 - 10/07/1960)

Everything I know about my grandmother.

Having just discovered that my paternal grandmother was a cockney from a line of cockney forebears [Maybe It's Because I'm a Londoner] I thought I would share what else I have learned about her.

Millie, as she was known, was the only grandparent I ever met. Both of my mother's parents and my dad's father died before my parents even married! Dad's father died when he was only eight so he was brought up as an only child in a one-parent household meaning that Millie was even more significant in his upbringing.

Millie was a widow and lived with my parents in a self-contained flat in the first house that they bought: Spencer House, half of Spencer Perceval House, Blackheath (Grade II* listed no less!). 

This was only months after my parents married and the purchase was made possible by the proceeds from my maternal grandmother's estate - she had died only months before Mum and Dad's marriage. 

The building was divided into three flats: Millie lived in the basement flat, two sisters (sitting tenants) rented the middle floors and Mum and Dad lived on the top floor - not ideal for my Mum having to cart three infants up and down three flights of stairs.

This is Millie with me and siblings in December 1955 in that house in Blackheath. Mark (me, left), Ian (front), Jane (babe in arms).

When we moved to Kenilworth in 1956 she lived in a granny flat on the top floor of Mum and Dad's three storey house in Southbank Road. She kept herself very much to herself, although that may have been at my dad’s behest, he was keen that boundaries were respected and she had to knock before entering their rooms. We used to have regular Sunday afternoon tea and cake sessions with her upstairs in her room and watch Sooty and Sweep on her telly.  

Millie died in 1960 when I was only seven and a half so I never really got to know her. She was the first dead body I ever saw. My father decided that I was mature enough to go into her room and look at her before the undertakers came to collect her. It felt like a privilege that I was deemed mature enough to be allowed to see her. It’s better to have your first sight of a corpse in benign circumstances. I have seen a number of bodies since courtesy of working as a hospital porter one summer at Farnham General Hospital.

Doing genealogical research on ancestry.co.uk only gives you the bare bones of a person's life: dates of birth, marriage and death plus every 10 years a snapshot courtesy of the censuses. It doesn’t really flesh out the details of a persons life.

Towards the end of his life, my father Michael, did a little write-up of his mother’s life for our benefit, as follows (typed up verbatim then edited for clarity):

My Mother: Amelia "Millie"McLellan (nee Long) 

[Millie's] Father: James Long - carman, liked music, Dickens, killed stopping runaway horse

[Millie's] Mother: Alice Long (nee McKearns) - hospital nurse, very sharp and intelligent, passionately interested in politics (firm liberal), [Alice] had been a top matron at Barts  

Dates 

• 1885 born Leytonstone 
• 1921 married [James Kennedy McLellan], age 36 
• 1933 husband died (she was 48) 
• 1960 died (cancer) age 74  

Character 

[Millie's] mother was told by [Millie's] school teacher, [that even] after a long severe illness, [Millie] could win scholarship but poverty meant early employment and she went into upper-class service of a young American woman in this period [who] tried to persuade [Millie] to come to America and work for her. My mother [Millie] was tempted. She had an instinctive sense of design expressed her clothes and furnishing ([the American] had seen the best in [Millie's] work). This potential could have been heightened if [Millie] had been born at a time when academic education was available.  

Life as a widow 

She had a small pension from my father [James Kennedy McLellan] (£2 10s per week, barely adequate). Ran an upmarket second-hand dress shop behind Selfridge’s with a friend in the mid-30s that closed because of economic slump. 

After living in Muswell Hill she moved to a flat in Kensington and on our marriage she lived with us (separately) in Blackheath and [later Kenilworth] where she died.  

Summary: she was devastated by my father’s death and for some reason found it difficult to make and keep friends (Why?).  

I think, deep down, that she always felt that she had potential that had somehow missed out. She had four sisters and a brother but her relationship with them was always fractured. In the early days they called her ”Lady Mill” (she told me) which says something about how they saw her. 

Objectively I admired her as a mother (She used to read Dickens to me after my father's death) but our life together had some difficulties, perhaps arising from being an only son with consequent pressure. But, she suggested I learn Spanish at school because I might join my father’s firm, dealing with the South American meat trade, but when I turned to architecture she was totally supportive and, with me, interviewed the principal at the Poly. This shows her at her very best.

Her birth certificate showing her Cockney origin being born in Leyton:

Dad told me that when he was evacuated to Buckden, Cambridgshire, because of the war (WWII) Millie found work in a private boys' school to be near her son much to his chagrin.

The bit about the fractured relationship with her siblings would explain why we never saw anything of Dad's aunts and uncle apart from my great-aunt Kit (Kathleen Grant née Long). 

It was one of Kit's daughters, Dad’s cousin Joan Budd (née Grant), so the family story goes, worked in Hatton Garden and one of the perks of the job was having the pick of the seconds when sorting pearls. Millie had a string of pearls she received as a present from Joan, later passed down to my Mum and, on the occasion of our marriage, to my wife Mary. 

We spend two family holidays in Southend with Millie's relations when I was a small boy aged about 7 or 8, probably in 1958/9, but after the second year something went down, we don't know what. That Christmas our presents were returned unopened and we never saw them again. My Mum had no idea what caused the estrangement, nor does Kit's granddaughter who I managed to track down and establish contact with.

One quirk I did find out from my research is that at some point in her life Millie decided to go by the name Mildred. She also shaved four years off her age when she got married to her husband, James McLellan, my grandfather! 

She claimed to be 32 on her marriage certificate when she was in reality aged 36. The name and age on the marriage certificate and my father’s birth certificate are in accord but differ from those on her birth and death certificates. It wouldn't be the first time a spinster has lied about her age in order not to deter a suitor.

See also: 

• Amelia Long - a Timeline
• Maybe it’s because I’m a Londoner…

Maybe it’s because I’m a Londoner ...

... that I love London Town. [Hubert Gregg, 1944]

Cor blimey! Strike a light, Guv! You’re a real toff and make no mistake!

I identify as Londoner. I was born sarf of the river in Greenwich Memorial Hospital and lived half my life in “Lunnun”. My father was also born south of the river in Battersea. Visiting my sister to clear out some old paperwork belonging to our late parents, we came across a piece of paper which noted that my paternal grandmother was a Cockney! I went and checked. Sure enough, she was born in Leyton, East London and the map shows that this is just within the sound of Bow Bells [Source: Quora]

Her father and his father before him, my great-grandfather (brewers' carman) and great-great-grandfather (bootmaker) were both born in the parish of St George in the East. Wapping is definitely cockney territory. Unfortunately even with a change in the wind direction I find it hard to convince myself that it would have reached Greenwich and anyway I don't think south of the river counts so alas I am not true Cockney. However as far back as my genealogy research goes I am descended on my grandmother’s side from a long line of Cockneys. 

This prompted me to order my great-grandfather's death certificate to see if there was any truth in the family legend that he was killed trying to stop a runaway horse. That is possible given his occupation as Brewers Carman (carman = driver of horse-drawn vehicles for transporting goods). The death certificate gives the cause of death as "Exhaustion due to delirium tremens consequent upon injury received in accidental fall off dray he was driving on 27 Sept".

I am assuming that it is not DT in the alcohol withdrawal sense but shakes caused by some kind of brain injury. He died six days later on 02 October 1901. It is entirely plausible that the fall from the dray was caused by his horse bolting so I'm going with the heroic family legend. 

Well, would you Adam and Eve it! I am inordinately pleased about my Cockney roots.

See also:

• Amelia Long (12/08/1885 - 10/07/1960)
• Amelia Long - a Timeline

Long Lost Family - McLellan Edition

Inspired by seeing my friend Claire Martin appearing on Long Lost Families I thought I would share my own DNA experiences. Not as gripping as Claire's but here they are...

Episode one: The Good Doctor.

Out of the blue I received an email asking “I am trying to find a link to the descendants of Archibald McLellan who was a doctor in Glasgow in the early 1900's. I'm hoping someone in your family might have DNA tested.” My correspondent had found my family tree on the blog and one of my ancestors was indeed an Archibald McLellan. I responded and the full back story came out:

<quote>

I am helping a close friend of mine to research his family on his mother's side. His name is Alan Weir Clark. He might have already written to you through one of the genealogy websites but I hope not. Just let me know, if so, and disregard my email. If not, bear with me for a bit of a tale...

Alan's mother was a lady named June Weir (married a Clark, then Gray). She died a year ago August and Alan found some information in her possession that shed some light on her birth family. She was adopted as an infant by the Weirs and she was never willing to discuss the matter. Alan had an Aunt Penuel "Pen" Anderson who told him a little but he never had any success in finding out more until recently.

Pen was a cook in a large home in Glasgow in the 1930's. A young maid there became pregnant and had to give the baby up for adoption. Pen's sister and her husband - the Weirs - wanted a baby so they offered to take the maid's child. They named her June and she grew up in their home in Motherwell and raised her family there, as well. There was a family story that June's father had been a "son of the House" or a young student, etc. but nobody ever said for sure.

When June died, she left a birth certificate showing her birth name as "Ella Christina Armstrong" and her mother's name was Mary Ann Armstrong. Mary Ann gave her address and we were able to track down which Armstrong family she belonged to. We even found family photos of her ancestors. Alan's grandfather Robert Armstrong was a dead ringer for Alan (no pun intended) and his DNA tests seem to link him to the surnames in that family so that part of the mystery is pretty much solved to his satisfaction.

The next task is to find the father's side. No father was named.

When Mary Armstrong gave baby Ella up for adoption, she was several weeks old. Mary Ann wrote a note to the adoptive mother stating that the baby was in good health and when she was released from Stobhill Hospital, she would be turning her over to the Weirs. The letter was on stationery from 10 Woodland's Terrace in Glasgow. That house, in 1935, belonged to a Dr. Archibald Neville McLellan who was married to Elizabeth Martin. He was a respected gynecologist, apparently. We thought that perhaps Mary Ann had delivered there for some reason but later research showed that she was actually employed there as a housemaid before the baby was born and that this was her address.

Alan petitioned the courts for access to the adoption records. We didn't find much from that except verification of addresses, etc. but it did reveal that Mary Ann actually paid all the legal fees involved in the adoption herself. I don't know what costs were involved but Mr. Weir, from all sources, was not a man to let a young housemaid handle that burden alone. We think someone financed the adoption.

Dr. McLellan was an older man when Mary Ann worked for him but he had a son, Archibald Neville McLellan, also, who was an officer with the Cameroons (I hope I spelled that right) at that time. He might possibly been home on Christmas leave when Ella Christina was conceived. He ended up on South Africa, married a girl from England, had another son named Archibald Neville, etc. and died in a military type home in the 1970's, I believe. We can't find any direct descendants.

Many of the names in the McLellan family seem to turn up in Alan's DNA relatives but they are not unusual names. There is another issue in the fact that the name McLean plays heavily on Mary Ann Armstrong's family tree but it's also found in the McLellan family.

Dr. Archibald Neville McLellan is a descendant of your line. He lived in Coatbridge before he became a surgeon. I am hoping that you have DNA tested and that I can compare your kit with Alan's kit to see if there is any match.

If you know anything of the doctor's descendants, that would be great, too. We need to know if the family legend is true or if we need to keep up our detective work.

<end quote>

If I were to take a DNA test and we could establish that there was a genetic connection between Alan Weir Clark and me then he would have solved the mystery of the identity of his grandfather. 

I was happy to take a DNA test but then we hit a snag. America considers a small vial of spit to be biological samples that are not allowed across its borders so I was unable to submit DNA test to 23andme's database. The solution was for both of us to send our samples to the European operation based in Holland. That we both duly did and waited with bated breath for the results.

Alas we have no chromosomes in common, we are not related and the mystery of his maternal grandfather remains unsolved; my ancestors are in the clear! 

Further research on ancestry.co.uk confirmed that my Archibalds and his Archbalds are different people; the dates are all out.

For Alan it was back to the drawing board. He subsequently hired a professional genealogist who unearthed more fascinating information about his grandmother but, alas, is no closer to identifying his maternal grandfather.

Episode two: the Battersea connection.

Now my DNA was on the database and I had ticked the box for sharing so I was available for others to get in touch. I received a 23andme email from a stranger, Philip, on behalf of his father, Melwyn, asking if any of my relatives had lived in Battersea. The 23andme analysis showed us being potential third cousins. As it happens a number of my mother's aunts and uncles had lived in south London so I replied in the affirmative.

After a few exchanges I was able to build up the family tree and establish that we were in fact second cousins, twice removed. I’m guessing that will give him a head start on building up his own family tree.

My family tree going back to Benjamin George Marsh.

Philip's family tree also back to Benjamin George Marsh.

I did a count of the generations and we are not third cousins. Philip's grandmother, Phyllis Doreen Marsh, and I are (were) second cousins, so Philip's father, Melwyn, and I are second cousins once removed, and Philip and I are second cousins twice removed.

Generation	Mark	Philip
1	Benjamin George Marsh (great grandfather)	Benjamin George Marsh
2	Mabel Kathleen England Marsh (grandmother)	William Ben George Marsh (sibling)
3	Margery Faith Scales (mother)	Henry Leslie Marsh (first cousin)
4	Mark Sebastian McLellan (me)	Phyllis Doreen Marsh (second cousin)
5	-	Melwyn L Joseph (second cousin once removed)
6	-	Philip Thomas Joseph (second cousin twice removed)

So there we are, I have more south London family than I realised!

James Michael McLellan MBE - a celebration

10-March-1925 to 27-December-2016.

It says something about Dad that so many people, when I told them his funeral was on Friday 13th, said "He would have loved that" or "That would have tickled him". His choice of music for the committal was Abba's Waterloo - "Finally facing my Waterloo".

From the Order of Service:

Michael McLellan, formerly Chief Architect of Waverley Borough Council, passed away peacefully on 27th December, 2016 at the age of 91. Born on 10th March, 1925 in Battersea, London, Michael’s training as an architect was interrupted by serving as a sub-lieutenant in the RNVR during the war, and he took part in the operation on Omaha beach in the wake of the D-Day landings in June 1944. After finishing his studies at The North London Polytechnic he worked for the architects’ department of Scotland Yard before becoming Senior Architect and then Principal Architect at Coventry District Council from 1956 to 1973. He was responsible for much of the re-building and regeneration of Coventry after it had suffered so badly during the war. He is particularly remembered for the much-acclaimed Swimming Baths, which have recently been listed as a Grade II building by National Heritage. From 1973 to 1987 Michael was the Chief Architect at Waverley District Council. He led a dynamic and imaginative team who worked on a broad range of projects, winning a number of awards and distinctions, including for the Sports Centre and the St James’s Church conversion. He was awarded an MBE for services to architecture in 1984. After retiring as Chief Architect Michael continued to work as a consultant for a number of private architectural practices and to develop his interest in painting. He enjoyed considerable success as a painter, and had numerous exhibitions, most significantly a major retrospective at Wolfson College in 2006. He was also actively involved in Farnham life, particularly as a member of The Farnham Society and of The Farnham Public Art Trust. Michael is survived by his wife Geri, and two sons and a daughter.

Michael was not your stereotypical father. He didn’t take me to the park to kick a ball around. He didn’t take me to a football match to see his favourite team be trounced.

Instead he took me to Stratford to see Peter Brook's production of a Midsummer Night’s Dream. He took me to the Tate to see a Roy Lichtenstein exhibition. He took me for a weekend away to Chichester to see Fishbourne Roman Villa and to stay up all night to watch the moon landing live. That’s the kind of dad he was.

His own father died when he was only 10 and so he had no role model on how to be a father. By his own admission he made it up as he went along and a damn fine job he did of it too.

So thank you very much, Dad.

Dad's 90th Birthday Celebration

Reigate 14-March-2015

Dad's actual birthday is 10th March so this was the next available weekend option for a family gathering down at my sister and brother-in-law's. This is the most complete gathering of the McLellan-Hutchinson-Snape clan ever: Dad and Mum, their three children and partners, six grandsons, five of their partners and a second cousin.

Mum and Dad started from a very small family. When they married Dad was an only child, Mum had one unmarried brother, three of their parents had died before they married and what elderly cousins there were had been lost contact with. They were almost an Adam and Eve family. Fast forward 65 years and they have a veritable tribe and what a lovely lot they are. An epic photo.

A McLellan gathering always involves lots of conversation; there are at least six separate discussions going on here. We chatted, raised a glass of champagne to Dad, ate sandwiches and nibbles and then had a slice of lovely cake from Paul's Patisserie.

Then there was the opening of the presents and cards so Dad went away with a pile of goodies.  It being Mothering Sunday (in the UK) the next day we made sure we had a card and flowers for Mum as well.

I hope I live as long and as healthy as Dad.

Race for Life Hyde Park 2013

London, England. Sunday 14-July-2013

Ten thousand women dressed in pink is an awe inspiring sight. It is heartening amongst all the bad news headlines to be reminded how many people with big hearts there are out there. http://raceforlife.cancerresearchuk.org/index.html

Four of those women were "Team MACE" - Mary, Andrea, Christine, Elaine.


Andrea, Elaine, Mary, Christine

We made a bit of a weekend of it: Andrea and Elaine came over on Saturday afternoon for an evening of barbeque, drink and talk. It was great to be able to dine al fresco and sit out in shorts and T-shirt till it was time for bed.

Sunday I was chauffeur so we could take the makings of a picnic for after the race. We were joined by Andrea's son, Daniel, and his girlfriend. A beautiful sunny day - great for a picnic.



After we all dispersed I drove home and Mary and I enjoyed another barbeque and balmy evening and fell weary into bed after a most successful weekend.

More photos on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/markmclellan/sets/72157634784811344/

PS This was Mary's second Race for Life this year. The earlier was in Battersea Park (12-June-13).

Not so sunny that first Race for Life, but it's not about the weather it's about awareness and fund raising and the human spirit.

Chris Hutchinson - Hanna Mogg Wedding

Wiltshire, England. Saturday, 01-June-2013.

Another nephew gets married: my sister's middle son Chris married Hanna in a charming ceremony on a lovely sunny day. The change in the law that allows venues other than churches and registry offices to hold weddings has led to some delightful locations to be used for this solemn occasion - in this case an ancient barn.


Hannah and Chris sign the register

Wedding: West Barn, Bradford on Avon, BA15 1LF - http://goo.gl/maps/pYT0B
http://www.bradfordheritage.co.uk/weddings.html

When we got married most photographers would offer a set menu of shots to choose from and you would get those photos and no more in a set price package of, say, 18 or 24 or 30 pictures.

With digital photography their photographer snapped away enthusiastically and there will be a lot more photos available eventually. They will get a disc; our photographer still holds the negatives and will not sell them to us.


My sister, her husband, their three sons and partners

After the ceremony we transferred to the reception venue: a tepee in a meadow, another original touch. The schedule allowed for lots of chat before the meal - an good piece of time-tabling as weddings are excellent opportunity to catch-up with people not seen for some time.

Reception: Church Farm, Kington Langley nr Chippenham, SN15 5NN - http://goo.gl/maps/44rEZ

http://www.churchfarmuk.co.uk/location

Mary walks to the tepee

Part of the reception was a bake-off. Various people had baked cakes for us to taste and judge by putting a buttons in jars. And the winner is...



Before the meal, while we sipped Pimms and stuffed our cake-holes, photos were taken of various combinations of family, relations and hangers-on.


Blonde moppet amongst the buttercups


Brother, sister-in-law and their three boys.


Hannah and Chris work the crowd

We slipped away after the meal as neither of us are at all keen on dancing. The next morning we were up early as we had people round for Sunday lunch then Mary was off to Jo'berg that evening.

Hotel: Angel Hotel, Chippenham, SN15 3HD - http://goo.gl/maps/tTiqQ
http://www.bestwestern.co.uk/hotels/angel-hotel-chippenham-83654/hotel-info/default.aspx

Full set of photos on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/markmclellan/sets/72157633883654953/

Mum's 86th Birthday

Normally we just send a card and telephone and sometimes visit depending on the day of the week. This year Mum's birthday fell on a Saturday and, seeing as how she is recovering from her hip replacement, we decided a full gathering was in order.

Pete (BIL), Ian (bro), Geri (Mum)

All three siblings and partners plus Jane's youngest with girlfriend all went down to Farnham for afternoon tea.

Leoni (gf), Tom (nephew)

There was a bit of a cake theme going - all three housholds brought cakes. Leoni is practising for a bake-off which is apparently in preparation for Chris (Janes's middle son) and Hannah's wedding next month - delicious.

Almond and Pear Cake with Raspberry glaze

Sarah baked scones (with strawberry jam and cream) and Mary dispatched me to Konditor and Cook in Waterloo for a Nine Magic Cake set.

Cakes and Scones

It was only just over two weeks since Mum's hip replacement so there was progress but don't expect a Cossack Dance anytime soon. Up and down stairs is OK and leg action is definately "walk not shuffle" but pain management still requires a steady diet of codeine and paracetamol at the prescribed level.

Jane (sis), Mike (Dad), Sarah (SIL) and (off camera) Mary (SWMBO)

There was present opening and general chat. Then we went home again. That's all folks...

Christmas 2012

This year it was our turn to host my parents for Christmas lunch. We take turns with my brother and sister; Mary aims to do the same for her mum with her sister and brother; last year we hosted Mary's Mum in the Lake District. Although it doesn’t always quite work out that way that is the plan,

This year we decided to go for goose and the excuse to open some fine wine from the cellar.

Chateau LaLagune 1993

Decanting over a candle is so 19th century, I use a torch instead. I also use a laboratory grade filter to strain the dregs and sediment and squeeze out an extra small glass for use in the gravy or drinking later. I used to use a coffee filter but that gave some paper taste taint - a lab paper works a treat.

Mum and Dad arrived mid morning by taxi for a late lunch and a relaxing afternoon and evening. They stayed over so were with us for Boxing Day breakfast and lunch. We were trying to feed Dad up as he had lost some weight with recent illness and needed fattening up - he certainly seemed to have regained his appetite.

A full fridge is a happy fridge

Then we relayed them over to my brother’s in St Margaret’s for supper with Sarah’s family and a couple of nephews.

More good food and good company although there was a surfeit of desserts – Sarah having gone into overdrive in the sweet department.

Reigate Potlatch 2012

Reigate, Surrey, UK. Sunday 16-December-12.

As every year for decades past the McLellan / Hutchinson tribe gather for the annual pre-Christmas potlatch (exchange of presents). This year at Jane and Pete's in Reigate. Keeping it simple - cream tea including a discussion about the relative merits of jam or cream first.

We took a 5 L can of our 2012 olive oil and refilled everyone's bottles from last year that we asked them to save and recycle. The oil was a lovely dark green colour with floaters as it is unfiltered. Believe it or not the bottles cost more than the oil.



Presents duly exchanged and tea consumed we returned home for a quiet, relaxing evening in.

Full set of photos on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/markmclellan/sets/72157632284374176/detail/

60th birthday meal - siblings and partners

Putney, London. Thursday 20-September-12

When it came to my actual birthday there was really only one choice - a meal with my siblings and their partners at our favourite Italian (Puglian) restaurant, Enoteca Turi.


Sarah (SIL), Mark (me), Jane (sis), Ian (bro), Mary (SWMBO), Pete (BIL)

I took the day off work and popped down to Farnham to visit Mum and Dad for lunch. Then back up to London to change into a suit (or gussy up as I believe the Americanism is) and off to Putney.



Mary had popped over to Enoteca Turi earlier in the week to choose the wines - the Conterno Barolo 1996 was the red selection. I have not even dared to enquire its price, possibly more than the rest of the meal put together.



Fantastic food as always, loads of chat (I am very lucky in my choice of siblings :-) and home on the 270 bus. A most excellent way to celebrate my 60th birthday.

Desert Island Discs

What better post for my 60th birthday than a retrospective - my own Desert Island Discs.

Edit (15-Jan-20): Somehow I'd managed to have two number 6's so my number 8 is really a supernumerary 9. I have taken the opportunity to renumber and put in some minor tweaks.

1. Trains by Reginald Gardiner (1961)

There were several contenders for this first slot. Children’s Favourites on the BBC Home Service was the soundtrack of my childhood - songs like “Little White Bull”, “I am a mole and I live in a hole”, “The Ugly Duckling”, “Three Wheels on my Wagon”, plus many others. Reading the list at http://www.turnipnet.com/whirligig/radio/childrensfav.htm took me back - so many familiar tunes. “Trains” we had as a 45, one of the very few early singles my parents bought. I’ve no idea what made them buy this particular single. My favourite segment is the one about the piece of tin in the tunnel outside Snowhill, Birmingham.

2. Twist and Shout EP by The Beatles (1963)

This EP was an incentive to take out a subscription to The Children’s’ Book Club which my parents did to encourage my reading - I was a studious child. You received a book every month and my subscription ran for years - all manner of books including several W. E. Johns books (Biggles and Sci-Fi).

There is a popular belief that you were either a Beatles household or a Rolling Stones household but I don’t hold with that. When we very young Mum and Dad bought all the records and because of this a number of Beatles album purchases followed so it was more by happenstance that we became a “Beatles household”.

3. Morning from Peer Gynt by Grieg (1875)

The only classical piece in this collection. Our music teacher used to have a quiz every year where he played us tracks which we had to identify with a point for the composer and  a point for the piece. It was the same tracks every year. This one had a bonus point for identifying the title of the movement as well which I always got.

It evokes for me a mental image of a steep, sunlit Nordic alp - a bit like Sound Of Music but without Julie Andrews. I never really got into classical music although there was a period (most of my life actually until about five years ago) when I had been to far more classical concerts than I had pop concerts.

4. Debora by Tyrannosaurus Rex (1968)

Listening to John Peel’s late show under the bedclothes after lights out was an essential part of my musical education and JP introduced me to Tyrannosaurus Rex. This was the first single I bought with my own money and was the start of a dedicated following of Marc Bolan.

I subsequently bought every single and album although I kind of drifted away at the Slider album during the height of T.Rextasy. I was more of the would-be hippy persuasion than a screaming teeny-bopper.

That was for me a magical summer. O-levels-were behind me, the A-levels were far away, I had not a care in the world. My summer job was working on an archaeological dig (the Lunt Roman fort at Baginton). Actually it was my hobby – and they paid me for it! I was happy and cycling the five miles to the dig in glorious sunshine, this song on auto-repeat in my mental juke-box.

5. All Along the Watchtower by Jimi Hendrix (1968)

As Marc Bolan sings in Telegram Sam “Bobby's alright, Bobby's alright, He's a natural born poet, he's just outta sight”. A sign of Dylan’s genius is how well his lyrics sound when sung by others: The Might Quinn by Manfred Mann, Wheels on Fire by Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger and the Trinity to name but two others out of thousands of covers.

This however is a masterpiece - the master poet meets one of the musical giants. An evocative poem transformed by Hendrix into an apocalyptic track.

6. Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep by Middle of the Road (1971)

I like pop music. Bubblegum is not a pejorative term. I came in for a lot of stick at school for liking T.Rex while my mates were into Prog Rock, Zappa and Captain Beefheart.

This single, which I bought at the time and still own, is representative of both this type of music and this period of my life. This was the music I revised to for my A-levels leading up to the college years.

There are many other artists who could have taken this slot - Mungo Jerry, Suzi Quatro, Slade, 10cc, Gary Glitter, Mud. Popular music should be filed under “Pop”.

7. Changes by David Bowie (1972)

If I were to nominate my favourite album it would not be a T.Rex album which might surprise some, it would have to be Hunky Dory. Some timeless lyrics and a gentle playfulness not found in the following classic albums (Ziggy, Aladdin Sane, Diamond Dogs). There are so many lyrically fun tracks and “Song for Bob Dylan” connects to the Hendrix track but this was the one I plumped for.

So I turned myself to face me
But I've never caught a glimpse
Of how the others must see the faker
I'm much too fast to take that test

PS. My favourite Marc Bolan album is "Unicorn" by Tyrannosaurus Rex.

8. Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go by Wham! (1984)

I like pop music, I like ’80 pop music, I like Stock, Aitken and Waterman, and this is , for me, the archetypical example of what a pop song should be. It was this or Like a Virgin by Madonna for this slot.

My vinyl collection is sorted into four main sections: classical, collections, pop, and attractive female singers (or bands with female lead singers). The latter section obviously features Madonna plus Linda Lewis, Minnie Ripperton, Cher, Kate Bush, Maria Muldaur, Kylie and many more.

9. And So It Goes by Billy Joel (1989)

And this is a bonus track for Mary. My list would not be complete without a song for her. There were three contenders for this spot; the others were Couldn’t Love you More by John Martyn and True Companion by Marc Cohn. Those latter songs came later but this was the song I played one emotional night during one of those “put up or shut up” periods that many couples go through. I put up and here we are married 19 years.

In every heart there is a room
A sanctuary safe and strong
To heal the wounds from lovers past
Until a new one comes along

I spoke to you in cautious tones
You answered me with no pretense
And still I feel I said too much
My silence is my self defense

And every time I've held a rose
It seems I only felt the thorns
And so it goes, and so it goes
And so will you soon I suppose

But if my silence made you leave
Then that would be my worst mistake
So I will share this room with you
And you can have this heart to break

And this is why my eyes are closed
It's just as well for all I've seen
And so it goes, and so it goes
And you're the only one who knows

So I would choose to be with you
That's if the choice were mine to make
But you can make decisions too
And you can have this heart to break

And so it goes, and so it goes
And you're the only one who knows

And there are the supplementary questions they always ask:

Book (excluding the Bible and the Collected works of Shakespeare)

• Collected works of Isaac Asimov.

I was brought up on science fiction; my father read it and my god father Marc Pulvermacher read it. I grew up reading all the classics from the golden age of science fiction http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Age_of_science_fiction.

Luxury item

• Chocolate machine.

I have a reputation for liking chocolate; this machine would provide an infinite supply of dark chocolate without nuts. See “A story of The Dark Side of the Chocolate” http://www.mmenterprises.co.uk/msmchoc.htm

One single - if I could keep only one:

• All Along the Watchtower by Jimi Hendrix.

This conjures up an other world of sword and sorcery delivered by a unique combination of greats – food for the imagination.

PS. Other contenders. This is the long list:

• Lady Madonna by the Beatles
• I Can’t let Maggie Go by The Honeybus
• Blue Eyes by Don Partridge
• Indian Reservation by Don Fardon
• Big Spender by Shirley Bassey
• I Gotta see Jane by R Dean Taylor
• There is a Mountain by Donovan
• Voices in the Sky by The Moody Blues
• Windy by The Association
• Sabre Dance by Love Sculpture
• Horse With No Name by America
• After the Gold Rush by Neil Young
• Something in the Air by Thunderclap Newman
• Pinball Wizard by the Who
• Living Doll by Cliff Richard
• Teddy Bear by Elvis Presley

Haggis flavoured crisps

A good trip to Scotland last weekend to visit Mary's mum, May. Did the usual: take her shopping and tidy up the garden. This time there were a couple of DIY tasks for me:

• Re-hung the doors on her new fridge-freezer so they opened the other way. One of the screws was a pig to undo so there was a lots of muttered profanities but got there in the end. Why do they have to do them so tight - with power screwdrivers presumably - when they know that re-handing may be required.
• Installed a watering system for her pots and hanging baskets so May does not have to do any bending or lifting or carrying watering cans. Kept it simple, just turn the tap on, didn't bother with electronic timers.

In the supermarket I was muchly amused to see haggis flavoured crisps so I just had to buy a packet to try. They did indeed taste of haggis, although they were a bit salty to my palate, I say well done Mackies!

Then a lunchtime flight home so we could get ourselves down to The Alma to watch the Olympic closing ceremony. A meal, a late night and plenty to drink; I really didn't want to go to work on the Monday.