My infant memories are of the stories I made up, the stories read to me and the night sky coloured by fires, the aftermath of incendiary bombs.

I grew up first in Kent and then Surrey from where I visited ‘the sights’ such as St Pauls Cathedral, the Tower of London, Westminster Cathedral, Dick Whittington’s stone on Highgate Hill and St James Park.  In the countryside, to name a few, I visited Hampton Court, Richmond, Windsor and Eton.  My heritage inspired my love of history.  I read voraciously and my imagination grew.