Yesterday (22nd November) was the 4 year anniversary of my fruitless attempt to visit The Holborn Restaurant in London. It was opposite what is now Holborn tube station, and I didn’t even consider that it could have been lost to modernity.

It’s now an office block, a supermarket, and a Boots. I’m still sad about it.

It was a pivotal day, inspiring me later to write the second part of my book, and I think that’s where the idea for the book itself, rather than just sporadically writing about Edith, came from.

I wrote on my blog years ago about the role this restaurant played in Edith’s story, but I’ll condense it here.

It was a place Edith and Freddy visited together, and in a letter the day before his execution, Freddy mentioned a restaurant (likely The Holborn), and requested of his correspondent that she visit his and Edith’s regular table: “Go there sometimes, you dear girl.”

I felt it was a request worth honouring, hence I went. Sorry, Freddy. I tried.

So I did what I considered the next best thing: The Holborn used to make medallions, so I bought one from eBay. I like to think it keeps me from bad fortune.

I was also reminded by a friend yesterday, that 22nd November is also the anniversary of Edith’s reburial with her parents in 2018. Maybe it was meant to be.