At the centre of this picture is a traditional phone box, which is a marker of an important moment in my teenage life. It was here that I made a call to a property agent in March 1978 and arranged to visit a flat that had been advertised in the Evening Standard.
At the time, I was a resident at the Toc H hostel in Fitzroy Square, London W1, where I shared a room with a classical pianist, an ex-soldier and an ex-con. A most interesting and educational combination!
I was a first year student at the Polytechnic of North London, which is where I had met English degree student Jo and begun an emotional relationship. We soon decided to find a place to live together and in time-honoured fashion scoured the newspaper’s small ads for a suitable home.
One call and trip to Highgate Village later, and we had the keys to a one room residence in North Hill opposite the historic Gatehouse pub and Highgate School. Not bad for £12 a week!
