London, GB | Formerly of New York, Buenos Aires, Fife, and the Western Cape. | Saoránach d’Éirinn.

The Still Solid Spectator

WHEN MATTHEW D’ANCONA took the helm as editor at the Spectator, worry surfaced. I had heard that he was something of a Blairite (though that is the trend amongst Tory bigwigs these days) and those worries were not allayed by the loathsome interjection in the beloved weekly of a ‘business’ section and the ambiguous ‘style and travel’ segment. These were most unwelcome changes; what would the late great Peter Simple have made of them? Nonetheless, the quality outwith those interlopers has not declined significantly, and despite the sad pleas of the Israeli ambassador, the ever-amusing Poor Little Greek Boy has not been given the boot.

Nonetheless, the hopefully brief reign of that slatternly goddess Change is not yet finished, for the Spectator is moving from their legendary offices at No. 56 Doughty Street. The office, a few doors down from the home of Charles Dickens, has become reknowned for its lunches. When the Prince of Wales was invited, he specifically asked for the Poor Little Greek Boy and Jeff Barnard, but editor Charles Moore (a convert to Catholicism) declined the request. “Why not?” inquired H.R.H. “Because,” quoth Moore, “Jeff will use the F-word non-stop and the Greek boy will leak to the tabloids”. But, as Taki tells us in this week’s issue,

[t]he funny thing was we almost made it. I told Jeff to meet me across the street in the pub, and the plan was to drop in pretending to discuss future copy and to sort of meander upstairs. I waited and waited but Jeff never made it. He got too drunk at the Coach & Horses and fell asleep at the bar. There was no way I was going to pull the stunt on my own.

Doughty Street was home to the weekly for over three decades, before which it was edited from No. 99 Gower Street in Bloomsbury.

While the venerable Speccie is leaving a splendid, old building, thankfully it will not be emigrating to the dreary modernity of Canary Wharf but rather to 22 Old Queen Street in Westminster. “It’s a magnificent Georgian building, much bigger than the present one, with a beautiful garden,” d’Ancona told the Evening Standard. The garden happens to look out onto St. James Park, and so should prove quite adequate to hosting the Spectator‘s annual garden party.

Previously: Welcome to Doughty Street

Published at 8:03 pm on Tuesday 23 January 2007. Categories: Great Britain In Print.
Comments

Thank heavens for that! This Taki fella sounds like someone I would want around my dining table or in the smoking room. I guess the computer room will have to do.

— The Monarchist 25 Jan 2007 12:52 am

I haven’t read the Spectator in over a year. At that time, it was rather gung-ho for Cameron. Is it still?

— Boko Fittleworth 2 Feb 2007 12:49 pm

Never read it since they gave Mark Steyn the boot. Modern Tories appear a little allergic to the truth of matters.

— Mr P 6 Feb 2007 2:10 pm
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