A house in St. Mary’s Road, Upton Park was partly wrecked and completely cut in two on Saturday by a gas explosion. The furniture was reduced to a mass of debris, while Mr George Tetin, the occupier, was injured and his wife and two daughters had narrow escapes. Fifty canaries in the dining room were also uninjured.

I am currently locked down at Clevedon Court, our family house in Somerset continuing the long task of transcribing the diaries of my great-great grandfather, Sir Arthur Elton (1819-1883). They throw up a lot of interesting things about the difficulties of introducing modern conveniences to an enormous mediaeval house.