We're in London, visiting our daughters who are both actors here. And while we are in the city, I offered to give my friend a helping-hand as he rehearses his new TV show.

My all-time favourite place is in any rehearsal room — and this is a really good one. It's the old London Underground headquarters above the St James Park tube station. It has been left exactly as it was originally built in the late1920s, when it was the tallest office building in the city, "London's first skyscraper". (Hold that thought, it becomes important later in this Substack!) It has airy rooms, tiled floors and beautiful old leadlight windows that look out across the city. In fact the dappled light was so beautiful, we could not resist using the windowed foyer as a location for an improvisation. Here's an article about the architectural significance of this gorgeous building.

The view from the windows at 55 Broadway is important to mention, because this Substack is about spaces and viewshafts — and how it is …