Supper at the Circus

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I am sure my fellow Lamplighters will instantly recognise this iconic location. The photo is taken from inside 24 Cambridge Circus, which doubles as the exterior of 'The Circus' in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. (You can find more details about this location in an in-depth article written by Chris here.)

I was in London one evening this week and decided to dine at 'The Circus' for the first time. I can't really recommend the Chicken McNuggets but the packaging was lovely and the self-service was excellent. As I sat in the window gazing out at the scene I saw a movement in the turret window at 138 Shaftesbury Avenue - I had a thought that perhaps Mendel might still be up there!

He would be getting on a bit now but I reckon he could still handle himself if the need arose. One of his kids will have set him up with an iPhone, so in his spare time he's probably a TikToker making short films about the art of surveillance. 

As I left, a taxi pulled up near the side entrance of 'The Circus' on Shaftesbury Avenue - no sign of Tinker, Tailor or Soldier, just two parents with an excited young child wearing a Hogwarts robe and carrying a wand. I felt sure Mendel had clocked them. In these uncertain times there is something rather reassuring about the thought of him up there, just keeping an eye on everything for us.