Q & A: With Martin Millard

Date Published 28 February 2022

Ashdown Marks wanted to sit down with Hasker Street's resident artist to conduct a very brief Question and Answer session about the area.

Martin specialises in drawing buildings in London and has always been attracted to London's historical architecture. This embraces both old residential buildings, churches and some of the less well known areas such as riverside scenes East of the City.

How long have you lived in Chelsea?

'We got married in 1999 and my wife had a flat in the area. Initially I had no interest in living here but upon the sale of my wife's flat in Chelsea, we bought our house from the Cadogan Estate in 2000 and the rest, as they say, is history.'

What changes have you seen over the years in the surrounding area?

'The real change has been the closure of pubs in the area. We used to have the 'Australian' and the 'Shuckburgh Arms' both of which provided decent ales for that quick drink after work (or not as the case may be).
We have also seen a change in the demographic of those living in the area with the elderly residents selling allowing younger affluent families to move in.'

What do you like about Chelsea?

'Chelsea's architecture has always fascinated me and therefore provides many subjects. We love the intricate history of the area. With Lennox Gardens being the site of the Prince's Cricket Ground, it hosted a test match between England and Australia in 1878.
On Hasker Street, one of the residents was Lady Cotter who regularly had Her Majesty the Queen for afternoon tea and other local residents have, over the years, included Dirk Bogarde, Alec Guinness and Laurence Whistler.'

www.martinmillardpictures.com