THE AMERICANS HAVE shifted their embassy away from Grosvenor Square, but the building that housed it still remains, now beautifully restored. I was pleased to see that the edifice has not lost the huge sculpture of an eagle that was on top of it. This eagle is attached to the building by means of an attachment designed by my uncle WS Rindl, a structural engineer.

Outside the former embassy, there are a couple of statues, including one depicting Ronald Reagan, who was President of the USA from 1981 to1989. It was during his presidency that in 1987 he gave a speech demanding that Russian President Gorbachev bring down the Berlin Wall. His words, spoken at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate were:

“Mr Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr Gorbachev, tear down this wall”

And less than two years later, the gate was opened, and the wall came down. His words are on a memorial next to his statue on Grosvenor Square. The memorial contains a fragment of the Berlin Wall, whose demise Reagan encouraged.

On a lighter note, it is said that when you met Margaret Thatcher, you came away thinking she was the cleverest person in the world, but when you met Ronald Reagan, you left him feeling that you were the cleverest person in the world. Reagan had a way of flattering others in the best possible way.