MY NAME IS Adam Robert Yamey. Robert Adam is the name of a famous Scottish-born architect who was born in 1728 (in Kirkaldy, Scotland), and died in 1792 in London. I was brought up within just under two miles of Kenwood House, which lies between Hampstead and Highgate.

In 1764, Lord Mansfield (1705-1793), then the owner of Kenwood House, commissioned Robert Adam to remodel the place. Adam’s work included adding a library, adding an impressive Ionic portico, and redesigning the interiors of several rooms. Adam’s works, especially the library he designed, made Kenwood House become a remarkable building. Many people visit it today not only to see Adam’s architecture but also to view the magnificent collection of old master paintings housed within the mansion.

In 1780, Kenwood House had a lucky escape. A group of rioters objecting to Lord Mansfield’s espousal of rights for Roman Catholics left London, and headed towards Kenwood. Having already wrecked Mansfield’s central London home, they were aiming to demolish Kenwood House. Luckily for Mansfield, and for us today, the rioters never reached Kenwood House. You can discover how they were stopped by reading my book “Beneath a wide Sky: Hampstead and its Environs”.

My father, an economist, had wanted to name me ‘Adam Smith Yamey’, in honour of the famous pioneer of economics, Adam Smith (1723-1790). However, my mother was not in favour of this choice of names. Instead, my name contains the Scottish architect’s first and family names. Often, I wonder whether this was because my parents, who were both interested in art and architecture, knew and liked Kenwood House.

[My book is available from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/BENEATH-WIDE-SKY-HAMPSTEAD-ENVIRONS/dp/B09R2WRK92 ]