On the Road: Roy Strong

On the Road The joy of moving house

Sir Roy Strong sings the praises of Gianni Versace, Margaret Thatcher and downsizing. By Louise Flind

How are you? Still here… I had a bad fall in 2019 and lost three years – I shall be 86 this year and can’t really afford to scatter years around. You don’t need to weep into your pillow tonight about me – I’ve moved house, which has given me energy and excitement at putting something new together.

Is there anything you can’t leave home without? The necessary pills.

Something you really miss? There’s nothing like one’s own bed.

What’s your approach to luggage? Our marriage [to the theatrical designer Julia Trevelyan Oman (1930-2003)] was one of total equality – we both had to carry our own luggage.

Earliest childhood holiday memories? I never had any – there was no money. My father was bringing up a family of five on £5 a week.

What’s your new house like? I’m restoring what was once a very beautiful Regency house in Ledbury. It’s five minutes’ walk from the station and the ever-blessed Tesco. I want this house not to be cluttered up too much with oneself. I stood in the hall and thought, I’m not hanging one more bloody picture of myself. I love the fact that I’ve got a kitchen that actually works, and after about a week I knew what was in every drawer.

What’s happened to your Herefordshire home and garden, the Laskett? After a very torturous history with the National Trust, I gave it to Perennial, the Royal Benevolent Fund for gardeners. What was it like designing gardens for Gianni Versace? Oh yes, I loved him. What I did was send him lots of drawings and photos and he waved a wand.

What’s your favourite building in Herefordshire? I’m very fond of Hereford Cathedral. I’m a loyal Anglican.

Which is England’s most beautiful county? Jean Muir was a great friend and I stayed with her up beyond Newcastle, and that whole border area is stunning.

What’s the best church in Herefordshire? I have an enormous affection for Dore Abbey.

What were your favourite shows when you were in charge of the National Portrait Gallery and the V&A? At the National Portrait Gallery, Cecil Beaton’s photography. At the V&A with John Harris and Marcus Binney, The Destruction of the Country House, held in 1974.

Are English country houses in better shape than when you did the famous Country House exhibition? Oh yes – because of the shift in the economy with Thatcher.

When did the British dress best? What’s your own favourite style of dress and era to borrow from? The renaissance of Mary Quant and Jean Muir. And men’s Indian clothes. At birthday parties, I often appeared as an Indian bridegroom – so elegant, so practical and so masculine.

How will galleries and museums recover from lockdown? They’ll have to rethink themselves. I love Tristram Hunt at the V&A, even if I don’t agree with him.

What do you think of statue-toppling? Why’s everybody going crazy about it now? It’s ridiculous and completely out of proportion.

Are you a traveller? No, I’m not. My wife was a great traveller, from Nordic stock. My most exciting discovery was suddenly being asked to take people to India in my 70s.

Where did you go on your honeymoon? Italy, in January, because Julia was doing Othello at Stratford.

Do you have a daily routine? I get up at 6.15, feed the cat, come down, prepare my breakfast, have a shower, then exercise on my bike, have breakfast and look through the Times online, then go straight to my large library workroom. I always have lunch at 1pm and Jonty, my keep-fit man, said I really mustn’t eat later than 6. I have a gin and tonic at 5.30. At 7, I look at Channel 4 News. After that, I put in a video of a ballet or opera and go to bed at about 9.30 and sleep incredibly well.

What is the strangest place you’ve ever slept in – while being away? In my early 20s, I went with a group of friends to Trebizond and we drove across Europe – that was when I could drive a bit. There was a great spirit of hospitality and generosity as we went through Asia Minor. We slept wherever we could and sometimes that would be extremely primitive.

What is your latest book? Types and Shadows: The Roy Strong Diaries 2004-2015. If I live to 95, there might be another volume of diaries…