One day last week, having presented my annual pass, I walked through into Winchester Cathedral and saw two gentlemen volunteer guides in their red collars or palliums standing together near the west window (a random assembly of the broken pieces smashed by Cromwell's forces.)
As I passed them, one asked "Are you looking for a guided tour?" A nice opening for me, so I replied "Actually I'm looking for somebody who will let me take their portrait. The man who had spoken indicated his colleague and felt certain that he would be willing and indeed he was.
A little aside here: 700 volunteers give their time to Winchester Cathedral in duties such as front of house, tour guides, scribes and helpers in the refectory. In addition, behind the scenes volunteers help with everything from fundraising to dusting.
Peter asked where we should be for the photo and I suggested moving along into the cathedral a little where the light was better. I explained that I would also like to ask Peter a bit about himself to accompany the portrait. The background of a pillar was not intrusive. I took just 3 shots, hard to choose but the one you see is the one I prefer.
Taking the photos, I did feel that Peter reminded me of Gérard Depardieu and I mentioned this to him afterwards.
"I know him," said Peter.
There must have then been a small stunned silence as my brain worked round the possibility that a volunteer tour guide in a cathedral might be 'aving a larf' at my expense.
And true, he was not and explained that his daughters used to be at the International School in Paris with Gérard's daughter and fatherly duties meant that their paths sometimes crossed.
(I am not a film buff but have enjoyed some relaxed and entertaining times at the cinema watching Depardieu.)
I told Peter that he would be portrait No.101 in my strangers' project to which he replied that he could give a connection to that number.
He runs with Hash House Harriers in Hursley and is their 'religious advisor'. I must confess that my brain was once again slightly puzzled, trying to link running, religious advisors and cathedrals. Peter explained that every group of Harriers has a religious advisor whose job it is to note and comment on any malpractice during a run.
Peter runs with his dalmation which has earned him the nickname of Cruella from 101 dalmations. (It was necessary to explain this to me - as I said 'I'm not a film buff......)
I asked the name of the dalmation and Peter replied 'Damnation", and explained the reason: the dalmation once ran right in front of a runner, nearly tripping him up. The said runner exclaimed, 'Oh, damnation!'
Peter does two 2-hour shifts as a volunteer guide in the cathedral: Mondays and Thursdays. I enquired if he was retired and about his professional life and he told me he used to be a Commonwealth Officer in Australia. He said something to the effect that he is British by birth and Australian by choice.
He and his family returned to England when his wife was headhunted for a prestigious job here. And then Peter told me about the very sad and untimely death of his wife from cancer. He reflected upon the challenges and responsibilities of the role in which he then found himself as father and single parent to two adolescent girls.
His daughters are now both at university in Oxford, completing a doctorate and first degree respectively. Peter visits them often. (I think the words 'father' and 'free lunch' were mentioned.)
He plays guitar and likes to travel and I asked if he enjoys photography. His answer was that he likes photographing architecture more than people. It was something of a family joke after a holiday to India, with plentiful opportunities for getting interesting shots of people, that he brought back shots of buildings.
Thanks to Peter for being no 101, the first, perhaps, of my next 100 strangers and for sharing his personal story with me.
Thanks, also, to everyone who left such generous comments on my collage of the first 100 portraits
https://365project.org/quietpurplehaze/add-ins/2017-03-14
They are much appreciated.
