Having a place to go...

Ellwood Atfield has, at short notice, found out that one of our tenants has had to move out of one of our floors in Smith Square. Subsequently, we are pushing the fact that we are looking for new tenants on LinkedIn, with local estate agents and passers by. As is the case with many things in my lovely company, it has even turned in to a gentle, good-natured competition; with extra points are being awarded for the most innovative ideas, who can find the most views of their post, who can be the most creative and ultimately, who can secure a new tenant. Indeed, don't tell anyone but there have even been whispers of little prizes! Hooray!

To start with, I started to go through a bit of an arbitrary moment of, "Like" and "Share" without much thought but after a few minutes, I reflected on the place where I work, sorry, have worked for the past 10 years. Before too long a creeping sense of nostalgia seeped in and I found myself reminiscing about, wait for it... my office!

Literally, what the hell!

My reminiscing, migrated to a fondness for my commute (I know?!), my desk, the sandwiches from Pret, the discussions around who is going to indulge in "Fatty Pasta" (our colloquial name for the produce from the local Italian Deli) and the occasional drink at the local pub, the MOG, a.k.a. The Marquis of Granby.

On a bit of a side note, the MOG is a pub where you occasionally hear the "Division Bell" calling all of the half sloshed MP's that it is time to get back to Parliament and vote on the future our our country. As with many things in Smith Square, it is steeped in history frequented by Seigfreid Sasson, Nigel Farage (to whom people regularly call, "Nige! See You Next Tuesday!" for some reason...) and most important of all, my old man, my brother and now me. It is also a pub in chronic argument with its neighbours over noise pollution and so keeps its customers herded in to a tiny area of pavement and so, quite often you will have your drink knocked out of your hand, smoke blown in your face, another human's chest in your ear. Imagine the Tube in rush hour but with booze. Yep! its that bad. Yet even this, I miss during these strange and unprecedented (literally the most horrible phrase ever written down) times.

Of course, I'm lucky, I work in one of the most wonderful areas in the City, if not the world. An area with so much history, the ghost of Margaret Thatcher still clings on to the 34 Smith Square (my office) and the former Conservative Party Headquarters where she was once seen, hanging out of the window with a spectral Dennis Thatcher loitering behind her. Both celebrating the win of the 1983 election. It is a place where, despite the ubiquitous 21st century shop facades, you can lift your head 30 degrees towards the sky and there you find relics from World War II, the Edwardian's, The Victorian's, Hanoverian's. A Square that has been painted, written about and photographed, filmed by Hollywood movie makers, where generations of journalists have stood in the rain, giant badgers (people dressed as badgers rather than literally, giant badgers) have chased off Brexit supporters, political rallies have come alive while others have died in ignominy.

"After Dinner at Smith Square" by Howard Hodgkin

I'm going to come out and say it; Working from home is all well and good, the flexibility is great, seeing my family a bit more is wonderful, but during all of this, I actually miss going in to work. I do. Despite all of our efforts to afford better work life balance in the 21st century, having a place to go is part of your work life balance and I can't be alone in thinking this. When the corporate environment is shaping this new world, under the catch-all term, "the new normal," in my view, it is critical, that the baby isn't thrown out with the bath water. Zoom might be the life raft during all of this hideousness but it is exactly that, a life raft that will sail us back to the actual ship that represents a place where collective industry happens.

I can't be alone in thinking this, can I....?

If you would be interested in taking the place of our recently vacated tenants and moving your office to an area that I feel so fondly for that I have literally taken the time to publish a LinkedIn article about then please email [email protected] for more information.