Mr Benn and Me
Mr Benn and Me
Retired Fleet Street journalist Hugh Thompson talks about living on a very famous road in Putney…
A few friends were round for Boxing Day lunch, just finishing the champagne, and someone spotted three men looking at the house with real interest. The guests were perplexed, I was not. I rushed out: ‘Are you Mr Benn fans?’ Rather shyly they admitted they were. ‘Then I have just the thing for you,’ I say.
For I live at number 54, Festing Road, West Putney, once the home of cartoonist David McKee, and the next door terrace is 52 where he made the home of his smash hit cartoon character Mr Benn.
I moved to Festing Road in 2006 with my wife, reflexologist Vivien Knowland. Our children had grown up, so we down sized. It was the start of an adventure.
Early on, I discovered its history not least because the odd pilgrim appeared to have his or her picture taken outside our house. I soon enjoyed this new strand of interest, this part of the national culture.
As a street, we have regular parties and Mr Benn in his various costumes has become a theme. His thirteen adventures always start with his walking up the street, entering a dressing up shop and starting a new identity/adventure.
David McKee, who died in 2022, went onto gain even greater fame with his cartoon creations King Rollo and Elmer the Elephant.
In 2009, we decided to put an engraved paving stone down to commemorate Mr Benn. Placed at the end of the street, though now faded, it still reads, “Festive Road, home of David McKee and his creation Mr Benn”.
McKee came for the unveiling and the then Mayor of Wandsworth Jim Madden did the honours. McKee famously quipped, “They always said I was stoned when I wrote the Mr Benn stories – now I am.” McKee turned out to be as delightful as he was creative and spent the afternoon signing books and generally being a national treasure.
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It started a relationship which meant every year until his death he would send me a hand-drawn New Year’s card. In the meantime, the pilgrims became so regular that I had a tourist pack of letters, pictures and photos ready. Those I managed to catch were delighted, after all they expected was just to take a photo not to meet someone who knew McKee and had stories to tell.
Fulham-based sisters Laura and Karen Friend, who made the pilgrimage, said, “We came over to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Mr Benn and when we saw you coming out of the house we thought you were going to tell us to bugger off but were delighted when you entertained us with history, news, art, photocopies and toys.”
The street became so into dressing up as Mr Benn characters that there was a move to try and get the name of the street changed to Festive. This would have involved years of bureaucracy, maybe even an Act of Parliament. I noted that the walkway to next door Ashlone Road was anonymous. I applied to the council, they said if I organised a petition and came up with £900 for the cost of street plates and labour it could be named Festive Walk. The signatures were easy, the street raised a few hundred pounds, David contributed £500 and there now exists Festive Walk.
To seal the deal, David, who lived in Arles, Provence for his last decade, wrote a famous letter to the council. In it he said, “Of all the places I have lived, Festing Road is the best. Friendly, quiet and humane in proportions, with each house that started the same becoming different from its neighbours…. Now to have a place named Festive Walk is an honour for Mr Benn and myself, we are both very flattered.”
In 2021, the street asked David to come and judge a fancy dress competition of the children dressed in Mr Benn costumes. He wrote: “I travel very little now…but it feels fantastic to me to know in this troubled world where so many are confused that there is still a Festing Road with its honest inhabitants, a perfect place to live. I wish everyone who lives there much happiness, I was very happy there and so was Mr Benn”.
It brings tears to my eyes when I realise that months later he died. I know he has gone to the dressing up shop in the sky, to have more adventures and bring more pleasure to millions.
When in 2022 the Queen died, I dressed up as Mr Benn and did, bowler hatted, head bowed, the one minute’s silence. As I said then, “Mr Benn was a man who loved the various communities he visited…He would have been the first to show his respect to the Queen who gave so much to the nation as a community.”
