Evening Standard from London, Greater London, England • 12

-a mmr STANDAIU3 MQNOAY JANTXAHT 19 1979 1 I I t( I rff 1 I Delicate hand on the hammer at marries her barrister fiance In April "The guys in London felt starved of publicity A FRISSON of excited curiosity will run through the sales room at on January 29 when for the first time since the firm began as Baker Leigh and Sotheby In 1744 a woman will officiate The delicate hand holding the hammer at the sale of 19th century and modern prints will belong to Libby Ilowie aged 24 who began her career at just over two years ago After being educated at 8t and Glrton Cambridge she began at training school and after three months became an assistant in the Impressionist department A year ago she moved to the print department where she is now an expert In prints from 1840 to the present day Miss Howie Is well prepared for her debut having had several dry runs with staff posing all the problems she might encounter on the 29th when she hopes an authoritative and detached manner will hide any attack of nerves Miss Howie describes herself as a fervent feminist and says she most certainly be giving up her Job when she for his foresight and great expertise In restocking the Mansion House wine cellars Before taking office last November Sir Lindsay spent many hours with the chief wine steward Mr Peter Dury examining the racks of vintage claret burgundy champagne and port As chairman of the City catering firm Ring and Brymer established in 1690 and coincidentally suppliers to the Mansion House for more than 250 years Sir vinous knowledge is probably unrivalled by his predecessors His Interest has already resulted In the restoration of champagne and turtle soup on the Lord Banquet menu last year I i Hi ing Joe Hegarty as their candidate for the next General Election last night the Tories In neighbouring Paddington were going through a similar process They selected John Wheeler 35 to replace Mark Wolf son who fought the seat at the last election Mr Wheeler is a research worker tn juvenile delinquency and is a former asslstamit-govemor ait both Brtxton and Wandsworth prisons Bearing in mind the idiosyncrasies of local committees Mr Wheeler has been lucky to get himself Into the fighting lists of such a marginal seat (2311 Labour majority) He has never fought a seat before a fact that doubtless does not escape another hopeful on the same shortlist Douglas Hogg Mr Hogg the 30-year-old son of Lord Hailsham has already been on two other short lists He narrowly missed adoption first at Lichfield and Tamworth and then at Ilford North He even made It on to the short list at Eton and Slough but withdrew because his name was also on other Beta Ring of -bright water SUCCESSORS to the present Lord Mayor Sir Lindsay Ring will always be grateful IS nowhere safe? I note that among eager buyers for the Thames TV series A Place in Europe which studied some of the finest houses In Europe was Saudi Arabian TV Same seat WHEN Tom Driberg 70 takes his seat in the House or Lords later this month as the newly ennobled Lord BradwelL he will be returning to the exact spot where he took hits parliamentary seat in 1942 When he won the Maldon by-election as an independent 34 years ago the House of Commons was having to alt in the Upper House after the chamber of the Commons had been bombed in 1941 The new Commons chamber did not open until 1951 The circumstances of ennoblement were also mildly out of the ordinary He was in Kenya during November for the Council of Christian Churches Assembly and suffered a heart attack while in Nairobi When he came out of hospital he was summoned by the High Commls- slower Mir Stanley Flngland who verbally conveyed the message that the Prime Minister had it in mind to recommend him for a peerage Driberg said yes and the reply was relayed diplomatically bock to London Snap snap LEONARD Parkin the TTN newscaster who takes over from Robert Kee as presenter of the lunch-time current affairs programme First Report on February 2 has just collected an unusual £2 reward A keen he even makes his own files Mr Parkin hooked a shark off Falmouth while out in the late Richard old boat Woden a couple of years ago He tagged and returned it to the sea" as part of a survey being conducted by the Marine Biological Association In Plymouth Now the shark some 12 Inches longer has turned up off San Sebastian In the nets of a French fisherman and the 46-year-old broadcaster received a £2 reward Mr Parkin Joined ITN as a newscaster and reporter in 1967 and recently deputised for Robert Kee on Fridays Call me madam announcement by Viscountess Astor that she no longer wishes to be known as such and In future wants to be called Mrs Branwen Astor Is un- usual and possibly unique Widows and ex-wives of peers do not customarily drop their titles unless they re -marry Mrs Astor has done so following the marriage last week of her 24-year-old stepson the present Viscount Astor to Mrs Anaibel Sheffield and confusion might occur There are two other women who can call them-aefeves Lady Astor: Viscount Aster's new bride and FhJaOdppa Lady Astor whose marriage to the third Viscount was dissolved in 1960 Another complication is the existence of another branch of the family the Aston of MRS tRONWCN ASTOR Hever Though technically Lord and Lady Astor of Hever in common parlance they are often called Lord and Lady Astor I remember a case of a dowager peeress deciding not to use her late commented Patrick Montague-Smlth editor of Debrett from Lady Diana Cooper who preferred to use that style because this Is what she was known as practically throughout her married Ready for battle WHILE the Marylebone Labour Party were select DIRTY CARPETS MAKE ELEGANT HOMES LOOK SHABBY Until now there was no guaranteed method of in-house carpet cleaning The revolutionary Thuro Steam cleaning process will lift matted pile and remove virtually all spots and deep dirt leaving superbly clean fresh carpets to grace your home The Thuro Steam method avoids all undesirable side effects that old-fashioned cleaning methods are prone to and will increase the life of your carpets by removing the hidden dirt which cuts and abrades the delicate fibres We fully guarantee our work which is carried out punctually by trained efficient reliable staff FOR A FREE ESTIMATE RINO: 01-580 5457 or 01-637 7445 Last word who has been work- lng in the machine shop for over 30 yean is famous for his precision work Although he uses electronically operated measuring instruments he claims to be able to judge a hundredth of an Inch with his naked The Target the staff magazine of a Leeds company So do car park attendants a V- ir'- -K sew mi i tr'-tfWf-nyi ft iwtHeKi- -I ii 1 V-' SJti THE OHiOINAl THUfi V-o j-' i-i'? -s 4 filf -mf 1 1 i rT and Peter Forster HEREWITH an answer to two questions One: What is the ffetabUslunent? Two: How to redace Government spending? Well the Invaluable Social Events column of the Daily Telegraph recorded the other day that In the name of Her Government Lord Winterbottom Lord-in-Waitinr was host at a luncheon given at the Savoy Hotel In honour (sic) of the Papua New Guinea National Investment and Development Mission CARPET CLEANERS Sr 'T" ww -r' r-.