The picture book

These photographs were taken by Denise Bishop and by a few guests who asked politely and were generous enough to share the results. They show the old counter hall with its tables laid, the board room by lamplight, plates leaving the pass and the people who give the building its character. I have chosen pictures that show the lounge as it looks on an ordinary evening rather than a staged one, and I have left out anyone who was concentrating hard on a hand, as a good poker face deserves its privacy. If you recognise yourself and would prefer not to be seen, please tell the host, and the picture will be removed the same day. The pictures are arranged in two groups. The first shows the building: the brick front on Nicholson Street, the counter hall, the board room with its panelling, the brass frame of the pay window and the iron door of the strongroom. The second shows plates leaving the pass and the people who give the lounge its character. The collection changes slowly, and a new picture is added only when something in the house has changed.