The studio he sought had been a disused nineteenth-century warehouse, which stood on the north bank of the Thames. The glittering river dazzled his eyes as he tried to find the entrance.
The Cuckoo’s Calling, Robert Galbraith.
Strike’s first meeting with ultra fashionable designer Guy Somé takes place at his studio in Chiswick. The studio, which includes workshops as well as Guy’s offices, has a stunning view of the Thames from its floor-to-ceiling windows, but it is the images of Lula surrounding the designer, which Strike takes particular note of. Guy tells Strike the model was his friend as well as his muse. Guy, who called Lula Cuckoo, says frankly he didn’t like Strike’s client, Lula’s adoptive brother John Bristow, but then he’s not a fan of her boyfriend Evan Duffield either. He does though seem genuinely devastated at her death and is certain she did not commit suicide.
Chiswick is now very much part of London and was the home of one of England’s most important satirical artists, William Hogarth, who cast his eye over all of London – rich and poor – much as Strike does during his investigations. Chiswick was for a longtime however a village, a fishing community, based around the church of St Nicholas. The place the church now stands has been a place of worship for many centuries, the original Christian building was constructed there over a pagan shire in the seventh century. This was a rural area of farms and market gardens, until the arrival of the railways in the nineteenth century, which is probably when the warehouse in which Guy has his studio was built. The nearby Strand-on-the-green is a lovely and unusual riverside street, with the eighteenth century houses opening in many cases directly onto the towpath.
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