• TO continue my tale of the “homeless” voter in Hyde Park… (Canal-boat voter writes… April 22).

I tried to get into the Westminster Council citadel where electoral records are archived to ensure my vote as a homeless floating boater was secured.

The person at the door told me to phone 020 7641 2730 when it could be arranged for me to see my name in the register.

It’s not that easy. On phoning, I was buffered by someone whose job is to deter nosey floating voters from dealing face-to-face with anyone who might discuss such a possibility. The “buffer” hung me out to dry off while “conferring”.

I listened to piped classical guitar before he unbuffered to tell me that if I turned up at 141 Harrow Road on the appointed day, and whispered a secret code, I would be given a voting card and shown the ballot box.

Being deadlined by this email, I decided to establish the exact position of the location, but was not able to find it via a web search.

It has recently been subsumed into new skyscrapers in Paddo and has had a “facelift”. Web pictures are out of date. Eventually I took to walking and found it. I even got snapshots for the record.

Next I “beat the bounds” of my ward with my willow wand to discover its northern boundary to be the centre-line of the A40 Westway. Edgware Road (centre-line) defines the east and Bayswater Road (centre-line) the south.

It includes all of Paddington station with the Underground station and my mooring ring. And a big lump of it is owned by Singapore.

It does not include the £6million bomb site by Marble Arch. That is in the Knightsbridge & Belgravia ward where contractors are currently making good the depredations of a council decision that stretches the incredulity of a bounds-beater to the limit. I waved my willow wand at it and wandered up Edgware Road to my mooring ring.

SHAUN WALL
Narrowboat Pentargon, W2