YESTERDAY, 12 JULY, Brian May, along with Anita Dobson and his photo-archivist/co-author, Denis Pellerin, visited the Royal Holloway College, to attend “a very nice and heart-warming intimate ceremony”.
At a private, sociall distaned conferal ceremony Brian was awarded an Honorary Fellowship from Royal Holloway in recognition of his contribution to the preservation of Victorian Stereoscopic photography, which has given insight into Victorian art and culture, and his collaboration with Royal Holloway’s Art Collection team.
Denis Pellerin was awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Literature Honoris Causa of the University of London [an Hon Doctorate] .
Much gratitude to the Royal Holloway for the honours and also enabling Stereoscopy to be acknowledged and honoured.
Denis Pellerin said: “This is a major step in the recognition of stereoscopy as a valuable branch of photography and as an important source of information. We could not be prouder!”
A great day out.
….
However, on returning home to London to a “house of horrors”, Brian and Anita found that after flash floods, the basement of their home was awash with foul water and raw sewage and many items of memorabilia and treasured photos were now sodden and spoilt.
Brian spoke of his “heartbreak” after flash floods damaged his Kensington home, ruining treasured belonging – both his own and also those of Anita. He said it felt like an invasion. “The whole bottom floor had been inundated with a sewage overflow – which has covered our carpets, rugs and all kinds of precious (to us) things in a stinking sludge.”