by Hilary Arthur
Hilary Arthur lived in Bulgaria from 2001 to 2005 and worked at the British Embassy Sofia. She was the first custodian of the West Wing of the British Ambassador’s Residence in Sofia. The story she sent us for the #100UKBG series is about her happy time in the house.
The announcement of the events to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of the British Residence in Sofia struck a particular chord with me as I was lucky enough to live in what was rather impressively known as “the West Wing” of the house from 2001-2005. I was posted to Sofia as Consul/Entry Clearance Manager in August 2001 and originally moved into one of the Embassy flats in Boyana, but I was keen to be closer to town. So when the Embassy moved to its new premises in Moskovska later that year, I jumped at the chance of living in the section of the Residence that had formerly housed the Commercial section.
Some work was required to convert the West Wing from an office suite to a self-contained apartment, including installation of a kitchen and the replacement of a rather narrow and vertiginous spiral staircase leading up to what would be the bedrooms. I eventually moved in on a very cold and snowy day at the beginning of 2002. One thing that struck me, and helped me feel at home, straight away was how warm and cosy the house felt – despite the huge windows and very high ceilings I could happily pad around doing my unpacking in a t-shirt and flip-flops. Having such efficient central heating was a real boon in the winter, especially as my one attempt to light a real fire in the living room hearth caused panic by setting off the fire alarms throughout the residence.
There were a few people who questioned my decision to live in the same house as the boss, albeit with my own front door, but I never found lack of privacy to be a problem and I saw more of the Ambassador in the office than I ever did at home. And there were lots of pluses about living in the West Wing: access to the fabulous garden, great security and easy walking access to all the city centre facilities. And the negatives ? Can’t think of any really, except perhaps the occasional ring on the door bell from people who were looking for the Embassy and didn’t realise it had moved.
I was pleased to see that the Allens have installed a residence cat. My Bulgarian cat, Trifon (so-called because he was born on St Trifon’s day) grew up in the West Wing and regarded the garden as his personal domain. He was a regular gatecrasher at Residence functions held outdoors and also enjoyed slipping uninvited into the main part of the house when the French doors were open, especially when someone was playing the piano . Since returning to the UK with me he has had to make do with much less glamorous surroundings…
I’m not sure if the West Wing still exists as a separate flat but, if so, I hope the current residents are enjoying it as much as Triffy and I did.
