Lord Edward Speaks

Good Afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen. My name is Lord Edward Woodside, head of ‘New Scotland Yard Art and Antiques Squad’.Actually the real Art and Antique Squad was reformed in 2017 with a smaller staff but in Diane Carter-Brown’s excellent book “Roberta” I am still proudly in charge of the ‘New Scotland Yard Art and Antiques Squad’. Today more than ever before art and antiques are being stolen for monetary gain or position bargaining. The world wide destruction of ancient ruins and monuments is overwhelming. Just a very short while ago, mid November 2025, a stone wall at Arvreck Castle, Scotland was torn down by a group of tourists to make stepping stones over tidal water. The Callanish Standing Stones on the island of Lewis, Scotland are 5000 years old and have been recorded as a sacred gathering place for at least 2000 years. Since their creation, locals and visitors alike have been able to see the stones first hand, but now with an estimated visitor count far exceeding 150,000 people a year, manly due to such movies as ‘Brave’ and ‘Outlander,’ the government has been force to close the site with access only by the purchase of a ticket. Our cultural heritage throughout the world is under pressure from thieves, activists of every kind and mindless tourists. We must be on constant alert to keep our heritage sites safe. They are not to be treated as some sort of reality video game. Our heritage is preserved for the better understanding of who we are, where we came from and the joy of seeing something beautiful that has stood the test of time. It gives us a sense of belonging the sense of identity and grounding that sadly so may of us lack.

I play a very special part in the lives of James and Roberta. We share many, many things in common, not the least our condition of birth. Over the years I have had the occasion to recommend them to various restoration organizations—some of which I’m sure they did not wish to thank me for. I hope you are enjoying my roll in their lives as I appear across the pages of their story ‘Roberta.’