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Douglas A Huggins |
Friends remember creator of grassy knoll
FRIENDS have paid tribute to Douglas A Huggins, the creator of the grassy knoll opposite Cecil Sharp House in Primrose Hill, who has died, aged 45, from a stroke following an operation for cancer.
His life was celebrated by a large gathering of friends and family at a humanist ceremony at Cecil Sharp House.
Douglas, who lived in Gloucester Avenue, was well known to residents for his care of the knoll, transformed from a bare patch of ground.
It is at its best each spring when 200 daffodils and tulips are in full bloom. Each patch of the knoll is dedicated to the life of a particular individual. Douglas was from Des Moines, Iowa, where he spent his childhood summers running free on his grandfather’s farm. He came to the UK 23 years ago to work in advertising with DMB&B agency, but discovered that corporate life was not for him. In 1985, taking a life-changing step, he went to work at Food for Thought restaurant in Neal Street, Covent Garden. In the course of his stay there he contributed bread recipes for its cookbook, with his mushroom bread.
Later, he worked as a butler for caterer Clare’s Kitchen and City eatery Futures, which he bought in 2003.
He was particularly known for his loathing of “double dipping”. Even at the classiest cocktail parties some guests would dip their canapés into the sauce, take a bite and dip again. This resulted in Douglas heading for the kitchen, declaring a “double dipping alert”, to acquire a fresh, uncontaminated dipping sauce.
Kind and generous, he would load customers and friends with gifts of home-grown plants and bulbs. Why waste money on packaged presents when a plant is a more lasting gift that can be propagated, he would say.
Every autumn he would be out on the grassy knoll, putting in new plants and bulbs. Camden Council sent a gardening team out to ensure the knoll was tidy for the funeral service.
Being from farming stock, Douglas would always celebrate with a Thanksgiving dinner each November.
David Simmons |
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