Graham Francis gave a talk for the Primrose Hill Community Association (PHCA) Open House in March on the particular parts of the Silk Road that he travelled with his wife Irene.

Graham graduated in Architecture from Manchester University, where he met Irene while she was studying Biology. After doing the trail overland to India and Nepal, Graham got a job at Ahrends, Burton and Koralek, the highly regarded designers of Trinity College Dublin and the British Embassy in Moscow.

Back in 1973, ABK, as they were commonly known, operated from Utopia Village. Graham worked there for ten years before moving to Sheppard Robson in Parkway, where he spent the rest of his career until retiring ten years ago as Chairman. Graham’s local was the Engineer, and both firms used to play soccer and softball in Regent’s Park every week.

Graham and Irene both enjoy nature, wildlife and architecture, and are particularly interested in less frequently visited destinations. Their photos showed the huge contrasts they witnessed along the Silk Road. They were taken with an eye for the architecture and culture: exquisite mosques, tiled domes, gleaming minarets, as well as Soviet housing blocks and a monstrous statue of Genghis Khan.

To see next free Open House events at www.phca.cc/all-events/open-house

Main photo by Darrell Chaddock