Penelope Betjeman
Sir: Perhaps Gavin Stamp (19 April) would like to know that Penelope Betjeman was in fact meticulous about her appearance. She would often don a riding jacket and tie when the occasion demanded, for her turn-out when in the saddle was of particu- lar importance to her. She frequently referred to my unbrushed mop as a 'ram through a thicket': my grandmother kept her noticeably neat pudding-bowl style regularly trimmed. Powder compact at hand (shiny noses were an abhorrence), her evening wardrobe of Indian silks or maroon velvet trousers and Turkish slip- pers was worn with pride. Mr Stamp may have found her dress sense a little eccentric but contrary to his statement she took great care over her appearance and would not have wished anyone to have thought otherwise.
Imogen Lycett Green
Blacklands House, Caine, Wiltshire
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