a life in architecture quentin blake

As you approach Rochefort on the west coast of France, a sign tells you that 'You are entering Rochefort, seventeenth-century new town'. Quentin Blake, the children's illustrator, laughs every time he passes it. Yes, he says, it is quite true: the town is laid out on a grid principle and was built at the same time as French naval shipbuilding developed on the banks of the River Charente. Many of the original structures are still standing, including his favourite, the Corderie Royale ...