William Boyd's My London

Home is…

I’ve lived in Chelsea for 25 years and it’s still a village, after a fashion. I walk everywhere and I’m a member of The Chelsea Arts Club, which is the best club in the world.

Building you’d most like to live in?

The Serpentine Gallery for peace and quiet, and my own park.

What’s your earliest memory?

It’s actually of Heathrow Airport. My family had just flown in from Africa and I got lost there for about half an hour. I was only four years old. I can still recall my absolute terror. A kindly policeman rescued me and reunited me with my parents.

Best meal?

Barrafina on Frith Street for black pudding, sea bass and razor clams. Whenever my wife Susan and I have something to celebrate we head there.

First thing you do when you arrive back in London?

I tend to wander down to the river (about 100 yards from my house) and see what’s happening. The Thames defines London, it’s never the same.

Last play you saw?

Old Times by Harold Pinter. Pinter should always be played for laughs. It starred two brilliant actors whom I know and have worked with: Rufus Sewell and Kristin Scott Thomas.

What would you do as Mayor for the day?

Stop cyclists cycling on pavements.

Favourite pub?

The Surprise in Chelsea. It’s a great, friendly pub with the overwhelming benefit of being 50 yards from my front door.

Where do you go to let your hair down?

The Groucho Club for a singalong around the piano. As I have a terrible voice I make sure I go with people who can sing really well, usually two young actor friends: Theo Cross and Camilla Arfwedson.

Favourite shops?

John Sandoe off the King’s Road is the world’s best bookshop; the nearby Green & Stone for artists’ materials; and Rex Goldsmith’s The Chelsea Fishmonger for the best fish in London. I like Harrods for one-stop clothes shopping and Partridges at Duke of York Square because it has every foodstuff you could possibly want. My favourite place for coffee is the Caffè Nero at the corner of Frith Street and Old Compton Street; it’s probably the best venue for people-watching in Soho.

Building you’d most like to be locked in overnight?

The National Gallery, so I could have the freedom to roam without anyone else there.

Biggest extravagance?

Black cabs.

Who do you call when you want to have fun?

I don’t need to call, she lives with me: my wife, who’s a screenwriter.

Best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

‘Put black on white’ (Guy de Maupassant) — ie, just start.

Best place for a nightcap?

A glass of rosé at Colbert on Sloane Square, where Paris comes to Chelsea.

Last album you bought?

The Yes Album (1971). I bought it when I was at school and I repurchased it the other day as an act of Proustian nostalgia.

At the moment you are...

Attending rehearsals at the Hampstead Theatre of my first play Longing, in a state of intense, debilitating excitement.