Lady in the van

In 1989 the story, The lady in the van, by Alan Bennett was first published. Alan Bennett's play based on the story was first produced in 1999 while the film starring Maggie Smith as Miss Shepherd was released in 2015. The Melbourne Theatre Company is putting on a production of the play early 2019 with Miriam Margolyes in the lead role.

Gloucester Crescent written by William Miller frequently mentions the playwright, Alan Bennett, who lived across the road and frequently spent time at William's home. He also makes reference in passing to the van that appeared in Gloucester Crescent and was parked outside different residences for periods of time.

The story in the book consists of a record about fifteen year stay of the Lady in the Van in Gloucester Crescent and in the later years in the driveway of Alan Bennett's house.The first account is dated October 1969 when the Lady in the Van took up residence in Gloucester Crescent though she had been in the neighbourhood since 1965. The accounts cover the twenty years that Miss Shepherd lived in various locations in the street including  fifteen years in Mr Bennett's driveway.

Who was the Lady in the Van? An eccentric old woman? A former nun? A former ambulance driver? The residents of Gloucester Crescent did not really know her and after her death additional information about her life was being discovered. Whatever her story Miss Shepherd, as she called herself, certainly made an impact on the lives of many of the residents of Gloucester Crescent.