Con’s work as a foreign correspondent kicked off in earnest covering the 1983 American invasion of Grenada but soon moved to the Middle East. Having set up the Daily Telegraph’s bureau in Jerusalem, he narrowly escaped kidnap in Beirut in 1986, the basis for the his first of many published books which also include biographical based volumes on Saddam Hussein, Tony Blair, Ayatollah Khomeini and the Assad Dynasty.

At Watersfield (Coldwaltham, towards Pulborough), this beautifully maintained area of tree-ringed Sussex greenery was donated to the local community in the aftermath of WWI by local landowner, Captain Alban Head. Today it’s managed by a small local charity, keeping the valued space open for use by dog walkers, youth groups and families as well as the local football and cricket clubs. Find out more.