Where does inspiration for settings come from?

I was asked the other day by a man who came to see if I was eligible for solar panels (shortly before he fell off the roof & decided I wasn’t) where my inspiration comes from. This was just after he’d told me that he and his wife like to – for enjoyment – hide behind the shed at the bottom of their garden and watch their neighbours cook (well, I think he said cook, but he was from Barnsley).

Inspiration for settings is easy – they’re all around. Here are a few of those that inspired The Hairdresser’s Tale:

Woodford Halse

Wimpole’s Tower (Felcher’s Folly)

Valletta viewed from Fortina Hotel

A Palazzo not unlike Palazzo Botigliani – Valletta