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Yes the bottom third is still to crack for me too. I did have both of those, but am missing back alley silk cloth one, and Monteith bowl too. The final two down clues. I have the letters to add to clues.

lumen -

back alley is a reversal clue - two three letter elements reversed. defn is last two words.

Monteith bowl is a container clue - sinlge letter inside 5 letter word from north of the border meaning first word of clue (i didnt know it, and hadnt come across the answer either)

andyp - you must still be a young chap - it's a birds-eye view, remember. The wonder of the title and the setter occurred to me only this morning. Brilliant!

I think I've completed this but still scratching my head over 'Part of Spain finally returned' (4)

I have the answer and the parsing seems straightforward but what I have used to be but isn't any more.

The answer is also involved in my least convincing part of the end game - so maybe I haven't finished yet. 🫤

Granama, I thought of this clue as an &lit.

Ah. Thanks Jack. Yes, that works perfectly. 👍

But I don't think it's involved in the endgame.

All done. Are we meant to be able to deduce the setter? That bit (appropriately enough) has gone over my head.

cockie - relatively so, yes. i know what the middle of the grid represents, along with the entry extensions. However the bottom of the grid - paritcular as the retreat narrows then extends again, is puzzling me.

The title is clever (and i see the relevance) - and im sure the setter name is as well - but too clever for me at the moment!

andyp, just imagine what the grid is showing, and think how increasing years will effect gradual changes. Then wonder what the two abbreviations actually mean. The pdm is worth all the effort.