Big New Idea : Less Choice

One of the many things that irritate me about Britain's high streets is the seemingly inexorable move towards homogeneity. The same old shops selling the same old crap. We've lost so many independent shops that give a place distinctiveness and variety. But somewhat bizarrely it's happened at the very same time as that other great irritation of mine, the growth in choice. 

I first noticed this with pubs and food. There was a halcyon period when eating in a pub was restricted to crisps or peanuts and if something more substantial was required, a pork pie or pickled egg were invariably available. The exception was Friday and Saturday nights when the local prawn and shrimp seller would visit, usually shortly after the Salvation Army in their bonnets distributing the 'War Cry'. Some pubs did provide the odd sandwich which lived on the bar under a plastic dome, but then the revolution started. I remember it began with chicken in a basket or scampi and chips. This evolved into the home-cooked servery and carvery concept and now replaced with the ubiquitous microwave multi-choice fayre.

In pubs it's now basically impossible to just get a simple sandwich without endless questions about type of bread, with or without nachos, hot or cold etc etc. And why does it come with a side salad and coleslaw and why the need for a table mat, knife, fork, condiments, and napkin just to eat a bloody sandwich? And why does it cost £6.95 FFS?

I'm pleased to say that I've recently visited two pubs where the only food on offer was contained in a plastic dome on the bar and cost £1.50 a throw. Ham, beef or vegetarian alternative; cheese. I'm beginning to get the feeling there might be a counter-revolution starting and it's been confirmed by a recent visit to the charming North Yorkshire port of Whitby. In amongst all the usual hot food takeaways that thrive during the holiday season, there's a novel new and distinctive fast food concept, the 'Humble Pie 'n Mash' shop. It's really simple. You go in, sit down, choose from six different freshly baked pies and it's served up within minutes complete with mash, peas and gravy on an enamel dish. There's a vegetarian alternative and it all costs £4.99.

I love everything about this new business. All the ingredients, including flour, are sourced locally, even the eggs coming from the family chickens. They bake and are open every day and do 'carryouts.' The 1940's theme makes it feel just like wartime, only with meat. There's gingham, union flags and I'm sure I heard strains of Glen Miller on the wireless. Yorkshire tea is served in mugs and the only thing missing is Woolton Pie on the menu. This couple really deserve to do well and I think are spearheading a massive change in direction for fast food. This could be the fish and chip shop of the future and it's British through and through.   

The Wrong Solution

The news that Sir Terence Conran has once more dipped into his pocket and given the Design Museum on London's South Bank £17.5million has not surprisingly been greeted with much jubilation. It's a most generous gift, especially when he's already endowed the Museum with £50million which pretty much paid for setting it up in the first place some 20 years ago in its current riverside location. This additional gift will go a long way in helping to fund the Museum's move to larger premises. 

Despite having a prestige location, the converted banana warehouse near Tower Bridge has not proved large enough for the Museum's aspirations and the Trustees have been looking for an alternative site for some time. It had been hoped there would be room to locate next to Tate Modern, but such has been the success of the former power station conversion that the Tate felt that they couldn't spare any space in their modern extension. So the search continued and eventually it was suggested that the iconic but empty former Commonwealth Institute building in Kensington would be a suitable home. But I'm not at all sure.    

Finding new uses for old buildings, especially when they are 'listed' is never easy and inevitably involves a degree of compromise between the integrity of the original and the requirements of the new. If economics and politics get involved the cause of conservation can be made that much more difficult. Built in 1962, this stunning building with parabolic copper-clad roof welcomed many a school trip over its lifetime and until changing tastes and circumstances supposedly rendered it surplus to requirements, it closed for good in 2002.

The ungrateful Commonealth owners of this by now unloved but grade II* listed building then proceeded to try and bully Tony Blair's government into passing a special Act of Parliament the sole purpose of which would have been the 'delisting' of the building. This would have allowed demolition and thus sale of the cleared site for lucrative residential development. Happily Mr Blair felt able to resist the Australian Prime Minister's threats and eventually a property company bought the site from the owners.

As is quite common in such cases, they almost certainly paid too much for the site and as a result require considerable new build in order to recoup their outlay. Although now supposedly 'saved', unfortunately the developers plans for the site always entailed demolition of the administration block and the erection of flats in its place, leaving the iconic main structure for alternative use. Not surprisingly, in order to convert this part of the building for museum use will inevitably require considerable internal modification.

In essence, the requirements of the design museum are for a plain white box into which they can insert great design, but this is clearly in major conflict with what they have been given. In my view the result will be unsatisfactory both in terms of preserving the integrity of the original design and in creating the right sort of space for the proposed new use. It was a great idea but it's going to end as a dogs breakfast and the Design Museum needs to keep looking for a more suitable home. As for the Commonwealth Institute, the search for a more appropriate use might just take a bit longer that's all.           

To Save, or Not to Save?

As has been pointed out to me 'I thought this blog was about having a moan', so here goes and apologies for the wait.

What the hell is going on at the Department of Culture Media and Sport?

They have refused to give statutory protection to yet another significant modern building put forward for 'listing' by English Heritage. On March 15th Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt wrote to EH stating that he did not feel that phases 1-4 of the Broadgate development in the City of London were worthy of protection and as a result are likely to be demolished imminently.

It is perfectly true that buildings less than 30 years old have to be deemed of special merit, but bodies such as the Twentieth Century Society and English Heritage made strong cases citing the quality, American influence and historical significance of the buildings in relation to ushering in the 'Big Bang' transformation of the London Stock Market in the early 80's. However, the proposed 'listing' caused uproar in the City with London Mayor Boris Johnson chiming in stating the idea was 'ludicrous' and would send a message to the world that London was 'closed for business.' You see the buildings need to go in order to make way for a £340 million new headquarters for a large Swiss bank.

The suspicion is growing that whether to 'list' a building or not has more to do with economics than aesthetics, which is very naughty and not really pukka. This view has been gaining ground since the government refused to list the South Bank Centre in London, the headquarters of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission in Maidenhead, Birmingham Central Library and the library at Redcar. All are deemed architecturally significant as important examples of their period, but they also happen to be unloved and unwanted by their current owners who find them costly to maintain and apparently no longer fit for the purpose for which they were originally commissioned. They also just happen to be mostly in public ownership.

This is becoming a worrying trend as the previous administration refused to list the International Swimming Pool in Leeds, the amazing Tricorn Centre in Portsmouth and the iconic 'Get Carter' multi-storey car park in Gateshead. All have subsequently been demolished in orgies of wanton destruction. Now it's true that all the buildings I've mentioned may have their detractors and critics, but then so did the St Pancras Hotel in London when British Rail wanted to demolish it in the 60's and the Victorian Society fought successfully to save it. Just look at it today.

This is precisely the reason that bodies such as English Heritage are charged with the task of making informed assessments and judgements on the merits of each building and it's contribution to our heritage and culture. It really isn't right that government can be allowed to ignore such advice for purely economic reasons. 

Hepworth Wakefield

Every blog has to start somewhere and  ironically it's not a moan but a celebration of an amazing new arrival on the waterfront in Wakefield. I suspect many residents of this fine city and former county town of the West Riding didn't even know they had a waterside, so run down and neglected it had become. But a few years ago the people of Wakefield decided it was time to 'get a grip' and with the help of a fancy American architect drew up a masterplan to completely recast the city centre. A key element of this new vision was a suitable home for the city's collection of Barbara Hepworth sculptures and the bold decision was taken to put it right by the river and ancient bridge.

An architectural competition produced an unashamedly modern design by David Chipperfield and whilst I can appreciate that it won't be to every ones taste, all I would say is look inside. The architect has succeeded in providing some stunningly varied spaces that really allow full appreciation of the sculpture, rather than drawing the eye away. The exception is in some very carefully placed full height windows that allow uninterrupted views of the superb waterside location. 

I guess it's obvious to say that you only get a limited amount of time to see a new piece of architecture like this and before the rough edges start to accumulate. It's the only time the architect can bask in the glory of seeing their creation in as near perfect condition as possible. All the clean lines - and this building has lots and lots of clean lines - are completely free of extraneous fixtures, signs, notices or just accumulated junk. If I had my way and I was an architect I would insist on a team of 'design police' as part of the brief to ensure that my lovely clean lines remain just that, clean.

Being a bit of a perfectionist, I have to say I was impressed with the detailing and my only two disappointments some might feel are pedantic in the extreme, but remember the saying 'why spoil the ship for a ha'ppeth of tar.' Having commended the gallery management for the complete absence of notices - there isn't even one that says 'no photography' - there are four home made signs in the beautifully executed gents explaining how to turn the electronically activated taps on and off. A design fault of the taps I venture to suggest. The other irritation is outside the purview of the architect I'm sure. Some non vertical poles holding security cameras, but only feet from lighting poles - oh and some very hideous local authority litter bins. 

But lets not be churlish. The City of Wakefield deserve a great deal of praise for having the courage during a recession to carry on with this 35 million pound regeneration and cultural scheme in a former unpromising part of the city. It will undoubtedly have a positive effect on surrounding derelict buildings including an historic watermill and act as a catalyst for regeneration generally. I notice that it's only a short distance from the sad, neglected but finely detailed Kirkgate railway station. 

This new gallery perfectly complements the Sculpture Park at Bretton and will really put Wakefield on the sculpture trail alongside the Henry Moore Gallery in Leeds and Tate at St Ives. I would recommend an early visit to savour this free facility.