Wednesday, 4 April 2018

keep out/keep clear/nothing to see here

One of the interesting things about the aesthetic of the old, now demolished Westgate, was its reliance on strange, dark-brown bricks as a design element. It gave everything the bisto, jus, dark teak tang of the prestige 80s. The new Westgate is all fresh-faced greige dollhouse bricks, but across the road, a building built to the same vernacular lingers on, the HQ of a prominent lawyers, defiant in its once-smart brown brick and blind bronze-tinted windows. And off to one side it has a garden:

the condemned building's yard

the condemned building's yard the condemned building's yard

the condemned building's yard the condemned building's yard

It's not great, is it? If it were for sale, the Estate Agent would be reaching for euphemisms - period design in place; in need of a refresh and modernisation. It's not for sale though. It's sold.

the condemned building's yard the condemned building's yard

The new occupant, a Travelodge, is presumably aiming for a full rebuild, as I'm already hearing people griping about the height of the building. No word yet on whether this tree will survive. I hope so, it looks pretty busy:

the condemned building's yard

the condemned building's yard the condemned building's yard

as does the garden, stirring with the first flush of spring.

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