London's Ugliest Building
The Tower at Colliers Wood is an outstandingly ugly winner with more than 50% of the votes. My choice, the Southbank Centre, came third with only 11% of the votes. Having seen film on BBC London TV of the Colliers Wood monstrosity, which, to make matters worse, stands next to a flaky black multi-storey carpark, I've changed my mind. It's the worst! Why are architects allowed to build such eyesores in a supposed democracy? Only 512 of us bothered to vote. I guess this answers my question. Inclusion of the Gherkin (8%) proved controversial. Some viewers wrote in to defend this phallic Gnomes-of-Zurich erection.
Footnote: a survey revealed that 86% of Colliers Wood residents said The Tower was the worst thing about living in the area! Why not empower residents associations to sue architects for blighting their landscapes? All it would take is Legal Aid and the floodgates could open!
posted by Unknown @ 19.6.06
5 comments
5 Comments:
There were three of these in Marsham street a few years ago. Dept. of the Environment if I remember righly. Visual pollution I call it! But gone now.
The best bits are underground. If you ever get the chance to hear a local historian by the name of Peter Lawrence speak on this do take it up.
I've seen some spectacular TV footage of our Victorian sewers, like cathedrals!
Is that the Peter who used to be in charge of the Local History Room at Central Library?
No. Answered my own question; that was Peter Wright. Ian Dowling's in charge there now. He's got some wonderful old football championship shields. Ask him nicely and he might bring them out.
Not just sewers. Most of central London street level is about 30 feet higher than ground level. Bit frightening when you think about it, otherwise it would be under water twice a day. Smithfield Market has a huge cavern underneath which is now used as a car park. Fantastic brick built arches in the roof spans. The railway is not there anymore, but you can walk for miles down there.
Also there is the Post Office underground system, and the telecoms system. I was watching a C4 prog a while back on the surveilance of left wing radicals like Arthur Scargill back in the 1970s. They cut to an underground telephone exchange where supposedly lines were tapped. Guess who popped up on the TV screen. I don't even remember it being taken and I wasn't there in the 70s.
Guess it was just a stock photo of left-wing loonies, and you looked right for the part. Can't you sue 'em?
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